Violence Against Women

[EatsBrainsAndLeaves]

Just been reading this blog post which talks about women who Transition as violence against women. I agree with her.

[Warning from MNHQ - this contains graphic images]

dirtywhiteboi67.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/transition-violence-against-women.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheDirtFromDirt+(The+dirt+from+Dirt)

Well that's a fairly benign interpretation of this particular thread's OP. Nicely, it could be seen as "here's an XY proposition. Discuss whilst I am away." sort of thing. A little arrogant possibly, and fairly rude and certainly superfluous give recent history here.

I am not the one who has posted saying I am new or not to feminism. Other posters have said that.

So are you happy for young women to have masectomies, take hormones and have disfiguring genital surgery because they want to behave or dress in a "masculine" way. Because that is what we are talking about here.

beach - the issue is what I've said it is, TBH.

I'm sick of answering questions on the subject. Read the thread.

Feminism has certainly been a journey for me. From being frustrated in school, to accepting that looks are an issuie when hiring waitresses, to annoyance at the way that people dismissed me, tio reading threads ion here. I have changed my opinions on so much. And learnt. And I am passing that on to dh and ds.

But I don't pretend tio be something else.

Well exactly.

I'm just confused by this thread.

EBAL you have posted a pretty standard feminist (although controversial in status quo terms) opinion on a subject that is integral to feminism.

I get your opinion and I think it is an instinctive one that many women/feminists hold.

Are people just uncomfortable with the subject because it is controversial (in patriarchy)?

EBAL - I think you may be Doing Feminism Wrong...

So are you happy for young women to have masectomies, take hormones and have disfiguring genital surgery because they want to behave or dress in a "masculine" way. Because that is what we are talking about here.

I am happy for people whio feel that they were born the wrong sex to have surgery that will make them happier.

Young girls not allowed to act the way they want to because it is seen as "masculine" often develop gender dysphoria where they believe that they must really be the opposite sex. Of course they are distressed and upset. But we should be encouraginga situation where they can behave and dress in as "masculine" way as they wish in their own body.

And giving them psychological support to develop an acceptance and appreciation of the body they have.

This is a much more compassionate response than encouraging them to have unnecessary surgery and take hormones for life.

I don't doubt that EBAL will correct me if I'm wrong - but I think this thread is about the self-harm that women partake in when they mutilate their bodies in order to fit in with the patriarchal masculine/feminine paradigm.

The subject is self harm.

And the discussion is; should this self harm be institutionalised (in medicine) and normalized (by society) or should we question the enforced gender roles of patriarchal society and they harm they do to individuals.

Which is a basic founding question of feminist tenets.

Exactly beach

And I don't think accusations of 'shit stirring' is helpful analysis or empathetic to be frank.

There used to be a poster on FWR who would sometimes talk about these issues. She thought long and hard about FtM gender reassignment surgery and said that feminist questioning of the gender binary (hierarchy) helped her to clarify her situation. Shame she isn't here anymore.

erm..no..the subject is self-improvement, not self-harm. Self-harm is all of the absolute shit and self-hatred that trans-sexuals have to endure. Pointing up again my friend who moved F-M and is now v v happy and successful (the Michael Buerke programme was called 'Choices' on R4) - if I know one, there there will be many. So he should endure a life of misery as a woman because....? it's not okay with a small section of feminists?

The radical feminists will baulk at the concept of a born-female rejecting the female state. That's their prob., but lets not pretend it's a global view, even amongst feminists.

Yes I have talked to women who thought about transitioning as well as those who have transitioned and then detransitioned.

Yes these women say at some point they felt like a man? But what does feeling like a man mean? All men feel different.

What they mean is that how they act, want to dress, behave, way they communicate is seen as "masculine". They are censored for that. I have seen women accused online of being men when they are not, because the way they communicate is seen as too "masculine".

These women interpret all this as - well I must really be a man. So they then define this as feeling like man inside.

Is it a global view? I don't have a problem with transgender. I don't think I can really understand because I am not. In the same way that many feminist will not allow MtF into women only spaces, saying that born men can not really share their experiences. I can not share the experience of being trans and the oppression and vitriol they often face.