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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

I just came out as GC at work, to the big boss and I feel a bit sick

845 replies

JustcameoutGC · 15/04/2021 12:34

I have NCed for this. I have just outed myself as GC in work to the big boss (and some others cced in).

I was asked to sign off on something that I just couldn't and I said so, and explained why.

I literally feel sick. Like I have put a big fat GC target on my back. My org is totally woke. I wonder how many times my response has been forwarded already.

OP posts:
Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:28

@Ereshkigalangcleg

I don't think anyone needs to "admit" there could be possible repercussions for speaking up.

Exactly. That's the whole point. If she knew they were going to say "yes, I absolutely agree, crack on", she wouldn't have been anxious about it.

So why didn't you respond to the many posters who told me I was scaremongering?
Nellodee · 17/04/2021 17:26

Sorry to add to the derail, but I can sadly concur that a good number of the teenagers that I teach maths to do not know that a quarter, twenty five percent and 0.25 are equivalent, despite my having explained this to them personally, with diagrams and in multiple other ways, dozens of times.
I think if you are quite intelligent and have been in classes at school with people of an equivalent level of intelligence, it can be difficult to understand just how difficult it is for some people to take on and retain new knowledge.
For lower ability students, I tend to make silly songs to get things to stick. Sadly, not much rhymes with cervix, so I don’t think that would apply to the information being discussed in this thread.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 17/04/2021 17:26

I don't think anyone needs to "admit" there could be possible repercussions for speaking up.

Exactly. That's the whole point. If she knew they were going to say "yes, I absolutely agree, crack on", she wouldn't have been anxious about it.

Leafstamp · 17/04/2021 17:26

Thanks for that example @Floisme

I am building up to challenging an organisation I work with for using ‘gender’ in an important questionnaire, when quite clearly they mean sex. In fact, I have already challenged it but the questionnaire “owner” has left the organisation and I’m trying to track down his replacement!

Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:23

I agree

Im responding more to the many posters who told me I was scaremongering and making things up by suggesting this might not go well for people who air these views.

R0wantrees · 17/04/2021 17:23

I hope she doesn't experience any negative consequences and that her workplace takes heed of what she has pointed out to them.

An early post indicated that the 'big boss' recognised the points raised were important.

Bergamotte · 17/04/2021 17:21

@Butwasitherdriveway

So we admit there are possible repercussions for this?
I don't think anyone needs to "admit" there could be possible repercussions for speaking up. Those repercussions are the whole reason OP wrote "I literally feel sick. Like I have put a big fat GC target on my back. My org is totally woke. I wonder how many times my response has been forwarded already."

I hope she doesn't experience any negative consequences and that her workplace takes heed of what she has pointed out to them.

Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:20

If you think she's brave, you must he accepting that the view is controversial.

If you think it's risky doing it at work and you applaud her, you must know there's repercussions.

So why have many posters told me I'm scaremongering by suggesting that these views can get you in trouble at work directly or indirectly?

Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:19

@Ereshkigalangcleg

All you ever do across the board is quote posts that disagree with me

Someone's rather self-important! You're not actually on most of the threads I'm on.

You still do it though.
Floisme · 17/04/2021 17:19

As an example of what I mean, one organisation I know was bidding for a big pot of funding and one of the conditions was that they provided gender neutral toilets. They handled it very well, installing an additional, single unit, lockable cubicle with an internal basin.

Win-win. But they weren't required to do it that way and if they'd chosen to cut corners and convert an existing toilet block then some staff would have lost a single sex space, and it would have been very hard for anyone to object because everyone knew that, if they didn't win this funding they were basically stuffed.

That's just one example of how it can be risky to speak out.

Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:19

@ThumbWitchesAbroad

I don't think I would be the only one on this thread who has no idea what are the possible repercussions you' think you've pointed out, butwasit.

All you've done is tell the OP that she was wrong to use the words "came out as GC" (in the title) because it made it sound like she was "coming out" as gay - something she has said she shouldn't have done and should have used "been outed as GC".

She is fully aware of how risky being seen as GC is in these times, as are most of the rest of us. Therefore doing what she has done IS brave. We know there are possible repercussions so I can only conclude that you are either being an agent provocateur by arguing in circles or that you are failing to make a clear point.

No, I said the coming out thing posts and posts ago. I can only assume you haven't RTFT.

