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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be angry that Scarlet Blake is being called a woman.

795 replies

ArabellaScott · 23/02/2024 15:42

Scarlet Blake has been found guilty of murder. He also tortured and killed a cat.

He is not a woman.

This shouldn't be reported as a woman's crime.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-68360122

Scarlet Blake

Cat killer Scarlet Blake found guilty of murdering Jorge Martin Carreno

Jorge Martin Carreno was pulled from a river after being killed by Scarlet Blake in 2021.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-68360122

OP posts:
Thread gallery
34
TitusMoan · 24/02/2024 14:16

Oh we can talk about it on here now can we? A previous thread was zapped. He was clearly a man right from the off.

Winter2020 · 24/02/2024 14:17

Erin394 · 24/02/2024 14:15

Sex is not determined at conception. Most people think it is - but the only thing determined at conception is the plan for the development of a certain sex. For the sex to actually be developed, that plan needs to work out.

The gonads in human fetuses initially develop in a bi-potential state, meaning they can become either ovaries or testes. The SRY gene on the Y chromosome releases a protein called testis-determining factor (TDF). This protein then starts a chain reaction with SOX9 production (another protein), which causes the gonadal cells to form into the Sertoli and Leydig cells that make up the testes. If TDF is never produced or is interfered with, the gonad cells form into the Theca cells and follicles (which comprise the ovaries).

Once formed, the testes then begin producing a testosterone surge which typically starts in the eighth week of gestation and continues until the 24th week. This surge, combined with another hormone from the placenta, is responsible for the development of the penis and scrotum. Genitalia formation starts around week nine and becomes identifiable by the 11th week. If the surge does not occur, or the body does not respond to it (such as in the case of androgen insensitivity syndrome) then the genitalia form into the vulva, vagina, and uterus instead.

If there is an interference in this process then we can end up with the wrong bits, and this is the result of many intersex conditions. Oftentimes this is a partial development, where the external genitalia only partially form but functional gonads still exist. Sometimes children come out with fully functional male or female genitalia, but mismatched gonads. Sometimes the TDF protein fails to release and the fetus grows completely functional female reproductive organs, despite the presence of a Y chromosome.

The fact is, the vast majority of the population has never been tested for genetic karyotype, so we don’t know how common these cases actually are. Where does this come into effect for gender identity? Well, the exact same process that causes the external genitals to differentiate also occurs for the brain.

The prenatal brain doesn’t really start to develop until between week 12 and 24. The cerebral cortex, the thin outer layer of the brain that contains most of what we think of as consciousness, grows substantially during those periods of time. Prior to that, the structure present is more like a scaffolding — the basic parts of the nervous system necessary for bodily function. The primary sulci (the wrinkles in the cerebral cortex that allow for more surface area) start to form at week 14, well after the genitals have developed.

It has been confirmed multiple times via MRI studies that there are small but significant differences between cis male and cis female brains — differences which align with the gender identities of trans people in the study. Note that this does not mean that anyone with those differences will have that gender; gender identity isn’t that simple, but it provides evidence that there is a clear difference in masculine and feminine brains. There is also evidence that brains can have mosaic combinations of these differences, which may be the case in non-binary people.

A change in the testosterone levels in the fetus after the 11th week can directly impact the masculinization of the cerebral cortex, as well as changes in other parts of the brain structure. This has been examined over and over again in studies of female-assigned children with CAH (congenital adrenal hyperplasia) and CAIS (complete androgen insensitivity syndrome).

An excess of testosterone in the mother’s body during the second trimester can (and does) cause masculinization of the brain in an externally female fetus, and an interference in testosterone production or uptake can (and does) cause feminization of the brain in an externally male fetus. This interference does not have to be external in origin, either. Any number of genetic traits can cause the brain to respond differently to testosterone.

A fairly large study of transgender individuals released in 2018 found several key genes (https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/104/2/390/5104458) which were statistically more likely to be longer among trans women (longer as in having more repeated fragments). Individually these genes may not have an impact strong enough to cause a malfunction of masculinization, but collectively they absolutely could reduce the ability for the fetal brain to masculinize. These genes are all passed from parent to child, giving credence to a tendency for trans parents to have trans children.

What has any of this got to do with the press reporting that a murderer was a woman when they are in fact a man?
You are now just derailing the thread.

ArabellaScott · 24/02/2024 14:17

I can't think of anything worse than being a trans woman in a prison full of biological males.

This is a really illuminating statement.

A woman imprisoned with a transwoman is far more at risk, of course, than a transwoman in a male prison will ever be.

