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 am also a lifelong Labour supporter, from a lifelong labour supporting, extremely working class family (I have been very much middle class since I left University, mind). I left the Labour party last year because I could not tolerate their stance on this issue.

I find myself wondering who to vote for - the Tories are out of the question, of course, but the Libdems are as stupid on this as Labour.

I also find myself very, very worried - I fear we're on the road to Gilead on some levels. Women supporting this nonsense will find - too late - that they've been enslaved by it.

Yes, I'm actually more angered by the women supporting this tbh, it feels v naive.

Truscum teen, thanks for your post. I want to encourage the op: my teenager said today that most young people agree with us, and that gender (as we see it) really is breaking down. People really do get called out for saying 'are you trans' to a boy in a skirt and nail varnish, because asking such a question is seen as stuck in the old stereotypes. I'll be linking the consultation for him to fill in, and asking him to get his mates to do it too.

The whole conversation made me wonder if transgenderism is reaching critical mass, not because kids are 'peak transing' but because they don't care, they really are starting to learn they can wear and present however they like, no matter boy or girl. Sounded very positive.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has responded to my shriek into the void and made me feel less alone. The one thing from this tho that gives me great strength, is how inspired I've been from the truly courageous women who have stuck their head above the parapet and said no to this, calmly and bravely arguing their case, over and over again, often in the face of appalling abuse. Truly in the spirit of the Suffragettes. I never thought in my lifetime we'd have to do this again, but here we are. We have truth and numbers on our side and these are powerful things.

Solidarity, sisters! 😀💜

The one thing from this tho that gives me great strength, is how inspired I've been from the truly courageous women who have stuck their head above the parapet and said no to this, calmly and bravely arguing their case, over and over again

Destinysdaughter there is a wonderful collection of the powerful words of courageous, wise women:
twitter.com/ResistersUK?lang=en

some of them, with links to their work are in the second half of this thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3284251-Lisa-Muggeridge-Suspended-by-Twitter-and-Quoting-her-breaches-MN-Guidelines

'Women are fighting back!'
by Terfy McTerfFace:

Yup, life long leftie here and it feels so odd suddenly being called a bigot and such. But I simply cannot support this ideology. Individual transpeople I have no issue with, its the ideology itself, and the behaviour of so many transactivists, which I see as simply abusive males being abusive males openly, but being applauded for it and hailed progressive? I see this all and am very 'what the fuck?!' It really feels like the world has gone bonkers. I do not believe I have suddenly gone from supporting LGBT rights to being a bigot overnight. I just refuse to support the blatant misogyny and homophobia (and actually, genuine transphobia in many cases..truscum anyone?)

A lifelong socialist, collected money for the miners’ strike in the 80s, been anti apartheid, against Clause 28 etc and now being told I’m ‘on the wrong side of history’, it’s really distressing
Same here. I get what you are saying. Im not brave enough to go on twittet though so i take my hat off to you for that. And ad bowl said upthread Ive never felt so strongly about any social or political issus in my life

Also with you, OP. It’s extraordinary, isn’t it. There are biologically male people on twitter talking about how because of the hormones they take, they really do have periods - mood swings, bloating and (abdominal, obviously) cramps. Because obviously the actual fact of menstruation is merely incidental to a “period”.

Thousands of likes, retweets. Men calling anyone who demurs a transphobe. WOMEN saying “thank you for educating me, that’s amazing and yeah loads of ‘cis women’ have periods without bleeding too, happens to me all the time...”

Do you laugh or cry? I really don’t know at the moment.

Also a life long leftie who’s gobsmacked to find I’m apparently a bigot, btw, but it’s been my “normal” for a few years now so I’m kind of used to it.

The men of the left did the same thing to us when Feminists stood against pornography and prostitution.
The men on the left and the right have always argued over how best to apply the boot to women's neck.
Different century, same old misogyny.

In common with many others on here I am a lifelong Lefty and am alarmed to be labelled a bigot, a transphobe, a homophobe and a bitch, TERF even slag. However I have seen enough of the TRA/MRA bullshit to know that I am definitely on the right side of history here (fuck you LOJ) and continue to argue and debate.
I also cry tears of frustration, anger and fear and worry about our daughters' futures.

I am on twitter and it is a cesspit full of unfettered hatred for women right now. There are men on there with clear mental heath issues frothing and foaming and spreading their violent, misogynistic message far and wide. It is both disturbing and depressing but also heartening to see women fighting back and I try to do this myself.

I am anonymous on twitter because my job means that I cannot be anything else. I have nothing but admiration for those women who put themselves out there by name, stand up for women, argue clearly and fairly and make huge amounts of sense. I hope that the dreadful lib fems will one day thank them but I look at people like the monumentally stupid Ash Sarkur and know that this will probably not happen.

As others have said, twitter is not a site for the faint hearted right now and take breaks if you are on there. My anxiety has rocketed since seeing in black and white how much these men really hate us and I need to take days off and limit my time there.

We will win this fight but it will not be easy. But we will win.