When I pointed out repercussions I was told I was scaremongering and there was no repercussions as no workplace could do anything about it.

But she's brave.

Which is it?

Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:18

@Ereshkigalangcleg

This thread is fast moving, Datun responded when she read the post, I imagine.
Yes...so I said we'd moved on from it (as I'd apologised that I'd got it wrong and we moved on).

Unless of course youd have liked me to derail by having further discussions about the cervix that you objected to?

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 17/04/2021 17:17

I don't think I would be the only one on this thread who has no idea what are the possible repercussions you' think you've pointed out, butwasit.

All you've done is tell the OP that she was wrong to use the words "came out as GC" (in the title) because it made it sound like she was "coming out" as gay - something she has said she shouldn't have done and should have used "been outed as GC".

She is fully aware of how risky being seen as GC is in these times, as are most of the rest of us. Therefore doing what she has done IS brave. We know there are possible repercussions so I can only conclude that you are either being an agent provocateur by arguing in circles or that you are failing to make a clear point.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 17/04/2021 17:15

All you ever do across the board is quote posts that disagree with me

Someone's rather self-important! You're not actually on most of the threads I'm on.

CokeDrinker · 17/04/2021 17:15

@Butwasitherdriveway *Mmhm.

It's always easy to spin a belief into a positive position though isn't it.

I believe that everyone should have the right to identify how they choose and people should respect t.

When I write it like that, it's indisputable.*

So you believe a white person should be able to identify as a POC, such as Rachel Dolezal?

Ereshkigalangcleg · 17/04/2021 17:14

This thread is fast moving, Datun responded when she read the post, I imagine.

Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:14

@Ereshkigalangcleg

We've moved on from that.

No we haven't. This isn't your thread to direct as you please.

All you ever do across the board is quote posts that disagree with me and agree with them, so I will cope with your criticism.
Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:13

@Ereshkigalangcleg

We've moved on from that.

No we haven't. This isn't your thread to direct as you please.

You can't have it both ways.

You're telling me not to derail but you have an issue with someone challenging something I backtracked on and accepted I needed to progress on about 5 pages ago.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 17/04/2021 17:13

She's worried, because talking about sex categories in relation to who does and who doesn't have a cervix, is considered wrong. You can't even bring yourself to say that it's women and girls who have a bloody cervix.

Even when you are asked point-blank how people know, you can't bring yourself to say the words.

Yet you deride her trepidation in addressing this very issue at work.

It's breathtaking.

I completely agree Datun.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 17/04/2021 17:11

We've moved on from that.

No we haven't. This isn't your thread to direct as you please.

Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:11

So we admit there are possible repercussions for this?

CokeDrinker · 17/04/2021 17:10

@Butwasitherdriveway

I don't think she has, I'm afraid.
She has been very, VERY brave. She stood up for women when we are being persecuted the most. Of course those who choose to just jump on bandwagons without seeing the consequences will find it easier to go with the flow, and not see the strength of character it takes to take a stand.
Ereshkigalangcleg · 17/04/2021 17:10

It's her truth, and I would wager she speaks for most women. For women who care about women's safety and women's rights, and our very identity as women.

Yes, she does.

Butwasitherdriveway · 17/04/2021 17:08

@ThumbWitchesAbroad

I think it's been very clear all the way through that the OP has had to take a professional stand that has made her fearful for her security in her job, which isn't surprising, given that other women have lost their jobs for stating views that could be seen as GC.

That fear is real and it is substantiated. And many other posters have thanked the OP for making that stand - because it's a risky time to do it.

Her professional motivation to ensure that documentation adheres to the actual LAW and not to some Stonewall variation of it is also clear.

I hope all the same posters who jumped on me and picked apart my posts for pages for saying the same thing are going to do it again, since I'm a scaremongering fraud.

But they won't.

Because pointing out the possible repercussions is only OK if you agree with OP.

PP can't have it both ways . You either accept it's brave and rishy or not but you can't call her brave and then pretend there's no possible repercussions.

CokeDrinker · 17/04/2021 17:08

[quote Butwasitherdriveway]@FrancesGumm but just because others feel similar doesn't make it right.[/quote]
It doesn't make it wrong either @Butwasitherdriveway . It's her truth, and I would wager she speaks for most women. For women who care about women's safety and women's rights, and our very identity as women.