Feminist Pub XVIII, in which the Bluestocking greets the first signs of spring with a glass of something soothing

[PuffinsAreFictitious]

Just starting this one as the last is nearly full

Very sunny but quiet. Neighbour complained about kids playing outside earlier. Luckily DC were safely indoors playing on the computer.

I am meant to be writing a 12 page paper. DD is in childcare for the day, and I am quietly at home. I've done a magnificent 3 pages and have nothing more to say. The paper is due tomorrow.

I have plenty of other work to do, but we only have this week off, so I planned to put DD in childcare for 2 days, then crack on with the work, clear it all out of the way, then have time with DD. Mind you, she'll probably be perfectly happy to spend days hours on the computer if I have work to do, but I was hoping to get her outside as it is finally warm enough.

(Flops onto beanbag)

These long weekends are exhausting!

So what's with all this stuff about trans kids on the TV this week? And why, as usual, is nobody prepared to just say "he's a boy who likes to live in dresses and play with Hello Kitty". I still haven't heard it satisfactorily explained to me why it's better to label boys as girls than boys who prefer "feminine" things.

Sera - that program left me so fucking confused.

I know nothing about trans issues but I was still quite worried by some of the stuff on the Theroux program.

I am about to possibly be flamed forever more but I just did not understand the 5 year old who had trans issues. I felt as if s/he had had a lot of adult stuff dumped on her/him & I felt really sad that h/she was almost being led down a route.

I would really love for someone to come along & explain it all to me.

I deliberately avoided that program. I've been watching trashy TV instead (just finished watching Going Postal - currently contemplating Raiders of the Lost Ark on BBC3 ).

Is that on? I'm going to watch the Inspector Alleyn mysteries on the Drama channel.

I also avoided that programme ...

Surely if we just treated all children like children, without any gender stereotypes, no insistence on knowing "is it a boy or a girl?" from before the child is even born (I mean, why do we want to know if not so we can interact with them accordingly?), no girl/boy clothes/games/activities and a child being called Mary or Jack being just as irrelevant to how we treat them as to whether the child is called Jane or Ashmi - if children were just children and people were just people, would the trans issue even exist?

I think it's perfectly normal for children to go through phases where they want to be a boy, a girl, a cat, a dog, a horse, a dragon, whatever. I don't think it's trans issues, just being a child with an imagination. Most kids will grow out of it. If a child doesn't, you can start thinking about whether they might be trans when they're older. I don't see the point of telling them they have trans issues, when it might just be a phase, and they still have so much growing up to do.

Yep. Totally agree and I am really concerned at the idea of children being put on medication. For an adult who feels so desperately unhappy that they think it might help then my feelings are less clear cut but I am really, deeply uncomfortable about this kind of therapy in children.

I did read a good article I think it was on Vice, linked from the thread on here about the programme, where Loius himself said "What if he's just a boy who is very feminine? He might grow up to be a very effeminate gay man." (Or, you know, an effeminate straight man, because they exist too, FFS)

And David Reimer is always dragged up as "proof" because he was "raised as a girl" after a botched circumcision and was deeply unhappy. When I actually went and read about him, it turns out (and this is all on wikipedia, backed up with good sources, so not difficult to find at all) that he was never fully given female genetalia, was aware the entire time that he was originally a boy and was subjected to some really fucked up "therapy" which was basically child sexual abuse. So... I feel like he's been made into some poster boy for trans issues where in actual fact none of what they say happened, happened, and he's not even alive to actually comment on the whole issue because he committed suicide in the early 90s.

Page 7. WHY, when I know perfectly well how to write, does it take me so fucking long? I should have been able to knock this out in about 4 hours (3 pages an hour, easy, right?) but I am prevaricating and procrastinating and dragging it out and making it more painful than it needs to be.

Must. Get. This. Done.

OK - as you were. Trans stuff. Far too many variables of m/f straight/gay fem/masc and everything in between for one theory to fit all.

Yep. I never understand how I can write so much nonsense on MN, thousands of words an hour, probably, whereas when I actually need or want to write something, like an essay or even just creative writing or blog posts, I can barely tap out a sentence.

Almost 11 pages. At first he said 12 - 15 pages. Then 10 - 12 pages. Then "12 pages is the sweet spot." So, almost 11 pages is kind of OK. (And there's some real wank-tastic twattery about the substrate of poetry to keep him happy)

It's 11 o'clock at night. I shall watch an episode of The White Queen then do more tomorrow. I've reached a conclusion, but there is plenty of scope to waffle on interminably about the meaning of the poem and certain words/phrases. It's not the main point of the paper, but there should be some interpretation. I can do lit. analysis of poetry for paaaaages, so I shall just fill in some gumph in the morning.

night all.

Did the LT doc go through the differences between dysmorphia and dysphoria at all, just out of interest?

And no, I didn't watch it. I think a lot of it is basically child abuse.

kickass One day I tried the 20-minutes-on-10-minutes-off rule while writing and it actually worked and I got more done than usual.

I think the one that really confused me was the 14/15 year old who'd had a double mastectomy - despite saying that at 13 they'd never had any gender dismorphia issues at all - it was purely about the breasts (no intention to go any further), yet here he was, a couple of years down the line apparently living as a boy.

Lots of kids have issues around puberty, I find it frightening that rather than give them therapy to work through what and why they're feeling it, they get therapy which ends up with them going through major surgery and massive life changes that I just can't see you'd be prepared for at 14!

I don't think the long-haired therapist came over well. She seemed very eager to diagnose trans gender - but that might just be the way it was cut.

Puffins, yes I'm thinking it is emotional abuse. We've got that thread going about an 18 month old who apparently showed signs of being a different gender. At 18 months? And then the poor kid gets told that he clearly isn't right the way he is, so he must be a she. No wonder they get confused,upset and eventually depressed. Constant sniping over time, isn't that the definition of emotional abuse?

Anyone heard of 'Justice for Men and Boys (and the women who love them)? Seems to be an anti-feminist political party.

www.independent.co.uk/news/people/feminists-hate-men-meet-mike-buchanan-the-leader-of-britains-new-justice-for-men-and-boys-party-9977357.html

They have a van which is parked on my street every evening (and weekends too). Usually parked right outside the refuge for pregnant women/new mothers (sometimes outside the Samaritans). Does this seem a bit 'off'? I checked, and as far as I can see they aren't contesting a parliamentary seat anywhere near here.

I have heard of MB and his crowd vaguely oubliette - he pops up as a rent-a-M R A every now and then. Fortunately they are the only ones who seem to take them seriously.

Parking outside the refuge/Samaritans seems rather suspect though

Our buddy Mike Buchanan has even popped up on here before to edumacate us misguided women. He has a Google alert magical powers that let him know when he's being discussed.

It is disturbing that he's trying to be involved in Samaritans or a women's refuge.

I'm going to be keeping a close eye on the van (and anyone associated with it).

I presumably can't be accused of being a stalker since I can manage this by looking out of my bedroom window without actually leaving my house

So, new gearbox needed, going by the way I have only one gear, and it's forward. Which is fun in a street where the only parking is parallel parking.

On the plus side, I have been able to stop it in a safe place, and it's within walking distance of the house.

Ebear that sounds painful and expensive.

Why would a political party need to park outside a women's refuge? I can't think of a good reason for it.

(I have already got my paper back from yesterday. I did rather well. Smirk)

They marked it that quickly? That's impressive.

I think the parts will not be too bad (I have been googling.) I think the labour and before that, getting the car to the garage, that's going to be expensive. But it's what credit cards were invented for.

I managed not to post a rant earlier. Yay me!

What's wrong with a good rant, Yonic?