To alert you to the fact that Topshop just changed its policy to let men into the women's changing rooms

[YouStoleTheBowlFromTheRoom]

Been made aware of this today: a 'gender fluid' man having a pop at Topshop because he wasn't allowed to use the women's changing rooms at their Manchester store:

twitter.com/travisalabanza/status/927198660089339904

Topshop have now been quoted as apologising to him, and saying they've changed their policy to get rid of sex-segregated changing rooms altogether.

Another shop to strike off the list. Am I the only one worried this is past the point of no return?

Well I'm usually the first person to call BS when people claim that MN is full of transphobia but @OldPony's posts are certainly bordering on transphobic there.

I agree this man in question is a twat, but the nasty trans comments are uncalled for

If we could all agree on that, then take it to TopShop imagine how good that would be.

So do we all agree this person is a twat? If so, what's next?

Who IS this TRAVIS person anyway? And why are they verified on twitter?

Are they just some fame seeker looking for publicity?

If a transwoman is uncomfortable that's a concern and a reason to take action to make them feel better. If a biological woman is uncomfortable on the other hand, well tough.

It's called misogyny.

Also add in here: men who enjoy sex pestering or exposing themselves or just watching and smirking, get off on women being uncomfortable, angry and powerless to do anything about it . It makes the whole thing that much hotter for them. (You're beautiful when you're angry darling!) It's about domination, control and the sheer thrill of overcoming boundaries. It's a power kick.

@OldPony

Re your response to Curry.

Worst.

Apology.

Ever.

What I don't believe men can become women? No of course I don't.

All I ask that the men who like tradionally socialised 'girly' stuff i.e., pink, make up, glitter etc. Have the imagination to think up a term for themselves because they are not women.and however much they try, never will be.

People like this Travis really piss me off.
Dress in an attention seeking way then complain when people stare.

There are so many transmen and transwomen who go about their lives just wanting protection from the sort of awful discrimination they face and they manage to do it without demanding to overrule women and they manage without being rude victim card holder trans activists.

There's a sub group of trans biological men who depsite claiming they are women still want all the privileges their dick affords them. The more people like this Travis person keep pushing the trans agenda as a way of being a little bit unique ahd upping their followrrs on instagram the less sympathy people will have towards very real trans issues.

Curry has never claimed to be a woman @OldPony. She knows that she isn't and has made that clear numerous times under her various NN's. She is one of the few transwomen who actually respects women's boundaries, defends women and refuses to use our spaces. No idea why you are so angry with her tbh

Some transwomen have no problem saying they are biological men.

"Who IS this TRAVIS person anyway? And why are they verified on twitter?

Are they just some fame seeker looking for publicity?"

He is some sort of fashion model type person who does talks about life as a queer person and giving blowjobs and what not. He is very forceful about how he is queer AND black, and if you are merely white and queer, you need to check your privilege and white people better not claim to be woke. At one point he was just a black gay man who made a big deal about how that special that made him, but then he decided that actually no that wasn't special enough and he is 'transfemme' with 'crippling dysphoria' and gets catcalls and sexually harassed every time he goes out the door.

The Guardian naturally laps this shit up and made a video about him being non-binary.

So basically a professional special snowflake.

Good post @Maisypops.

@OldPony nobody here thinks men can become women and vice versa, including curry.

I find it a bit odd that you're assuming why Curry feels the way she does and that you're assuming she hasn't been raped or sexually assaulted.

It is very frustrating when people mix in their transphobia with women’s rights issue. You’re just diluting the argument and being a bigot. It is so unhelpful.

I think it's fab for me - I'm disabled and can't manage changing rooms. At least this way my husband (cater) could come in and help me.
I don't get the big deal about it tbh

Actually a very good point.

Why Isn’t there often a unisex changing room for disabled people? Now that is deffo something I could get behind!

I don’t want men in the women’s changing area, just like I don’t want them in the women’s toilet. It’s not rocket science is it?

@OldPony

I am a woman!

Again, curry doesn't use female toilets or changing rooms or any female spaces so how exactly is she forcing her penis on you? And why are you assuming she still has one?

@pisacake

He is some sort of fashion model type person who does talks about life as a queer person and giving blowjobs and what not. He is very forceful about how he is queer AND black, and if you are merely white and queer, you need to check your privilege and white people better not claim to be woke. At one point he was just a black gay man who made a big deal about how that special that made him, but then he decided that actually no that wasn't special enough and he is 'transfemme' with 'crippling dysphoria' and gets catcalls and sexually harassed every time he goes out the door.

Thanks. Yep that is pretty much what I thought he was.

And I do KNOW a few men like this who give gay men a bad name.

And this 'check your privilege' shit really boils my piss.

Just.

Fuck.

Off.

These fuckers know NOTHING about me or my life.

Whilst I have a good deal of sympathy for some trans and gays (and people of colour,) and the shit they have to deal with; some of them (who are like @travis!) just fuck me right off. Don't assume because someone is white and straight that their life is like a bowl of cherries, and nothing ever goes wrong for them. It's annoying at best, and insulting and patronising and bigoted at worst.

The other thing you need to know is that Topshop are perfectly within their rights to refuse this. There is a clause in the equality law that says if it affects the other customers, you can do it.

At the moment, there is. It is lawful where the exclusion is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim - for example, at present a group counselling session for female rape victims can exclude biological men if women would be deterred from seeking support if a man was there; however, it would seem that they are proposing to get rid of this exemption as part of the new Gender Identity Bill (aka 'the any man can identify as a woman without any checks' bill). So, at that point, even when a demonstrable disadvantage can shown for women, the rights of the trans-identified man will automatically trump it in law. Of course, in practice a lot of this stuff is already happening anyway.

So basically a professional special snowflake. Sums it all up.

BTW thank you to OP for providing links etc. I think I won't contribute any more as most of us are saying the same thing over and over again. This is not about trans rights, this is about some dick being an arse.

How would people argue with this? How could you explain that you are uncomfortable with gender fluid people being in women's changing rooms? It's non negotiable according to them. Can't really see where this will end.

It would be interesting to see if there were equal allowances made for women to enter men’s clubs and men-only golf clubs if the women self identify as men when they arrive at the door. I can’t imagine they would be let in.

I don't think you can argue with it. There has to come a point where the rest of us collectively say "You are at liberty to believe any daft ideas you want. Believe the world is flat. Believe god put dinosaur fossils in the ground to fool us all. Believe the moon landings were faked. Believe the world is balanced on a stack of turtles. Believe that prancing around in a frilly multi-coloured shirt makes you binary trans-feminine. Knock yourself out. But that does not mean the rest of us have to adjust the whole of society to accommodate your daft ideas. Because they are totally, utterly, barkingly daft."

Fossie

Do you know what, I’m starting to think ‘fuck it! I’m going to go online and tick a box to self identify as a bloke!’ Then I will be entitled to everything

Fossie - one word: primogeniture.

The one exception written into the current GRA legislation to the general principle that one is to be legally treated as the sex on one's gender reassignment certificate is that transmen cannot inherit titles in place of their younger, biologically male brothers.

It's all systems go until you get to something that would threaten male privilege - even a piece of totally outdated male privilege which should be replaced by an elected upper house. Of course women aren't going to get into golf clubs and gentlemen's clubs, no matter how they identify.