Quick! At a panel discussion re: media and trans and need intelligent questions

[FreckledLeopard]

So, I'm at a screening of 'A Fantastic Woman' (Oscar nominated film about grief and a MTF trans woman) at the Watershed in Bristol. After the film is a panel discussion with various high profile individuals, including Shon Faye who, from a wick google, appears to be a typical TRA, slinging insults at TERFS and CIS women.

I'm appalled at the notion of self ID and the encroachment by TRAs into women's spaces. However, I appear to be surrounded by trendy, naive students who are keen to show how right on they are by saying how great TRAs are.

Can I please have some excellent and pointed questions to put to the panel after the film ends please? I'm incoherent with rage about women being thrown under the bus but need to be calm and intelligent.

Please give me some great questions!

Thank you!

I meant to leave the T off!

Boxes
I did see an article recently that referred to to social media calls for action and treated it as reasonable. I’ll try to find it.

Datun also great question

Ask how we can prevent the men who are lying about being trans (eg prisoners like Lian Huntley Tiffany Scott) hijacking the plight of genuine transpeople and making society cynical about them, holding back the advancement of trans rights, and making life so much more dangerous for transwomen.

That might be a clever way to word it.

I think the question should refer to the film
am I right in thinking it's a about a TIM/transwoman whose male partner dies?
If so then a question about homosexuality becomes relevant
In my view a man who has a sexual or romantic relationship with a TIM is gay, or possibly bi. Naming that relationship as heterosexual is erasure of gay/bi men.
Not sure how you frame that as a question students will countenance though

....er.... to what extent is the homophobia in Chilean society a motivating factor in Marina's identity as a transwoman?
follow up- is the prejudice they experience due to their gender identification or their sexuality?

So the good old Mumsnet head tilt and an "I'm confused, are you saying that homosexuality is not about same-sex attraction?"

And after the inevitable waffle and sidestepping.

So it's not about same-sex attraction? Any man can identify as a lesbian, can they?

Does that also mean that gay men should consider women, identifying as men, in their dating pool?

Cool!

Surely they will just say homosexuality is same gender attraction ?

Or am I missin something ?

But it's not. It's same sex attraction.

I would like to hear them confirm that sexual orientation has nothing to do with one's sex.

No public questions. Chat to students afterwards. Ask them the questions, don't push it at all, just raise an issue then move on to the next student soon after. Let them think about it quietly on their own at night later.

How was the film/discussion, OP?

Hello. Sorry for delay in updating.

So - the panel session was fairly short and the majority of the time was taken up by panellists talking about their reactions to the film itself. Questions from audience members were also in relation to the film. I sat on my hands to prevent kicking off about the endless use, by both panel members and the audience, of "CIS" - numerous references to CIS men, CIS women, CIS audiences - whilst I muttered under my breath to DP that I'm not a fucking CIS woman, I'm a woman!

Anyhow, clearly massive support within the audience for self ID etc etc. The panel themselves didn't stray too far into self-ID or anything really that wasn't film related. What was interesting, though, was the aggressive body language coming from Shon Faye throughout - arms crossed, feet tapping, fiddling furiously with an elastic band, hair flicking, almost bouncing on the spot.

The film itself was good and worth watching. DP raised a very interesting point (to me - not to the panel unfortunately) that he wondered how people's reactions to the film would be if the main role had been played by a butch man, identifying as a woman. Would the audience have been as sympathetic? Would it have undermined anyone's arguments? As it was, Daniela Vega conforms to a fairly feminine gender stereotype in the way she dresses and she plays a fairly passive character.

But from the audience itself, it was clear that they were all fully subscribed to the Emperor's New Clothes (though hopefully, given the film and those on the panel, the audience isn't representative of mainstream society).

Thanks for updating