The biggest GRA issue with 'the public'

[FusionChefGeoff]

As I see it, is that the vast majority of Joe Public have no concept of the trans umbrella and that 80-90% (or whatever the stat) retain their penis.

I really think every public campaign / appearance needs to focus on this.

A huge number of TWAW allies are labouring under the old definition of transgender - assume TW have transitioned with full surgery - and I would bet my bottom dollar would do a swift about turn when they realised the new reality.

Can I urge you all - if you're not already - to get yourselves a Fair Play pack and use that as a basis to talk to people. Because in my experience, people totally get it. No dad wants a man changing in the communal changing rooms at the local pool with his daughter. No mum wants her daughter sharing a tent with a boy in Guides. No gran who needs carers wants a man giving her a wash and helping her dress.

Safety. Dignity. Privacy.

People get it if you talk to them about those things.

New agreed! Yes. Creativity has been stifled everywhere by fear of offence. I suppose you could point a large finger at narrow school curriculums, although it's the more middle-aged comics I'm thinking of. My ILs sometimes put on Live At The Apollo and it just bores me to death.

I raised trans ideology with a group of friends and they were amazed to hear how many transwomen had a penis. They assumed all transwomen had a neovagina. That's perfectly reasonable because there's a transwoman we all know who has been through that. The surgery was 10+ years ago and they still remember how much suffering it caused, with months of recovering.

Then I explained about Self-ID and again they found it very hard to even believe. They were horrified at the potential for harm but even then they seemed a little unconvinced. They didn't think it would be allowed. I hope they're right.

NewWomensMovement- personally I like the “stacked bar chart” illustration!

Also I’ve just been watching the last YouTube vid posted by posie- the meeting. One of the things I took from this was maybe it would be good to drop the whole pretence of calling people women. When they aren’t women. Using pronouns that go along with the pretence is allowing appropriation. Personally I’m stopping it all around. I think this should be extended further to include the term trans”woman” the woman but may need to be taken back. What do people think? Could there be a viable alternative ?

I like the “stacked bar chart” illustration!

This whole business has changed that though

I see what you mean.

Prawn

That's exactly my experience.

Its where the accusations of bigotry comes from from casual observers (although I'd like to think that people who know me, know we well enough that I generally on the non-bigoted side of things, and so they'd wonder what it is about this particular issue that has enervated me)

People who don't/won't "see' sexism struggle

"but in Europe, they are less obsessed with with sex segregation".

This comes from USA arguments where they have some funny ideas about Europe. We are in Europe (not for long haha oh dear) but from a geographical perspective obv. We are better placed to say whether they are "less obsessed with sex segregation in Europe" and I can say that all the european countries I have been to felt completely the same as Uk when it came to bogs.

OK if you go to sauna in some countries it is different (I don't) but they are specific situaiton with cultural context. It is not teh case that "Oh in Europe (like it's one homogenous place) they are less "obsessed" with sex segregation".

Creativity has been stifled everywhere by fear of offence

I'm not so sure. For about 15 years there was a glut of blokey punching down on the easy targets non-creative type humour - rape 'jokes', child abuse 'jokes', ironic/retroracism, sexism, etc - it was all shock factor offensiveness, nothing with real creativity, lasting value or social conscience.

The problem is no one has the guts to punch upwards. Perhaps they don't want to miss out on invites to the Queen's garden party or something. Where's the punk spirit gone?

Where's the punk spirit gone?

Answering myself - Sticker Woman, Man Friday, etc.

I peaked DP easily. He's SO not interested in feminism, but I told him abut the Top Shop changing rooms ("so my daughter could be changing next to a bloke??") And I brought up the fact that women need separate places to men because of male violence. He was in the army and said I don't need to tell him about male violence...(I think I do but ok!)

Where's the punk spirit gone?

Leeds Spinners

Leeds Spinners

So true. It's all about the punk needlepoint these days!

So I’m going to stick to transperson so “she is a trans woman” becomes
“He is a transperson.” This acknowledges their actual sex and also the fact that they see themselves as trans. And frankly I’m past caring if this gets me into trouble. We are already in trouble anyway.

I'm with you carrots. I'm not saying "she" anymore if they ain't. Trans refuges? Trans prison wings? I'm on board , I will donate, I will organise. You don't want to be with other men? I can understand that, I will be an ally.
Tell me I can't choose to only be with women or girls where I feel vulnerable? I say no, and I have thousands of women saying no with me.

The majority of people still think of either Laverne Cox or Hayley from Coronation St when they think of transwomen. Rather than Jess Bradley or Sophie Cook, hulking great men in dresses.

Estellasvia
Maybe they need a public information poster - including those facts.

Yes I think a picture speaks a thousand words in this case.

a picture of Alex, this is woman nowadays

Yes Alex is a great one to show people bleating that TWAW. You just ask them to tell you with a straight face that Alex is a woman.

coming soon, to a women's changing room near you, but only on Fridays, because Pip is only a woman on Fridays.

This is why it is important for people to help StickerWoman - particularly with the more informative stickers.

Alex 'Widening the bandwidth of Womanhood" Drummond

Fuck off, grow a pair and widen the bandwidth of manhood like real men: David Bowie, Adam Ant, Grayson Perry etc etc

I love the stick people poster! That needs to be on a billboard opposite the Conservative Party Conference.