...to think that if Comic Relief are going to do a "Woman Wednesday" blog about "inspirational female figures", it should have an inspirational female figure in it?

[ArcheryAnnie]

Comic Relief are doing a new weekly blog, about inspirational women.

"Women Wednesday’s is our new weekly column for Gender Justice month here at Comic Relief, where we will be giving the spotlight to one inspirational female figure per week. We focus on women who have created change and spearheaded movements for other women, and stood up against discrimination against gender and sexuality."

Fantastic, right? They've got links to all kinds of amazing women, working in very challenging conditions across the world, who are helping to create a better world for everyone, not just themselves. What a brilliant blog theme! What brilliant, inspirational woman are we all going to learn about today, I wonder?

Well. Here's who they picked as their "inspirational female figure": www.comicrelief.com/news/women-wednesdays-heres-why-lili-elbe-our-inspirational-figure-week

Women deserve better, Comic Relief. You've really screwed up on this one.

While it might inspire men who want to be woman I am not sure how it inspires women unless in the pursuance if some self centered unachievable goal.

Because I don't see how you can be so dissenting of male/female brain in one post, and then hold it up as the reason why men and women need to live in totally separate spheres on a million other threads.

It's tedious and frankly deceitful, for you to maintain you don't know why I can hold that position, when you call yourself a feminist. Not to mention how many threads you've been on which talk about it.

Socialisation is what results in girls, at the age of seven, maintaining the only thing they can do better than boys is 'look pretty'. And the only emotion that boys are able to articulate is anger. (See Javid Abdelmoneim's documentary).

(But that's by the by, and a total derail - I apologise. It just baffles me the contradictions in your position, I'm sorry. We'll have to have that conversation another day I suppose

Apology accepted. And I'm sure you're not baffled, And of course, let's leave it for another day.

That being so, it perplexes me when people deride trans women in particular for performing female stereotypes, and at the same time look completely confused as to why that (in addition to their innate gender identity) makes them more like women than men - what with the "manliness" (and so violence) of being a man being a case of stereotypes and not some fundamental male/female brain divide.

But performing stereotypes don’t make you male or female.

Masculine or feminine perhaps.

I'm genuinely baffled as to how I, a woman, am supposed to find this person inspirational. I can see how she might be an inspirational figure to the trans community.

Except this isn't exactly groundbreaking for a male-bodied person, is it? People with male bodies aren't exactly known for not standing up for themselves, are they

She stood up for herself as a woman though.

I think many of you must mix people who put women down so often that you don't feel equal.

Also just because it's Woman Wednesday, I don't think the person has to only be inspiring to women. I think they choose a woman who inspires anyone, not just women. I think we can all find men or women inspirational.

"stood up for herself as a woman though"

How is Lili a woman? What kind of ill delusional man would want a uterus transplant and what kind of quack doctor would attempt such a thing? What on earth has this sad story got to do with any woman anywhere?

This is also on their Facebook page, just looked, and astonishingly it is immediately followed by their 'Gender Justice' crap, about 'empowering women and girls'

WTAF?

I think it's great. I'm going to make sure I show this to my daughters when they get in tonight. It's important that they understand that men are the most inspirational women. I don't want them getting any silly ideas in their heads and thinking that they can excel in sport, business, or research - they need to step back and let those women born with a penis ascend as they rightly should. They need to remember their place. Acquiescence all the way.



Also just because it's Woman Wednesday, I don't think the person has to only be inspiring to women. I think they choose a woman who inspires anyone, not just women. I think we can all find men or women inspirational.

Please don't tell me you typed that with a straight face?

Also just because it's Woman Wednesday, I don't think the person has to only be inspiring to women. I think they choose a woman who inspires anyone, not just women. I think we can all find men or women inspirational.

Ok, list of next lot of Women Wednesday’s [sic]:

Albert Einstein
Winston Churchill
Monet
Nelson Mandela
Abraham Lincoln
William Shakespeare.

Such inspirational people that no doubt women have been inspired by them. At some stage.

I am a woman and I have a daughter. What exactly did Lili Elbe do that my daughter and I, as women, are supposed to be so 'inspired' by?

Standing up for herself. Going against what was seen as normal to be who she felt she really was. That's a pretty good message for anyone to hear.

You could say the same about any number of men - Oscar Wilde immediately springs to mind - but the point of the exercise was to depict inspirational women, not inspirational people.

zzzzz

It's an eye-opener.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09202jz

Would anyone have an issue with celebrating this person on trans Tuesday?

I might, actually. To celebrate this would seem to me to be celebrating some very dubious medical ethics.

My first reaction on reading about it was shock that any reputable surgeon would attempt to perform a womb transplant in 1931, with no antibiotics or anti-rejection drugs. What did he think the outcome would be?

I'm not a medical practitioner; would anyone who is, care to comment?

I've Googled the doctor concerned, but there doesn't seem to be anything about his career subsequent to this.

She stood up for herself as a woman though.

Um, no she didn't. She wasn't a woman, she was a transwomen. If she had just been a bog standard boring woman no one would have ever heard of her would they?

You could say the same about any number of men - Oscar Wilde immediately springs to mind - but the point of the exercise was to depict inspirational women, not inspirational people

But she 'identified' as a woman. I understand that you may not see her as a woman though.

@Doobydoobeedoo
So true as a black woman l used to be more concerned about racism particularly in regards to my son whose just to enter his teens and while I still have worries about his safety trans issues have forced me to open my eyes to my daughters future.
It’s ironic that a white male (most privileged in society) has managed to come before black women (generally most overlooked) to become most inspirational woman makes me so angry.
Girls all around developing world are overcoming barriers to fight for an education it’s just so wrong.

But performing stereotypes don’t make you male or female.

Masculine or feminine perhaps.

Or some part of "man" or "woman" even. But like is say, tyranny is the purposeful denial of nuance.

*Ok, list of next lot of Women Wednesday’s [sic]:

Albert Einstein
Winston Churchill
Monet
Nelson Mandela
Abraham Lincoln
William Shakespeare*

Well no because they did not identify as women.

But yes they are inspiring to many

Bold fail 🙄

This is the background to the whole shebang:
www.comicrelief.com/news/blog-what-gender-justice-november-all-about

The mental gymnastics required to go from their worthy, specific words to such clumsy and inaccurate implementation are Olympian-standard.

Just complained. Hope others follow suit.

Why not have an inspirational men day and pop Lili on there? Widen the thinking perhaps.

Tyranny is the purposeful denial of nuance

The actual quote is the 'deliberate' denial of nuance, and it's inane. Tyranny is the 'cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control' - if you disagree try telling someone who has escaped a tyrannical regime that the problem was that the government lacked nuance.

As I said earlier, it completely depends on whether you view trans people as a trans men/trans women or simply men/women.

I'm happy to call them whatever they are happy with. I understand some people don't agree with that. We are all entitled to our own opinion.

I do, however, think we should all have an issue, as I mentioned earlier, with the posters who write 'gender bender November' and 'a man in a frock'. They give people who genuinely are not anti trans but do have an issue with self Id and want trans people to be called trans not simply men or women, a really bad reputation.