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]

@BigGee
Completely agree.

What nonsense! Sex is very relevant in most interactions. Women are discriminated against because of their sex. Violence toward women and misogyny pervade society.

whether someone is biologically male or female is irrelevant for most interactions

It's the absolute root of sexism. Do you imagine at a job interview a man is being sized up to guess as to whether he'll go off and have children? Do you imagine men and women can walk down a street at night in exactly the same way - see that curfew thought experiment? You're living in a fantasy world.

@TheProdigalKittensReturn
"The refusal to hear a woman's "no" tells you a lot about a male human.
You've summed it up perfectly.
Trans women "we want to enter your space?"
Women, "no we respect your choice to live life anyway you want but really don't want you in our safe space."
Trans woman "out of my way TERF"

@popehilarious

Hear, hear!

You haven't explained what "female roles" and "socially female" means?

The question that won't go away.
It would help you as well if you could answer this question.

There is still some way to go before transgender people are accepted by society as freely as BAME and Gay people

Black and Asian people are to be accepted by society? (To say nothing of gay people.)

"Accepted by society."

How dare you write this?

How Fucking Dare You?

You also need to address your deep-rooted prejudices causing the anger here.

The "bib burly transmen" argument is almost too silly to be worth addressing. Endocrinology 101 - application of hormonal supplements does not cause female humans to grow a foot taller or double the width of their shoulders. It may well cause them to grow a beard, which at this point may lead some women to suspect them being about to say something irritating*, but which is unlikely to terrify us.

• Or perhaps it's just me who now sees a beard and expects a patronizing arsehole to be attached to it.

You haven't explained what "female roles" and "socially female" means?

Yes. And one more thing, @Hjft do you think gay people are same-sex attracted or same-gender attracted?

And while we’re at it.. the gender they were ‘assigned at birth’ what does this mean, it makes it sound Like midwives pick it out of a tombola. It doesn’t make sense unless you at least add ‘based on their biological sex’.

All he has to say is 'I identify as a woman' and he is in. He may not even be challenged for fear of accusations of transphobia.

www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18302422.couples-shock-treatment-glasgow-m-s-store-changing-room/

This isn't some imaginary problem. M&S already believe that their inclusivity policy means that they have to to allow men access to their bra fitting changing rooms, regardless of their gender identity.

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.

The male person she describes IS masquerading as a woman. That's the cold, hard truth.

She may be a predator; she may not. Why can you not understand that it's bloody irrelevant? She's male. Like my dad. He isn't a predator but he can bloody well stay out of my female spaces.

Why is this so difficult to understand?

@PerditaProvokesEnmity

There is still some way to go before transgender people are accepted by society as freely as BAME and Gay people

Black and Asian people are to be accepted by society? (To say nothing of gay people.)

"Accepted by society."

How dare you write this?

How Fucking Dare You?

Apologies. This is not what I meant, and illustrates the difficulties in discussing these issues. Especially live at a keyboard.

We don't all have the benefit of knowing how to talk about these issues. I'm willing and eager to learn how to speak better. It will aid mutual understanding.

Please don't assume a careless quickly typed message is meant with malice. Please teach me, rather than judge me. This is about finding understanding.

Remember when Harry Potter uses Polyjuice potion to take on the form of Goyle in ‘Chamber of secrets”.

The thing you have to remember about polyjuice potion is that it doesn't exist.

In normal life, whether someone is biologically male or female is irrelevant for most interactions, but is of major significance to a transperson.

This is absolute bollocks. We constantly consciously and subconsciously assess risk and if you are female, male people ping higher on your subconscious risk assessment because they are almost always bigger and stronger than us.

My rescue dog does the same thing, both with dogs and humans. She knows men are more likely to harm her and so do I.

whether someone is biologically male or female is irrelevant for most interactions, but is of major significance to a transperson. It's only becomes a real issue when someone looks like a trans person.

It is of major significance to women. Who can, and do, and are more likely to disproportionately suffer harm from biological men rather than biological women.

I was almost willing to take your OP in good faith until you said All Lives Matter.

@Areyouactuallyseriousrightnow you think it’s laughable but if you look at the wiki page for gender dysphoria that’s exactly what it says.

It’s been written by one of the cult.

A long-established women's art prize offered by an arts festival in the city I've recently moved to is now advertising itself as open to entries from 'women or those who identify as women', thereby at one feel swoop eradicating the reason the prize was established in the first place -- to allow women some purchase in a traditionally male-dominated field.

@CrazyToast

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have put so eloquently how I feel about this issue but haven't been able to put into words.

Slight derailment, but this is a genuine question to anyone with thoughts on this.

The whole blowup of JKR's comments have created discussion in our household. My liberally minded teenage DD has joined in calling JKR a terf. She's not pleased that I have defended JKR's comments or have suggested that the debate is more complex and nuanced than how it's being framed on instagram and twitter.

On the one hand, I want to explain how our patriarchal social structure has led to the oppression, exploitation, and violence of women (FGM, property rights, pay, DV, glass ceilings, research, AI algorithms, now even PPE... the list goes on), which is why so many women are defending JKR.

On the other hand, how on earth do I explain all of that without leaving her feeling that she's lost out in the crap shoot of sex determination? I'm finding it hard to explain why it is a wonderful thing to be female and to make her feel good about it after running through that list.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be most welcomed.

I’m very concerned that the number of refuting threads on Twitter advising their followers to not read what JKR has written, advising that as she’s a good writer you might not spot how she uses tropes and fog whistles to spread her transphobia.

So basically don’t read it for yourself, just listen to what I tell you. It’s breathtaking.

In normal life, whether someone is biologically male or female is irrelevant for most interactions This is such bullshit, it could only have been written by a man who has no idea of the sexism women face every day.

One suggestion would be to start with showing her some of the comments being sent to Rowling and asking her if she thinks that saying "suck my cock" to a rape survivor is ever morally justified.

OP

You only think there is conflation between sex and gender because you are assuming “man” and “woman” are words relating to gender identity. If you read it again assuming JKR is using the dictionary definitions of “adult human male” and “adult human female” and all your confusion will disappear hth.

Dog not fog. (Although fear, obligation and guilt is probably relevant in this argument!)

Safeguarding needs to be universal, you can’t allow exemptions to particular groups as that’s when you’ll see perps and predators use that loophole. Do we want a man to say they are a woman at 2pm, then have access to refuge etc that very night?
Trans activists need to be focusing on what is an actual danger to them, Male violence, and them needing their own safe spaces, instead of bullying women who have been their allies up until now.
Instead they’ve concentrated on being misogynist calling women cunts and terfs and hoping they get raped, that speaks volumes. You only have to see what’s happened to JK Rowling, the hate spewed at her.
We can’t have a scenario where one particular groups ‘rights’ come over another’s, particularly when members of that group have historically been violent and a danger to other group.
But there you go, women and children as collateral damage to what men want again.
How anyone with a fucking braincell can’t see this I don’t know.