The transwoman as a male will retain male size and strength, and the possibility of unwanted pregnancy is always a fear for women.

But for Erin, women are apparently invisible, except as sort of shadowy supporting actors.

OP posts:
Ofcourseshecan · 24/02/2024 14:19

It’s sickening that the BBC openly lies like this. Doesn’t it give a damn about the reputation it once had for integrity and high standards? Now it’s not only biased, but blatantly states ‘facts’ it knows to be untrue.

The fact that Blake is male is not mentioned till the sixth paragraph of the BBC news story I read today. Many people don’t have time to read the whole story.

WomaninBoots · 24/02/2024 14:19

No. Middle aged men that have fathered three children before fucking over their wives and gone out into the world behaving in a very typically male, entitled way about their basically sexual demands being met do not have some mysterious mis-firing of masculinising genes.

BonzoGates · 24/02/2024 14:20

Erin394 · 24/02/2024 14:15

Sex is not determined at conception. Most people think it is - but the only thing determined at conception is the plan for the development of a certain sex. For the sex to actually be developed, that plan needs to work out.

The gonads in human fetuses initially develop in a bi-potential state, meaning they can become either ovaries or testes. The SRY gene on the Y chromosome releases a protein called testis-determining factor (TDF). This protein then starts a chain reaction with SOX9 production (another protein), which causes the gonadal cells to form into the Sertoli and Leydig cells that make up the testes. If TDF is never produced or is interfered with, the gonad cells form into the Theca cells and follicles (which comprise the ovaries).

Once formed, the testes then begin producing a testosterone surge which typically starts in the eighth week of gestation and continues until the 24th week. This surge, combined with another hormone from the placenta, is responsible for the development of the penis and scrotum. Genitalia formation starts around week nine and becomes identifiable by the 11th week. If the surge does not occur, or the body does not respond to it (such as in the case of androgen insensitivity syndrome) then the genitalia form into the vulva, vagina, and uterus instead.

If there is an interference in this process then we can end up with the wrong bits, and this is the result of many intersex conditions. Oftentimes this is a partial development, where the external genitalia only partially form but functional gonads still exist. Sometimes children come out with fully functional male or female genitalia, but mismatched gonads. Sometimes the TDF protein fails to release and the fetus grows completely functional female reproductive organs, despite the presence of a Y chromosome.

The fact is, the vast majority of the population has never been tested for genetic karyotype, so we don’t know how common these cases actually are. Where does this come into effect for gender identity? Well, the exact same process that causes the external genitals to differentiate also occurs for the brain.

The prenatal brain doesn’t really start to develop until between week 12 and 24. The cerebral cortex, the thin outer layer of the brain that contains most of what we think of as consciousness, grows substantially during those periods of time. Prior to that, the structure present is more like a scaffolding — the basic parts of the nervous system necessary for bodily function. The primary sulci (the wrinkles in the cerebral cortex that allow for more surface area) start to form at week 14, well after the genitals have developed.

It has been confirmed multiple times via MRI studies that there are small but significant differences between cis male and cis female brains — differences which align with the gender identities of trans people in the study. Note that this does not mean that anyone with those differences will have that gender; gender identity isn’t that simple, but it provides evidence that there is a clear difference in masculine and feminine brains. There is also evidence that brains can have mosaic combinations of these differences, which may be the case in non-binary people.

A change in the testosterone levels in the fetus after the 11th week can directly impact the masculinization of the cerebral cortex, as well as changes in other parts of the brain structure. This has been examined over and over again in studies of female-assigned children with CAH (congenital adrenal hyperplasia) and CAIS (complete androgen insensitivity syndrome).

An excess of testosterone in the mother’s body during the second trimester can (and does) cause masculinization of the brain in an externally female fetus, and an interference in testosterone production or uptake can (and does) cause feminization of the brain in an externally male fetus. This interference does not have to be external in origin, either. Any number of genetic traits can cause the brain to respond differently to testosterone.

A fairly large study of transgender individuals released in 2018 found several key genes (https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/104/2/390/5104458) which were statistically more likely to be longer among trans women (longer as in having more repeated fragments). Individually these genes may not have an impact strong enough to cause a malfunction of masculinization, but collectively they absolutely could reduce the ability for the fetal brain to masculinize. These genes are all passed from parent to child, giving credence to a tendency for trans parents to have trans children.

Sex is determined at conception.

For everything else there's MasterCard.

