Do you talk about being GC in real life?

Seconding finding your local Women's Rights Network. I joined my local one just a couple of weeks ago and feel so much less alone already.

@Musomama1 I'm retired so I was pretty free with my GC opinions. It all blew up on a FB chat group I was in. So I'm careful what I say and where online.
In real life I sometimes raise the issue with fellow old wrecks if there is something in the news. Sport works best on my age group, especially the men. A photo of Lia Thomas is worth an 8,000 word essay.

Only with people I know & trust. Never at work - my own organisation is fine but a large part of my job is managing partnerships with the local council & NHS and everyone is pronouns in email

I talk about this a lot to my immediate family where it's very safe to do so.

Not safe in mine, as we already have a trans family member (not my own child), cheered on through mastectomy at barely 18 by some who I had thought to have a bit more common sense than that.

I've gone instead for telling my own teens that if they're all out at a festival or whatever and Trans Teen is pissed has an emergency and is unconscious, they must tell the medics to treat TT as female, to avoid actual disaster with bloods or dosages.

Yep - I talk about it socially all the time whenever the chance arises. I don't talk about it at work...yet.

Yes I have had mostly positive responses, apart from a relative who is very left leaning who didn't seem impressed with my thinking.
I have seen since having my eyes open how much he parrots alot of the same crap that TRAs come out with.
He has since not challenged me when the subject arises and from what he has said, I think the penny has dropped. (Although he's one of those people who find it hard to admit they could have been wrong, so nevermind.)

I used to regard myself as left leaning but now I don't regard myself as anything.
I have realised alot how the media has hidden so much and portrayed really important issues completely different to how they play out or just ignored it altogether.
I realised that I was closing my eyes and ears to people who before I was made to think they shouldn't be listened to and instead have listened to what they have to say instead of writing them off like I used to.

It's so strange like an epiphany.
I feel like I have had my eyes truly opened.

Have you thought of joining your local Women’s Rights Network? It helps to be able to meet and discuss these issues with likeminded women. Stop you feeling like you’re going insane

Yes I talk to some people in real life and have been brave enough to gently challenge some people who have misunderstood what GC means.

I do think Lia Thomas has done great things for GC marketing as Lia is so obviously a man. The total unfairness of Lia competing as a woman is impossible to miss.

Hold your ground, @Realityisreal Mine started off this way but when I refused to back down or have them tell me what a woman is, they started to shift. They're pretty terfy now, though they still err on the side of being kind around friends.

Yes, I literally exploded in a two week epiphany in around January. Like you I'm a leftie who had no idea of the scale of these issues.

I talk about this a lot to my immediate family where it's very safe to do so. I've nailed my colours to the mast with a couple of good friends and been GC with a couple of people in my Church, I'd so love to join a woman's group but it's hard to do so irl.

I intend to keep talking and this board is brilliant for information and conversation points, I'm a sahm so I have no job to risk (or get frustrated in).

Am not a leftie or rightie

no one I know believes in the gender stuff especially teenagers. They mock it tbh

childrens safeguarding mos5 important

I have the same views as JKR I think

speak about at work if it’s brought up.

I don’t frame it as GC I talk about it more in terms of material reality and single sex spaces and language. I’ve been lucky in that mostly everyone either agrees, and/or has been unaware. Had a friend/colleague and a sister who are social justice warrior types and even though we didn’t agree on everything they did see my point and didn’t label me a bigot. I mean it’s hard to argue against the truth!

I have spoken to several people in real life, but initially had to tread quite carefully and gauge the response. Thankfully I have mostly been met with agreement and similar disbelief about the ridiculousness of it all. However, it's usually on a one to one basis, or in small groups. I would be hesitant to speak very publicly about it - I suppose like many others, I am afraid of being shouted down as hateful and bigoted.

Although have contributed financially to many online crowdfunders, and have signed petitions and send emails to politicians. So at least it feels like I'm doing something.

I do think there will come a tipping point, where enough people push back and it tips the balance, because I believe we are the silent majority, but I fear that it will take much more harm being done to women and girls before that happens. It has completely shaken my belief in many institutions, the fact that lies can be peddled and emotional manipulation used to further an agenda that does real harm to women, and so many people in positions of power, who should know better just turn away or don't care.

Yes, I do. Have been doing so for a few years. I talk/write to family, friends, MPs, and councillors.

I sympathise and have been thinking along similar lines.

I've made the odd comment on FB news posts so presumably some friends have seen it and haven't (to my knowledge!) cut me off. Although recently a friend did jump in and pull me up on a comment I made on an article about the rugby decision. It was done very politely - from the tone, I think he saw me as lacking knowledge and therefore educatable, rather than as a fully fledged bigot.

Like you OP it feels very disconcerting to be on the opposite side to people I've agreed with and shared lefty/lib views with all my life. I'm toying with posting something on social media for GC coming out day which I believe is sometime around the autumn, just to at least start a discussion.

I swing between "just stay quiet irl and continue writing to MPs/spreading awareness anonymously online, it doesn't benefit anyone to cause rifts among my friends/family" and "children are being abused and women's rights trampled on, how can you not at least do the bare minimum".

I have aired with a few people and most also identify as GC but hadn’t realised it.

Not really.

When I do bring it up, I'm treated as a bigot, assumed that it's the same as homophobia, which people are desperate to avoid.

And when you briefly try to allude to the idea that even if trans people are fine, you can't tell the difference between them and predators - I'm met with scepticism and "that would be extremely rare" attitudes. I don't have to examples and statistics to hand enough to be able to prove them wrong. Even suggesting it makes people think I'm a bit homophobic/bigoted/conservative and judging a group unfairly.

The link to LGB right has really benefitted trans acceptance!!

I think also most people still assume that it's full surgery transition for a rare number of people. Or they do believe that there is some internal essence that can be felt as male or female, or that maybe we just don't know enough.

And I am concerned about being seen as bigoted and conservative for all kinds of reasons to do with work and social circumstances, so I don't push it.

Sadly, same.
I got in the most almighty level of shit, lost a few friends and was branded a Terf-y bigot on Facebook.
Do not go there.

NEVER on LinkedIn or FB or at work

Yes. Everywhere!

Only with my dh

Yes, all the time, to all sorts of people. And everyone I've spoken to about it agrees with me, I've enlightened a lot of people in the last 5 or 6 years. A few have said "but we're not supposed to say that nowadays" etc, but I always say exactly what I think; very forcefully 😂

It's so important to speak out if it's safe to do so. The progress that's been made in removing the rights of other groups only happened because of #nodebate / bullying of those daring to speak up. I completely avoid tedious discussions about toilets and focus on children, safeguarding, social contagion, impact on other groups and sport. There's now so much evidence that people look very odd shouting bigot when you speak about women's safety in rugby or fairness in swimming and cycling.
Fortunately I've encountered very little dismissal - except from the odd political canvasser on the doorstep seeking my vote oddly enough The fact that these discussions are now mainstream with the mainstream press highlighting the issues and even the BBC (sometimes) tipping its toes into the waters of balanced reporting about trans issues makes it much easier.

I'm surprised that to have spoken at length with people who are acquaintances but I don't bring it up often with people I know well. It seems like, no matter how well you know someone, when the floodgates open they are so glad to have someone who agrees. I've been really surprised how many people are bottling up strong feelings about this.

It usually starts with girls sport and people at our school being pissed off about it being gender neutral to accommodate the non binary kids (spoiler alert - girls missed out). However, it seems loads of us know all about Lia Thomas etc.