University Feminism threatened by TAs

[0ffredgotaway]

I'm depressed daily by the erasing of women by TAs but this feels like a new low in the madness that is TA. My university's feminism society was informed by the leader of the Trans society (pronouns 'they' and 'them' if you please) that the use of the word FEMALE in the society's description was 'trans exclusionary' and to remove it.

A member voiced her disagreement and reminded 'them' that the society is inclusive to all, and that women obviously do identify as female in the FEMINISM SOCIETY, and was shouted down for being a transphobe. This same person posts articles about watching out for the threats from TERFS on her society's page. Nice slur.

What to even do about this? There's a male student in a dress marching around campus demanding all gender neutral toilets (we already have some in the main building but apparently not good enough). Lecturers are being told to use gender neutral pronouns in all lectures/seminars for fear of misgendering the snowflakes. It's apparently the new super cool bandwagon to jump on so obviously everyone is a) super supportive of your transition journey, FOLKS (because guys is now on the list of trans exclusionary fucking words), and b) questioning whether they might want to jazz up their own lives by identifying as something a bit more exciting than their own born sex, just to be able to join the party.

It makes me want to scream into a pillow and not stop. It's actually on my fucking doorstep and everyone's walking around like 'this is cool and normal' while I just look around wondering what the fuck sort of glue are you all actually on?

And HOW is any of this any different from Rachel fucking Dolezal??!

I would just try and keep calm and factual in the face of nonsense. Just keep repeating a calm factual response in the face of unreasonable demands.

So I don't think it's legally OK to only provide gender neutral toilets. There should be single sex available as well. Somewhere in FWR there are threads that link to info about all of this, where you can get clear info to back up your response.

What was the suggestion to use instead of female? Was it "non-men"? What would be the response if you pointed out that "female" includes anyone who identifies as female, otherwise you'd have said "cis-female"? So it cannot possibly be trans exclusionary.

I actually don't mind gender neutral pronouns for referring to students whose sex may not immediately be apparent. As long as it's not being suggested to use gender neutral pronouns for everyone all the time.

This same person posts articles about watching out for the threats from TERFS on her society's page.

Do they have a trans society?

It seems to be a strategy. Males in dresses seem to be trying to take over both feminism and LGB in both academia and politics. How many feminist groups are now 'anti-sexism' groups - led by males, instead of females? How many LGB organisations are now led by heterosexual males in a wig? How many women's officers are now males in knickers?

I think we need to actually map this out and have genuine statistics, because it is definitely happening, and is actually harming women and homosexuals.

the suggestion was to remove female and just use woman. Because 'trans women are women'. The fucking cheek of a person who doesn't identify as anything trying to tell feminist women how to describe themselves. Someone did respond that many trans women identify as female so what's the problem - response was 'oh er well some people I know personally find it offensive and I speak for the community so remove it'. WTF?
Good to hear about the toilets, so his campaign will go nowhere.

Yes SpartonDregs they have a trans society. Don't know why they can't keep their nonsense there.

If they have a Trans Society, the feminists should declare they identify as trans women and join it en masse.

Surely they would agree that anyone is anything they say they are, because it would be exclusionary to disagree with someone’s self-identification, wouldn’t it?

Fabulous idea, if only everyone wasn't either a handmaiden or scared of being labelled a bigot. They would hate their cosy little autigynephilia club being disrupted by nasty horrible 'cis' TERFs!

vomming at the word cis

Check out some of Magdalene Berns YouTube videos for some responses on this. Get your definitions ready and don't be shouted down.

I have found lesbian colleagues and friends to be massive allies in the fight by the way. They are being told they are transphobic for not wanting to sleep with women with a penis

...but what if it's a ladypenis???

good tip jeaux. I'll check out youtube.

I wouldn't get your hopes up that the university will side with women or take any rational stance. Us men aren't even allowed to have societies to discuss our issues at many UK universities.

The more marginalised the group the better chance they have of being pandered to is what I'm saying...

Exactly OP. A lady penis. (Shakes head) I love magdalene's video when she criticised Riley's video about how its transphobic not to sleep with someone because they have a penis. (And yes we are talking about men with a penis who say they are lesbians, you can't make this shit up)

Jeaux, the belief that it's acceptable to tell a woman who she should choose to have sex with could only have come from a man.

Stig, I would absolutely support a men's health/issues society, for men to discuss their mental health, ball bag checking, feelings around masculinity, whatever. I respect the fact that there are some aspects of being a man that you'd really only want to talk about with another man. Unfortunately attempts to set up men's societies in universities have so far been from the 'mens rights' angle, which I do not support, as MRAs seem to be fairly misogynistic in their views.

I don't think Magdalen has an e at the end of her name.

Sorry Movie you are right

OP you go for it, don't be silenced, be calm, be factual and non emotional.

I seriously sometimes think a new group is going to need to be started of 'non people' or 'xx chromosomed people' which specifically names the factually biological/medical group that used to be allowed to be called a sex or 'women' or 'female' and which people can't 'identify' into. It would have to be in form of a kind of parallel to a diabetes group, where you either are or aren't, and of course would not be trans exclusionary since transmen automatically qualify.

And then watch the heads start exploding because it would be a group of women they couldn't storm into and dominate, without going into whole new realms of mindfuckery. But just think, we could actually look at the biological politics of the 'xx people' and protecting their interests by law. You know, without being automatically evil for existing. Hey, maybe we can even insist that being xx is now a disability in the brave new world of RightThink so we're under equality law.

Otherwise it's going to be a case of all women concerned by this immediately identify as men and start inconveniencing biological men on a massive scale. That would very quickly turn things around.

Why aren’t Female Muslim students absolutely raging and protesting about all this?

I think we all need to be bold and clear about the fact that we identify as female/women and be prepared to be just as hobby as the TRAs about having our choices (and pronouns) respected.

"Gobby" not hobby

Battle that's exactly what I'm doing. I reject the term cis, I refute gender bollox.

Does your SU have an official line on this? Are they able to offer any support?

Well, the right has warned us about this for a few years now. We should have helped them shut it down in the bud.

Bela I have wondered about that too, especially with regard to male access to safe female-only spaces luke changing rooms, toilets etc. Surely women who observe their religion strictly and choose not to unveil around men are now barred from those spaces?

MsUnderstanding the SU are completely behind all this bullshit. The trans group are completely protected and seemingly able to do and say whatever they like. It makes me furious.

Just going to try to stay calm and repeat facts in the face of all the madness. I will lose my rag completely if anyone refers to me as 'cis' though.

Offred you have my deepest sympathies.

My university sounds almost identical to yours - no platforming, no debate etc... We've all (well, not really all) been invited to a meeting next week where we can air or grievances about the transphobic, sexist micro-aggressions we've suffered at our university over the years. When real aggression is going on against women and children and all sorts of people every day!

I'm mostly trying to keep my head down and avoid the SU as much as possible...