Just been kicked out of a FB group

[FrenchtoEnglish]

I was in a FB group (a French one). It was basically a hippy/vegan/spiritual/woke group for parents (serves me right for soddingwell joining!). There was a post about epidurals. To have one or not to have one. A woman wrote something along the lines of "there's a lot of pressure on women to breastfeed and to have a drug-free labor. The most important thing is that the baby comes out and is loved. Women shouldn't put so much pressure on themselves." She was asked by admin to remove all mentions of the word "woman" and replace it with "person" because it was an inclusive group and that trans and non-binary people also give birth.

I wrote how frightening it was that the word "woman" was disappearing and then mock-chastised then for using the word "midwife" everywhere and not changing it to "midperson" because "cis" men and non-binary people and transmen also did this job and that they should check themselves.

Kicked out.

I'm furious. I honestly don't know what to do. I live in the middle of rural France and this whole debate has never really affected me on a personal level, but I have a little girl who's about to start school. I'm worried that this is the sort of shit that's going to go down in biology classes. I'm scared for the future. I really am. How the fuck are these people getting away with it?

Posting this here as it's not worthy of its own thread but makes me feel a bit sick to my stomach.

A long-standing friend who has helped me a lot professionally in the past a virtual friend, that is, very intelligent, a huge following has posted that she had been receiving "abuse" about her pro-trans stance. So she posted a long comment about her support for trans rights because she has so "many lovely trans friends".

Among arguments, there's this: Before you start saying that women have a right to occupy women-only spaces without feeling intimidated by trans women, try replacing the term "trans" with the terms "black", "jewish", "gay", or any other term which describes a minority.

That's her "gotcha", and that's what makes me feel so sick. I'm so, so of transwomen being equated with black, gay, and other women that happen to be a minority. As if they really are just another kind of woman.

She says she's willing to discuss rationally with anyone who is respectful; doesn't she see the basic disrespect of minority women in the above statement?

Yes, I feel sick. I'm not going to argue with her, certainly not on her FB post as she is getting so many ticks and hearts and comments.
This is a middle-aged woman with adult children (sons). I wanted to ask her about sports, about children, about women-only awards, the whole takeover. I've always agreed with most of what she says, supported her through her divorce and child-rearing problems; known her for over a decade from another group I was in.

^ a word missing there, before "of transwomen". Try tired, fed up, exhausted by, etc.

Unfortunately it is impossible to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, so, as you suggest, I would step back from this friendship for a few months. Those who wish women's rights to be diminished have very loud, insistent, voices and unfortunately some accept these opinions without any scrutiny.

Eventually though there will be a trigger point when the person concerned will realise their mistake - Twitter is full of those who have suddenly understood women do not wish harm to anyone who wishes to live their lives differently from others - but the safety of children and women is paramount and non-negotiable.

Hang on in there - from a distance - and in a few months, hopefully her views will change. Go well.

I won't talk to her. I just remembered that she can be a real bully if she is convinced she is right about something. There was a whole drama about digital publishing, before ebooks boomed --- she was vehemently anti-digital, and look where that got her...
The same is happening again.

Sorry to hear about your friend Lamahaha.

It's so frustrating when intelligent people come out with this bollocks. Let's pretend they are something they are not so that "excluding" them looks bad rather than admitting what they actually are (men) which would make most people agree that they should nit be in women's single sex spaces. I can understand why the TRAs would do this as they have an agenda but I will never understand women doing it.