Daniel Radcliffe responds to J.K Rowling's tweets on gender identity

[EddyF]

Daniel Radcliffe responds to JK Rowling’s tweets: “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people”

Daniel Radcliffe Responds to J.K. Rowling’s Tweets on Gender Identity – The Trevor Project

FULL STATEMENT

I realize that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but that is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now. While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment.

Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I. According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.

I am still learning how to be a better ally, so if you want to join me in learning more about transgender and nonbinary identities check out The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. It’s an introductory educational resource that covers a wide range of topics, including the differences between sex and gender, and shares best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary people.

To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.

Love always,
Dan

I guess it’s easier to dismantle the reality of biology than patriarchy.

We can only identify and discuss the pay gap if we identify as a sex class. Our sex is the axis of our oppression. By removing that distinction it removes your legal protection.

This this this.

I guess it’s easier to dismantle the reality of biology than patriarchy.

This is so, so well put, I'm making a note of this - thank you.

and therefore women stop talking about issues like the pay gap.

This is all about the pay gap.

We can't measure the pay gap if we can't define what a woman is.

We can't tackle the pay gap if we the group of people called 'women' has no common features.

If it's simply a matter of identity, great, I'm going to identify as male. I'm sure my pay rise will be along in a minute.

I'm looking forward to this thread about how to discuss the pay gap when there's no definition of 'woman'.

@goldfinchfan

Has any transwoman been subjected to FGM?

NO and they now think it's transphobic to call it that.

"This is kind of my point though. It's become the go-to feminist issue and therefore women stop talking about issues like the pay gap."

Ahahahaa.

Don't you see - if TWAW, then any TW's pay will be recorded statistically as women's pay. Yes, they're a small minority (unbelievably, given the prominence and power they seem to have!) but their addition into the WOMEN'S pay will skew the stats to make it look like the pay gap is decreasing.

So yes, it even matters in wider feminist issues - it's already happened in crime stats, it will happen in all other stats too.

MadamMarie - if we don’t get this right, the rest of it becomes harder. Pay gap? Doesn’t exist. Look at that nice Pips Bunce. She earns a packet. Political representation? But we have an equal cabinet (it’s just that everyone has a cock, but half of them are lady cocks). Rape? Not a male violence problem. Look at all these women locked up for rape.
Statistics can be manipulated to fuck anyway, but now that crimes are being recorded as committed by women when they are committed by men, how do you ever disentangle that?

Madame if anyone can identify as a woman that could impact a gender pay gap.

And taking it right back if we can't call real women women how do we even talk about a pay gap?

Gah - x posted with so many of you! Sorry, trying to multi task and do tea while posting.

The thread I started earlier today on the pay gap:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3933289-If-you-cant-see-sex-you-cant-see-sexism

And why the structural sexism which hit me was down to biology because it was the toxic intersection of long pay scales and maternity leave.

Feel free to add your counter examples of how the only things that adversly affect womxn in the workplace is our liking for glitter sparkles.

@Blackdoggotmytonguestill

MadamMarie - if we don’t get this right, the rest of it becomes harder. Pay gap? Doesn’t exist. Look at that nice Pips Bunce. She earns a packet. Political representation? But we have an equal cabinet (it’s just that everyone has a cock, but half of them are lady cocks). Rape? Not a male violence problem. Look at all these women locked up for rape. Statistics can be manipulated to fuck anyway, but now that crimes are being recorded as committed by women when they are committed by men, how do you ever disentangle that?

Yeah true enough.

It just annoys me because men are deliberately manipulating the issue over trans-people to keep women down. I've tended to think if we ignore it then it'll go away because the whole argument (from the men's side) is ridiculous.

They're playing women by planting the issue. I've never really looked at it before from the perspective that it's all just been created to manipulate the pay gap.

Gah - x posted with so many of you! Sorry, trying to multi task and do tea while posting

You wouldn't catch a TW doing that!

They are too busy being"real women". And because they are really men, will only do one thing at a time

Re pay gap. Take a few very highly paid transwomen and include them in the calculations. Use the medium rather than the median when presenting your stats to the public. Hey presto, pay gap just shrank, isn't that wonderful?

It hasn’t been created to manipulate the pay gap. Correlation/ causation.

The other thing that muddies the waters are that the likes of The Guardian are on the wrong side on this. Usually a champion of women's rights.

It's definitely been manipulated by men to keep women down.

That's called #nodebate.

Something that women, homosexual people and Black and ethnic minority groups and people are realising is #AShitThing so are speaking up.

Hence Black Lives Matters and the LGB Alliance as well as all the grass roots womens groups that are thankfully sprouting up.

I knew I should have put the little fucker in Slytherin.

Thank you for that laugh, I badly needed it today.

The biggest and most sinister difference for women will be in the stats on violence, sexual violence in particular. This is already happening.

I've tended to think if we ignore it then it'll go away because the whole argument (from the men's side) is ridiculous.

If only. I think hats wishful thinking tbh. These men have been successful in getting policies and such changed, many equality pledges no longer mention sex at all!

The biggest and most sinister difference for women will be in the stats on violence, sexual violence in particular. This is already happening.

Yeah, it only takes a few males recorded as females to massively screw the stats on sexual violence. Have been awaiting the 'women committing sex crimes up 300%, whats going on with women?!' type headlines which will be due soon.

Yes, they're a small minority

Depends how you define trans.

Why identify as a privileged male when you keep all your privileges - even retain your membership of the masons - and simply identify as non-binary? Bonus points if you can claim that you have been misgendered.

They're playing women by planting the issue. I've never really looked at it before from the perspective that it's all just been created to manipulate the pay gap.

It's certainly not just about pay. But it IS about making it impossible for us to distinguish between males and females and compare their treatment.

You can tell this by the use of language, and how the goalposts change constantly.

First, they insisted that 'transwomen are women'. Not everyone agreed, but a lot did, and TRAs kept shouting it until it became 'transphobic' to say otherwise.

So then, some feminists started to say things like 'But transwomen aren't female, though, are they... they're male. And transmen are female.'

The answer came very quickly: Transwomen declared: 'I am a woman, therefore I am female. My body is female. My penis is female.'

And so it went on... women start defining themselves as born women, biological women, XX. But whatever label we use, whatever way we choose to describe the group of people born with vulvas... TRAs will not allow it. They either claim it for themselves, or criticise it. (They don't see the irony in saying that we 'reduce women to their genitals' while also calling us 'people who menstruate')

It is ALL about saying that Transwomen are the SAME as women, Transmen are the SAME as men. That there are no real differences.

Sorry, trying to multi task and do tea while posting

You wouldn't catch a TW doing that!

On the main boards, lots of discussion and anger that with schools unable to reopen properly but jobs being reopened, it's already hugely and disproportionately impacting on women who will be the ones who have to work from home at risk of losing their jobs and being edged out, who have to resign to keep up childcare at home, who are told they have to go on unpaid leave, who end up being pushed out of the work place.

This is going to be one of the major issues women face this decade: this risks pushing women out of the workforce and once more trapping them at home. It will massively affect women and equality for women. However it's not an issue that TW will encounter, or therefore care about, or want to support their chosen class with.

I've tended to think if we ignore it then it'll go away because the whole argument (from the men's side) is ridiculous.

The problem is it isn't going away.

Even without changes in legislation, many public bodies and charities are now convinced that they have a legal obligation to ignore sex.

perhaps they said that because they literally can't get anyone to do it.

I think this is a large part of the problem when it comes to the abusive behaviour of many males online.