I run a LGBT Pride: AMA

[lgbtpride]

Long time lurker but have NC for this.

I run an LGBT Pride event. I want to deal with some of the nonsense theories that we welcome pedophiles or have banned lesbians.

Ask me anything. (Disclaimer: I won't answer anything specific that might out me.)

I mean, there's so much evidence it's difficult to know where to start.

This polling reported in the Guardian clearly shows that the number of people who think single sex spaces should actually be single sex are not a tiny minority.

This report from Pink News, which is predictably hyperbolic, warns that British people are becoming less accepting of trans people overall.

The results of the YouGov poll in 2022 show that there has been an erosion in support for trans rights since 2018, and in particular that a clear majority do not support self ID or trans people being allowed to compete in sporting categories for the opposite sex, and more people than not are opposed to trans people using single sex spaces for the opposite sex.

I can't find it right now but there was another poll carried out this year I think, which was retweeted by Maya Forstater, and which appeared to show that there is no longer even majority support for the Gender Recognition Act in its current form, i.e. more respondents than not believed that people should not be allowed to change their legal sex at all.

I think it would be naive to think that things such as the Isla Bryson debacle, the Scottish GRR bill, the frequent reporting in the media of sex crimes committed by men who identify as "she" and trans activists trying to shut down women only rape crisis centres haven't contributed to these trends.

Do you know what generally happens when women try to hold events which are perceived to be "trans exclusionary"?

Not surprising, given the hostile political and media reporting.

Talk about moving the goalposts. The fact is that your view that women's spaces can be used by males who simply identify as women is the minority view. The TRA movement and their supporters need to stop gaslighting women that wanting basic privacy and dignity is weird and all women except them are fine with males in female spaces.

You could look at why some people may not feel that your event is not a safe or welcoming space for them.

You could look at why some people may not feel that your event is not a safe or welcoming space for them.

Exactly, which is what I was getting at. But OP wants to stick her fingers in her ears and cater to those she agrees with.

@lgbtpride so if trans women are women. What defines a man? Just because no one can decide what define a woman. Can you please clarify what a man is. Maybe we will finally then know what a woman is.

@WaitingForMojo

‘I’ve only encountered one TERF in real life. It’s a pity they’re allowed a platform. ‘

Thank you for expressing your opinion so cogently.

Do you know what generally happens when women try to hold events which are perceived to be "trans exclusionary"?

She can look at the Leeds Lesbian Strength March. It was barracked by a rentamob of abusive TRAs.

https://lesbianstrength.org/category/marches/

Well the 2020 poll is quite helpful in this regard.

A person should be able to self ID as the gender they identify as: strong yes. (This appears to have now completely reversed.)

A transgender woman is a woman: weak yes.

A transgender man is a man: weak yes.

It should be made easier for people to change their legal gender: strong no. (Note that this contradicts question one, because self ID is about making it easier to change your legal gender. This suggests that in 2020 most people did not understand what self ID was and may have assumed it meant changing your pronouns or something.)

Transgender people should be able to change their legal gender without the involvement of their doctor: Unambiguous no. No group agreed with this.

Transgender people should not have to provide evidence that they have been living in their preferred gender for at least two years: Also unambiguous no.

Transgender women should be allowed to take part in women's sporting events: Nope, nope, nopity nope. Again, no group, not even 18-24 year olds or Labour voters agreed with this.

Then we get on to single sex spaces and this is where it gets really interesting.

All groups agreed that trans women should be allowed to access women's refuges if they are a victim themselves and most groups agreed that trans people should be allowed to use toilets and changing rooms for the opposite sex.

However, when the follow up question was asked, specifying that the trans person in question had not undergone any gender reassignment surgery, a lot of people changed their answers and overall a majority of respondents disagreed that they should be allowed to use toilets and changing rooms for the opposite sex.

Now, there are some flaws with this survey.

First of all, it is not at all clear to me whether all respondents understood that a trans woman is a biological male and a trans man is a biological female. This really needs to be made crystal clear in any polling.

Secondly, it shows how undeveloped most people's thinking was about these issues at the time. It doesn't make any sense that people said they were strongly in favour of self ID but strongly opposed to making it easier for people to change their legal gender, because these two things are the same. It also doesn't make any sense to say that trans people who have had gender reassignment surgery should be allowed to use toilets and changing rooms for the opposite sex but that those who haven't should not, since we have no way of knowing who has had gender reassignment surgery and who has not.

