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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To urge you all to write to your MPs?

124 replies

OrderMeACurry · 21/10/2017 17:30

I know this has been done before but I was inspired to start this thread whilst in the middle of writing yet another bloody letter to mine after he decided he was going to ignore my last two.

Now that Theresa May has announced that she backs the gender identity bill and wants to de-medicalise trans sexuality (great, thanks for that! Hmm) I really do fear that it is very highly likely that this will go through.

So if you've written to your MP already, please do so again and if you haven't then it would be great if you did. This really is getting urgent now.

Now if you excuse me, I must go bang my head against a wall.

OP posts:
GetYourHandsOffMyUnicorn · 21/10/2017 17:37

I already tried writing to mine but didn't get a reply either. I'm going to have to try again.

GetYourHandsOffMyUnicorn · 21/10/2017 17:38

Oh and YANBU of course.

HirplesWithHaggis · 21/10/2017 17:39

www.theyworkforyou.com/ if you're not sure who your MP is.

Original poster
OrderMeACurry · 21/10/2017 17:41

Thanks Hirples. I meant to post that but forgot.

OP posts:
RealWomanOhYes · 21/10/2017 17:45

Oooh thanks for the reminder op it's been a while since I harassed mine :)

people who used to laugh at my concerns as being "ridiculous, will never happen" are waking up and smelling the coffee so hopefully my MP might!

Original poster
OrderMeACurry · 21/10/2017 17:46

I think more people are waking up now.

You'd think they would love to hear a trans perspective but nope, they don't actually care.

OP posts:
AlpacaLypse · 21/10/2017 17:47

I'll have another go but she's a bit of a sheep-like follower of the Mighty Leader.

misscockerspaniel · 21/10/2017 17:49

Can I ask that if anyone has any contacts with the Women's Institute, that they try to get the WI to campaign against the proposals. Every woman needs to know about and engage in this fight.

Snap8TheCat · 21/10/2017 17:55

Can anyone explain this in layman’s terms please?

user1497357411 · 21/10/2017 18:00

i need a translation as well. Theresa May is going to do what?

sooperdooper · 21/10/2017 18:00

I'm in the WI, I'll look into it but it's missed the campaign deadline for this year - we're not allowed to campaign politically but this is cross party & effects women specifically so I'm going to investigate

I'm going to write again to my MP but focus specifically on how single sex facilities for women (rape crisis centres, women's aid shelters etc) will be kept that way if anyone can self identify

Then I'm going to write again about the impact on women's sports

I think the way to get through is keep the letter & questions simple & to the point

I wrote before but realise now it was waaaaaay too long & rants!

RealWomanOhYes · 21/10/2017 18:02

Snap - the bill will mean that a man, or woman (but it will mostly be men imo) can decide they are actually the opposite sex and it will become a crime to point out that biological fact that you cannot change sex.

So, for example, you've suffered a horrendous sexual assault and as such exercise your (current) right to request a woman doctor to perform tests etc, or attend women only gyms, that will cease, so you could come face to face with a man, who makes no attempt to even pass as a woman, in places where you'd expect to only see actual women.

Or, to put it more succnctly, women only services/spaces will no longer exist,and the word Woman has no meaning.

Oh, and there will be female dicks, apparantly.

sooperdooper · 21/10/2017 18:08

The proposal is here: www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/early-day-motions/edm-detail1/?edmnumber=355&session=2017-19

If anyone can self identify as a woman, they have not mentioned (or seemingly considered) how single sex facilities such a as hospital wards, rape crisis centres, domestic abuse shelters can be kept for biological females

If these proposals go through they have not explained how a woman could request a biological woman as a medical professional for a smear test or other personal medical procedure

They have not explained what they will do about the increasing number of trans women competing in women's sports - recent example in Australia, the athlete was denied a place but under Olympic rules could play against women www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/early-day-motions/edm-detail1/?edmnumber=355&session=2017-19

Zoll · 21/10/2017 18:10

@ Snap8TheCat I found the SAGES factsheet really helpful: sages.org.uk/publications/sages-factsheet.html

Zoll · 21/10/2017 18:12

@Snap8TheCat

Whoops, is that working? Yes. Hurray. This one: SAGES Factsheet

RealWomanOhYes · 21/10/2017 18:15

Oh and don't forget crime reporting stats will be skewed as crimes committed by biological males who say they are a woman will be recorded as being carried out by an actual woman

Mummyoflittledragon · 21/10/2017 18:24

Crikey I hadn’t thought of all the implications. Not that I’m pro self identification. Will do as requested.

