Trans woman in Riot Women! WTF?

[OneBadKitty]

I usually love anything by Sally Wainwright, but what was she thinking by have a trans-woman in a band called Riot Women that is supposed to be full of menopausal women singing about HRT and other female related issues?

It is being widely marketed as being a ‘menopausal punk drama’
And IMDB sums it up as:
Follows a group of middle-aged women, as they form a punk-rock band to participate in a talent contest. - Completely agree that this is how it’s being marketed. The “middle-aged women” statement not entirely accurate as all backing dancers and lead singer not middle-aged. Nobody seems to be getting het up about that, though…

So I’d say PPs summary is entirely fair. It’s about a female band. Including an unnecessary man is ‘not in the spirit’ of that.
Employing a man to play a woman is also not in the spirit of an empowering women’s drama. The very opposite in fact. Do you know for a fact that the character of Miranda wasn’t written as trans? You’re not suggesting that the casting agents were being racist when the part of Nisha was played by Taj Atwal, so what’s the difference?

And to return to your original point that I’m wrong because the programme is being marketed as a “menopausal punk drama” - the very DEFINITION of punk is non-conformity and the promotion of individual freedom! You’re basically backing up everything I’m saying!

Eh? Can you be specific about what you think isn’t true?

I said ‘so called’ intersex because people with DSDs have repeatedly asked for their medical condition not to be appropriated to undermine the sex binary as you are attempting. They are either male or female and very very rarely does a DSD create any visual ambiguity.

I have no idea why you bring up Ewan Forbes. She was a women who wanted to be a man to get around the primogeniture law that prevented her from inheriting because she was female. Nothing to do with a medical condition.

intersex people (no need for the ‘so called’!) are pretty common- apparently as common as red haired people. Nope

You really are bringing out the false information now. That is emphatically NOT the case, it’s less than half that and even lower when you don’t count PCOS which some trans activist groups included to boost the numbers.

The anger here clearly IS about a MAN being cast as supporting actor, in an inappropriate role, but you're pretending he's a woman and hoping we won't notice.

Why do you call intersex people 'so called' and put it in quotes? I think intersex people do usually have a gender identity, and that they are more likely to undergo gender transition than non intersex people.

And to return to your original point that I’m wrong because the programme is being marketed as a “menopausal punk drama” - the very DEFINITION of punk is non-conformity and the promotion of individual freedom! You’re basically backing up everything I’m saying!

Men usurping women in jobs is not punk, it’s quite the opposite.

Arguing in favour of those men is even less ‘punk’, it is patriarchy.

Same here. I’m so sick of it.

I honestly never noticed.....🙄

Because if you stopped to listen to actual people who have that range of medical conditions, you would know that they have asked for people to stop calling them ‘Intersex’. It is a dated term which implies they are not male or female but ‘other’ which is wholly dehumanising and wrong.

You clearly have no understanding of these medical conditions. Do an advanced search on FWR or look up an X name Fondofbeetles - Dr Emma Hilton (or her blogs) who will give you some actual accurate information, not the trans activist nonsense you have been told. Admittedly the trans activists have flooded the internet with lies so it’s fairly tricky but the information is out there.

Here you go. a starting point.

www.filia.org.uk/latest-news/2022/6/30/what-exactly-is-a-dsd-and-what-is-it-like-to-live-with-this

Yep, that's the "we just have reasonable concerns" acceptable front, then you get this under the surface that gets ignored or pretends isn't there/that you're making it up and that wasn't what was said at all.

I'm always looking to update my language so I'll read up on whether intersex is no longer acceptable. I won't be reading Emma Hilton though, I'd rather get unbiased information from neutral sources (i.e. not activists on either side of the debate).

I feel sorry for you being so hate-filled. Trans people are real and here to stay. They’re not doing it for fun.

Or you know, we could all stop making absolute sweeping homogenising statements about groups of people, and start treating people as individuals with individual needs.

i mentioned Ewan Forbes because it’s depressing to see how he was so wholly and undramatically accepted in the world, able to continue his practice caring for others, and wasn’t publicly flagellated for being a pervert, and that we seem to have regressed as a society.

Here’s some research about the impact of trans vitriol on how it’s actually impacting intersex people, so no, you’re not separating out intersex people from this madness, they’re being incredibly impacted https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/18/intersex-people-europe-alarming-rise-violence-eu-finds

and here’s a post about how the recent Supreme Court judgement utilised sex assigned at birth, which is problematic for intersex people, having far reaching implications, so the pp raising the point about anti-trans people’s reactions to intersex people is spot on.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dr-nighet-nasim-riaz-afhea-frsa-3604082a_the-uk-supreme-court-recently-ruled-that-activity-7319315444094361601-vai6?utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAAAa5BYMBNeEtAo3AH3rnMAwNlfgNP_n3TTc&utm_source=social_share_send&utm_campaign=copy_link

Dr Emma Hilton is a developmental biologist at the University of Manchester, studying aspects of human genetic disease. She is not an ‘activist’, just an expert in human genetics that is called on to refute the lies spread by the activists.

