What constitutes modern day feminism

[katienlisa552]

What does it mean to be a feminist in the 21st century? When I and indeed the members of my family who I would consider to be feminist were growing up it was about fighting for equal rights for women such as equal pay and better representation of women in high powered jobs and given that the Labour Party has yet again elected a male leader says to me that there is still along way to go. However I and my family members find ourselves becoming more and more uncomfortable with what some might call the more extreme side of feminism.

I fear that certain views of feminism are allowing a rather unhealthy and quite hateful form especially in relation to trans rights. As a member of the lgbt community and although I’m not trans myself I do have friends who are and I also volunteer for a local charity who support and offer counselling to trans teenagers. I see first hand the damage done by the attitudes promoted and supported by some sections of the feminist community dressed up under the guise of ‘free speech’. The trans right issue is a complex one. I don’t think children should be allowed to transition or be given hormone blockers to prevent puberty because I’m not convinced a child has the maturity to make those kind of life changing decisions although that doesn’t mean I don’t believe that children can’t be trans because I see it everyday through my work with the charity and it’s a fact of great shame that at least 70% of young trans have self harmed or tried to commit suicide because of the prejudice they face.

The biggest contentious issue appears to be that of self indentification. I fail to see how it erodes my rights as a women if a trans person chooses to self identify and personally I find the notion that people chose to self identify because they want to harm others somewhat far fetched. Yes I accept that there are some sick indivuals that do this but the fact is the majority of sex offenders offend as men not men who are self identifying as female or the other wan around. I remember mixed sex changing rooms when I was growing up and I don’t remember a vast increase in sexual assay because of it.

Now despite being accused of it on here several times by people who hide behind the guise of feminism to attack anyone who dares to defend trans rights as someone who condones sexual assault I do not in fact as a surviour of sexual assault I find that extremely offensive. Anyone trans or otherwise who commits any kind of sexual assault deserves to be castrated and strung up. Maybe one way around the shared changing room or toilet issue would be to have single cubicles or toilets as we do at our charity so it doesn’t matter who uses them because there’s only u on there. As a parent and someone who works with children who have been absued I can totally understand the argument for parents wanting to know who the child is sharing a changing room with. Personally I wouldn’t allow my son or my nieces who I regularly look after our without a grown up until they were of teenager age and then allow in groups of friends.

I’ve no doubt that this post will either be ignored or removed as mums net seems to remove anything that resembles some who supports the rights of trans people but just as the people who use feminism to try and erode or stand Agasint trans rights I to have the right to express my opinion.

The debate of feminism and trans issues needs to be less toxic and more about open discussion and tolerance of others opinions will allowing healthy debate because trans people are people and have the same right to be heard and to be given the same freedoms as any other member of society. Do I think that all feminists are transphobic absolutely not and neither do I believe that all of the trans community min are good people. There’s good and bad in everyone and every group of society but since when is that a justification for the discrimination of a whole part of society

[BovaryX]

I want to know When feminism started to be used as a guise to justify discrimination and prejudice

I want to know when did anatomical males start believing they had an inalienable right to colonise women's spaces and conduct an Orwellian assault on the language used to describe external reality?

[katienlisa552]

They can interpret feminism anyway thy at want like every one interprets the bible in different ways what I take issue with is those who use feminism as a guise for transphobia

[HorseRadishFemish]

OP will you please tell us what a woman is?

[Kit19]

Deary me 🙄🙄 I really cannot be bothered to engage with this self indulgent nonsense

You’re not here to discuss OP you’re here to lecture and I’ve got a gazillion better things to do than listen to yet another ‘mum and charity’ worker tell us we’re doing womaning wrong

[Helmetbymidnight]

If trans women are women which they are

well there is the problem, isnt it?

in what way is a transwoman a woman?

[HorseRadishFemish]

...and in what way they differ from men?

[Deliriumoftheendless]

This is like debating with a religious person who states “if we accept that God is real, which he is, then you are all wrong.”

Which doesn’t make atheists bigoted against those who have a faith. Except to the blindly devoted.

[NiceLegsShameAboutTheFace]

If trans women are women which they are

They're fucking not. And that is the whole crux of the problem!

[MarieQueenofScots]

OP - why do you think the majority of sport is segregated by sex?

[katienlisa552]

Really and where are your statistics that prove this or am I just to take it as given because the mums net community says it so as for the stats around lgbt youth suicide and self harm this are facts in our charity along 80% of our young people have admitted self harm

[MarieQueenofScots]

Really and where are your statistics that prove this or am I just to take it as given because the mums net community says it so as for the stats around lgbt youth suicide and self harm this are facts in our charity along 80% of our young people have admitted self harm

Well you’re expecting us to take your stats at face value (FYI you used 70% in your OP...)

[BovaryX]

I take issue with is those who use feminism as a guise for transphobia

Like Justice Knowles, I take issue with those who use fictional accusations of 'hate speech' to shut down debate on the myriad disconcerting aspects of this ideology....

[RoyalCorgi]

at least 70% of young trans have self harmed or tried to commit suicide because of the prejudice they face

Even if this were true, it would make no difference to feminism. The job of feminism isn't to feel sorry for trans people, it's to liberate women.

Imagine telling black people that they had to accommodate white people who identify as black because they're a vulnerable group who attempt suicide. I think you'd receive a very robust response.

[BovaryX]

Really and where are your statistics

Why are you unable to provide any credible sources for your statistical claims?

[Seventyone72seventy3]

I take issue with is those who use feminism as a guise for transphobia
I really don't know any feminists are transphobic. They are pretty liberal in their outlook. If what you mean is "a lot of feminists don't believe that people can actually change their sex" then I would ask you the opposite question: WHY do you think it is possible to change sex and for male to become female? Do you actually believe this? Because I have never seen anything that convinces me this is true. If you don't believe that men can become women, you have your answer: feminism is for women. Men can be allies but they can't be feminists.

[ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings]

Have you considered using punctuation in your writing, OP? It's almost unreadable. Definitely go and do the work your teacher assigned you then come back and try again.

[katienlisa552]

There are some trans people who are committed sexual crimes there are many straight people that have there are Christians and Catholic’s and Muslims that have my point is there is good and bad in all sections of society that doesn’t mean we should tar everyone with the same brush which is exactly what the extreme feminists do agasint the trans community

[HorseRadishFemish]

Please answer my question OP

[Fromage]

So you're saying that transphobic people are taking up feminism in order to group with like-minded transphobes, and spreading propaganda claiming transwomen are different from women and thus each group has different needs?

[katienlisa552]

Put in very simple terms they feel they were born into the wrong body

[MarieQueenofScots]

Put in very simple terms they feel they were born into the wrong body

That’s your definition of a transwoman

It’s a very simple question OP, what is a woman?

[Vaginandtonic]

I'm not really a grammar pedant when chatting online generally, but OP the use of even a little bit of punctuation in your posts might give your argument a little bit more credibility.

[BovaryX]

exactly what the extreme feminists do agasint the trans community

The extremists are the people who are trying to silence debate, encourage children to think they can transform into the opposite sex. Amongst other notable feats, they have caused an Oxford feminist Professor to require bodyguards. Not a feminist among them....

[I0NA]

Is this this opening paragraph of your GCSE essay OP? Because it needs a lot of work .

[LadyQuarantinaPluckington]

Again, for the hard of thinking -

Feminism = all about women's rights.

This thread is nothing to do with feminism, it is the OP having an extended (and largely incoherent) rant at non compliant women.

I mean, sure, par for the course round here, but seriously, wims, there is no need to get dragged into the mud on this. It really is key - a feminist's focus is women and their rights and protections. Trans-anything is not relevant or central to our concerns in any way