Solidarity in Aldi today!

[JaneyHenderson]

This is my first thread in a very long time but I wanted to share the uplifting and fabulous experience I had today in Aldi😂

I reached 'peak' during the last lockdown and lurk regularly on here while trying to make sense of the madness.
DH is supportive to a degree but very nervous of me being vocal about my GC views as we are both teachers. I am a middle leader in a secondary school and he worries about me getting sacked
So I can't discuss this much IRL.

Anyway, queing outside Aldi today and saw a woman a few people ahead of me with a 'Woman
Noun
adult human female' tote bag. I was thrilled and as soon as there was an opportunity (by the fruit and veg) I told her I liked her bag and that I knew what it meant.
She said I had made her day; I replied I she had made mine. Then she said 'Solidarity sister and see you on the next march'
We went on our separate ways but bloody hell it was brilliant. To vocalise it and be recognised. Felt a bit emotional and even now re-writing it, am a bit teary.

Just wanted to share. It was wonderful.

Yup, also married to a GC male who funnily enough has never received a rape or death threat for his opinion, neither has he been banned for stating his opinion on social media. I on the other hand.... .....

If I remember correctly forms did used to ask which sex. I'm in my fifties. I think 'Gender'is quite a recent term.

Watched that Kellie Jay and Adrian Haddock video again, breath of fresh air.

@Winesalot. Oh gosh yes, Scott. They have shared some horrifying details from the medical issues suffered as a result of transition. I think Scott is really courageous to talk so openly about it all. Not only because they are ‘outing’ themselves as a GC tran, but also because it must be very hard to air one’s regrets so publicly. (I’m assuming Scott has regrets about their transition, or at least some aspects of it).

@Diverseopinions

Arabella Scott

Do you think what you have posted is really a clear explanation of the issue, as, to me, it is still confusing for people, like me, not fully up to speed with the debate.

Gender isn't a recent made up word. It's been around for ages. It used to be thought to be like sex: male and female genders. So anyone not up to speed will be thinking: "Hold on, 'gender critical' means people are dubious about there being only two genders - male or female. GC must mean there are lots of identities and people can choose which to identify with or shape their own unique identity'.

Why not make it crystal clear for posters who are asking for clarification what all the current controversy is about.

Apologies, I tried!

It can be confusing, I think - partly because of that confusion between the word 'gender' and the word 'sex'. These words do have two different meanings.

'Gender is a word that is used to talk about how people express masculine (traits most people think of as male) or feminine (traits most people think of as female) traits. It is commonly used for a person's sex (male or female) but this word only means someone’s biology (body parts)' (simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender)

So - 'gender critical' is someone who questions stereotypes and cultural pressures.

Any better?

Try this link, but there are plenty of other available and Etsy is also a good place to purchase from a small business. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08WLLNHPR/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

@rogueantimatter

If I remember correctly forms did used to ask which sex. I'm in my fifties. I think 'Gender'is quite a recent term.

They did, and some wag would always write “yes, please” next to the sex box

@Tubs11

Interesting thread.... Is there such a thing as GC males and how do women who transition to male feel about this?

Some of the GC males are transwomen. Eg Miranda Yardley and Fionne Olander - who has an 'Adult Human Male' t-shirt.

As a parent who has children at the school named in the Times as having the most trans kids in England (or some such statement), it is lovely to hear so many school staff on here saying they are GC.

My kids' school are very affirming of kids who say they are trans. It worries me hugely. I wrote to the Governors who were happy to dismiss my concerns. It needs more of us to stand out and speak out. However I understand the fear in doing to - I live in the most TWAW place in England, and like many others on here, my teens are horrified by what they see as my bigoted views. I still talk to them about it though.

More visibility (where we can). More activism too. Solidarity to you all!

They did, and some wag would always write “yes, please” next to the sex box

Now we've got electronic forms instead of paper and ink, that harmless idiocy is no longer a reason for using a euphemism instead of 'sex'.

@ArabellaScott I think that’s a good explanation. I often think about gender in terms of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ (as they are in grammar). Obviously I realise that those words are derived from ‘male’ and ‘female’ respectively, but as they are adjectives they can be used to describe anything if the description fits. So ‘feminine’ describes behaviours/traits that were traditionally expected of/associated with women. But this being the 21st century, women are under no obligation to try to be feminine, and men are free to be feminine. This is what we GC want. That’s how I see it.

Yes, originally 'gender' as a word did come from grammar. The wiki link above gives a brief history - in 1955 John Money started to use it to refer to culturally created sex stereotypes.

There is a wonderful thread in Feminism chat called " