Does anyone listen to The Guilty Feminist podcast? Trans stuff.

[CloudPerson]

I listened to their latest podcast yesterday, the general theme was The Handmaid's Tale.
They brought up some interesting stuff about trans issues and I wanted to discuss them.
On the whole I enjoy the podcast, it's entertaining, their use of cis irritates me, but I do enjoy it.

Their view of transwomen/men was one I generally agree with. Some interesting points about encouraging fluid genders and non binary as this will confuse the patriarchy, which I agree with. People should be who they are, live and dress how they want to be, take away gender, because is damaging bullshit.

However, when I read about things happening now, erasure of women, lesbians etc, the small/vocal/aggressive/homophobic minority, isn't this actively encouraging misogyny and the patriarchy? Keeping people in their neat gender boxes? Encouraging strict gender roles, sexism? It isn't encouraging a more open, welcoming society at all.

If current trans issues were as harmless as TGF podcast says it is, there wouldn't be the opposition. Sure you'd still get your bigots who don't like trans people because they're not fitting in the box, but I certainly wouldn't have any issue at all if it was simply a case of people campaigning to live happily and having a right not to be targeted. But the way it's going I do have a problem, because TRAs campaigns could actively harm women and womens' rights.

Someone on the podcast also mentioned the lack of trans people in The Handmaid's Tale, or they were referenced to as gender traitors and not a big part of the story? (I haven't watched the tv adaptation but read the book a while ago and can't really remember this bit). My take on that is that if current loud TRAs get their way then trans people will be erased anyway, because transwomen are women, I on the face of it, it looks like a purely binary society is their aim? So a potential future could look like some women having fertility issues and not being able to carry babies, but because they are born men, except that won't be spoken of because it's deadnaming/violence/bigotry?

Anyway, not had much sleep, rambling a bit. Just wondered if anyone else had listened to this and what they thought.

I'm another who's given up on the guilty feminist, in part due to this issue. I'm interested in women's rights. Trans rights is a completely different topic, and it's occupying too much space in this podcast. I can't remember which episode it was, but I was listening to it thinking "but this is a MAN's voice? Why am I hearing a man's voice on a feminist podcast? What's the point of that?"

As an aside, Deborah Frances White, who I otherwise love, is doing one of her corporate gigs at my work in a couple of weeks time for our women's network. How much do you double dog dare me to stand up and ask, "Say, Deborah, what is a woman anyway?"

And how actually unfunny is it that I think if I did that, I'd get the sack...

That episode made me really unhappy. I was listening to it in Dunelm Mill, and I very nearly cried. To hear strong confident women walking on eggshells, and agreeing that pussy hats were transphobic, and how right it was that someone "tore her a new arsehole" because she used the expression "ladies and gentlemen" when there might be non binary people there.....

I did wonder if I was overthinking it all, so I'm glad you had the same reaction to it Bertrand.
I wonder how many women will base their opinions on this tripe though, and there really isn't the opportunity, apart from here, to say anything that doesn't follow the ideology, unless you're up to,facing a barrage of abuse for saying anything logical.

Oh, Sophocles-do please ask her!.

I usually listen on the train, and there have been times when I've had to turn it off as I kept laughing and snorting. This episode though, not funny at all, a very weird feel to it.

And trying to find a new name for female genital mutilation that isn't trans exclusionary......

I know! FGM will only ever happen to females, how bloody precious for a man to be offended by that! We must find a name that includes a set of people who won't ever be affected by FGM

I should probably ask for recommendations of podcasts that won't make me start angry posts on MN

I don't think it would go over at all well, bertrand! It's all a bit Sheryl Sandberg lean-in variety feminism in the wim's network, and they're in tight with Stonewall too, so...unlikely to be fertile ground for a gender critical debate. I'm working on it under the radar, though - I'm a radfem trojan horse, subverting from within.

How about Meghan Murphy's Feminist Current podcast, cloudperson? That should fit the bill.

Thank you, I've subscribed to it.
I haven't I subscribed to the guilty feminist, but I have deleted the rest of that episode. Life's too short. I don't think I'll be able to listen in the same way though.

A stealthfem, Sophocles.......

I can't help thinking about that podcast now. I think what I found particularly disturbing was that Reubs really showed how years of male socialization remain even after transition. She dominated the discussion, and the natal women on the panel just rolled over and let her. Deborah Frances White did try- she tried to talk about women's bodies - and I do think she was wanting to challenge the idea that a vagina can actually look like a penis and testicles but is still a vagina but felt she couldn't.

Hello all

Bertrand that was me who started the thread after the Minefields episode and I had pretty much given up on the GF after that, though I listened to this week's.

Then I heard the whining about how the Handmaid's Tale hadn't included trans people. Wtf? It's not all about you!

I used to love this podcast but know I find DFW just too preachy. I think it's just the Feminist Current pod for me from now on!

I would say that anyone who doesn’t fit into a regular box is likely to be disadvantaged in some way ie homosexual people

Royalty, premier league football players, tech billionaires, rich men who want to be women for kicks

one of her corporate gigs at my work in a couple of weeks time for our women's network

My ears are twitching - she does my work too. Although I told the lean in lot to fuck off bit if we are the same org there are many halls and not all think alike.

I wonder if we are, CH?

If the network is called ABN, then we are...how funny!

I think I contributed to your thread LondonPainter . I agree completely with BetrandRussell about how Reubs came across in that episode. It is a shame as I have enjoyed many episodes of the podcast but DFW really does seem to have drunk the coolaid.