Spartacus believes in biology.

[HairyBallTheorem]

Transwomen are biologically male. They are born biologically male and they remain biologically male.

I accept that it must be very hard to suffer from gender dysphoria. I wish transwomen well. I support their right not to be discriminated against in housing, employment and in life in general.

But biology matters. It is biology which means that women in Ireland and across South America and in many other parts of the world are the ones who get pregnant and are then forced to give birth against their will by political systems that deny them the right to abortion. It is biology which enables people in cultures which practice FGM to recognise which babies are female and thus decide which ones' genitals need slicing off with rusty razor blades. It is biology which dictates which foetuses are aborted simply for being female, which infants are allowed to die simply for being female. It is biology which means we are, on average, smaller and less physically strong than men and thus at higher risk of domestic violence up to and including murder (2 a week in this country, into the hundreds in Russia which has recently legalised domestic violence).

I am not prepared to lie about biology. Facts matter. The intersection of facts and political beliefs matters.

This is a hill on which I'm prepared to be banned from Mumsnet.

I am Spartacus.

I am Spartacus.
I fight against gender stereotyping, I refuse to accept it being enforced on us and our children.
I will use someone's preferred pronoun to be polite, but I do not accept that it is an act of violence to do otherwise. I believe in freedom of speech.
Biology is fact. A man cannot become a woman. A woman cannot become a man.

Wow! That spectator article is fab! He clearly is reading. I wonder if he could include in future articles the fact that there are a few transwomen joining in this debate here very eloquently? It's not a them and us situation.

And for truscum

The comment that I got deleted in the IW thread was deleted because I mentioned finding it disturbing to see a younger male person shouting at and physically intimidating an older female person . Take the "male versus female" part out of that and you've removed both the systemic analysis of what's happening in that situation and the ability of women to point out that it's happening and discuss the implications. If we make that concession then how can we discuss this issue productively at all

Bloody hell Angry that is really depressing. Not allowing women to name male violence - very disturbing.

@Ineedacupofteadesperately Not allowing women to name male violence - very disturbing.

Yes that's my issue - not all TIMs are equal - some need abusive behaviours named - to not name it for what is it i.e. male violence, is a whole new level of mindf*

I am Spartacus

My daughters, when old enough, will also be Spartacus

Love this

I have huge respect and empathy for anyone experiencing gender dysphoria. I can’t imagine how difficult that must be.

However, I do feel that insisting on calling trans women “women” is erasure of both women and trans women. They have intense struggles too, no doubt, but they are different struggles. Why is it so wrong to be aware of this? Why is it right to ignore those differences? I want to support women and trans women to tackle the issues facing them, and they’re not the same in the least. Just as I am not colour blind, because that’s offensive and erasing, I am also not sex blind.

I will never experience transphobia. A trans woman will never experience the debilitating pain of endometriosis which has destroyed my life.

I also have serious issues with things like the Wachowski sisters being listed as the highest grossing female directors in history, for films made when they were men. I don’t want Bruce Jenner’s Olympic performances to become the women’s record. I want to acknowledge the privilege and advantage inherent in being perceived as Male even if you don’t feel Male. I don’t want the achievements and crimes of women to be skewed by Male achievements and crimes. I want to be able to acknowledge these things without being called a bigot.

Coming out from my lurking to say I'm Spartacus too.

Biology matters.

Sex matters. Biology is not bigotry.

My life has been shaped by what my female body does, what male-bodied people have done (or could do) to it, and the judgements, assumptions and limitations placed on me because of it. I have every right and expectation to be able to discuss the physical, social and political implications of being biologically female with those who share this experience. On this, I stand proudly alongside my Spartacus sisters.

With regard to comments about individuals, my view is this:

When somebody with a prominent public platform states a political opinion or publicly behaves in a particular way, they do so in the full knowledge that their opinion/behaviour can be discussed, dissected and opposed by members of the general public. If people believe that this opinion/behaviour is influenced by factors such as that person's sex (or age and experience, social position, personal wealth etc etc) then this will be mentioned because it is relevant.

I see a difference when it comes to people's personal appearance. For example, if Transwoman A has bad skin, I think it is rude and unnecessary to comment on this. Any disagreements with Transwoman A are highly unlikely to ever be about acne, so I would class this as a personal attack.

