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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Why is sex the only protected characteristic that people want to, or are ‘allowed’ to, self identify into? by

260 replies

SingleSexMattersInCharity · 27/03/2026 22:45

This has been something that I mull over. Why is sex the only PC that society allows people to self id into with very little checks and balances? You can get your marker on your driving licence changed very easily.

disability: yes, I realise that people can self identify as disabled but if they want benefits associated with disability there is, quite frankly, a horrendous procedure to go through in order get benefits.

Age: if someone wanted to be older to get pension they wouldn’t be accepted or alternatively if they wanted to attend nursery but were 20 they would not be allowed. Think of the Scottish case of the man who pretended to be younger to be in high school again.

maternity: women who fake pregnancy are absolutely derided.

race: we all think of the obvious case of the women who faked being black but I’m also thinking about when you want to change your citizenship and the expensive, complicated and time consuming process you have to go through to achieve a change of citizenship.

Campaigners have fought for easy, cheap and dignified changes to “changing sex” (not possible as we know) but other PCs have very expensive, complicated and dehumanising process.

why is the PC of sex different?

OP posts:
confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:52

theilltemperedamateur · 28/03/2026 11:51

Are you saying that you feel disdain for the different classes of male prisoner that I listed? You certainly might for a pædophile, but he still needs protection. He still has human rights.

Yes this is exactly what I’m saying.
i feel complete and utter revulsion at the criminals you mentioned hurting women in prisons but equally I don’t think they deserve to be raped. And it’s not because I think that morally or whatever - I think it’s just a slippery slope when you start condoning it in any circumstances and we need to protect women and girls

theilltemperedamateur · 28/03/2026 11:51

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:45

We have to practise what we preach: we need to protect the most vulnerable in society. Even the ones we feel disdain for

Are you saying that you feel disdain for the different classes of male prisoner that I listed? You certainly might for a pædophile, but he still needs protection. He still has human rights.

SingleSexMattersInCharity · 28/03/2026 11:50

GlasgowGal2014 · 28/03/2026 11:14

Race is different to citizenship. Think of the UK and all the different race of people that live here. It is not uncommon for people to self identify with a different race. There are other white people who self-identify as black or Native American or south East Asian or Italian for example, sometimes when they have some characteristics in common but people also go to extremes and have surgery to make them appear like a different ethnicity. For example OIi London, a young man from England who has undergone multiple surgical procedures to make himself look Korean.

I realise race is different to citizenship, I was thinking of the legal processes too. There are legal processes to identify as a different sex. There are legal processes to identify as parents (adoption). The closest I could get for race was the legal processes to identify as a citizen.

I got onto the legal processes because of the claims made about the process for legal sex identity change being expensive, lacking dignity, time consuming etc. Other legal processes are all of those.

OP posts:
confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:46

Shedmistress · 28/03/2026 11:45

They did. Nobody entered.

You really need to get more up with what has actually happened outside your queer bubble.

We’re saying the same thing - there wasn’t the demand. I’m saying it would be interesting to see if the same thing happened in prisons. By your logic it would because they all want to hurt women

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:45

theilltemperedamateur · 28/03/2026 11:40

Male prisoners can be old, young, weak, ill, disabled, gay, trans, police, gang members, mentally ill, or known pædophiles. In 1813 there were probably still a few eunuchs (operatic castrati or slaves). They all need protection. And they're all men. Why are they the women's problem?

We have to practise what we preach: we need to protect the most vulnerable in society. Even the ones we feel disdain for

Shedmistress · 28/03/2026 11:45

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:43

You say this but funnily enough hasn’t happened in sports.
it would be interesting to pilot no?

They did. Nobody entered.

You really need to get more up with what has actually happened outside your queer bubble.

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:43

AssignedTERFatbirth · 28/03/2026 11:39

You’d get everyone wanting a third space.

Because men’s prisons aren’t that nice as you’ve pointed out.

You say this but funnily enough hasn’t happened in sports.
it would be interesting to pilot no?

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:43

MagpiePi · 28/03/2026 11:40

Of course the surgery existed! How hard is it to chop off a penis?! It may not have been hygienic or done with pain relief but I bet they were still doing it.

