A response to JK Rowling

[Hjft]

J.K. Rowling, like so many others, has recently been accused of transphobia and targeted for expressing some of her opinions on sex and gender. This is a very nuanced issue which many people struggle with, including members of the trans community. Assuming bigotry and shutting down debate is not the way to address these issues. Instead we should engage in reasoned debate in order to better understand the subtitles and find a way to live together with mutual respect.

On 10 June 2020 JK Rowling wrote about her reasons for speaking out on sex and gender Issues ( www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/ ) . It is a welcome calm voice in what she calls a toxic environment and I commend her bravery for standing up to the bullies. The essay explains eloquently what she believes and why she holds the opinions she does. She opens up about some very personal issues, and I hope all her detractors will read it before shouting her down.

An essay, however well written, carries a bias, and a reasonable author will recognise that bias and be willing to consider that they could be wrong. And so should the reader of an essay. By writing this essay, JK Rowling has exposed some very valid points which the other side of the debate wish to brush aside. However, she has also indicated a bias which I hope to address.

She conflates sex and gender, and she conflates the law and medicine. Firstly she worries that trans activism is ‘pushing to erode the legal definition of sex and replace it with gender’. This legal definition is for the protection of the civil rights of trans people and has no bearing on biology. Trans people still receive healthcare appropriate to their individual biological truths. Every trans person is acutely aware of their biological sex because it is incongruous with their gender. Remember when Harry Potter uses Polyjuice potion to take on the form of Goyle in ‘Chamber of secrets”. He does not stop being Harry. Now imagine if Harry had got stuck, and had to live his life with everyone believing he was Goyle. It would be intolerable for him and would likely lead to mental illness or worse. This is what it’s like for trans people, and why the law is in place to protect their right to be their authentic selves. Being Harry is ‘not a costume’.

This conflation is further illustrated when she expresses alarm that ‘A man who intends to have no surgery and take no hormones may now secure himself a Gender Recognition Certificate and be a woman in the sight of the law’. Again, this demonstrates a conflation of law and medicine. If a trans person can find relief from their gender dysphoria by permanently expressing themselves in an authentic manner then why should we expect them to accept medical intervention in order to get legal protection. Imagine you have a migraine. If sitting in a dark room with a glass of water provides you with sufficient relief, then you shouldn’t be expected to take strong pain killers or accept brain surgery. The ‘man’ she describes is not masquerading as a woman - she is living her authentic identity as a woman. The law protects her rights to do so. She is not a predator, and it should not be assumed that she is. Without these rights, her transgender status would be revealed every time she tries to hire a car, or open a bank account, and it is her safety that is in danger. A man masquerading as a woman is not able to legally get a Gender Recognition Certificate - because they are a man.

[redacted*] I hope JK Rowling’s essay will mark a turning point in the tone of these discussions, and people can start to properly address them.

• [edited by MNHQ to remove inflammatory content - we're allowing the challenges to this section of the OP to remain]

There is still some way to go before transgender people are accepted by society as freely as BAME and Gay people, and the discussions will continue

What about women and our oppression, needs and rights? You barely US. Your post is all about how we need to recognise trans.

I am woman. Hear me ROAR WITH FUCKING ANGER AT BEING ERASED.

Did I really just waste my time reading that badly-written drivel? YABU, OP. You need to develop your comprehension skills.

She is not a predator, and it should not be assumed that she is

A transwoman is no more or no less a potential predator than any other male born person.

Male born people as a class are excluded from single sex spaces because any male is a potential threat. Why should tranwomen be treated differently?

@LaureBerthaud

A man masquerading as a woman is not able to legally get a Gender Recognition Certificate - because they are a man

Help me out here (genuine request). Someone born with a penis can get a GRC, can't they? Even if the penis is still firmly attached and its owner has no intention of relinquishing it? So they are "masquerading as a woman" because women don't have penises.

