Peak trans

[winefortea]

What does the phrase 'I've reached peak trans' mean? I've seen it many times on numerous threads here, but even taking into account the contexts it has been used in, I'm still not quite sure what it means. Googling hasn't helped me either, so please could someone explain. Apologies if it is obvious and I'm being dense.
TIA

I just looked up datun's post about climbing the hill. When that was written I was still in the foothills, vaguely aware that there was some sort of trans vs feminist thing going on but thinking it must be some sort of side show. After all (I said to my year-ago self) there have always been divisions amongst feminists, and trans = vulnerable minority group so there's probably a transphobic element to it all.

You peak. You look back down the hill and can't believe you ever stood at the bottom.

How true. A couple of critical incidents and a lot of reading later, here I am, a bit out of breath but enjoying the company of lots of other GC hikers.

I've recently moved from let people be who they want, it doesn't bother me, to wtf is happening if you can't even use the dictionary definition of woman without offending. Its taken me a while but I've definitely peaked.

Welcome Sue

I peaked for the first time years ago, when I read about the 'cotton ceiling' on here. It was my first transition from 'live & let live" to "I can believe these people are saying this to lesbians! What's this about?"

The (nonsense) concept of a "female penis" came soon after - and then "Die Cis Scum" and baseball bats. The absolute misogyny of it takes your breath away.

Since then, I've peaked so many times, I can see the clouds below me.

gah. *I can't believe these people are saying this to lesbians...

The problem with peaktransing is that one never seems to reach the peak, there is always something else that comes along that one cannot believe has been said.

Jane Clare Jones - The annals of the terf wars

Btw - this is an excellent summary, and pretty funny.

I think my joining point was: The First War Begins. Scene 1: Cyberspace – probably around 2013

Incidentally, when I first became aware of this, 2013-ish, I thought it was utter crazyness on the internet. I never believed it would advance the way it has - with training about "jelly baby gender" and "girl and boy brains" being given in schools, police forces, and NHS.

I never dreamed the police would be visiting people in 2018 for misgendering on twitter.

That Martina Navratilova, of all people, would be called transphobic.

I just go from peak to peak.

I peaked with the ridiculous newspaper appeal to find the woman who may be dressed as a man and have male and female identities. This was actually a violent male rapist who was on the run but making sure the poor chap wasn't accidentally misgendered was clearly more important than providing clear accurate information to help track him down. Not to mention the impact on the victims of seeing him called a woman.

Similar topic again with Karen White sent me completely over the edge. I am still so outraged that a rapist was put in a women's prison, it is beyond comprehension and a human rights abuse. I hope the women involved sue the arse off the prison service and would happily donate to a fundraiser for any legal fees.

The problem with peaktransing is that one never seems to reach the peak, there is always something else that comes along that one cannot believe has been said.

I think this is so true. I first began to realise there was a serious issue a few years ago but sort of put blinkers on because I don't think I was ready to admit the problem to myself because it went against my years of being an ally to that community. I recently revisited the issue, did a LOT of reading and I'm now disappointed in myself for not speaking up earlier... but at least I'm adding my voice now.

The last few weeks particularly have been an eye opener. Thank you to all the strong and courageous women and men that spotted this issue years ago and put themselves on the line to keep speaking out on the issue.

I've started speaking up about the issue to family, friends and workmates and I'm heartened to find out that despite the "trans women are women" mantra that's been fed to us for so long... and all the bullying... people really are now seeing the truth.

It'll take time and a strong will to turn this mess around but we will in the end I'm sure. The extremist TR narrative has brought the issue to the attention of the masses now, which is not working in their favour at all. A home goal.

Live your life as you wish but don't push agendas that harm children, don't bully women and don't try to appropriate women's identities and safe spaces. Big props to the transsexuals speaking out against the extremists too btw.

I've started speaking up about the issue to family, friends and workmates

This is so very important!

My DH got peak transed yesterday. He's older than me, has very little to do with the internet (only uses it for shopping), has never looked at Twitter or Facebook, so has no idea about the ongoing controversy (I've not talked much to him about it). He's conservative-with-a-small-c, but has no problem with people being transgender.
So yesterday he was watching the news and saw the item about Martina Navratilova being criticised for opposing transgender athletes entering womens sports.
"What's happened to freedom of speech?" he practically shouted. "Of course it's cheating, it's obvious they've got an advantage over women! Good on her!"
So after that, we had a long discussion and I was able to enlighten him on quite a few things!

Thanks Martina!

Grumpy I've noticed sport being the issue that makes a lot of men take notice, it was the same with my father. I think it's because the unfairness is there right for everyone to see. Nobody likes a cheat.