What about men who lose their genitalia through accidents or disease? Do they become women?

Do you think men who have no male genitals are incapable of sexual assault?

Quite hard actually: there’s lots of risk of infection and bleeding out. It would be insane to do that pre antibiotics and anaesthetic.
again this is very nuanced and why I say case by case assessment and third space options.
and yes once a man no longer has a penis he can’t legally rape. That’s an entirely problematic British law that doesn’t help with lebsian violence or women committing statutory rape but that’s another discussion entirely

theilltemperedamateur · 28/03/2026 11:40

Male prisoners can be old, young, weak, ill, disabled, gay, trans, police, gang members, mentally ill, or known pædophiles. In 1813 there were probably still a few eunuchs (operatic castrati or slaves). They all need protection. And they're all men. Why are they the women's problem?

MagpiePi · 28/03/2026 11:40

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:36

It’s not. The surgery didn’t exist. Trans people did but the surgery didn’t so this is a new problem

Of course the surgery existed! How hard is it to chop off a penis?! It may not have been hygienic or done with pain relief but I bet they were still doing it.

What about men who lose their genitalia through accidents or disease? Do they become women?

Do you think men who have no male genitals are incapable of sexual assault?

AssignedTERFatbirth · 28/03/2026 11:39

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:37

Well I think that would soon stop if they were told sorry this isn’t an option but we have this third space.

You’d get everyone wanting a third space.

Because men’s prisons aren’t that nice as you’ve pointed out.

AssignedTERFatbirth · 28/03/2026 11:38

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:35

But if they no longer have a penis, in the UK they can’t legally rape women. What’s your view on this?

I don’t object to men in women’s prisons because they will rape women.

I object to men in women’s prisons because they are men. They have significant biological advantage, with dysphoria they are suffering from mental illness and as they are men they violate the privacy and dignity of some to single sex spaces.

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:37

AssignedTERFatbirth · 28/03/2026 11:36

No third spaces are not an option. If you have prison free for all for feelings then everyone will identify into it.

You’re clearly new to this topic because the vast majority of sex offenders change their ‘trans’ identity after conviction to attempt to get into women’s prisons.

Well I think that would soon stop if they were told sorry this isn’t an option but we have this third space.

AssignedTERFatbirth · 28/03/2026 11:36

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:33

So you agree with me? You think third spaces might be a viable option?

No third spaces are not an option. If you have prison free for all for feelings then everyone will identify into it.

You’re clearly new to this topic because the vast majority of sex offenders change their ‘trans’ identity after conviction to attempt to get into women’s prisons.

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:36

MagpiePi · 28/03/2026 11:35

He’s still a man so he goes to the men’s prison.

And I thought that trans people had always been with us, so it is extremely disrespectful to say there were none in 1813.

It’s not. The surgery didn’t exist. Trans people did but the surgery didn’t so this is a new problem

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:35

AssignedTERFatbirth · 28/03/2026 11:34

A man with an orifice would be housed in the men’s estate. Being a man is how we segregate.

Men also have anuses and mouths that can be raped. A surgical hole is most likely less satisfying than the alternatives.

But if they no longer have a penis, in the UK they can’t legally rape women. What’s your view on this?

MagpiePi · 28/03/2026 11:35

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:29

So if you have a biological man who removed his penis and had a medically constructed vagina where would you put him?
because they didn’t exist in 1813 but they exist now.

He’s still a man so he goes to the men’s prison.

And I thought that trans people had always been with us, so it is extremely disrespectful to say there were none in 1813.

RatWrangler · 28/03/2026 11:35

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:24

I’m not defending rapists. I’m just saying I’m not going to put this person in a position where they can be raped. Solitary confinement is an option. Trans prisons are options. There’s not just women’s prisons.
i cannot condone the rape or sexual abuse of anyone no matter who they are or what they’ve done because that would make me as bad as them in my book. I want to make it clear I’m not defending rapists. He has no right to rape anyone but he also has the right to be not raped too. I can’t do him for something but then say it’s ok when I sanction it for you. Do you see what I’m saying? I’m not defending rapists. But I will defend anyone’s right not be raped, even if they have sexually abused someone else.
and my reasoning for this is it’s a slippery slope if we do. It has to be a blanket no on sexual abuse to protect women and girls.