Datun · 21/10/2017 18:28

Up until now the protected characteristic has been gender reassignment. In order to qualify as a legal woman, you have to be over 18, live ‘as a woman’ for two years and have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

The new addition to the law wants to dispense with all the criteria.

They also want to change gender reassignment to gender identity, as a protected characteristic. A crucial change that involves nothing other than saying it out loud/downloading a form. No hormones, no diagnosis, no dress, even. Nothing.

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn both support thus. They are woefully uninformed, largely because women are not allowed to speak about it. (See all the numerous incidents no platforming women when they try to talk about this. Culminating in a 60 year old woman been punched in the face by a transactivist at speakers corner, for the crime of wanting to attend a talk about this upcoming law).

Theresa May has claimed that transgender is not an illness and wants to demedicalise it. She’s under pressure from transactivists who want to be able to simply say out loud that they are female. And it becomes legal. And challenging it would be a hate crime under ‘gender identity’.

They are pushing an agenda that is very worrying. That’s the first problem. The second problem is people like curry who have gender dysphoria are now no longer offered any kind of treatment. This is because the only recourse is to affirm someone’s identity, not question it. Because that would be hate crime.

This has been slowly developing over the last few years. With women and transexuals constantly being ignored, or, worse, not even allowed to speak.

Of course transmen, people born female who transition to male, will also have the same legislation.

You might ask yourself why sportsmen, men in businesses, aren’t jumping up and down about this. You might wonder why they are not bothered about transmen in their prisons, locker rooms, bathrooms, sons’ dormitories, etc.

And then wonder about the power dynamic between men and women and why it is women who are worried about this. Not men. Or why men are pushing for this. Not women.

misscockerspaniel · 21/10/2017 18:30

Snap and User The Government (with cross-party support) wants to change the law to allow a man to self-identify as a woman (and vice versa) by simply filling in a form online. At present, such a person needs to have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, live as the opposite sex for at least two years, and be in receipt of a gender recognition certificate. (The current law makes no requirement for sex reassignment surgery and protects those with gender dysphoria).

Such a change would impact on the rights of women (and men) to maintain sex-based boundaries, rights and protections: Public facilities, such as female toilets and changing rooms, would be affected, ditto women's refuges. Statistics would be skewed (eg; pay, crime, employment, health) and female sport (ie; natural women) would suffer etc etc. Male prisoners are already using the law to get transferred to women's prisons (eg; the rapist Martin Ponting/Jessica Winfield).

The majority of men who identify as transgender women retain a fully-functioning penis and many of those are autogynephilic transsexuals - do you really want men with a sexual fetish sharing a changing room with you or your child? No, well they would have access simply by filling in an online form - as would voyeurs, paedophiles etc - they would be able to use gender self-identity laws to gain access to areas usually segregated by sex and it is naïve to think otherwise.

So, if you value your privacy, dignity, safety etc, (let alone the erosion of women's rights - we are not a subset of the male of the species), you need to join the fight to keep penises out of female-only spaces.

HadronCollider · 21/10/2017 18:38

Enuff saidShock I'm on it.

theftbyfinding · 21/10/2017 19:00

Why is it all Labour and SNP member signatures on the bill? Did the conservative party bring this motion/bill whatever?

misscockerspaniel · 21/10/2017 19:25

Theftbyfinding The proposed change was not in the Conservative manifesto, may be that has some bearing on why that motion has not be signed by any Tories.

I will try to attach a link to a blog recently made by a Tory MP, which is well worth reading:
www.david-davies.org.uk/news/transgender-rights-versus-womens-privacy

Witsender · 21/10/2017 19:28

But of course they know all this, hence the exclusion of F2M trans being able to get around the primageniture regs for the purposes of peerage and inheritance. They ain't dumb!