The newspapers/broadcasters who raise this in terms of MN being criticised are likely to make more people sit up and take notice - basic fair play and free speech being attacked is repugnant to many who might otherwise not care.

I peak and trough a lot - I'm getting a lot of exercise! Haha. I think it's good though, keeps me critical and on my toes on all directions. Keeps me being able to speak everybody's language enough for my analysis to be intelligible.

Little Owen peak transed me last summer.
He reminded me so much of some gay guys I had been ‘friends’ with at uni who were misogynistic at a level I had never encountered before. Dunno what it is, some new found male rights tribalism as a result of homophobia..?

Anyhow, then I found mumsnet and the scales just keep on falling.

Dunno what it is, some new found male rights tribalism as a result of homophobia..?

I think it's a result of #metoo. A lot of men got very angry at that. This is the perfect revenge: eradicate women by becoming superior women!

Breaking News

Peak Trans have been awarded the franchise for trains between Manchester and Sheffield.

Now we're getting somewhere!

I think DH has climbed a peak. Obv he's been in agreement with me over the general principles of what a woman is and men in women's sport etc. But today he has come home from work: one of his colleagues is in a state as his daughter, who started uni in September, has just announced they are now his son. Apparently a prime case of ROGD though neither DH or his colleague has even heard of it. They're being brainwashed aren't they? Anyway, DH has just had his eyes opened to the whole surgical menu, mastectomy and the rest, which this girl is apparently signing up for barely six months after heading off to uni.
I had better tell him to tell his colleague to come here hadn't I?

I only started the climb a couple of months ago and keep reaching mini peaks and (ever the optimist) thinking it was just a noisy but small bunch of crazy people, then realising there’s an even bigger peak looming ahead. I’d thought the Caitlyn Jenner woman of the year thing was pretty bad but thought that was just some Hollywood nonsense. The big peaks for me were the Mermaids training being rolled out to education professionals, breast bindings being sent to children who were invited to fittings without the knowledge of their parents, and the female penis. The most recent one was Munroe Bergdorf (who is only recently heard of) lecturing everyone on what is and isn’t a “real woman”, days after I had given birth and was struggling with breastfeeding, dealing with stitches and having injections to stop me getting blood clots. Funnily enough, I wasn’t much in the mood for that.

This is interesting, as I'd kind of assumed it referred to someone having as over-the-top pro-trans views as possible, not reaching the point of disbelief.

But I guess I have been past peak trans - I have trans friends and family and I was in the trans women are women camp, but I think some of the things that changed my views was some trans people (and it's not a majority IMO) telling women what they could talk about regarding being a woman and also, and I can't remember where I saw this, someone saying that there's a very meaningful difference between gay and trans rights; gay rights had no impact on the rights or safety of another group, whereas trans rights could have an impact on the rights and safety of women. So questioning the limits is not about bigotry or hatred, it's a lot more complex than that.

I would love to just be able to say that trans women are women and can do everything that women can do, and in female-only settings, but sadly I have become more convinced that it is just not that simple and that we need to listen to women who don't wish to accept that.

My DH refuses to talk about anything to do with this. He has, grudgingly, listened to one explanation of why TRA are a threat to women and feminism, but he still has an overwhelming sympathy for transgender people and believes the media hype that feminists are creating a 'toxic' debate.

Do any of your partners not understand that this is not 'transphobia?'

My DH is totally on board. But I've been talking about this for years now.

It took a while for him to get it, I'll be honest. It was the sports that did it for him - I showed him the picture of the basketball player, and the Iranian football team with 8 transwomen (gay males - which is not allowed in Iran).

I peaked with the ridiculous newspaper appeal to find the woman who may be dressed as a man and have male and female identities. This was actually a violent male rapist who was on the run but making sure the poor chap wasn't accidentally misgendered was clearly more important than providing clear accurate information to help track him down. Not to mention the impact on the victims of seeing him called a woman

Yup. This sent me over the edge and I am still clinging on with my fingernails.

Do any of your partners not understand that this is not 'transphobia?'

About a year ago, my OH, whilst sitting calmly on the sofa, just mumbled something about Germaine Greer being transphobic. I asked him what he meant. He said she had been no-platformed by a uni. I told him to look into it a bit more and get back to me. We then spent the next evening, on the way to a gig, discussing the madness. He is full on supportive of women's and girl's rights, all the way.

Not the point of the thread but I was so pleased to see thebewilderness and thinking shes back until I read someone else further down had the same thought and realised this was an older thread.

I'm so fed up of women being silenced, one of my favourite feminist twitter posters aliceinhell was silenced on twitter the other day. Never offensive but always insightful