I think this automatic assumption that because I am a woman therefore my opinion is more accurate than anybody elses on this: well no, not if you're an uninformed woman. I mean if you're a woman who has never met a trans person in your life, or who's never taken the time to actually understand things then you know, you're failing at it. (my empasis)
Interesting isn't it, that Mhairi is framing objectors as the uninformed here as well as suggesting that if only we'd meet the lovely trans people she knows, we would all know better.
DS1 at first was very offended when I talked to him about the issue. Once I dug deeper, it turned out that he's friendly with a medically transitioned HSTS in the year above him at university who from the description was probably puberty blocked and put on cross sex hormones by 16. He had no idea that people like his friend (who'd been seeking advice about boyfriend troubles) were already protected by the law but that the law was now to be extended to crossdressers etc.
It's entirely likely that Mhairi knows mainly or only HSTS. In fact as she is homosexual herself I fully expect that during her time at university, she'll have had far more contact with them at first, especially with transitioned/transitioning lesbians than crossdressers and autogynephiles.
Any later contact with the boundary violating type may well be filed away as deviations from the norm, even though crossdressers and Autogynephiles vastly outnumber HSTS in real life.
Her toilet argument does sadly come across as immature and a demonstration of that which she accuses us of - she simply hasn't thought deeply enough about it to truly understand.
Toilets at home are:
- not open to the public so that no random stranger will ever walk in off the street, half drunk at 2am.
- not normally mixed-sex multi-entry facilities but unisex single-entry facilities instead.
One room containing one toilet plus sink (and possibly also shower/bathtub) that only one person at a time can use to relieve themselves.
- rules of engagement can be arranged with the people one lives with, for instance in a shared flat (something Mhairi may be familiar with).
My son shared with girls in his student digs for several years and whenever they had more than one toilet/bathroom, they strictly limited each toilet for the use of one sex only.
Similarly at home, as I am the only female member of the household, I have set strict privacy rules. And my kids are now far too embarrassed to want their privacy violated to not understand why I insist on mine. I'm not saying it's perfect, but we have agreed rules even between people who love and respect each other.
It's sound bites and lazy thinking more than Mhairi's insults that disappoint me. I do strangely enough appreciate opponents who put a lot of deep though and much effort into their arguments. Alas, based on this interview that clearly is not Mhairi.