I have always defined myself as 'not a feminist'. However I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the pressure to accept gender idealogies which has spurred me into a bit of research on the subject. I have come to the following conclusions in my own mind:
- I class myself as a liberal person, believe in equality, and don't care how other people label themselves, but I do not want to or see the need to change how I identify. I am a woman and a mother and do not want to labelled otherwise.
- I don't believe self-ID should become law as I don't believe biological sex can be changed. Leading on to...
- Biological sex classifications is important in protecting women's safe spaces and also for creating fairness e.g. in sports. Leading on to...
- Women require safe spaces because they are not on an equal footing with men with regards to strength and tendancy towards physical aggression
- I don't want to tell people what my preferred pronouns are. To me the whole thing is an idealogy in the same was as religion, and not one I believe in, so I don't feel I should even be encouraged to participate. I work with many foreign colleagues and sometimes need to ask how I should refer to them. No problems so far.
And, perhaps more controversially, I myself do not always fit a standard family structure when it comes to medical records, form filling etc. But hey ho, I know it is difficult to account for everybody, so I just get on with it. I don't ask for the forms or the systems to be changed to make me feel more comfortable.
There must be many others like me? i.e. women who do not label themselves as feminist, or who just haven't really thought whether they are or not, but who would support the gender critical argument if the facts were put before them.