This is where there is misunderstanding and conflation of sex and gender. The person you describe has a penis (sex male), but is suffering debilitating gender dysphoria gender female). She is a person suffering from an accident of birth. If she can find relief by permanently living in a female role, then they are socially female and the law should protect them . Another person who has a penis (sex male), but likes to pretend to be a woman, often an exaggerated pastiche of a woman, is still a man (gender male), and cannot legally get a gender recognition certificate. And nor would they want to. They are a man.

We should have empathy all people. All lives matter.

How do we tell the difference between the genuine transwomen just living their authentic life and a man masquerading as a woman to gain access to female spaces?

Please answer this. There must be something objectively different between a man "who is really a woman" and a man "who is pretending to be a woman".

If there is no objective difference, are you suggesting we make laws which can only be verified by the person affected because they say so?

What other laws work like this?

What's "a female role"?

He does not stop being Harry. Now imagine if Harry had got stuck, and had to live his life with everyone believing he was Goyle

Polyjuice potion isn't real. You're talking about a story. There is no evidence whatsoever which supports the idea that you can genuinely be born into the wrong body. That would only be possible if there was a soul which was a separate entity to the body. That is a very old-fashioned idea put forward by Descartes which in 2020 is easily dismantled.

she is living her authentic identity as a woman

What does that sentence actually mean? What is an authentic identity? Something that you believe very sincerely to be real? People de-transition all the time which means they change their minds. Their feelings about what their 'authentic identity' can clearly change. I know someone who was adamant they were non-binary for over ten years. They recently decided they were actually male (their sex has been female all along). Was the non-binary identity not authentic? Is the male identity now?

And even if a trans woman has a sincerely held idea that their 'authentic identity' involves them being female, why does that have to have an impact on my safety and my comfort? I have experienced sexual abuse and would like to have some places which are sex-segregated. Am I less important? Is that because my sex is female?

OP, you say we should all have empathy, and I agree. That has to include empathy for women who do not want or are not able, because of past experiences, to share female only spaces with people with male genitalia. Like it or not there are some who will take advantage of this and indeed have already done so.

I think this is a good post and it's relief to read something calm and measured. I would also like to think that JKR's essay would change the tone of the debate. Sadly the evidence is to the contrary.
I echo some of the questions posed above but I just wanted to add that the law change in Scotland recently does not (AFAIK) require a man to change anything about themselves or 'live as a woman' in order to be recognised as a woman.
So essentially they can get the license and drive the car without taking any lessons or having a test of their competence to drive. It might make them happy to drive the car but the risk to others is huge. If a man can dress and act and be a man in every way but still be called a woman, how do we know if that's a transwoman living their authentic life or just a man wanting safeguards removed?

"How do we tell the difference between the genuine transwomen just living their authentic life and a man masquerading as a woman to gain access to female spaces?
We shouldn't need to. I don't welcome males in my female spaces, regardless of how 'nice' or 'genuine' they are.

^ This

It's not that I'm just against transwomen in female spaces - I'm against any men at all being allowed there

Most blokes are decent human beings, whether or not they want to be women
I don't want any of them, decent or otherwise in female spaces .... because they are NOT female

She is a person suffering from an accident of birth

If you want to make that argument you need to provide evidence that is actually the case. Really strong feelings that you are meant to be the opposite sex isn't evidence that's actually true, however distressing and persistent those feelings are.

Im new to this argument really, and I just say what I see as I have aspergers . Can I ask what other forms of body dismorphia/dyphoria do we treat in this way? An anorexic for example. Do we affirm to them that yes, they ARE fat and let them attend slimming world meetings? Can someone explain to me why this is any different. Im asking genuinely.
I just cant get my head round the blatant lying. Im sorry if this sounds harsh, but I cant think of any other way to put it.
I find mistruths really really hard to deal with.

JK Rowling has said nothing against transwomen- in fact she has openly supported them.

People need to learn to read.

