Anyone else experiencing cognitive dissonance right now?

[Destinysdaughter]

I am

I've been a lifelong Labour supporter, pro LGBT rights and also a feminist but I feel so conflicted right now. For standing up for women's rights online I've been called a bigot, transphobic, a fascist, an abuser just for stating facts. I've been suspended from Twitter for 'hateful conduct' simply for saying someone who is biologically male is a man. And had my Twitter account hacked as a result.

I sometimes read the Twitter feeds of TW and as a lefty, I agree with much of what they're saying about economic or social issues. I really want a Labour Gvt but I cannot agree with their position on TWAW and having TW on all women shortlists. I hate the fact that I am currently agreeing more with the Daily Mail or the Times or Spectator than the Guardian. I've had Trans friends and been v accepting and supportive of them, but none of them have ever espoused the views that I'm seeing now.

I see biological males on Twitter saying they can have periods and getting lots of 'likes', I see lesbians being told it's not ok to say they are only attracted to women, I see GC women being doxxed and having photos of their children posted online and Twitter does nothing about it. I feel like I ( and many other women ) are screaming into a void and NO ONE is listening!

We don't have powerful organisations behind us, we don't have Gvt funding, I simply can't believe we are where we are in terms of women's rights in 2018. Sometimes I just want to shut it all out and pretend it isn't happening. But I can't as every day there's something else happening that just makes me want to scream NO!

Sorry, ( not sorry ), I know this is a bit of a rant but just wanted to express this and would love to know how other women are feeling right now? 💜

I discovered recently, on a group that I’m on, that whilst rape jokes get a free pass (all attempts to call it out ignored) , pointing out transwomen are biologically Male is NOT ON AT ALL.

The group is overwhelmingly male in it’s membership.

I’m starting to think that ultimately, we will be on the wrong side of history here.

Sadly Miranda got permanently suspended from Twitter though as have many amazing women

true but her blog posts are still up and can be read and she's mentioned in articles online. Plus it helped me to know there are trans people who get it.

I feel so betrayed by labour women
And their fawning over LM is pukeworthy. They will end up like Serena in the handmaid's tale. The world they are creating will have no place for them

Truscum I’ve read your posts on here before and really admire you. I have no issue with pp with genuine dysphoria and don’t want them to
get any abuse but the hatred from the TRAs is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And it’s frightening. Peace and love to
You. 💜

Budge up on the bench. I am right with you.

You're not alone. I limit my time there as I can lose a whole day easily.

It seems to me that transphobia and homophobia are mutually exclusive. We're being told that not supporting a homophobic ideology (trans genderism) is homophobic. Hence the cognitive dissonance!

true but her blog posts are still up and can be read and she's mentioned in articles online. Plus it helped me to know there are trans people who get it.

Yes, definitely.

Truscum I’ve read your posts on here before and really admire you. I have no issue with pp with genuine dysphoria and don’t want them to
get any abuse but the hatred from the TRAs is like nothing I’ve ever seen before

Seconded. And I also think that people with genuine dysphoria are going to come out of this being treated even worse than they already are - demedicalisation will reduce treatment availability for the people who actually need it the most. It’s madness.

They will end up like Serena in the handmaid's tale. The world they are creating will have no place for them

Fucking yes to this! But what will it take for them to see it...?

Eresh Yes, I've seen a few posts on there (I think there was a clicky link somewhere on this board). Has it been hijacked by activists yet?

Thank you Destiny

Yes Bowl, it's frightening. There are so many problems with this movement, which will affect the whole of society, and it's quite shocking to see that many just ignore these issues.

I remember reading about Mary Beard and Caroline Criad Perez a few years ago and the abuse they received for pretty benign statements, but it seems to
have escalated v quickly recently. And women are doing it too!

Single issue politics creates single minded behavior, and the consequences whether intended or not can be far reaching destruction.

OP, Your post could have been mine about 8 months ago, and still I read things that literally makes my jaw drop with shock and disbeluief. I feel let down by both Political Parties that I have ever voted for (Labour and Green)

I am scared that no one (in power) is listening to us. I am scared that Trans rights seems to be usurping all other, including race, I am scared that there is insufficient time left to close the gap between us and them.

