GC victory at work

[RhymesWithOrange]

I work in a university. I won't say what I do but I'm close to the senior management.

A proposed policy on transgender crossed my desk. It started off as well meaning - a change to a system so trans students could id their gender different to their sex - so as to avoid the trauma of a computer system misgendering them.

But someone had gotten hold of it and gone full woke on it. Lots of talk about self id, no one must question anyone's gender, right to access facilities according to their gender id. Referenced Mermaids as a go-to for trans information.

I arranged a meeting with the Director of HR (it was a HR policy affecting staff as well as students) and talked through everything I knew about the issues, and how it would apply to a university context - e.g. 50 year old men accessing female gym changing rooms full of 18 year old students, men demanding to be put in with women in single sex campus accommodation (including shared bedrooms).

It took all of 3 minutes for the penny to drop. The policy is going back to the drawing board to only reference a computer system.

NB this is not about hating on the trans. The university is very very inclusive and supportive. Lots of GN facilities. Correct language and pronouns respected and promoted. Trans students fully supported. But thankfully in this case there was the right balance between trans support and recognition and the protection of single sex spaces.

My son is off to university in a couple of weeks. He's going to a uni with a strong STEM leaning so I'm hoping they will be a bit more sensible on these matters

Just googled their inclusion policy.

My mistake.

Might be time for a letter/enquiry I think.

There needs to be alternative advisory charities set up that can provide a counterpoint to the trans ideology.

I think lots of parents should email lots of Vice-Chancellors and Chancellors

well done.

Well done OP.

Not only do many organisations push through policies opening access to all (as the Govt tried to do with GRA reform before we thwarted their sneak trans) but they keep quiet about it too.

Nothing to see here etc!
Only a dangly pair of testicles when unsuspecting Maisy is showering after the gym.

My son is off to uni in a few weeks too.

He’s ASD and completely intolerant of the multiple-genderistas in his high school peer group.

I genuinely fear him being kicked out for saying something non-pc.

All I can hope is that his disability status will shield him a bit. He won’t back down over pronouns though, he’s like a Jack Russell with a bit of chamois leather.

Congrats OP - a great victory for common sense

I genuinely fear him being kicked out for saying something non-pc.

I've just been mocked by my son and his gf for holding the outdated view that gay men only have sex with men and lesbians only have sex with women.

This isn't even trans related. I'm laughably ignorant of all the gay men having 'woman sex. Apparently.

Nice work RhymesWithOrange

Well done OP and thank you.

Well done and thank you :)

Hoping you can hear my cheers from here.... Seriously amazing, and SO INSPIRING .... really glad to know that there is ONE university out there that actually THINKS about issues and makes great decisions, when inspired by someone like you!

Basic common sense, but someone had to shine the light for them to see.

again.

There are far far braver and better people than I.

Maria Maclachlan
Linda Bellos
Posie Parker
Kathleen Stock
Lisa Littman
Jean Hatchet
All the Man Fridays
And many many more.

But yes, it did cross my mind I could start down a path that could lose me my job. And like many people, that would be utterly catastrophic for me and my family.

Well done

Well done OP!

One of the things that annoys me most is that the TRAs would say that "most people support trans rights, it's only bigoted witches women who have a problem with self-ID", but most regular people (by which I mean not actively engaged in the debate from one side or the other) think of trans people like Hayley Cropper, not Travis Alabanza. And they only need three minutes to consider whether it's really a good idea for people with a fully functioning penis to be sharing facilities with people with a vagina. Then they absolutely oppose any suggestion that it might be OK to do so

Bravo Op!

great work OP. It is a crucial thing you are doing for inclusivity and diversity by resisting the dogmatic push to get rid of single sex spaces. You are the one being progressive and enlightened.

Not the ones following a man-pleasing agenda which will not provide third spaces while retaining single sex provision.

This agenda prizes validation and gratification for a few, far above access by a great many (women) many of whom rely on single sex spaces to be able to use those spaces at all.

Especially this basic single sex provision is crucial to allow women, whatever their cultural backgrounds or personal history, to have an equal opportunity to use higher education institutions.

Similar-ish thing but from a different part of academic life: I was at the conference for my field's main research association last month. The field is very male-dominated and the governing committee has finally decided to address this with an equality statement (including concrete steps to increase the proportion of women at conferences, etc). A man started with the 'this isn't broad enough, we need to include transwomen' - because the first thing that springs to mind when presented with a proposal to finally address institutional sexism is to take steps to undermine it. I said that this would be extremely problematic and that there would be a lot of opposition to any plan to dilute a commitment to addressing women's under-representation. They backed off and the statement was left alone.

Father
Well done

Great, Father 👍
Well done for facing the little prat down.

Well done Father, that's great!

@FatherBuzzCagney

Well done!

There's always one who considers himself progressive by including TW and excluding actual women.