Every trans person is acutely aware of their biological sex because it is incongruous with their gender.

Oh, if only this were true. A quick glance at the comment in response to Rowling would tell you that it is not. Or perhaps you already knew that and were hoping nobody else here would.

Another person who has a penis (sex male), but likes to pretend to be a woman, often an exaggerated pastiche of a woman, is still a man (gender male), and cannot legally get a gender recognition certificate. And nor would they want to. They are a man.

You cannot be this naive.

I find mistruths really really hard to deal with

You're not alone. Being forced to call my daughter my son had me sobbing, because it was an absolute lie. Being told the kind thing to do is lie about what your own eyes tell you - what you know to be true - is so corrosive.

You lost me at "she conflates sex and gender". She doesn't. She's crystal clear that she's about protecting sex based rights.

Oh, and polyjuice isn't real, which I'm sure JKR (as a writer of fiction - clue is in the name) appreciates, but you don't.

As for your discussion of why a "man" couldn't get a GRC because he was a "man" - laughable in its circularity.

2/10 for effort, must try harder.

@Melia100 That must be so hard

If a trans person can find relief from their gender dysphoria by permanently expressing themselves in an authentic manner then why should we expect them to accept medical intervention in order to get legal protection.

Because without it, they are violating the legal protection of women, a protection which has been hard won over many years and is absolutely necessary still. By giving trans women the same rights as women, you are removing the protection of women.
Trans women are absolutely entitled to their own legal protections, and should be fighting for such, but not by removing women's rights.

She is not a predator, and it should not be assumed that she is.
No one assumes all trans women are predators - but the potential harm is too awful to be worth the risk.
To give an example - if a very nice male neighbour offers to look after your child for the afternoon even though you don't know him, you say no. Why? Because while You know not all men are predators, the small chance he is one isn't worth the risk to your child's safety.

The reason a lot of women feel so strongly about this issue is the way the discussion occurs.
We are told TWAW and should therefore be allowed in women only spaces. We counter with examples of when this has caused harm (Karen White for one) and are labelled Terfs / trans-phobes.
We are told by men, who have absolutely nothing to lose in this discussion, that TWAW and are expected to listen.

JKR wrote a very polite set of tweets and was inundated with violent threats (have you seen the amount of i want to punch her in the face / suck my dick responses she got)? She was threatened by trans women with sexual violence, using a penis as a weapon, in response to her opinion, and this has continued despite her essay acknowledging trans women are at risk and she would support them in a protest against the violence they face.

There are so many reasons sex is important. Financially - how can you even address the pay gap if men receive higher salaries then self ID as women and have their wage recorded as a womans?
How can medical research and treatments be successful if an illness reacts differently in men and women's bodies but we aren't allowed to separate them based on sex?
How can you expect women who have suffered DV / rape to feel able to come forward for help when their request for women only medical staff is denied because the rights of a trans woman to be there is considered more important?

It's a frustrating debate because any reasonable, well thought out arguments are dismissed with insults and threats (as per JKR).

What does being "socially female" mean?

A man masquerading as a woman is not able to legally get a Gender Recognition Certificate - because they are a man.

Based on the rest of the post I assume that the OP thinks the committee that approves the GRC applications is in possession of an infallible sorting hat?

Even if the conceit behind this post is that it's addressed to Rowling (it's not, or it wouldn't have been posted here), she's an intelligent woman capable of comprehending arguments not based on her own books. FFS.

Don't start with All Lives Matter.
Just don't.

, Melia. I can't even imagine how horrible it must be for sane, reality based parents whose children have been eaten alive by trans ideology.

"All Lives Matter" is pretty much the Sign of the Aggressively Clueless at this point.

Not read the whole thread, but the last para betrays your racism. BAME (horrible expression) don't need to bend biological reality. We are already human women or men, we just need the likes of you to stop treating us as otherwise or patronising us with your gracious acceptance.