What does your network think about trans people?

[deeter]

Immediate family think it's all a bit silly, trans people should be treated well but you cannot change sex. Women's spaces should be protected etc.

But interestingly all of my university friends think trans women are women (did go to a London uni with well to do sorts).

I'm 31 btw.

Most are live and let live. Some of the older generation are highly amused at the whole blokes in dresses thing. Younger generation are very accepting, but won't accept transwomen in single sex spaces such as changing rooms. Women my age - very late 40s are bloody furious about appropriation in infiltration, particularly in hospitals, sports, prisons and lesbian groups. No one says anything on social media, apart from a couple of men making cry game type jokes.

They all think women's spaces and sports shouldn’t allow men in.

They are concerned about young people, especially autistic ones and the consequences for them. They see many young people drawn into this as victims.

They think gender ideology is harmful and regressive.

Most keep their mouth shut through fear of repercussions at school/uni/work.

My mother does not understand AT ALL.

i think trans people must be genuine because why would you choose to make your own life so difficult

My teens think it is a load of nonsense & the trans kids they are aware of dress very provocatively and do not interact

Oh I very much adopt a live and let live type of attitude. If a person wants to dress like a woman, I'll happily uphold pronouns etc. But I do think biological reality has to be respected when it comes to sports, prisons, hospital wards etc.

Some of the non-binary stuff is silly to me ie fairy/fairyself, ze/zir etc. I mostly pity the people that participate in all that.

Another that is the same as this.

Although when discussing with my teen niece, she explained that her school did a special assembly when a girl was transing to a boy to inform them all about transgender folk. She said they were told about being born in the wrong body. I asked her if she thought that was true, at first she said not sure, then she said well no, how can that be.

I explained that you're not allowed to say born in the wrong body anymore as it's not right and her teachers shouldn't have described it that way. This was 3 yrs ago.

Now she's 16 and feels sorry for the ones she knows and in her words that they aren't getting the right help.

I'm heavily involved in the coaching and behind the scenes running of my rowing club. Just over half our membership are women. The general attitude is present how you want, dress how you want, change your name if you want and we will respect that, however the moment you demand to be included in the women's squad and changing rooms you can fuck right off. Women's sports are single sex spaces are not a vehicle for your affirmation, stay in your lane.

Can’t say I’ve really ever had a discussion about it within friendship groups. My parents don’t really understand it. My kids are well used to it from being in education.
I personally believe that sex is biological but you can be whatever gender you choose but boundaries should be respected.
I very much agree that it is unfair that athletes that were born as male can compete in female categories in sports because there will always be differences in physique, strength etc. I also agree that single
sex toilets/changing rooms etc should be safe places

Why can't you say that? Genuinely asking, not being goady.

The same as your immediate family. It's the new wave of demanding trans they most have a problem with.
Basically dress whatever way you want, but don't try and infiltrate women's spaces and sports etc. And stop all the nonsense with the wording on things, like medical notices. There are males and females. You can't change sex. Asking what gender you identify is a particular annoyance too. This is the stance of 99% of people I know, who have expressed a view on the subject.

Same here.

I had a trans teacher in secondary school in the 90s, she was a great teacher. I respected her a lot and I used to get so angry when students abused her.

I have a trans colleague, she’s lovely. Super intelligent, kind and sensitive.

I am worried for what’s happening to women and women’s spaces.

I want both women and transwomen to feel safe, and I don’t think allowing every man who identifies as a woman into women’s spaces is the right idea.

It's not a topic of conversation so I have no idea. We are in Brighton tho so it's not remarkable

Largely, dangerous nonsense.

One or two loudly proclaiming their broad mindedness and tolerance with no understanding of the difficult areas.

One completely accepting of their relative and no interest in wider issues.
A couple sympathetic to the young confused individuals they know, yet in no doubt of reality.

The same as your family. Nobody really cares but the ramming it in everyone's faces really pisses people off. We cannot pander to every minority in society.

@SarahAndGoose because it was hogwash touted by Stonewall and Mermaids charities who were deeply tarnished through lack of scientific research, evidence even, wouldn't enter any debate about making such statements and the impact, and the methods by which they used to communicate through schools etc.

How damaging can it be to tell a child, they were physically born into the wrong body.

The department of education cut all ties with them, as did loads of others.

@notknowledgeable my dad is 85 and insists that "the sixties" was largely a middle class phenomenon. He was down a coal mine in the sixties, the culture he lived in was as conservative in terms of gender roles as the forties and fifties. He remembers seeing a bloke with long hair in about 1975 and being quite nonplussed. He was in the air force in the 80s and wouldn't have a clue what glam rock was if you asked him. He's a lovely kind person but I wouldn't try to introduce him to they/them pronouns, transgender or non-binary identities at this point in his life. It would confuse and upset him.

I’m pretty sure your university friends don’t literally believe a man is a woman, do they? If so, that university education seems to have been a bit of a waste!

They may be willing to pretend they believe because they haven’t had to consider any of the actual implications yet.

Think it's a ridiculous idea which is becoming dangerously normalised. No one in my group (of university educated 30ish year olds) believes a man can become a woman any more than they can a lion. They are men in dresses not women. They shouldn't be in women's changing rooms, in women's sports competitions etc

I’m late 30’s and to be honest it doesn’t really
come up in conversation that much…at work a no go, I think on the surface in my last job everyone was very outwardly pro trans etc for diversity and all that, but no-one dared to have a proper one on one convo ans say what they really thought ! In my friendship group it barely comes up apart from one friend who was drunk on a night out and outed herself as strongly against 🙈. At church it has never come up really, apart from we discussed at a focus groups how we can attract more LGBT people to Mass (Catholic)…and the odd sermon telling us to love everyone etc. I bet some people are surprised by that and probably think Catholics go ranting and raving about how awful trans people are - we don’t!!

I do, however, think it was ridiculous at my last place of work just how much bandwidth was given to trans acceptance and giving them a voice, fine, but at the expense of giving other much larger underrepresented groups like women and black people a voice - and also, no one cares. Like corporates shout about it a lot and make it a big thing but outside diversity training no one really cares

Agree

Mixed

A few who haven’t thought about it much and are “eh what’s the harm if a bloke wants to wear a skirt” (I would entirely agree if that’s all it was)

A few who are very much TWAW

A few who are GC

A few who split the issue and think there are some trans people who genuinely feel stuck in the wrong body vs some who are taking the piss (eg rapists suddenly called Pamela on conviction) or playing out a fetish (eg men in women’s loos picking up used tampons). They think the first “genuine trans” category should be treated as the sex they want to be. But they have no real ideas how to tell these categories apart practically so as to decide who to let into women’s spaces.

My circle is fairly sensible. Wear what you like, call yourself whatever you like but you can't change sex. You can reject stereotypes and still be your natural sex.
Don't expect others to indulge your delusion.
Most also recognise that MH issues are prevalent in those spouting the nonsense alternatives.

Couldn't give a monkeys. General consensus is as long as you're a decent person, who cares?

Most of my friends barely think about it. None of their kids have gone down any trans path. Out of about 50 mates only 1 has ever stated TWAW. Most don't care as long as sports not affected.
Son has one trans friend who is lovely and almost certainly autistic and confused.
Almost all would use pronouns as requested but don't really care.