But you cannot change sex.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 24/02/2024 14:20

soupycustard · 24/02/2024 14:13

Oh dear the entire lack of any understanding of biology, law or language that Erin and their like shows is unutterably depressing.
Scarlet's a man. Over 90% of violent crime is committed by men. It is therefore not at all surprising that Scarlet is a man. It would be extremely out of the ordinary if that crime had been committed by a woman. But it wasn't.

This.

EsmaCannonball · 24/02/2024 14:21

GailBlancheViola · 24/02/2024 13:24

And statistically, creepy criminality increasingly looks like feature not a bug

For such a miniscule minority they feature heavily in crime statistics for violent, sexual and horrific crimes.

Cross-dressing is always the number one paraphilia for murderers and sex offenders but it's becoming increasingly evident that the benefits of a transgender identity are attracting the following types of men:

1 - Predators who want easier access to women and children while simultaneously wanting to be absolved of responsibility for any ensuing crime.

2 - Fetishists who get a thrill from forcing the public to go along with their sexual fantasy of being a woman.

3 - Men's Rights/ Red Pill Types who have found a way to take over feminism, women's spaces, women's sports, etc. and thereby end them while actually being praised for doing so.

4 - Cheats and Grifters who go from mediocre men in sport or unremarkable men in male-dominated fields to being women's sporting champions or the groundbreaking first woman in the armed forces to do so-and-so or the first ever woman to win such-and-such science scholarship, etc.

5 - Disruptive Personalities - the prisoners, schoolboys, employees, and so on, whose main joy in life is causing trouble for the authorities and making life a misery for everyone else, only now they are being called brave for doing so.

6 - Plain Financial Grifters - send me money for my surgery/no-one will employ me because I'm trans, and so on. Or, I am suing the prison service, my employer, this person who misgendered me on Twitter because I am trans.

7 - Power Trip Denouncers - basically the people who would have got a thrill out of joining the Stasi or Khmer Rouge and having the power of life or death over everyone they met, only now the issue is trans.

When you create a sacred castle the worst types of people will gravitate towards it. Just this week I've read about a 60- something man who entered a female locker room and stripped naked in front of two 14 year old girls and who is being called brave and backed by the authorities in Canada, and about a baby murdering man who is suing a prison service in America for not being allowed to wear a hijab at religious services (because, as well as identifying as a woman, he also identifies as a member of multiple religions). It's like the authorities and institutions have been taken over by a chilling naivety, or that they've mindlessly gone along with this ridiculousness for so long that they'd rather double-down than admit they've been had.

WomaninBoots · 24/02/2024 14:21

Ofcourseshecan · 24/02/2024 14:19

It’s sickening that the BBC openly lies like this. Doesn’t it give a damn about the reputation it once had for integrity and high standards? Now it’s not only biased, but blatantly states ‘facts’ it knows to be untrue.

The fact that Blake is male is not mentioned till the sixth paragraph of the BBC news story I read today. Many people don’t have time to read the whole story.

A lot of people found reading the whole story too upsetting due to the nature of his crimes... hiding the info that this is a man in the 6th paragraph is entirely deliberate.

TheKeatingFive · 24/02/2024 14:22

Look, no one is remotely interested in how your brain 'identifies'.

If you are a biological man then stay in biological men's spaces and use the appropriate language.

It's very simple. Have some respect for women's dignity and safety and quit appropriating things that aren't yours.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 24/02/2024 14:23

Re that odd Reddit thread, they are wondering why we aren't talking about Brianna Ghey. Because it isn't a competition.

Sometimes trans people are victims, and sometimes they are perpetrators. Brianna Ghey, a teen child murdered in cold blood by two other teens, a boy and a girl, is totally irrelevant to Scarlet Blake, a man who put a cat in a blender and murdered another man in cold blood, who identifies as both a cat and a woman.

ArabellaScott · 24/02/2024 14:23

Erin394 · 24/02/2024 14:15

Sex is not determined at conception. Most people think it is - but the only thing determined at conception is the plan for the development of a certain sex. For the sex to actually be developed, that plan needs to work out.

The gonads in human fetuses initially develop in a bi-potential state, meaning they can become either ovaries or testes. The SRY gene on the Y chromosome releases a protein called testis-determining factor (TDF). This protein then starts a chain reaction with SOX9 production (another protein), which causes the gonadal cells to form into the Sertoli and Leydig cells that make up the testes. If TDF is never produced or is interfered with, the gonad cells form into the Theca cells and follicles (which comprise the ovaries).

