So it is necessary to prove increased problems for women before anybody will try to find solutions to trans-people problems that are not just shoe-horning them into the category of women? Yet the very processes of the law make it almost impossible to identify when the trans laws may have been abused?
If we go the route of never distinguishing between women and trans, we will never be able to see if e.g. the rate of violent attacks is much greater against trans than women. This would maker difficult to put the correct protections and changes in place.
How would we prove that trans suicide rates really do go down if they are categorised as women, there may be other problems that need sorting out.
However, if that is what they want, then the question becomes..would this impact on women's safety, either directly ( bad transpeople) or indirectly ( bad men abusing the law, increased misogyny in society )
Clearly for the 1 in 5,women who have been subjected to serious sexual violence, it is usual that they have psychological hangovers that mean they can be traumatised by male sights, sounds and smells . Now we have to learn to live with men, but as a women, I would say that the trauma is more likely to be felt when we are in isolated areas, getting undressed, or had a recent crime committed against us. I don't think this needs proving surely!
Clearly transwomen may have similar feelings when exposed to men e.g. In changing areas, so I would expect them of all people to totally understand this, and therefore accept that an alternative solution is needed.
Focus now on Canada, because I think that is closest to us, and I know that Irish law does still allow to distinguish sex from gender
before the law change, a one off indication that people did try to abuse the self ID principal
www.lifesitenews.com/news/sexual-predator-jailed-after-claiming-to-be-transgender-in-order-to-assault
Note that there are other one off examples, such as the uk women's prison where an apparent transgender person raped many of the inmates. Making it easier to present as trans would increase the probability of this happening.
The question here is how much does it increase the probability of such abuse and how does that trade with the problems that trans people can face, such as the probability that they are raped in a male Prison? The answer to me is that a trade is wrong…we need a solution that protects both groups of people . Note that Canada has only just started o put trans women into women's prisons so there is no data there
After the law has changed in Canada people on here are saying that it is difficult for the press to report this accurately, this is evidence that there is still tension
torontosun.com/2017/06/13/toronto-spa-takes-heat-for-stance-on-transgender-women/wcm/9ac8eba7-e2a8-40e3-8604-20381aef7cdc
There is also evidence that Canadian boundaries are being drawn via legal process. Note this started way before the law change but concluded after the law change
www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca/learn/news/transexual-loses-fight-womens-shelter
Whilst it is too soon to make cause and effect judgements on the data, if we are forced, it is clear that the crime stats from Canada are not consistent with society's becoming safer for women in recent years but the data is NOT inconsistent with society becoming more dangerous for women. I really hope that we do not need to see a significant increase in sexual violence against women before we are taken seriously. Also reference the target Study about voyerism in changing rooms ?