Independent runs an article saying men in women's changing rooms are bad

That is perfectly expressed.

I was about to ask the same thing! She’s either just guessing, and taking the risk of causing him serious injury by misgendering, or she asked him. How very transphobic!

Yes it does seem to be a case of "if it happens to me, it's disgusting - if it happens to any other woman, then I support the man"!

It seems as if Olivia is being outed as what's called "a useful idiot"?

Best and most comprehensive response on that Twatter thread:

https://x.com/ukvillafan/status/1868400965852000724

Why was everyone so blasé and unhelpful, she wonders.

Probably because they've been trained to accept that anyone can be a woman even with full beard, men's clothes, intact tackle, no hormones and no dysphoria. And that to confront such a person is considered bigoted and could result in dismissal and public vilification. So, now even a regular man gets into the changing rooms undetected, because you never know and playing hero might blow up in your face. Reality is just too costly and inconvenient to enforce for anyone who wants to keep their job.

I do hope Olivia isn't basing her assertion that it was a cis man on whether the individual was performing femininity to Olivia's standards? Because that would be shockingly transphobic

Sounds like a disturbing and frightening experience.

And its 100% terfy to say so.

According to her bio: "Olivia Petter is a freelance journalist who specialises in relationships, fashion, pop culture, and violence against women."

I can't remember the last time I wore a skirt or a dress...or make-up (note to self, ask nephew when he got married). I think I've been using the wrong changing rooms for years!

Was it Selfridges in Manchester? It could've been me! Though short sighted rather than lecherous 😬I hope I've not got resting perve face

I've come across her "journalism" before and I can't remember in what context.

She is an idiot, but it is heartening to read the comments.

Maybe she will actually read them and take note, although it is far more likely that she will dismiss them as the ravings of transphobic bigots.

Probably worrying that she inadvertently highlighted a key safeguarding concern in the TWAW debacle and that she won’t get published in the Independent again. Now backtracking. After usefully illustrating exactly the problem with saying TWAW.

Though cognitive dissonance and/or hard of logic always a possibility. Forgivable when my DD was early teens insisting that you CAN tell the difference between a true trans and a predatory male who wants access to a women’s shelter. Less so in an intelligent adult.

Late to the party as usual, and everything I said to DH as I read the article has already been said on this thread. It's like getting 100% on a "spot the deliberate mistakes test".

Yes love those comments - 100% terf 😂

The comments to her post clarifying cisgender on X are very amusing. She is getting quite the bashing for her hypocrisy.

Possibly a helpful trans woman who had clocked she’d need assistance with her ties. The lecherous look was for the coveted dress. If only she had said hello like a normal person, and perhaps asked for a tampon, they’d be embarking on a life long friendship.

It is only voyeurism if the man is wearing "men's" attire, such as trousers etc. Come on, we all know the rules.

Olivia is clearly hard of thinking.

How did she know this unless she asked him? And it reads as though she didn’t.

It's utterly bizarre that she hasn't twigged that transgenderism and potential accusations of transphobia is the likely reason shop staff are reluctant to challenge a man in the ladies' changing rooms, and ironic that she would throw blanket accusations of transphobia around on Twitter in light of this.

Does she see that calling anyone who acknowledges sex differences transphobic is exactly why she had that experience where no staff wanted to get involved?

Really strange to care so much about sex differences when it comes to herself but to pretend it's a non-issue when other women feel uncomfortable in the same situation, just because this man was presumably wearing trousers.

I also wonder whether the part about the man giving her a lecherous look outside the fitting room beforehand was actually true, or if it was the only way she could frame it as a story about an undisputed sex predator as as opposed to a random man in a woman's space for what could turn out to be potentially 'innocent' reason, such as being mistakenly placed in the wrong body at birth.

It just felt forced, like she knew she couldn't complain about a man being in the changing rooms unless she could evidence how she was sure he was an actual pervert first - because it's not ok to segregate by sex so only perverted men who are committing an actual crime aren't allowed in women's spaces. But all the men who do it on the sly are welcome, as only bigots care about sex.

I get the impression if he’d been wearing a dress and lipstick she’d be ok with it.

Olivia feels uncomfortable and threatened when a man enters her changing room because he's cisgender, although it's unclear how she knows this as she doesn't seem to have asked him about his gender identity and she doesn't report that he volunteered this information.

She thinks the Darlington nurses are transphobic bigots because the man in their changing room has declared a womanly identity.

I wonder how things would have gone if the man she encountered had said "It's OK, I'm a laydee"? I suppose she could have written a column about how wonderfully inclusive she felt sharing her changing room with him, and how she didn't feel in the least bit uncomfortable or threatened.

How does she know? Did she ask him his pronouns?

The mental gymnastics are olympic medal worthy