Once formed, the testes then begin producing a testosterone surge which typically starts in the eighth week of gestation and continues until the 24th week. This surge, combined with another hormone from the placenta, is responsible for the development of the penis and scrotum. Genitalia formation starts around week nine and becomes identifiable by the 11th week. If the surge does not occur, or the body does not respond to it (such as in the case of androgen insensitivity syndrome) then the genitalia form into the vulva, vagina, and uterus instead.

If there is an interference in this process then we can end up with the wrong bits, and this is the result of many intersex conditions. Oftentimes this is a partial development, where the external genitalia only partially form but functional gonads still exist. Sometimes children come out with fully functional male or female genitalia, but mismatched gonads. Sometimes the TDF protein fails to release and the fetus grows completely functional female reproductive organs, despite the presence of a Y chromosome.

The fact is, the vast majority of the population has never been tested for genetic karyotype, so we don’t know how common these cases actually are. Where does this come into effect for gender identity? Well, the exact same process that causes the external genitals to differentiate also occurs for the brain.

The prenatal brain doesn’t really start to develop until between week 12 and 24. The cerebral cortex, the thin outer layer of the brain that contains most of what we think of as consciousness, grows substantially during those periods of time. Prior to that, the structure present is more like a scaffolding — the basic parts of the nervous system necessary for bodily function. The primary sulci (the wrinkles in the cerebral cortex that allow for more surface area) start to form at week 14, well after the genitals have developed.

It has been confirmed multiple times via MRI studies that there are small but significant differences between cis male and cis female brains — differences which align with the gender identities of trans people in the study. Note that this does not mean that anyone with those differences will have that gender; gender identity isn’t that simple, but it provides evidence that there is a clear difference in masculine and feminine brains. There is also evidence that brains can have mosaic combinations of these differences, which may be the case in non-binary people.

A change in the testosterone levels in the fetus after the 11th week can directly impact the masculinization of the cerebral cortex, as well as changes in other parts of the brain structure. This has been examined over and over again in studies of female-assigned children with CAH (congenital adrenal hyperplasia) and CAIS (complete androgen insensitivity syndrome).

An excess of testosterone in the mother’s body during the second trimester can (and does) cause masculinization of the brain in an externally female fetus, and an interference in testosterone production or uptake can (and does) cause feminization of the brain in an externally male fetus. This interference does not have to be external in origin, either. Any number of genetic traits can cause the brain to respond differently to testosterone.

A fairly large study of transgender individuals released in 2018 found several key genes (https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/104/2/390/5104458) which were statistically more likely to be longer among trans women (longer as in having more repeated fragments). Individually these genes may not have an impact strong enough to cause a malfunction of masculinization, but collectively they absolutely could reduce the ability for the fetal brain to masculinize. These genes are all passed from parent to child, giving credence to a tendency for trans parents to have trans children.

So you're saying that 'trans' is a DSD with a testable, observable genetic component.

OP posts:
Ereshkigalangcleg · 24/02/2024 14:25

It's interesting to see how this story is reported in other subreddits. The policing of people's language is intense, but people seem to be aware that it's a man being discussed.

www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/s/hkHXWkSV2u

Erin394 · 24/02/2024 14:26

I am not going to respond to everyone but given that the genetic validity of trans peoples existence seems to be the main topic of dispute here, that's what I've focused on in my previous post.

Just because our bits developed differently and our brains have likely got a bit muddled up early in development, that doesn't make anyone here the arbiter of what feeling like a woman is. And it's not like cisgender women are this uniform block of people who would all give the same answer anyway. I'm not going to have my gender identity gate-kept by anyone here, just like I would never try to do to anyone here.

EsmaCannonball · 24/02/2024 14:27

There was a report on men identifying as women in UK prisons that suggested that they sometimes have it easier than other prisoners, e.g., greater protections, more privileges, a higher status among certain types of prisoner. I've also read that in some American prisons certain trans prisoners are afforded higher status among certain prison categories (I mean, we're talking serial killers, murderers and sex offenders here.)

Ofcourseshecan · 24/02/2024 14:28

EsmaCannonball · 24/02/2024 14:21

Cross-dressing is always the number one paraphilia for murderers and sex offenders but it's becoming increasingly evident that the benefits of a transgender identity are attracting the following types of men:

1 - Predators who want easier access to women and children while simultaneously wanting to be absolved of responsibility for any ensuing crime.

2 - Fetishists who get a thrill from forcing the public to go along with their sexual fantasy of being a woman.

