Well, I've just come out as GC on Facebook...

[SapphireSeptember]

I watched this video this evening, and decided I couldn't keep quiet anymore. So I shared it on Facebook, along with the caption 'women are women, women's rights are human rights,' and thanked JK Rowling for standing up for women.

A male friend of mine replied with 'transwomen are women' said it was a TERF-y video and asked if I'd posted it accidentally. Guess he's no loss as a friend.

Sorry, 12.23

And then again a few minutes ago!

You're on form today michelle...

@LockdownLump

I want to share, but I am not on social media because I'm scared of what I would say .

I'm a fucking coward. But I work for a trade union where sexism is rife and where twaw rule the world.

I am sorry and am scared to say that women are women. Wtf is wrong with me

There is nothing wrong with you. It's what's wrong with our MPs, parliament and government institutions, including our supposed commission for equality and rights, trade unions, employers, commercial companies, Uncle Tom Cobley and all. And that's a very big wrong. The law is now policing your thoughts and words about who you are and what you are and what you know of your own self and of own life. Someone will be along shortly in workplace, street, pub or online to check your thinking. That's 'check' in a couple of senses of the word, as in checking a runaway horse by pulling it up, and checking as in scrutinising your words for acceptability or even legality. That's a crushing weight of wrong.

I've just checked Emma Watson's twitter to see if she's posted anything about the latest furore, and she hasn't - not obviously. She's focusing on the BLM situation, which is rather sensible of her, I feel.

Fantastic video. I'll happily share it on my SM. Fuck anyone who doesn't like it. In fact it might take the trash out for me.

@kesstrel - I’ve just asked him as he’s sat here on his lunch, and no he doesn’t think that.
I asked what he’d class them as then, he said lesbians.
I was a bit but didn’t carry it on as the children are also eating with us.

I'm massively on the fence about the whole trans issue. And I'm not brave enough to be "out" on FB etc as even being on the fence! Which is possibly worrying in itself ...

Alwayslearningthings

Is he under the impression that they have all or usually had the full surgery? Because my comment otherwise would be that it is odd to consider penis in vagina sex "lesbian".

He’s sadly gone back to work now, but from our chat last night I think he’s under the impression that you wouldn’t be considered a Trans woman, unless you’d had a full transition and reassignment surgery.

At least I’m hoping he thinks that, as that would make more sense than him saying that a transwoman with a penis who is attracted to women, is a lesbian?

It's so horrible how male "rights" to totally unfettered assertion of their sexuality keep growing year by year, regardless of the harm to women and children. Normalisation of hideously violent and misogynistic porn, which gets worse all the time; sex work is work; inability to prosecute rape or murder because all they have to do is say ' she wanted it rough'; and now fetishistic males being accepted as lesbians, with all that that implies for real lesbians.

But it's all "social progress", isn't it...

[quote Alwayslearningthings]@kesstrel - I’ve just asked him as he’s sat here on his lunch, and no he doesn’t think that.
I asked what he’d class them as then, he said lesbians.
I was a bit but didn’t carry it on as the children are also eating with us.[/quote]
Bide you’re time and when the two of you are getting amorous, ask him if he’s interested in a threesome, with another woman. If he says yes, tell him there’s a lovely lady with a penis that has expressed and interest, so you’ll let her know that he’s up for it and you can arrange a time.

*your

"Asked if I posted it accidentally".

He knows full well you didn't. He is saying "you dun messed up but I graciously give you one chance to redeem yourself".

@sashh

Bluebellbike

I'm retired but I was a teacher.

Is it possible to ask your dd a hypothetical question.

If a student told me they thought they were trans where is the best place to get unbiased information about all options?

I have experience growing up as a female, I also thought I wanted to be a boy, until I realised I could still do 'boy' things and be a girl. I probably have autism.

As someone who has transitioned, surely she is more experienced than I am both about dismorphia and about the options open.

Somewhere / someone who can give the student the 'warts and all' of the options.

How would I find a, for want of a better word, a mentor?