I think most of the women here would fully support transwomen being put in protected wings of men's prisons. The same as other at risk prisoners such as child molesters and crooked coppers. We just don't want them in women's prisons. I'm pretty sure there is already one prison in the U.K that has a trans wing.

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:34

MagpiePi · 28/03/2026 11:33

Who decides on where the boundaries are of ‘looking like a woman’? Should women who don’t have massive boobs and blonde flicky hair get put in male prisons because they don’t look womanly enough ?

Did you know that men get sexually abused by other men in prison even if they don’t have a pretend vagina?

And what about the well known phenomenon of men suddenly realising they are in fact a woman when it comes to being sentenced?

There is no nuance to this. Men go to men’s prisons and that’s it.

no but you know some of these people have surgery of like breasts and genitals and it’s very very convincing? then what?

AssignedTERFatbirth · 28/03/2026 11:34

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:29

So if you have a biological man who removed his penis and had a medically constructed vagina where would you put him?
because they didn’t exist in 1813 but they exist now.

A man with an orifice would be housed in the men’s estate. Being a man is how we segregate.

Men also have anuses and mouths that can be raped. A surgical hole is most likely less satisfying than the alternatives.

Bluebootsgreenboots · 28/03/2026 11:34

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:11

I’m confused are you talking about female to male or male to female? Because you’re not using pronouns in a way that makes this easy to follow.
if you have a penis and you’ve committed a crime then no you should not be allowed around vulnerable women. But if you look like a woman and you’re likely to be sexually abused by other men you can’t just be left in gen pop in a male prison? Like I said this is very nuanced?

It’s not news to anyone that inmates in men’s prisons are male criminals. Many of them violent. Many of them also vulnerable. Vulnerable should not be confused with safe.

Determining relative vulnerability of prisoners and putting in appropriate measures is a job for the male estate. It would be a mistake to assume that a man is automatically in the ‘most vulnerable’ category if he says he thinks he’s a woman.

spannasaurus · 28/03/2026 11:34

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:27

No I don’t think this but I think people who refuse to use people’s chosen pronouns but have no problem respecting a chosen name are a bit transphobic, yes

So I should refer to Gabriel Alejandro Gentile rather then Barbie Kardashian to be less "transphobic " when using correct sex pronouns?

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:33

AssignedTERFatbirth · 28/03/2026 11:32

You see it’s not nuanced.

A women who identifies as a man and wants to be treated as a man shouldn’t get to choose their rights. It’s not a Pik B’ Mix.

Men in men’s prisons. Safeguarded appropriately of course. And women in women’s prison. Dysphoria discounted.

So you agree with me? You think third spaces might be a viable option?

MagpiePi · 28/03/2026 11:33

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:11

I’m confused are you talking about female to male or male to female? Because you’re not using pronouns in a way that makes this easy to follow.
if you have a penis and you’ve committed a crime then no you should not be allowed around vulnerable women. But if you look like a woman and you’re likely to be sexually abused by other men you can’t just be left in gen pop in a male prison? Like I said this is very nuanced?

Who decides on where the boundaries are of ‘looking like a woman’? Should women who don’t have massive boobs and blonde flicky hair get put in male prisons because they don’t look womanly enough ?

Did you know that men get sexually abused by other men in prison even if they don’t have a pretend vagina?

And what about the well known phenomenon of men suddenly realising they are in fact a woman when it comes to being sentenced?

There is no nuance to this. Men go to men’s prisons and that’s it.

AssignedTERFatbirth · 28/03/2026 11:32

confusedbydating · 28/03/2026 11:11

I’m confused are you talking about female to male or male to female? Because you’re not using pronouns in a way that makes this easy to follow.
if you have a penis and you’ve committed a crime then no you should not be allowed around vulnerable women. But if you look like a woman and you’re likely to be sexually abused by other men you can’t just be left in gen pop in a male prison? Like I said this is very nuanced?

You see it’s not nuanced.

A women who identifies as a man and wants to be treated as a man shouldn’t get to choose their rights. It’s not a Pik B’ Mix.

Men in men’s prisons. Safeguarded appropriately of course. And women in women’s prison. Dysphoria discounted.