Saying ‘women have vaginas’ is transphobic?

Words can have more than one meaning, of course.

The usual meaning is definitely adult female person, and thus person with vagina. Transwomen seem to be using a different meaning of woman, a more abstract sense (like ‘this is a painting of a woman’ or ‘he played a woman in Macbeth’). We can cope with multiple meanings, but especially in science, people should define their terms!

Hi OP
What age is your DS and for what age group are the school consulting? Interested as my DCs school are consulting about the year 6 RSE curriculum and plan to include gender identity. This is despite them not yet having covered sex and reproduction so I'm wondering how they're going ahead to tackle this. I'm very interested to hear what other schools are doing. (I've posted a separate thread in Primary Education).

Well it all comes down to whether you consider woman to be a biological word or a “feelz” word doesn’t it. You can probably tell which camp I’m in.

So would you agree Plan that saying only human females have vaginas is not transphobic?

Ah, I see my Plato just eluded you completely. It’s too bad you never studied classics at university.

Miaow!

Only Women have vaginas may, by your reasoning, be an incorrect statement. The claim that it is transphobic is nonsensical though. It doesn't follow from your premise.

Is it waterphobic to say only rain is wet? Of course not.

I'm well used to the claims that make little sense, the circular definitions, the litany of fallacies, the regressive, unscientific claptrap. I couldn't not be after all this time. But I think I might just call it what it is a little more often.

And I am embarrassed for you, I really am.

Well, we are back to the age-old question of what is a woman.

Woman = adult human female. Adult human females have vaginas (and no, a 'neovagina' is not the same as a vagina).

Saying 'only women have vaginas' is not a transphobic statement. It could only possibly be a transphobic statement if there is an alternative, coherent definition of 'woman'.

As regulars to this board know, nobody has ever been able to provide an alternative, non-circular definition of 'woman'.

Perhaps a science teacher could explain it.

How could it be, its factual isn't it? Facts aren't hateful or phobic, they just are. Women are a sex class, vaginas are part of the female sexual and reproductive organs.

But it would be ok to say only human females have vaginas? That wouldn't be transphobic would it?

Its not transphobic to say 'only women have vaginas'. 'Woman' is a sex class, not a gender identity.

It’s not transphobic to say “women have vaginas”
it’s only transphobic to say “only women have vaginas”.

Much like it’s correct to say “rain is wet” but not “only rain is wet”

Teacher must have failed her basic class in logic and reasoning.

So this Science teacher is implying that "woman " as a word only refers to gender identity and therefore can be used to describe people of both the male and female sex. However, when teaching about actual sex ,they use female to describe the sex with the vaginas. Have I got that right?

people. However, when referring to actual

Talk to her in more depth and say 'safeguarding' a lot.

I've just had a great chat with my DS's RE / philosophy / ethics teacher and he's revising his use of Proud Trust materials.

Women are adult human females. Female humans have vaginas. And no, the rare exception of a woman who was born without a vagina due to a difference in sex development does not invalidate that fact. Much as someone born without legs does not invalidate the statement that humans are bipedal.

None of this is an expression of fear or hatred of transgender people. It's biology.

That is mildly transphobic, as not all women have vaginas and not everyone with vaginas are women

So they will use the word woman in any context or subject except biology?

Tell them that by following Stonewall's guidance and pretend law they are likely to end up in trouble for not complying with the actual equality act which protects female pupils from sex based discrimination.

Gender and gender identity have no legal (or coherent) definitions and are not protected characteristics.

The school should not be teaching gender ideology as fact.

If the term woman is not defined by reference to biology what is it defined by? Does it even have a meaning?

According to my son, the new "gender neutral" toilets that were built in a recent school extension are no longer gender neutral but have reverted to boys and girls.
Why was this, I asked?

"Nobody wanted to go in them".