Transgender person elected as Deputy Mayor in Sydney

Should transgender people then be excluded from public office? I reserve my right to look at a trans woman and see a man, whether he is representing the community or emptying the bins. But my thoughts are my thoughts. It doesn’t change how that person does their job. I object to him using women’s toilets (if he does.) I don’t feel compelled to use the so-called ‘appropriate’ pronouns. But those are separate issues from whether or not he makes a good Deputy Lord Mayor. As a human being. And all the cheerleaders saying how great it is to be so progressive and inclusive - well that’s irrelevant too in respect of how he actually performs his duties.

And being 'nice' doesn't mean you are suited to public office either.

None of that has any bearing on what I said. Trans people ARE no different to anyone else, I agree.

They can be elected to public office, they can be your boss, your colleague, your tenant, your bus driver, whoever.

None of that means anyone has to "buy into" their belief.

We can respect them as people without having to share their belief.

Obviously it is not unreasonable to assume that since he uses 'she' pronouns he is going to have some expectation that others go along with this make believe too? That his 'trans identity' is going to be the most significant thing about him. If it is not such a big deal, then why is everyone lauding him as a sign of how 'progressive' Australia is imagined to be?

We know Australia has fatally undermined women's rights and protections in pursuit of what it sees as some sort of anti-colonial act of "liberation for marginalised identities", blah, blah, blah. It is still quite galling to see it in action though.

For it to be discrimination, at least in the UK, someone has to have suffered a detriment. Saying a deluded person is not suited to public office is not a detriment and is accurate. Ni way would I ever vote for someone who denied their reality.

People who adopt trans identities are no different to anyone else. They are not a unique category of human being.They are either male or female., and nobody should be expected to pretend otherwise. Crack on if you want to cross dress or even change your first name but the expectation that people must buy into this whole 'trans' thing is way off the mark.

I agree up to a point. As I've said I think there are issues around this - discussed above. I think that the thread itself can be used for those discussions. I also feel that the thread would only 'lend weight' to the argument that FWR is transphobic if it was page upon page of transphobia. It isn't. I suspect it will be largely ignored (she said, not ignoring it).

More broadly, it's evident that in general when someone starts a thread in a similar vein there isn't much appetite for it. I'm thinking of the 'Dolly' thread, where the consensus is pretty much a rejection of purity tests. In some ways these threads demonstrate the diversity of thought on FWR and the general rejection of 'transphobia'.

OK, I’m very much gender critical, but I seriously don’t see a problem with a HUMAN BEING assuming this role. A human being working as a public figure for other human beings. Where exactly is the problem here? It just seems that some posters come on here with ANY news about a transgender person and hope to get everyone worked up into a frenzy.

Agreed.

This thread is the kind of thing which lends weight to the argument that FWR is actually transphobic.

A trans person is deputy mayor. So what? I'm sure we'd all agree that trans people do exist and that they have the right to participate in public life like the rest of us.

They may be a shit deputy mayor or they may be a great one.

Reacting with horror solely because the person elected is trans is, I'm afraid to say, definite transphobia.

At some point we'll look back and be increduloius that such nonsense was seen as credible. An example of what people will do, say and believe when they prioritise group belonging and moral righteousness as their supreme value.

He might be perfectly capable and a fantastic communicator, but he's not a woman, and the use of she/her pronouns is a joke.

Fair point.

Yes I see that wider implication and would have supported a thread that led with that and not that Australia is going to the dogs because Sydney has appointed a trans person as deputy mayor. That reaction, imo, gives fuel to trans arguments against gender critical women.

I doubt that is an aim as ‘Olly’ wasn’t claiming to be a woman when elected. However, there was already an issue with corruption of data. That is compounded by LLMs and other forms of AI using online sources to ‘build knowledge’. This ‘Sydney had a ‘gender-balanced’ council’ ‘fact’ becomes baked in and no one ever interrogates it.

I’m not especially interested in a specific man, who may or may not be any good as a councillor. I’m more interested in the wider issues at play here. What makes this person now a woman? Where should this ‘woman’ be included when looking at the sex of elected representatives in relation to ‘gender balance’?

My issue would be regarding the policies he promotes. Is he a full blown TRA (likely) or one of the few transwomen who do not use female single sex spaces? I doubt it’s the latter.

So what's your point if their qualified to do the job that's all that matters 😊

I agree with you there if there is a stated objective to have a 50:50 split on sex in that Council. The article doesn't mention that.

He can absolutely dress as he likes. However, a current search looking for the gender split of Sydney City Council describes it as having a 50/50 split. 5 women, 5 men. With Olly being one of the women. That, imo, is a problem.

I agree too. I can understand issues with toilets and sport but not this.

He can dress how he wants for sure, but it’s his claim to be a woman that is the issue.

I'm sorry but it's this kind of reaction that will give ammunition to trans claims that "terfs" want them eradicated. It damages women's arguments for safe spaces and fair sport.

He's perfectly entitled to dress and present however he wants, just as we are as women.

He has huge experience for the role and was elected unanimously.

Judge the man on his policies and achievements.

Your second paragraph nails it

Two years ago, when elected, Olly was non-binary Mitch. If anyone wants to explain in what way Olly is now a woman, that would be dandy.

I don't think being trans necessarily makes them unsuited, for me it depends entirely on their policies. For example, I'm more likely to vote for Kaitlyn Jenner over AOC as they can at least recognise that a woman is an adult human female.

Hard agree with @sanluca

True. But when one of your main policies is ‘finding a home for a radio station”…. I don’t think he was chosen on merit 😀