I'm gender-critical and I only have one head and no forked tail

[usernamepinched]

Apologies if it's been done before. Getting a bit fed-up with hearing about how dreadful (and other stronger words) gender-critical feminists are and thought it might be illuminating for us all to share a bit about ourselves (nothing too identifying) to demonstrate our very ordinariness.

Hi, my name is *usernamepinched' and I am a gender-critical feminist. I am married, work part-time and have children. I am neither too right nor too left in my politics. I have never been in trouble with the police. I have never been violent. I hate to upset people and will go out of my way to be friendly. But I don't believe TWAW.

I was a student in the "Women's Lib" days of the 60s/70s. I marched against Margaret Thatcher....Milk Snatcher!

I was born into a poor working class family but education changed my life chances. I voted Labour until recently, but I am politically homeless.

My family history is full of women who lived miserable lives and died too early. They didn't know what gender was but definitely suffered by reason of their sex. Because they were Catholic and poor, they were doubly denied contraception.

I am pro woman therefore I am pro choice. But I have reservations about aborting viable children. I never admit this view in public.

We had a much loved friend who was a transsexual. To us she was a woman and we responded as such. She died a few years ago and I'm glad she isn't here to see the hijacking of her condition by fetishists and misogynists.

I have been married to a lovely man for 47 years and we have two adult daughters and three grandsons. One daughter is a senior academic and thinks my terfy views are bigoted. The daughter who has children is 100% behind me, so not all is lost;-)

If you met me you would see just a little old lady, not a monster!

Hi I'm GC.

I'm a mum to two boys and appear to end up doing extended bf because I can't work out how to stop. I'm married fo a man who doesn't quite know the extent of my GC ranting and campaigning but agrees with me.

I teach children with asd, I like gardening among other things and I wear far too much make up but it helps me face the world. I grew up in the countryside and neeees green spaces to feel sane.

Ashamed to say (or glad to say?) I didn't fully know what the word misogyny meant till a few years ago, having kids and especially boys actually opened my eyes to gender issues. I was lucky to be able to express myself how I wanted growing up but now also see how gender affected me ( esp re the make up)

I'm definitely rad fem but I also like make up.

Oh I just discovered hush harems (I have a bad pelvis). Half my wardrobe is charity shop clobber.

Hi there. I’m a middle aged woman 51 , decent job. Was married now divorced. Child free. 2 still births in my 20s.

Very gender critical. A boy until I was 10like so many here. I don’t give a rats arse what clothes you want to war. There’s men’s bodies & women’s bodies. No mixing in changing rooms etc

I used to think that Feminism wasn't something that was relevant to me or really necessary

Can you expand further? And what changed your mind? Your response would be of genuine interest.

One daughter is a senior academic and thinks my terfy views are bigoted

Interesting! Where and how do you think she came upon these views?

just I knew I was equal to a man and felt that as long as I knew this it didn’t really matter if I was sometimes treated as if I wasn’t
I was also conditioned by the men in my family to accept certain things such as housework etc being exclusively women’s work.
I think that it was really having a daughter that made me very aware of how misogynistic the world is in general and not let certain things slide

I knew I was equal to a man and felt that as long as I knew this it didn’t really matter if I was sometimes treated as if I wasn’t

Did you never really chafe against the feelings of injustice?

I'm imagining that what you are saying is that you experienced life primarily as an individual - without much sense or awareness of collective issues?

Awareness of the collective is what tends to make people 'political', I'd say. Which is why I suspect in these days of rampant individualism many young women have yet to realise the constraints and oppressions of their collective class. They are benefitting from the gains won by previous generations; and perhaps they are also cushioned by material security and a measure of personal privilege?

With time, and the conditions which arise from their female status, I imagine that many will eventually wake up -by learning the hard way for themselves.

We all enter life as human beings; full of hope, aspiration and possibility - and then we learn where the power really lies, and about the restraints on that possibility.

Im a middle age mum of 3 who attended my 1st feminist meeting tonight in Glasgow. Went with my 72 yr old mum who was a midwife for over 40 yrs, is a mum of 4, gran of 9 & gg of 7 😁 I work in the NHS as an AHP and care about people. Always go out of my way to be nice to others. Live and let live.

But I know people can't change sex and I'm not willing to say they can just to be nice to others.

just you would have to ask her that. I believe a lot of young women her age have a heightened sense of protectiveness of minority groups. I think the widening of the Stonewall umbrella has given false credentials to some unscrupulous people. She is too young to remember the PIE attempts to gain acceptance, but I have never forgotten or forgiven.

Actually, it is probably better for her career to remain woke. It is my only consolation.

I'm Morris and I've become GC because of MN. I'm probably exactly what the blue hairs think we are: a middle aged, middle class white woman who hasn't checked her privilege in her life. I own a biker jacket, drink Earl Grey and love a good jigsaw. I've been on daytime TV because of my quite interesting job.

Got a gay best friend, also GC. Of my two best girl friends, one is broadly GC and the other thinks it's all unicorns and rainbows and let's be nice.

I'm nice, but I'm not that fucking nice.

