Iain McWhirter: Iain Macwhirter: Transgender rights? Great. But don't tell women what makes a woman: they were born that way

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

www.heraldscotland.com/news/16997263.iain-macwhirter-transgender-rights-great-but-dont-tell-women-what-makes-a-woman-they-were-born-that-way/

Excerpts:

And there’s no “but” coming here. Transgender people should have full democratic and human rights, and I wish them all happiness.

One of the curious things about the Gender Recognition Act, which allows men to declare themselves legally as women without any medical intervention or complex certification, is that the public consultation period for it came and went in March with scarcely a murmur.

Sex is a biological reality which is essentially unalterable. No matter how many cosmetic changes a man may undergo, they do not actually become a woman. Their DNA remains different: XY instead of XX.

Now, I was aware of the “TERF wars” on the internet, and regarded it all as a rather silly. As far as I understood it, the Gender Recognition Act was an administrative matter, about making it easier for trans people be legally recognised.

It never occurred to me that it was about altering the very definition of a female, such that man born of woman, could actually become one.

Since I became involved, an extraordinary number of women have approached me privately saying that they have been silenced. This includes politicians, academics and media figures – hardly shrinking violets.

However, with the police very publicly urging “victims of transphobia” to report “hate incidents”, many organisations, understandably, are under the impression that transphobia is against the law. It is at any rate regarded as a disciplinary matter if such complaints are made about staff.

Anyway, for many women this is essentially an existential question. If anyone can become a woman simply by announcing the fact, where does that leave women’s status in society?

And I’m afraid that it is absurd. If we are to change the very definition of sex, such that there is to be no physiological distinction between the sexes, then we are changing the nature of what it is to be human

Women should not be intimidated into silence, as many have been. To dispute the claim that transwomen are women is not bigotry. To object to self-identification is not misogyny. To oppose the Gender Recognition Act is not transphobia

For transwomen to have equal rights it is not necessary for women to be denied theirs. Don’t tell women what makes a woman, they were, after all, born that way.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Well written. But how were these politicians, media figures and academics silenced? Who did that and how? This needs to be investigated. It is absurd that this is even possible outside a totalitarian state.

Great article. I will use the link in my next contact with my MP, as I am putting together information prior to our next meeting. Thanks for posting.

An accusation of transphobia is enough to prevent anyone from saying anything.

Enough people who simply say "but transwomen are not women" have been disciplined in their job or worse for "transphobia" to make other people who think the same cautious of saying the same.

Other ways women have been silenced include

Rape / death threats against feminists by trans activists

A bomb threat against a group of feminists in Sussex made by a trans activist that was taken seriously by the police

A physical assault in Hyde Park by a trans activist who was found guilty, against a woman attending a feminist meeting

Feminists having to cancel or change venues numerous (at least 15) times after the venues were harassed, bombarded with calls and emails stating lies and threats, having meetings actually invaded and threatened with violence,

Being blocked by groups of trans activists on stairways trying to enter meetings, blocked in doorways,

Posters supporting women's rights being removed, stickers being removed and torn,

Transactivists bringing private criminal prosecutions against opponents (with unsubstantiated claims)

BBC refusing to air views other than the the ideology that sets out to harm women, so GC views don't even get air time.

^to deepwaters

54% of female politicians are afraid to say what they think re transgender issues.

Great article and good that it’s been published in a Scottish paper where the trans lobby seem to have a direct influence over the snp

It's great to see an article like that in Scotland who are further down the rabbit hole than we are.

I agree with deep. The media doesn't seem to be asking the right sorts of questions yet.

Silenced by whom exactly? A couple of rogue individuals? Or a large powerful lobby who can retain top lawyers to silence the press in order to get a student out of bother when he gets his dick out at work? The same lobby that pays for a holiday for a shadow minister? The speaker of the house not allowing questions to be asked in the Commons. MPs frightened to speak to women about women's rights.

Who are these people? What is their influence in government? What are their aims?

People working in politics, media and academia often don’t have much job security and are very dependent on support from their peers.

Ok Gncq, I understand these silencing tactics, but I strongly assumed privileged women like politicians, academics, media figures were primarily silenced by threats to their jobs. And that means that people in positions of power in universities, politics and media have actively promoted policies, where saying ‚transwomen are not women‘ gets you in trouble?
Who are these people in key positions? We need the names.

Well written. But how were these politicians, media figures and academics silenced?

This^ In Scotland the indyref was incredibly divisive with high passions on both sides. But I don't recall people being scared to speak out.

There have always been very controversial issues, but I don't remember anything like this silencing before.

Excellent piece.

Popchyk crosspost. I agree.

I find this secret intimidation aspect really scary

Me too Timelady

I want to know who it is, exactly how they are doing it and their motivation exposed.

It is scary.

I don't understand how any intelligent person can look at this issue which is portrayed as a "small administrative matter" and consider the proportionality of the accompanying violence, bullying, doxxing, and bomb threats to women who wish to discuss it. And journalists are accused of causing suicides if they dare to write a story about it.

Alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear to anybody with a brain.

I feel like the mainstream media are beginning to get it. But by God, it is slow.

Iain MacWhirter is a very respected senior journo in Scotland. This will get attention.

ItsAll You are right, the IndyRefs were brutal and divisive but noone was silenced. The yes side were louder, no doubt and seen as the 'progressive' side but there was plenty of discussion to be had. In fact there was hardly any other bloody discussion for a year

Excerpt...
Abolishing sex difference creates obvious anomalies, not least for single-sex pursuits like women’s sporting events or girl guides. These technical issues could probably be resolved, given goodwill. But goodwill is impossible when anyone who tries to raise them is dismissed as a bigot.

Anyway, for many women this is essentially an existential question. If anyone can become a woman simply by announcing the fact, where does that leave women’s status in society?

Women feel they have been fighting a long struggle to establish their rights against the lingering shadow of patriarchy, and they fear this progress could be halted if they are forced to accept an essentially absurd proposition: that men can become women.

And I’m afraid that it is absurd. If we are to change the very definition of sex, such that there is to be no physiological distinction between the sexes, then we are changing the nature of what it is to be human.

This lunacy is being fuelled by judgements made by the European Court of Human Rights. As long as we are in the EU we are forced by the terms of EU membership to remain tied to the ECHR.

Yeh, sorry that's bollocks Brexit. Both the UK and Scottish governments are pushing this heavily. It will likely be law in Scotland very soon

There are varying rules across the EU on this issue, so difficult to argue that this is being forced by EU.

The issue is being forced by the EUHR which is separate from the EU. But EU rules say if you belong to the EU, you must belong to the EUCH.

The rules may currently vary across the EU, but they will be forced to implement this lunacy because of the 2017 judgement in the ECHR. We can only ignore the judgement if we leave the EU.

Transwomen ARE women in Scottish Law

scottish-women.com/2018/09/16/scottish-bill-confirms-transwomen-are-women/