Have you been publicly gender critical?

[SwearyG]

I'm considering "coming out" as gender critical ahead of the WPUK meeting on Tuesday to suggest that my friends attend the meeting too as I really think we need to debate, discuss and push back against what is being said by the TRAs. I've tried it in person a few times and most people have taken what I've said quite well, with my younger friends doing mental gymnastics to keep TIMs as women in their heads, though they can't accept my anorexia analogy on that.

So I've written a lengthly post for Facebook saying that people need to think about the rollback of women's rights in the name of progression and how the opportunity to talk is coming on Tuesday but am not quite brave enough to press post. Has anyone done this with any success or is it best to keep fighting anonymously?

And well done OP. I hope you reach a few minds

Yes I've had a few online shitstorms. Some people really annoyed me, some now think I'm an awful person, but worth all this is that I have women coming up to me in the street fascinated to find out more, old friends have contacted me to get involved with activism and I have prompted thought and debate.
Friends from all walks of life have peaked and got involved. Many offline conversations have been had and people thank me for it.
So do it. However I'd recommend holding off on your anorexia analogy, for your own sake. Some people can be unkind in this debate so consider not leaving yourself open straight away. Then judge whether to bring it in later.
I'd advise to go for something not too controversial to start with or everything gets polarised straight away.

Yes, there is nothing wrong with having gender critical beliefs, it is a free country.

Those of you not speaking out what is it you are afraid will happen? Surely this isn't a sackable offence - what would possibly be sackable about it?

I've started very simply with pointing out how women's rights are being eroded by ideas considered progressive and we're being closed down from debating it by threats of violence etc and how important the debate is. I've not said anything personal yet - I think the anorexia point is best made in person. So far responses are positive

Going back to the anorexia point a pp suggested that the dysphoria thing doesn't work so well as current transgenders are told their body is fine as the opposite sex so I'll add in that nothing was affirmative in my therapy. Thank you (sorry can't scroll back as on phone so can't see who it was)

Very selectively. I'm in a professional career, so I've got to watch who I get controversial with - on any subject.

My radfem Lesbian friend knows - she's very much on my page. I've had a chat with my professional mentor in the context of his daughter getting more serious about her sport and considering a career in it. He started out thinking it really didn't matter but ended up completely outraged when I was able to come up with some examples and tied them in with how this could disadvantage his child in the future.

I have a work colleague who I strongly suspect is gender critical and I'd love to have 'the chat' with her but I'm not sure how to broach the subject. I'm more senior, so I guess I'll have to take the first step as per the unspoken rules of not accidentally committing career-suicide.

I made the mistake of starting to air my views but it became pretty clear that they aren't popular so I did shut up
I think people are focussed being non judgmental and tolerant of diversity and so not open to hearing about the reality of the situation.

WTAF is a 'trans ally frame' and why would anyone question you not having one?

Disclaimer - not on FB.

Yes, very much so. I'm in university (liberal arts degree) and the issue has come up a few times this year, but I will politely and firmly challenge the notion of the female penis etc. My family are all terf-tastic to a person and are also openly critical of transactivism.

WTAF is a 'trans ally frame' and why would anyone question you not having one?

Urrrh. So on fb you have a profile picture. Every so often fb invites you to ‘frame’ this picture in a short lived (few weeks usually) overlay of whatever the current issue du jour is. So for aids awareness you might have a red ribbon frame, for the Paris terririst attacks it was a tricolour overlay,

They are basically a way of virtue signalling. And I don’t do them (my profile pic is of an inanimate object.) I also don’t take kindly to being pressed to put one up.

I usually start by saying I know some trans people and am very much pro their right to live safely and happily and without ridicule, bullying etc.

Then I tell them that some trans people are concerned about Self-ID too and that got me thinking. I explain the definition of trans seems hugely wide, and show a range of pictures so people can understand what trans might be ie not transexual, which most people assume.

I explain the current law already allows transition, even without an op, which people are surprised about. And then I talk about how I'm unsure about how safeguarding will work - i.e. How do you know someone is trans vs someone untrustworthy saying they are a woman.

I also often share that I thought really hard about whether I was being transphobic to question this but realised I was concerned because of the HUGE issues for women - sport fairness, safety etc. And send them here.

Facebook stopped letting me use this nick name so I have been "out" for a year or so now. I am an old 2nd wave Feminist and there is nothing they can do to me any more.
This is what I ask when the subject comes up.
Can you mandate belief?
Can you codify into law the idea that some people can mind over matter themselves out of material reality and into the opposite sex, and must be treated accordingly?
It is like transubstantiation. A belief that no one actually believes.
Will you allow people to drug and mutilate children based on this belief that no one believes?
How will you punish women who refuse to submit to male dominance?

I posted a link to one of Glosswitches GC article on Facebook, tumbleweed. Another friend who's GC liked it but nothing else.
However have talked to lots of women one to one and they are often very unhappy with the trans movement (not trans people).
The ones who are trans allies would rather not discuss it at all.

I've shared a few moderately-worded articles on Facebook with comments along the lines that we need to have a proper discussion about this and find a solution that works for everyone and can protect both trans people and women etc. Hopefully it will make people start to think about some of the pitfalls of the proposed legislation and that, yes, we should actually have an open debate on the subject.

I've had a few 'likes' which tend to be from the same people and no actual comments so either other people aren't seeing my posts, they don't care about the issue, they don't want to risk being associated with gender critical views or they've mentally filed me under the 'bigot' category but don't want to get into an argument about it.

I was concerned about posting about this subject as I have a number of (nice, non-TRA) trans friends on Facebook and I wouldn't want them to think I was opposed to them - although one of the people who always likes my posts and is very openly anti-self-ID on her own timeline is a transwoman.

I find most people I know don't even think about it at all. it just isn't on their radar until it affects them. As yet, it hasn't.

The only people I have been able to talk to are my teenage children. My son is open to lots of new ideas and beleives nothing until he's researched it for himself. That's good.

My daughter is very critical of people who suggest harm can come from sharing spaces - but agrees with issues relating to sport and fairness.

Yes...but my only 'work' is as a p/t sociology student. If you can't discuss gender in a sociology seminar then where can you!?
One of the boys made a gender critical related point in a seminar last week...re how fear of offence meant someone at another uni couldnt get approval to study detransitioning individuals. I think people are starting to get annoyed about academic freedom being curtailed.

I say 'publicly' I've mainly chatted to DM and DH about it...I don't like getting into fb arguments but would happily have a rl life discussion!