My two university age children refused to speak to me for a couple of months, we now talk but not about Trans or Self-ID. Apparently ‘it’s an age thing’ and we (GC women) will look back and realise that we were on the wrong side of history.

I have had huge support from my DH, who I Peak Transed early. I admit to being obsessed by this, but I feel like my whole being is undergoing a process of iradication and I cant stand by and see this happen to me or anyone else.

Due to my work I am unable to do anything on social media, I feel isolated in RL.

Completely agree with you OP. I feel like I’m living in a parallel universe at times.

Labour have betrayed women and are all so keen to be seen as woke and virtue signalling.

@destinysdaughter
I really don't wish to be goady here. I was a leftist for many years and can remember how I felt in those days about various issues.

When you say you get called a bigot and a transphobe for speaking the truth - that's a small way to understanding how people right of centre feel almost every time they try to address an issue.
Transwomen are silencing women in the same way the left has pushed to silence more conservative opinion for years. Thinking that "phobe/ist/bigot" constitutes an argument that cannot be disputed. The frustration you feel now is the frustration I and many others have felt for years. The ignorance and shouting down in the face of logical argument.

I have first-hand experience of several contraversial issues, I have been banned from forums for sharing these experiences because the conclusions to be drawn from them are "bigoted".
Christians have been expelled from university courses for being openly against gay marriage - an opinion I believe is their right to express as much as I have the right to any of mine.
Or brexit voters being called ignorant/bigoted/racist for their views, which more often than not are none of the above.
Or people who question immigration being automatically racist bigots.
Trump supporters automatically being misogynistic morons without their reasons being listened to.

The list goes on.

Again, I really don't wish to be goady and you are totally right in your OP.
I have no idea whether you are one of the people who generalises those who disagree with you in this way.
Just food for thought, as a lot of those left of centre kill intelligent debate with similar tactics. I know I did, but it took me a while to realise it.

I am drunk just now.
My boyfriend is not understanding this
Direct action is required as we see Lesbians sticking up for themselves

there are some more twitter links in the last half of this thread as well as links to websites & blogs:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3284251-Lisa-Muggeridge-Suspended-by-Twitter-and-Quoting-her-breaches-MN-Guidelines

Yep. I'm the same. I've been a member of the Labour party and an active union member for the best part of 30 years. I've worked in a large local authority for all that time in a Labour stronghold apart from a couple of wobbles.

When I first started with the LA we had a Women's Unit! A WOMEN'S UNIT! Three fabulous and fierce women who scared the shit out of everyone and worked tirelessly.

My sister is a lesbian and my oldest and dearest friend is a gay man. I've seen, listened and tried to support them through difficult times back when we were younger.

And all this time I've always been understanding of everyone. My job requires that. But I am angry. So very fucking angry right now.

I'm not as articulate as many here, and to be honest at the moment not much of it concerns me directly now. I'm mid 40's, assertive, good job, financially secure in my own right. I have a child. But I can see the bigger picture. I look at my beautiful sister in law who had her limbs broken and teeth knocked out by her abusive partner. Who is now free and fabulous . An old school friend whose daughter was stabbed to death by her partner. And then all this other shit too. It makes me angry and sad.

Garden Hmm, I'm not really sure.

Most people (including most transsexuals) don't "identify" as a gender, so we'd only be separating the two terms for a minority of very vocal and demanding people.

I used to see gender as synonymous with sex, and still sometimes use the terms interchangeably during casual conversations (e.g. friend's baby gender scan). However I know many GC feminists, LGB people and transsexuals now view gender as a socially constructed ideology consisting of sex-based stereotypes. So I'm not sure about having protection of something which is viewed by many as socially constructed.

In answer to what I want to be treated/protected as, I don't mind - whatever benefits society as a whole. As a biological female, I have a higher risk of being a victim of many crimes, and so I need to be protected as female. I think separating things in such a way that some protect sex and some gender wouldn't be partubularly efficient - we need a universal system across all facilities and services.

I think the best way would be to completely dispel the idea of gender altogether and move forward as a society where we recognise that sex is what needs to be acknowledged. Having a third, gender neutral space to accommodate anyone uncomfortable with M/F spaces would be best I think.

It's such a difficult topic - please one, upset another.

*particularly, sorry.