I’ll be interested to hear if you find any other neutral sources on this - the activists have flooded the internet somewhat.

Good luck with your research.

I’m afraid you need to stop solely reading activist sources on this as you have got it so wrong.

Sex isn’t ’assigned at birth’ for anyone, including that tiny number of people who may be diagnosed with a DSD. Contrary to activist lies, they still have a verifiable sex and in all cases in Western medicine can have their chromosomes tested and be medically diagnosed at birth in the even rarer cases of visual ambiguity of genitals.

Cases like Caster Semenya and Imane Khelif come about because of inadequate medical facilities and possibly a lack of education in their countries but there is actually no evidence either male athlete was even raised as a girl. They have a condition called xy 5 ARD which is a male condition that results in a micro penis. In their male centric societies it is possible that they were thought to be girls but childhood photos of Caster has him in make school uniform and Imane’s family have been very opaque over the matter. All of his socialisation appears to have been obviously make, physical contact with unrelated males (his coaches), no hijab in a very conservative part of his country and a very male swagger as he walks around, the women scuttling meekly behind.

Their medical condition would have become very obvious at puberty as they have obviously gone through a testosterone driven male virilisation.

Neither Caster or Imane are ‘trans’ but their cases have been jumped on by trans activists as somehow their logic says that even though they are not even claiming to have a gender identity, their conditions have been appropriated nonetheless.

The vast majority of people with DSDs are not visually detectable as most just affect fertility and in some cases bone health. Thr surveys you referenced are not of people with a verified medical condition, but just of people who ‘identify’ as ‘intersex’ which, given the shameless appropriation of the condition by the trans activists is not going to give any usable data. It just serves to benefit ‘trans’.

Here’s a useful explainer from the NHS

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/differences-in-sex-development/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/differences-in-sex-development/

For you too. @PhewForAMinuteThere

Life isn't inclusive. Men don't have periods or go through the menopause. So why should this be shown on the tv?
(I haven't watched it yet so not sure if this is what it is showing)

it's really hard to work out from all the comments, and the different terms that people use..
is this about a trans (mtf) character in the (fictional) storyline?
in which case are they being played by a trans (mtf) actor or by a non-trans (male) actor?
or is it about a trans (mtf) actor playing a fictional female (non-trans) character?
or something else?!

is this character just the daughter of one of the women in the band, and joins them temporarily, or does she end up in the band herself as a permanent fixture?

or is it about a trans (mtf) actor playing a fictional female (non-trans) character?
or something else?!

This appears to be the case.

He plays a backing singer in this supposedly female band and according to PPs may join the band later on. This band was advertised as ‘menopausal mid life women’.

It’s a trans character (trans woman). Not sure if the actor is trans in real life, I assume so. He is male.

The character isn’t initially in the band, but fills in later for a woman who can’t be in the band for some performances. It’s not clear if it will be permanent. It’s jarring as the plot line keeps emphasising that the band is to sing about women’s issues.

I wasn't interested in it to begin with, but this seals the deal. Just shoving things in where they don't belong and are not welcome. It's tiresome.

I have watched it and I can't recall of the fictional character is ever described as trans. Iay not have been paying close enough attention but I don't remember it ever being mentioned. I guess we could be expected to assume they are trans given the fairly obvious male characteristics but as people say on this thread it could be a mtf trans actor portraying a female character.

I did think it felt a little like the creators felt they had to be current but it felt very contrived. Trans community is pretty small and statistically I don't think it's probable for there to be a mtf trans individual in a small town - possible of course but unlikely. I live and work in London and only know two trans people and only know one well.

The drama on the whole was ok. Not brilliant but some of the characters were engaging.

I think it is highly likely for there to be trans people in Hebden Bridge - it has always had a slightly hippy alternative vibe that would align with a trans person being accepted as a human being. I liked the way the trans person was treated as a normal human being- I think that is more reflective of real life. I loved the series but I hate the way they always end these things on a cliffhanger & you have to hope for a series 2

Can't have a program about menopausal women without a man in it obviously! Women can't even have the menopause eh! If they were determined to shoehorn trans they would have been better having a trans identified female, someone who would actually be having to deal with the menopause, and exploring that impact.

But nooooo, that would be a female wouldn't it. And as it's the BBC they can't have that! Women don't have anything to themselves.

Come again?