Update: identifying as non-binary for work award

[Somerville1234]

Can't find the old thread... but anyway, there's an award/opportunity at work, only for people who are LGBT+++. I don't remember all the categories but they included genderqueer, genderfluid and genderfree. Also K, which I'm reliably informed stands for kink lifestyle. I don't understand why someone would need a special thing at work for getting off on weeing and whips (?? I don't watch porn, I don't have a clue), but maybe I'm just old fashioned. Anyway, old fashioned or not, I'm gender free because I don't believe in gender. And I wanted the professional opportunity. (Forgive me for the vagueness - being careful because of doxxing.) And you lot were encouraging...

I ended up applying - which didn't involve saying how I met the criteria, just ticking that I did. And then I was perpexedly approached by my woke boss.
(WB "Erm... so you realise that this is for LGBT+++ employees, Somer?"
S "Yes."
WB "Erm...it was my understanding you're a straight woman...?"
S "I'm genderfree and-"
WB: "Really?"
S "Yes, and I think I need to remind you that the staff handbook recommends that no-one should assume anybody elses's gender."
WB: "Oh, terribly sorry about that.")

I then had a lovely meeting with HR where they were very keen to update my pronouns on the system. I told them that being gender free I require the box beside gender to be left empty, but that I can accept female pronouns because that's my biological sex. They were happy with this novel idea and to learn more about the difference between sex and gender. They young HR person didn't know they're not synonyms but he learns something new every day apparently.

And now... I've heard I'm shortlisted for the next round!
It's been announced to the whole company, and I've had a few bemused looks but no direct transphobia, I'm happy to report.
My longsuffering DH (works in same field) has been teased a bit for my gender identity but he's happy to suffer for the sake of my fight for equality.

I find it so depressing. Debate is what academia should be about, but can't blame anyone for not wanting the abuse.
I hope the tide is turning.

Sally is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and clearly cannot actually get her head around the concept.

I read Kats post and screenshots, and it confused me, so I went to see what Sally Hines was saying on Twitter. I'm no clearer

What is Sally doing? Or maybe I need more wine? Is this the tide turning?

I'm pretty sure it's her, not you, GirlDownUnder

I've never really felt like "a woman". And when I have dressed up and done girly stuff I've felt like I'm pretending

Fooking hell, its spooky how that describes me exactly.
Sorry been away from MN for a couple days (reading on kiwifarms about january/jani. Am down a rabbit hole and wont escape for another week or so) so I have missed a lot, but that ^^ is me.
Soldier on brave genderfrees

Kat

The likelihood of a professor being sacked because of accusations of tranaphobia is zero

What's your evidence for this @Trousering ? As opposed to my actual experience?

Do you know of any professors being sacked for expressing the feminist view that males are not able to become female?

I have worked in HR for 30 years, the bar for dismissal is incredibly high and is not undertaken lightly. The idea that a three stage warning process could be enacted for not believing humans can change sex is pure fantasy or irrational fear.

At the very least you’ll be sent for a wee course on lgbT rights just to make sure you are re-educated.

Haha who else has found Dumb Bitch on twitter? She's solid genderfree

Of you are working at a college where there are demonstrations about your hideous ‘crimes’, student walkouts, threats against you (and the college premises), social media campaigns, fears for your (and the students, goers staff and property), etc I’m sure there are employers who would tell you that all this nonsense was making your work very difficult to carry out, you were damaging the name of the college/uni, dragging it all into disrepute bla bla bla (in English - ‘bugger off your flying monkeys are craping on the lawn’).

Sorry Trousering I was a bit aggressive in my response to you - while I didn't lose my job, the complainants tried to have me sacked. While I didn't lose my job, I really felt completely vulnerable.

My sense of vulnerability was that in a long and esteemed career (30 years) I have never had an informal or formal complaint made against me.

Maybe I overreacted; but also - maybe the thought policing was so extremely unsettling (to put it mildly) that I still overreact.

I am sorry to hear that. It would be distressing to go through. The level of crazy behaviour coming from students is very high currently. The only thing I can say is that you have employment law on your side and there is no case for dismissal based on beliefs at all.

Sorry to hear about the thought policing - it feels almost totalitarian. Perhaps you could set up a totally personal, anonymised Twitter account so you can still make comment? I feel it’s voices like yours that are badly needed. But understand you need to be safe

So out of dozens of thoughtful, sincere comments about peoples’ gender identity (or the lack of any gender identity)... they pick out these, and dismiss the entire thing.

I for one am still genderfree and valid

2BethatUnnoticed
Quite. That person could have looked at the comments and thought that's an interesting perspective, lots of different valid opinions being expressed - perhaps I should think about that, but confirmation bias kicks in - let's just select a couple that confirm that the nasty women have nothing interesting to say.
I am amazed by the guff supposedly intelligent people put on Twitter.

That person could have looked at the comments and thought that's an interesting perspective, lots of different valid opinions being expressed - perhaps I should think about that, but confirmation bias kicks in - let's just select a couple that confirm that the nasty women have nothing interesting to say.

What Sally Hines? Nah.

Quite. I think the sticking point in Beamur's post is the assumption that Sally Hines does the thinking thing. I suspect it's all rather perfunctory inside Hines' noggin.

Golly, that was quite rude of me, wasn't it?

Sally has been owned over and over again on that thread, with virtually no support, likes or retweets of her posts. Of course she had to find the worst comments and highlight them in order to close down the thread and salvage something for herself. She really doesn't learn, does she?

In my head her voice sounds panicky and unsure. Like a lost child. No idea why I think this but there you are.

If gender isn’t real and Terribly Important then she doesn’t have a legit job. It’s like being Professor of Paperclips.

And, her students, with their degrees in Gender Studies...they might be completely unemployable. I would honestly think twice about giving a contract who had such a degree, I'd expect them to be utter malcontents

Sally has to disengage since patronising opponents is no longer working. One woman finding her true self under the umbrella was enough to sink her.

She'll just get even nastier now because that panicky feeling in her tummy won't go away.