What it does show is that even in 2020 the general public was already quite "terfy" once you cut through all the be kind crap, and we know that that trend has only continued. Whether that is due to increased awareness of what these things actually mean or recent events giving trans people a bad reputation, or a combination of both, I don't know.

Yeah, they said the quiet part out loud.

Shut up, wimmin!

First of all, it is not at all clear to me whether all respondents understood that a trans woman is a biological male and a trans man is a biological female. This really needs to be made crystal clear in any polling.

And another UK survey has found that up to a third of people don't understand that a "trans woman" is a biological male. They think it's a person born female who identifies as a man. Which is actually the way I think it should be.

Apologies, wrong thread. I've asked for it to be deleted.

Thank you OP, both for what you do and for your patience answering questions.

I believe that TRA ideology is based on deeply toxic, old-fashioned stereotypes of masculine and feminine behaviour. In this ideology, it seems that it is impossible to have, for example, a female-sexed body, and to want short hair, no make up, and like sports like rugby or careers like engineering. I cannot see how that is anything other than completely regressive!

I honestly believed we had finally moved away from this cast-iron definition of what was masculine and what was feminine, and the conviction that you could only like the things that aligned with your birth sex - there was a box marked masculine, and only men could like things from that box, and one marked feminine, and only women could like things from that one.

I think it is FAR more progressive to say that everyone has a biological sex, and that that is immutable - but that you are free to choose any clothing, make up, jewellery, career, hobbies etc without those choices defining whether you are masculine or feminine. And your choices and preferences should not be used to define you as masculine or feminine - so a boy who wants to wear pink skirts can't just be a boy in a pink skirt - he must actually be a girl. Basically a girl or woman is someone with a female-sexed body and any personality, and a man or boy is anyone with a male sexed body and any personality - where personality means all the choices and preferences we make for ourselves.

And there should be single sex provision and gender neutral provision alongside it, because this would, I believe, meet the needs of the most people. Allowing trans women into the Ladies changing rooms, prisons, hospital wards and toilets violates the boundaries of many women, and reduces their safety and wellbeing, but I can understand why a trans woman would not want to use the Gents - so single sex provision and gender neutral provision should offer a safe and dignified option for everyone.

Rather like LGB being hijacked by the T then, eh?

OP, you suggest the rationale for Pride is fighting for rights for same-sex attracted people globally, which is a laudable and worthy aim to support, but I can't really see how a drag queen twerking on a float is going to help lesbians in UAE?

So all that seems left is an opportunity for corporations to pinkwash, organisations to rainbow-signal, and creepy men to openly display their fetishes in public. Has it not had its day?

It needs a rebrand, for sure.

In between every act on our stage is a speaker who will talk about LGBT+ human rights here and abroad. It's also a call to action to get involved, write to MP's, donate to international charities, tell others.

I know that many Prides have forgotten that they're also a protest and about raising awareness but we definitely haven't.

It sounds like your Pride is more purposeful than some other events. What rights here are being sought?

Excellent post.

I talked upthread about the young woman I saw speaking at a Pride who had grown up surrounded by sexist stereotypes & so decided she wasn’t a girl & wanted to have her breasts cut off.

That’s not rejecting stereotypes. That’s reinforcing them. And it’s tragic. But the fact that she’s going round schools telling this story to impressionable teenagers is horrifying.

A ban on conversion therapy is top of the list. Legal gender recognition. Blood donation everywhere in U.K. Stronger hate crime laws. Home Office to stop deporting people to countries where they are at risk.

UK used to be number one in Europe. Now we're 19th I think. Google Rainbow Europe.

How are you defining 'conversion therapy'?

We already have legal 'gender recognition'?'

Stronger hate crime laws?! In what way?

Isn't Rainbow Europe from ILGA? They of the NAMBLA associations?

Sorry, that's four questions. But it is AMA.

UK used to be number one in Europe. Now we're 19th I think. Google Rainbow Europe.

What does that even mean? Is it based on the rights of LGB people, and if so, how? I rather suspect that it is based on trans activists not getting everything they demand.

Is it conversion therapy when a parent says they would rather have a trans daughter than a gay son? Or when you use rigid stereotypes of masculine and feminine, and say that a biological male who espouses traditionally feminine things, or vice versa, needs medical and surgical intervention that could destroy their fertility, weaken their bones, cause harm to their adolescent brain and cut off perfectly healthy body parts?