Justhadathought I find a lot of younger women i work with don't see the need for feminism. Have been brought up being told everybody is equal. Which they are.

Just that society doesn't work that way. I found it a very rude awakening when I first consciously encountered misogyny.

I believe we are all equal but different. That sex and gender are two different things. That sex is fixed and cannot be changed. That gender can place expectations and constraints on individuals.

I do not believe TWAW.

Apologies.

I am white, middle aged, been with my male partner 20+ years and have dc. Work in a science based industry. Am politically homeless but would never vote Tory.

Would describe myself as live and let live. I love that we are all different. The diversity of life is one of the most amazing things.

Am gender critical.

I think I am pretty normal. Part time job, married to an amazing man, mortgage, 2 x DC, do most of the child care which I love and feel is a privilege and wouldn't miss for the world. Definitely not a radical feminist, but strongly believe in science, rationality, and biology. I certainly do not believe that 'transwomen' are women. I believe that men who say they are women, take hormones and/or have their cock and balls chopped off are men who say they are women, take hormones and/or have their cock and balls chopped off!

just you would have to ask her that. I believe a lot of young women her age

Misunderstanding! The woman I was conversing with is not young, and has a grown up daughter. She says she didn't really realise the 'collective' situation until her daughter experienced prejudice and misogyny.

My points about younger women were meant to be just that - about the culture of many younger (& educated?) women these days.

I believe that men who say they are women, take hormones and/or have their cock and balls chopped off are men who say they are women, take hormones and/or have their cock and balls chopped off!

You say you are not radical - but that is a pretty radical statement in terms of contemporary intersectional feminism.

I'm a boring middle aged single mum.

Until recently I would have been 100% pro trans rights, I had a very good friend who was f2m. He sadly took his own life, I don't know how much the trans issues caused it as he had longstanding severe and complex mental health issues. I loved and miss him.

My blue haired lesbian DD identified as non binary for a while. It was fairly harmless, just clothes and hair. It is definitely a trend amongst young people these days, there was a group of around 4 of them in her college class of 20 who all played the same game. I think one has gone on to live full time as a man, the one who identified as a male drag queen is back to being a girl and I don't know about the other one. She calls me a terf on a regular basis but has been shocked by some of the things I have showed her from here, most recently Teddy becoming SNP women's officer and she quite clearly said he is not a woman.

As a survivor of sexual violence I need women only spaces. I think self ID is open to abuse, and we have already seen it happen.

I think a trans woman who has gone through the gender recognition certificate route is entitled to use women's spaces. I think non binary people with male bodies should stay in male spaces.

I work in a female dominated profession but see men in the top roles, male privilege definitely exists.

50 year old married woman, adult offspring.

I used to be a girl and now I'm a woman.

DH used to be a boy and now he's a man.

That's the bare bones of it.

Live whatever life you want but do not try and diminish mine.

That is all.

I was having a pitch-side chat with some other parents this morning - we do this every week. I mentioned in passing that I think people who believe they are something they biologically are not should not be able or encouraged by society to medically change themselves (they will never biologically change). Cue - horror, embarrassed silences, advice not to say that out loud and then not to say it ow twitter!!!! My jaw dropped and of course I then doubled down and they moved on to another topic - no one supported my stance.

Just to say we are all middle class middle aged conservative with a small c (believe in marriage etc). Turns out, people think we do have tails and a forked tongue.

I'm gender critical. I've joined Mumsnet because I have been looking for a place where I can connect and communicate with like minded women. I don't do Facebook or twitter.

I want to do something about the impact of trans ideology on the rights of women and girls.

I have always believed in equality and have always strived to promote this for all.

Unfortunately, I feel that the
trans agenda is seeking to promote the rights of trans people at the expense of girls, of women. This is frightening. This is wrong. I fear for my daughter and my baby grandaughters. I fear for all women and girls.

A woman is an adult human female. Sex is a biological category. Women's role in reproduction has enabled
us to be systematically oppressed by men.

Without legal protection and control of our reproductive capacity, we remain vulnerable to oppression.

Trans ideology is reinforcing the sexist gender stereotypes that oppress everyone.

Womanhood is not a costume. Boys and men who want to wear dresses and makeup are not female, they are not trapped in the wrong body. They just don't conform to the ridiculous gendered stereotypes that are unfortunately still prevalent in our society.

As a woman I was first objectified because of patriarchy and now that I am older and unattractive in the eyes of men, I am invisible.

I am disabled. I am a survivor (just about) of male violence and it has had a massive impact on my life and that of my wonderful husband and incredible daughter.

I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At bad times I can't leave the house because of my fear of men. Due to the male violence that I most recently experienced, I lost my job because I became so unwell, for so long. My husband gave up his job to care for me. My daughter missed out on university because she cared for me in the worst times.

Due to my illness and my experience of male violence, we as a family had to move away from our home town and try to start our lives again in a place where we know no one. It's been hard. It's still hard.

I am now in Worcestershire and want to connect with some gender critical women and do so embodied activism. I'm struggling.

As a disabled woman I have become socially isolated. Having moved, I am even more socially isolated.

This is a subject that is hard to broach with people you don't know.

Is there anybody out there? In Worcestershire?