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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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I am Spartacus

310 replies

disfasia · 21/03/2017 22:15

I am posting this here since "Am I being unreasonable?" is only a phrase that a female would ask herself. Women are socialised to concede to men, to institutional pressures, and to ask "Am I being unreasonable?" I am posting here because I know I am not. And this is my protest to MNHQ for censoring women's language, for telling us that the only way to refer to a man who lays claim to be a woman is to call him "she", to call him a "woman." But he is not a woman.

In the past ten days, three different transwomen have been sentenced to prison or arrested for rape or murder of women. Just today a rapist of two children was transferred to a female prison. These are men who commit these crimes and the whitewashing of history and the pressuring of women by MNHQ to say "she", deleting comments when we respectfully disagree and point out scientific evidence, as clear in science as the earth's rotation around the sun. And I am sick of it.

I am sick of the harassment of women who say, "No" to male violence. And make no mistake MNHQ, what you are doing to women on this matter is pure unadulterated violence. You worry more about the feelings of males than women who have, statistically speaking, been victimised by male violence.

If you expect women to come to this website and generate movement for you, you need to understand that in a week where Ian Huntley wants to become a woman, where Jessica Winfield (AKA Martin Ponting) another rapist is housed with women, where Texas is facing a lawsuit from three different prisoners who have been subjected to rape at the hands of another trans prisoner, and the recent sentencing of Kayleigh Woods for the murder of Bethany Hill, her really need to understand that women know the difference between a man and a woman. No, we don't need men telling us to address them as a woman. Nor should MNHQ bei so inclined. This is an open-debate and trans "identity" is up for debate because it is a feeling, not a reality. You cannot oblige women to see the world in a delusory way simply because that individual is delusional or confirmed in his "belief."

MN needs to be a space where women are free to interact honestly, where biology is not written off as unimportant. Rape is very much connected to the biology of males. MNHQ needs to allow for women to set their own boundaries in their own language. We should not be coerced or pressured in any way to goose step with delusional ideologies where the body is irrelevant. This is Mumsnet which exists precisely because the body IS relevant.

This is a revolution.

OP posts:
minipie · 22/03/2017 15:42

Or more pertinently - if I did none of those things, but "self identified" as black - would that make me black?

xStefx · 22/03/2017 15:43

I am Spartacus
Right with you OP

SasBel · 22/03/2017 15:47

I am Spartacus. All for folk living as they will, so long as they don't hurt others, but keep your mits off my pronouns please!

Universitychallenging · 22/03/2017 15:48

All this I am Spartacus. What's it for? I mean. This is a chat space. You are under no threat of violence from mnhq. So what's it for?

egosumquisum1 · 22/03/2017 15:55

Men who have had gender reassignment treatment (incl surgery) are transwomen

Some people on here would use 'he' for such a person and call them men. That's one of the reasons for the deletions on the thread that seems to have started this. Do you stand with those people?

egosumquisum1 · 22/03/2017 15:56

but keep your mits off my pronouns please

If you met a transwoman, would you use 'she' or 'he' when you were speaking with them?

Does it depend on the transwoman?

DickToPhone · 22/03/2017 16:05

The only ones I meet are in Indonesia, where the pronouns are gender neutral anyway.

Though they are referred to as 'bencong' or 'waria' (ladyboy), never-ever as 'wanita (woman).

Although I think 'kakak' (older sister) is generally used rather than 'abang' (older brother).

It's complicated - there is pushback on everything here I think because of aggressive activism. E.g., if people insist that 'a transwoman is 100% a woman with a female penis', then people who might otherwise be happy calling them 'she', will refuse to do so.

jellyfrizz · 22/03/2017 16:13

It's complicated - there is pushback on everything here I think because of aggressive activism. E.g., if people insist that 'a transwoman is 100% a woman with a female penis', then people who might otherwise be happy calling them 'she', will refuse to do so.

This is how I feel. I have always called transwomen 'she' but almost feel as though I need to draw a distinct line now that the word woman has become meaningless and women's biology is becoming seen as unimportant. Give an inch...

BeyondUser24601 · 22/03/2017 16:17

University, could I have that definition please? :)

Beachcomber · 22/03/2017 16:19

All this I am Spartacus. What's it for? I mean. This is a chat space. You are under no threat of violence from mnhq. So what's it for?

Good old fashioned solidarity innit.

Gives one confidence and strength to do stuff and say stuff in the wider world in order to stand up for ourselves and women in general. AKA consciousness raising. Women have always done it. We used to do it in each others kitchens and in women's groups - now we can also do it in female dominated internet spaces like MN. Smile

SoHairyAndForeverSpartacus · 22/03/2017 16:22

I'm still Spartacus

itsmine · 22/03/2017 16:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WombOfOnesOwn · 22/03/2017 16:34

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

bluechrysanthemum · 22/03/2017 16:56

MNHQ, why have you blocked the OP from posting? I have just read the email you sent to her. Aside from tone policing in the email, it is offensive and attacks the character of this person.

What is going on here?

BeyondUser24601 · 22/03/2017 17:05

The OP is banned? How come?

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 22/03/2017 17:08

MNHQ, why have you blocked the OP from posting?

Maybe they feel pretty annoyed at being told they are causing 'pure unadulterated violence towards women' tbh.

Universitychallenging · 22/03/2017 17:10

I would suspect this is the reason :

Our fundamental position, outlined above, isn't going to change, I'm afraid - if you're not able to live with this, it may be time to consider whether Mumsnet is the site for you.

From KateMumsnet's post.

VestalVirgin · 22/03/2017 17:10

It's fine if we object about transwomen because we are traumatized, delicate, wilting flowers, but not if it's because we've done research and come to a logical conclusion that most of these men are wolves in sheep's clothing.

That's because being considerate of the feelings of traumatized people is voluntary and there are no laws that one has to.

Women's right to not be touched by, or locked up with males, however, is independent of whether or not the woman in question is traumatized. It is based on facts.
With decent laws in place, a woman has a legal right to not be locked up in prison cells with males, be made to shower while males watch, et cetera.
Women who present facts want decent laws and have the means to convice others that there should be laws, not just a faint hope that people will be considerate of the feeligs of a wilting delicate flower.

In short, facts are dangerous to the trans agenda, feelings are not.

itsmine · 22/03/2017 17:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

itsmine · 22/03/2017 17:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

VestalVirgin · 22/03/2017 17:14

Maybe they feel pretty annoyed at being told they are causing 'pure unadulterated violence towards women' tbh.

Well, they participate in gaslighting by banning us from using male pronouns for male people.

I would not use those exact words, but since we now live in a world where "misgendering" is "literal violence" ... I would say that the bar of what is considered violence has been lowered.

And those who started to call words violence must now deal with the logical outcome of this. They, too, can now be accused of violence even though they did not physically hit someone. Too bad.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 22/03/2017 17:18

VestalVirgin

Their site their rules. As Kate said if you can't stay within the rules then "maybe this isn't the site for you.". If OP couldn't stay within the rules despite being warned then what exactly do hey expect?

Universitychallenging · 22/03/2017 17:19

Vestal do you really believe mnhq are gaslighhting and engaging in violence towards you?

itsmine · 22/03/2017 17:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BeyondUser24601 · 22/03/2017 17:50

I wouldn't blatantly call it gaslighting, but I can see how telling someone they must state something that is not true could certainly come close to the definition