Obviously don't ask if this would put a strain on your relationship in any way, I do not want to upset anyone for a hypothetical.

That's a good point. My trans DC is FTM, not MTF. I should have made that clearer. I call him my son, which he is, as far as I am concerned. I fully accept him. He actually agrees with me about TW being a threat to women's spaces. There is the difference you see, he spent the first 14 years of his life living as female. My other adult DC, who says they are non-binary is female, my daughter. I struggle with using they, their and them when referring to them verbally because they look very female. It's easier when writing but I still have to consciously think about it. I have corrected this post a lot. They are a mental health nurse who has supported their sibling fully with his transition. I feel I can't raise anything about this with my daughter, and no way could I deny that TWAW. I don't want to go no contact with them over this so I just don't mention it. I have been to Women's Place meetings, am a fan of Posie Parker and considered Magdalen Berns an awesome person. But I have to keep it to myself. My DC are my only family and to alienate one of them is unthinkable.

Regarding the question of where to go for unbiased information for a student wishing to transition: I don't think there is truly anywhere currently which will provide that. All organisations with an interest either fall on one side or the other. The biggest concern that there is little or no availability of proper counselling. The Gender Clinics offer it, but it is not in depth or long enough. Also young people generally know what answers to give to obtain the treatment they desire. Gender clinics also do not give enough consideration to the effect of autism.

@Bluebellbike - I am interested to know if your trans son is also on the autism spectrum. It has become apparent that the enormous rise in F-->M transitions among teenagers in particular has largely been down to many teens with ASD (not all, of course) so I just wondered if your trans son fit into that category too.
If you prefer not to answer, I completely understand.

Good for you, I share stuff on Fb, twitter, in the office and am massively overbearing about it in real life. I've had some flak and difficult conversations but I'm pretty persuasive so people usually give up for a quiet life! I do remember feeling slightly panicked when a friend texted me to say Piers Morgan had just played my phonecall (to Jo Swinson) on TV but nothing came of it and most thought I was sensible. The more who speak out, the easier it becomes for others x

[quote slug]Whenever I see the "Trans are the most oppressed minority ever" line I've taken up asking them for the data to support this assertion. I've yet to have a response. But if I ever do I'll point them to this particular gem.
twitter.com/janeclarejones/status/1270632633052127232[/quote]
Sorry, I'm only just catching up with this thread. The Twitter link is awesome. Squirreling that away. Ta. :)

One day, this will all be over and I want to be able to look my daughter in the eye and said “I helped” ...this!

threadreaderapp.com/thread/1270632633052127232.html

Thread reader of that thread in one place.

@LillianBland - Sadly that sort of thing doesn’t interest him, so I wouldn’t get to finish the experiment, it’s a good example though!
I asked him while I he started prepping tea, and he’s said about as much as I thought. If they don’t have a penis anymore, and instead have had it made into a ‘man-made vagina’ then he’d say that was as close to a woman as you can get without being born one so should be defined as a lesbian.
He was indeed under the impression that most MTFs go the whole way and have reassignment surgery, he was surprised when we looked up actual %s of MTF trans people who have had it done. He’s now questioning some things it seems. He didn’t like me asking whether he’d be happy with our daughters having to dress and undress in front of teenagers (and adults come to think of it) of both sexes in changing rooms at secondary schools, because they may be able to self-identify freely in future.

newuser you're "what is a woman?" caller, aren't you? I loved that so much, what should be such a simple question showed up so much.

@Newuser123123 you were awesome!

I 'came out' on social media a year or so ago, and oddly its only ever been men who have tried the 'this is terf propoganda' and 'are you sure you meant to post that?!?!?!?!' rubbish. Some women have replied on the posts..and endured male hate for doing so, some have actually private messaged me saying they agree but do not dare say so..which is a sorry state of affairs really, when women are terrified to give their view because tyhey know a bunch of men will attack them..

Yes hello, I never miss a chance to show off 😘

Uhoh. My Twitter has gone. Can't sign in and can't do a password reset. No such account exists apparently.

FFS