AIBU to tell every mother on mumsnet...

[LastRoloIsMine]

We nearly lost the word mother and all that comes with it?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4176497-History-in-the-making-Watch-Parliament-Live-at-2-30pm

The maternity bill wanted to remove the word mother/woman and replace it with pregnant person.
Those words are important and women have fought for a century to be recognised yet we were nearly wiped out in favour of belief not fact.

I wont say "I am not transphobic" like some sort of plea! I dont actually have to I am just fighting for womens rights no need for me to explain myself any further.

Funny how the response to my comment has "transphobia" put into inverted commas as to what - imply it doesn't exist?

By removing the word 'woman' it is removing the protection barriers of sex discrimination.

^ This really. If you don't have to be a woman to give birth, maternity rights aren't a sex issue and therefore women lose those rights.

@Mockolate

Probably not, but have you heard of 'cancel culture'?

People not able to spout
racism
homophobia
transphobia
all in the name of free speech as much you mean?

People not being able to discuss biological reality is what I believe they mean

If men can be men why can't women be women? Why are we suddenly "people" or "person"

In the story of David pelzer he tells the story of how his mom dehumanised him to abuse him calling us pregnant people does exactly that

Why are TW so frightened

How can a minority have so much power? Who is really behind/financing this? You know, lawyers, propaganda, etc

I've asked these questions before but everyone was as puzzled as I am.

@AnnaPotter If language is of so little value and meaning to you then why do you think the trans community are so intent of passing legislation to change language? Does it work both ways - what's the harm in saying to them "women and mothers give birth, not people"?

It's because words and the way people are referred to really matters, and this is a case of women being expected to shut up and suck it up and be called "people" to pacify a tiny minority who believe others should erase their own identities to suit them.

When I went through some incredibly traumatic times in a maternity unit it was incredibly important for me that I was recorded as "mother". That's because it's the truth. Why should that be taken away from me and millions of others to suit the trans agenda?

stayathomer

Sorry am I only allowed to care about 1 thing at a time? Does my women brain not cope with more than 1 thought?

Yes I know there are transwomen on mumsnet whats your point? The maternity bill does not affect them in the slightest. My thread does not mention transwomen.

How can a minority have so much power? Who is really behind/financing this?

Page 5 and we're onto conspiracy theory level already, that's pretty good going, is that some new kind of record?!

I think it’s great the have put the word mother back in there.

A piece of legislation on maternity rights not including the word mother or woman is just ridiculous.

I can’t really understand why they left the word mother and woman out when it was originally drafted? Surely that was done purposefully so for what purpose?

@AnnaPotter

Woolly truisms like ‘language has meaning’ are pointless. What actual harm do you envisage? In the mumsnet echo chamber you might find a hundred people willing to say ‘you’re so right’ and save you the effort of actually thinking, but I want to know exactly what damage would be done to you by legislation using the term ‘pregnant person’ rather than ‘mother’?

If this is true, why is the reverse so problematic? Why can't a pregnant transman tolerate being called a mother and a breast feeder with full liberty to describe himself as a chest feeder and a pregnant person freely, as is his right, in his own life, since the legislation doesn't affect him either? Why can't the term 'mother' broaden to include transmen who are pregnant and breastfeeding? @AnnaPotter. After all, transmen will be subjected to similar societal prejudices, lower pay grades due to delayed career development after time off for pregnant-person leave.

@Mockolate

Funny how the response to my comment has "transphobia" put into inverted commas as to what - imply it doesn't exist?

Of course it does. Talking about women's rights in a biological sense is not transphobic though. Sex and gender are different things, and considering pregnancy and birth is purely of the formative, gendering the terms is damaging to the rights and protections of women no matter how they identify.

@stayathomer

Stop making shit up to suit your agenda. Exactly. I love all the I am not trans phobic people on mn. You are. Do all of you know there's trans people on mn? How awful for them to listen to this rubbish weekly at least. Also: How in a time of a global pandemic is this what you felt the need to post about?

👏👏👏

Common theme on here though apparently.....

If you re-read the comment, @stayathomer didn't mention trans women, the post said trans people.
As in referring to both trans women and trans men on here.

I'm sure transphobia does exist. It's just that what is actually classed as transphobia is very subjective.

Comparing transphobia to racism is obscene.

150 young black men were murdered in our capital last year. Now how noble does nitpicking nouns sound?

Page 5 and we're onto conspiracy theory level already, that's pretty good going, is that some new kind of record

Can you please provide the answer to my questions if you know them? I would really like to understand

@stayathomer

Stop making shit up to suit your agenda. Exactly. I love all the I am not trans phobic people on mn. You are. Do all of you know there's trans people on mn? How awful for them to listen to this rubbish weekly at least. Also: How in a time of a global pandemic is this what you felt the need to post about?

Because it's very much in the news today. Laws are being made that, unless challenged, will remove the word women from legislation. I'm not surprised you don't about it, though, lots of women don't. Hopefully more and more women will realise this is happening now. It's not transphobic to uphold womens rights, it's ok for women to want to keep legislation that clearly defines them. In fact, it's more than ok, it's very necessary.

If it doesnt matter and it makes no difference then why change it??
It does matter, the word mother has a meaning thats understood in law, every human born has a mother.
Even trans men with grc who give birth are mothers, by law.
Thats important to protect the relationship in law between mothers and their children.
Thats before the fact that having legislation specific to women and mothers around maternity rights protects us from discrimination in the workplace as one obvious example.
#mumstheword

"It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words....
Don't you see the beauty of that, Winston?"

George Orwell, 1984

What if the legislation said "women, gender-identified people or transmen"

Is there some sort of compromise?

I'm a gender critical woman, but I'm growing weary. Maybe I'd be ok with "women and gender-identified parent" or something. As long as the word "woman" wasn't removed. At some point, we're going to have to compromise or negotiate. This isn't going anywhere.

Comparing transphobia to racism is obscene

I didn't compare at all.
I said
racism
homophobia
transphobia
Tell me where I compared them to each other?
That's right, I didn't.

@stayathomer

Stop making shit up to suit your agenda. Exactly. I love all the I am not trans phobic people on mn. You are. Do all of you know there's trans people on mn? How awful for them to listen to this rubbish weekly at least. Also: How in a time of a global pandemic is this what you felt the need to post about?

Did you know that there are women on Mumsnet? How awful for them to listen to misogynistic rubbish weekly on here?

We nearly lost the word mother and all that comes with it?

Surely the 26 page thread that's been in trending all day would do that?