To be terrified about what will happen if the Gender Identity Bill is passed?

[TheWorldAccordingToToads]

I'm a nervous wreck right now

Will it replace sex as a protected characteristic? Does that mean that women will have no legal protection at all?

I'm scared .

The bill gets its second reading on 24th March - was postponed from 24th February. Please write or email your MP before then if you can. They need to know there are implications for women.
NB trans people absolutely do need protection, especially from male violence. But it does not have to be at the expense of women. A more nuanced, sensible solution is possible.

I know Onion, I think it will effect everyone, but I still think it will effect women more. There are a lot more predatory and violent men than there are violent and predatory women. I'm terrified there will be violent men who will use this new law to their advantage and 'self identify' their way into places where women may be vulnerable

No you're not wrong, if the Bill passes a 'woman' can have a penis. Kafka couldnt have invented this.
Decent men dont do this.

My Mp refuses to reply whenever I write to him about transgender isssues.

Okay I will write to my MP.

YANBU. This is utter madness. And frightening.

I'm crap at phrasing but will write to my MP. Can someone give me a suggestion of what to write?

I'm sure I saw a link on a recent thread surrounding this issue to a petition, it would be great if this could be reposted as it appears that many of us are only just realising the full implications of this.

I am truly shocked by the prejudice and bigotry in some of the comments here, the hatred and intolerance is ugly
Any professionals we come into contact with are trained in their field and a bound by their code of conduct, I doubt anyone is going to train in a field then decide they want to say they identify as the opposite gender just to make YOU feel uncomfortable
Identity is a personal thing and no one has the right to judge anyone else on how they identify

I'd write more but I'm a little lost for words

My MP has ignored my emails regarding this. I'm going to email again this weekend but I'm not holding my breath.

This is already passed in Ireland (and Denmark and Malta) . No medical intervention is required.

There have been other threads on this but I'm really worried now.

I'm pregnant right now and I'm desperately hoping I'm not having a girl. I dread to think what kind of world I'd be bringing a daughter into.

onion please write to your MP. It would help a lot if this wasn't just seen as "women being TERFS", mens voices are needed too. And talk to your friends.

So please humour me as I'm not that au fait with this -
this bill has been proposed to do what exactly? Help people who have transitioned to be able to identify as their new gender legally and officially and without any proof?

See, I tend to think anyone trans as being incredibly brave and who must have had a very tough time in coming out (I'm sure that's not the correct term but hopefully you'll see what I mean) if I was having a smear I'd just assume they were getting on with the job without any sort of ulterior motive.

I'll admit the prison scenario is difficult though. Not sure the answer to that. Same with competitive sports.

I'm far from an expert though and have only ever met a couple of trans male to females who have both been lovely so my opinion is probably influenced by this.

No transitioning of any material consequence required, just a statement of identity.

My husband suggested I stop reading about it, and stop worrying as 'it doesn't really affect me'.

I had to explain that although I do not play women's sports and have sons not daughters, and have not encountered a trans person who I found threatening, I am a woman and my identity is being erased. I do not want to be legislated out of existence, and have no protection from the bigotry and misogyny that women have been fighting against since forever. We were finally getting closer to equality, and now we are being pushed further back to second class citizenship.

YANBU, and I will go to prison rather than go along with this bullshit.

Are you sure?

Rape by a fellow inmate has been added to the various dangers a woman faces in prison.

I'd rather go to prison than go along with this bullshit, but only if prison just means being imprisoned.
Not so sure about having to deal with guaranteed voyeurism and very likely rape, with danger of unwanted pregnancy as cherry on top of that shit sundae.
I'm a coward, I know.

It scares me for all the reasons already stated and because gender constraints have been so harmful to women. (Harmful to men too, but without so much impact on their rights and pay).

I understand that it's very difficult to step outside of gender norms, but we should be able to move beyond the social construct of gender identity.

However, it isn't possible to move beyond the physical reality of your biological sex, and that has real practical consequences, whether that is physical strength, pregnancy or prostrate cancer.

Women don't necessarily have much in common with each other, but the things they do have in common are not shared with trans women. That doesn't mean that trans women don't deserve compassion, empathy and politeness. However, there is no good reason to group people together according to 'gender identity'.

Elmo you're missing the point. There's a chance that this will replace biological sex as a protected characteristic.

It's not just about requesting HCP's/carers of the same sex. It's about protecting women who may be vulnerable from predatory men who could hurt them/trigger them/distress them.

If this new bill becomes law it means any predatory man could self identify as a woman to get access to female only spaces, such as changing rooms, shelters, rape crisis centres, etc. Are you really okay with that?

Being worried about women's rights is not bigoted.

Not in my back yard: if I understand the issue correctly it's the fact that no transitioning is necessary that causes the problem. You just need to say I identify as a woman and that's it. And any woman who objects is vilified as being transphobic

I think Elmo230885 wins the prize for the fastest identification of non hating as hating... well done.

See, I tend to think anyone trans as being incredibly brave and who must have had a very tough time in coming out (I'm sure that's not the correct term but hopefully you'll see what I mean) if I was having a smear I'd just assume they were getting on with the job without any sort of ulterior motive.

If they had no ulterior motive, then they'd surely not present themselves as the female alternative to the male gynecologist when a patient explicitly asks for a woman.

Nice and decent transwomen do not need a law that forces others to pretend that they are actually women, because they'd not want to make women uncomfortable in the first place.