3 - Men's Rights/ Red Pill Types who have found a way to take over feminism, women's spaces, women's sports, etc. and thereby end them while actually being praised for doing so.

4 - Cheats and Grifters who go from mediocre men in sport or unremarkable men in male-dominated fields to being women's sporting champions or the groundbreaking first woman in the armed forces to do so-and-so or the first ever woman to win such-and-such science scholarship, etc.

5 - Disruptive Personalities - the prisoners, schoolboys, employees, and so on, whose main joy in life is causing trouble for the authorities and making life a misery for everyone else, only now they are being called brave for doing so.

6 - Plain Financial Grifters - send me money for my surgery/no-one will employ me because I'm trans, and so on. Or, I am suing the prison service, my employer, this person who misgendered me on Twitter because I am trans.

7 - Power Trip Denouncers - basically the people who would have got a thrill out of joining the Stasi or Khmer Rouge and having the power of life or death over everyone they met, only now the issue is trans.

When you create a sacred castle the worst types of people will gravitate towards it. Just this week I've read about a 60- something man who entered a female locker room and stripped naked in front of two 14 year old girls and who is being called brave and backed by the authorities in Canada, and about a baby murdering man who is suing a prison service in America for not being allowed to wear a hijab at religious services (because, as well as identifying as a woman, he also identifies as a member of multiple religions). It's like the authorities and institutions have been taken over by a chilling naivety, or that they've mindlessly gone along with this ridiculousness for so long that they'd rather double-down than admit they've been had.

I’m quoting this because it sums up the different aspects of the whole issue so clearly.

It’s not complex or difficult, as the ‘Be kind’ apologists try to convince us. It’s a bunch of different reasons leading to the same self-entitled male supremacist behaviour.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 24/02/2024 14:28

that doesn't make anyone here the arbiter of what feeling like a woman is

There is no "feeling like a woman". There is being a woman, because one is an adult human female, or there is being male.

ArabellaScott · 24/02/2024 14:28

Erin394 · 24/02/2024 14:26

I am not going to respond to everyone but given that the genetic validity of trans peoples existence seems to be the main topic of dispute here, that's what I've focused on in my previous post.

Just because our bits developed differently and our brains have likely got a bit muddled up early in development, that doesn't make anyone here the arbiter of what feeling like a woman is. And it's not like cisgender women are this uniform block of people who would all give the same answer anyway. I'm not going to have my gender identity gate-kept by anyone here, just like I would never try to do to anyone here.

No, mate. That's your main topic of dispute.

The rest of us are perfectly aware that males are men and 'genetic validity' is a lot of waffle.

The women here know what feeling like a woman is, because we are women.

We don't give a hoot about gender identity; men need to stay out of women's spaces.

OP posts:
popebishop · 24/02/2024 14:29

ArabellaScott · 24/02/2024 14:23

So you're saying that 'trans' is a DSD with a testable, observable genetic component.

And I think erin is using "man" and "woman" interchangeably, as they didn't clarify when asked. Which does make trying to discuss this quite a bit harder.

Like that other thread where someone kept saying "female" but meant something about feelings, so we were all talking at cross purposes for a while.

I'm definitely open to hearing their side but I need to understand what they mean by key terms.

SomeCatFromJapan · 24/02/2024 14:29

I can't think of anything worse than being a trans woman in a prison full of biological males

How about being a woman in a cell with a biological male?

WomaninBoots · 24/02/2024 14:30

Noone gives a crap about your precious "gender identity" love. It's not relevant. But you aren't a woman because you aren't female.

ArabellaScott · 24/02/2024 14:30

The actual point of the thread is that the UK press and media are lying, across the board. They are attributing these horrible crimes to a man and calling him a woman. It's WRONG.

OP posts:
Ereshkigalangcleg · 24/02/2024 14:30

I'm not going to have my gender identity gate-kept by anyone here

Anyone can identify how they like, I don't have to find it meaningful in any way. Scarlet Blake also identifies as a cat, I find it equally compelling as his woman identity.

popebishop · 24/02/2024 14:31

And it's not like cisgender women are this uniform block of people who would all give the same answer anyway

Keep going with this train of thought...
Really think it through. Let me know where you get to!

pickledandpuzzled · 24/02/2024 14:32

I’m not gatekeeping your gender, which is supremely uninteresting. I’m telling you no one who was born male knows what it feels like to be a woman.

Sex is not gender.

Pronouns are sex based.
prisons are sex based
the word woman is sex based.

one more time for the people at the back-
THE WORD WOMAN IS SEX BASED