Pratchet, I thought your last post on the surrogacy thread was perfect. Lies.
I make a point of trying to listen to what is NOT said by the media, in addition to what IS said. The silence is often more telling than that which is said.
What's odd is that the likes of pink news only ever quote the 'juicy stuff'. Not the stuff that sticks to the point and can cut straight through the crap.
Now if we to do an autopsy on two bodies; one a transwomen post surgery, and one a woman would a skilled professional pathologist be able to tell the difference between bone structure, tell the difference between tissue type and spot tell tale scars?
Of course they would. That's their job.
Cos tbh, I think we are being led down a blind canal end with this discussion rather than having 'biological' or 'surgical' dead ends.
Cosmetically something might do a good job of looking like something, but even if it's 'none functioning', it's still fundamentally structured at a cellular level which human science can not recreate and there are markers to see this, if you have good enough understanding of biology.
Unless you are going to ban pathologists for being transphobic. And doctors. And biologists.
I really don't see why we are discussing in any other way. Apart from to satisfy the delusional and power trip of someone. It doesn't stop the reality being reality. Pointing out the reality isn't malicious. Mainly because it's essential to a woman's own sense of self too.
Respect is born of appreciating that you can not resolve your own issues by trying to foist them on someone else to deal with or to try and destroy their sense of worth.
Every time you tell a woman that a surgically treated body has changed sex, that's what you are doing: attacking her biology and sense of self, because you can't come to terms with your own.
That's malicious and vicious.
She can not stop being female. Even if she too has surgery. She just is.
That's the point. People just need to be. You can't alter that reality. It is our inescapable fate. You can try and change society, but those demons don't go away. They follow you round, eating up you mind anyway, cos deep down you always know.
Peace comes only from accepting that and not expecting everyone else to indulge in and uphold your fantasy.
It makes me sad to say this, because it's a harsh cold reality that some people don't like to be confronted with. The trouble is, staying silence is something I regard as equally cruel and harmful by its consequences. And I wish I could change it for those who don't feel right to take away their pain. But I can't. Because it's a lie.
A whopping great cruel lie to both those who are trans and those who are women. It serves the interest of neither to get into the technical similarities (or lack of) between post op and biologically born.
We must speak the truth. And we must speak the truth to power. Because the power of the truth is what sets us all free.