Compulsory trans awareness training

[invinoveritaserum]

Apparently all staff (public sector role) have to go on compulsory trans awareness training. We have already had to do online training, but this is a half day training course. It is NOT being run by in-house training, which makes me wary of who will be running it. (I should find out later this week).
I'm worried by this. I simply cannot sit there and swallow the usual woke bs. I refuse to lie about biological fact. I refuse to be called a cis woman. And yet I know I risk being called a transphobe.
Any advice as to what to do/how to get through this?

If this were me, I'd want to be as neutral and factual as possible and do my level best to avoid getting into emotion. (Not easy.)

All I know is that I once taught a kid (aged 12) who was biologically a girl, yet dressed, and clearly thought and acted, as a boy. She was also probably the most unhappy child I ever taught.

I don't think her body "changed" sex, but I do believe that something happened in her development in utero, that led to her brain and body being mismatched.

Other than that, I have no horse in this race. But when I hear bigoted opinions about transgender people, I always think of her. She'd be on her 30s more. I hope she's happier and that people are kind to her.

It's a bugger when your phone or your tablet sets itself into audio-record mode.

I'd just sit quietly and do the training.
My job is too important to lose.

The only thing id be rigid about is my own identity and the wording of the equalities act should they come up.

but I do believe that something happened in her development in utero, that led to her brain and body being mismatched.

That's bullshit, I'm afraid.

^Compulsory training on women's rights.

Does that ever happen?^

Imagine if it did and involved an introduction to the principles of second wave feminism and all the training was on the basis of addressing patriarchal oppression. That's (roughly) the equivalent of letting them talk about their personal beliefs as if they are settled fact.

So quit. Your employer doesn’t want to be sued (public sector isfar more susceptible to law suits over this kind of nonsense). If they won’t letypuopt out you can argue that its constructive dismissal butits justonetrainingday so I doubtypull getfar. You don’t even know what the training will involve, you arejistmslongassumptions hereandacting likes but of achild. Go. See how it is. If you have any concerns about the training then ask questions, it will benefit everyone there.

as amply demonstrated by Mermaids Jan, questions will probably make the trainer angry, as they will twang their cognitive dissonance, causing them discomfort and jeopardising the stability of their world view.

you're not going to change the trainer's mind.

however you could make your colleagues think twice with some well placed questions.

as pp's say, it depends whether you want to play the ingenue or not.

if you play the 'I'm gender free' card, you reveal that this is not new to you.

barracker's advice about the comparator for discrimination against a male without a GRC being other men is really good, and should allow you to shut down 'don't ask questions if you see a man in the ladies toilets' nonsense if you feel brave.

good luck!

That's bullshit, I'm afraid
Pleaser provide a link to the scientific information that says that's so.

There are tens of thousands of different disabilities and things that go wrong on the development of a foetus. I'm not quite sure how the orientation of the brain can somehow be protected in a way that no other part of the body is.

clearly thought and acted, as a boy

In what way? Curious.

@saraclara maybe she was u happy because she couldn’t act on even think like herself with people telling her that it didn’t match her body or telling her that was how boys thought and acted?

It's not possible to prove a negative. Have you ever heard of Russell's Teapot?

The onus is on you to prove your extraordinary claim.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell%27s_teapot

Pleaser provide a link to the scientific information that says that's so.

Says the poster who claims, giving no evidence whatsoever, that "something happened in her development in utero, that led to her brain and body being mismatched."

*yet dressed, and clearly thought and acted, as a boy.

I don't think her body "changed" sex, but I do believe that something happened in her development in utero, that led to her brain and body being mismatched*

Or perhaps she was a child that preferred stereotypically male activities/clothes, and her distress was caused by societal pressure to behave “female”, wear dresses, play with dolls and crafts.

What is “thinking like a boy”? How did people react to the child? Did they think she was odd or an anomaly for being a girl but not fitting the female stereotype? Did anyone say to the poor kid that she was perfectly normal? Did anyone actually consider that attempts to hide female biology can be an indicator of child sexual abuse?

Saying a child that doesn’t fit a gender stereotype was “born in the wrong body” is very simplistic and too much of a quick fix.

There is no such thing as “boy brain” and “girl brain”.

In what way did the child act like a boy sara?

@BogglesGoggles this was 20 years ago. As far as I'm aware, it was never brought up at school. She had her hair cut like a boy and always wore boy style uniform and hung out with boys exclusively.

I knew her mother slightly. She was quite relaxed. She'd clearly had some advice at some point as she said they'd been advised to just let her be, in the sense of not discouraging her from how she wanted to dress/play etc.

Back then there was certainly no encouragement to be trans.

She had her hair cut like a boy and always wore boy style uniform and hung out with boys exclusively.

Oh, clearly male brained then 🙄

There is no such thing as “boy brain” and “girl brain”.

I think you're conflating different things. Im talking about your brain recognising that you're the sex that your genitals define you as.

I've done this training course a few weeks back (also public sector). It was fine and quite interesting.
The training was given by my colleague who is transgender. We were a small group and he was happy to answer any of our questions. I think the fact we were a small group and he knew most of us, although we are not in the same department was beneficial to getting the most out of the session.
As training sessions go I enjoyed it.

biologically a girl, yet dressed, and clearly thought and acted, as a boy.

This is sexist gender stereotyping that has no place in a progressive society.

There is no way to ‘act like a boy’ and no way to ‘act like a girl’, the same for thoughts and clothing. You are being old fashioned and oppressive with this thinking.

She had her hair cut like a boy

One of my boys has hair down to the middle of his back. The other has a number two.

Which look was this girl sporting?

Ask your employer when your autism awareness training is since you are more likely to need that, and since autistic people have more important challenges than being misgendered.

Also, challenge them every time they mention intersex. Keep hammering home the fact transgender is not an intersex condition and to conflate the two is as ignorant and misleading as conflating autism with Down’s syndrome.

Did she transition sara? What happened to her? Or is she a married mum of 6 now?

As I said, I don't have any strong opinions on this issue.
I just think that walking into a training session determined to undermine it, is odd.

Personally I'd go in and listen, and decide at the end what I thought of it.