However, if Transwoman B is dressed as a little girl, then I think this is relevant. This indicates that Transwoman B has a particular sexual fetish which they like to carry out in public, and decisions influenced by that sexual fetish may put women and girls at risk.

Similarly, if Transwoman C is dressed in an overtly masculine way, eg suit and tie, very short hair and a beard, this is also relevant. It signals that Transwoman C is a piss-taker, who takes delight in the discomfort they cause by being obviously male in situations where women and girls are vulnerable.

Transwoman C's appearance also highlights just how easy it would be for a predatory man who is not trans to do exactly the same thing, and to do it with government backing. Their appearance is relevant because it demonstrates that we cannot tell the difference. And if we cannot tell the difference, how do we keep women and girls safe without excluding all male-born people from areas where women are vulnerable?

Agreed. "X is ugly" is a personal attack. "X is displaying a fetish so obvious that ignoring it would serve no-one except the fetishist, and would assist them in their goal of forcing others to participate in their fetish" is something that we need to be able to say even if some people would rather not hear it.

If the comment about IW shouting at Amanda Barrie hadn't been deleted (so I don't know exactly what it said), I'm not sure the focus on IW's sex would have been relevant. You see a lot more aggressive and intimidating behaviour in the BB house from both sexes and all ages (including women in their 70s having to be removed by security)!

I think it's a stretch to see that incident as "male violence" and if the comment had been left it could have led to that discussion; that said, I do understand the tightrope MNHQ are having to walk in order to enable the discussions to continue.

I was Spartacus last time, and am even more Spartacus this time

So, of course, MN should delete comments that contain personal abuse, but it is not abusive to say that a man is man, any more than it was abusive to say that Rachel Dolezal is white.

Agree with this 100%. But still appreciate MN, and especially Justine, must be coming in for a hell of a lot of shit right now so i understand trying to mitigate it somewhat.

Late to the party but I'm Spartacus

I believe there are 2 biological sexes, male and female. I believe that the term 'intersex' acknowledges the binary nature of sex by virtue of the fact of the need to have a term to describe that which does not conform to this 'norm'. ('inter' what otherwise?)

I believe that globally women face oppression, abuse, restrictions, violence and much more because of their biological sex. This occurs even before birth.

I believe transwomen are biologically male. This does not mean that I believe that they should be not treated with respect.

I will not say that biological males are female.

I will not deny my biological reality to placate others.

If a trans woman dresses in a masculine way and has a beard and looks like a man then I think they are taking the piss by saying they are "really" women because they obviously don't mean feminine and they aren't biologically female so I don't see what other aspect of woman lines they are on about.

womanliness

I am spartacus

Dress however you like, tell anyone that doesn't like it where to go, but don't pretend you're actually a woman. Because you're not. You couldn't possibly know how it "feels" to be a woman, even if you've dressed as one, or looked like one, for years. You've never experienced any of the things that are unique to being female, and probably won't ever experience many of them. Cutting of your penis will make you a sterile eunoch with no real ability to orgasm. Embrace your penis, it shouldn't limit how you dress or behave, (within reason of course).

Agree with everything in your post. My career and a lot of my hobbies and interests revolve around science and I can't abide by science deniers or vote for them. I abhor gaslighting and think it's downright cruel. I also appreciate how difficult life when gender nonconforming or dysphoric must be. I am Spartacus.

I have been alarmed by today's data breach which left mothers, and their children, and many others, feeling unsafe. In solidarity with those who find their safety and livelihoods threatened I am obliged to come out as Spartacus.

Biology is not bigotry. A woman is an adult female. Gender is a social construct which we should not seek to enforce on either sex. I am Spartacus.

I am still Spartacus - even more so now - we are winning

Yes. They are clearly worried if they are attacking MN in this way. Stay strong Spartici.

I'm Spartacus. People who're so desperate to prevent women from speaking that they'll breach data security regulations, threaten to have people arrested, punch pensioners in the face, are not "on the right side of history". And they know that, or they wouldn't be so desperate to prevent and discussion of what they're doing from happening.

Anyone who's not Spartacus clearly isn't paying attention. But they will, eventually.

What data breach? I've missed that.

What data breach? I've missed that.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3225775-Emma-Healy-ex-Mumsnet-employee-addresss-transphobia-on-feminist-boards

I echo what Bookrat and AngryAttackKittens posted.

I am Spartacus.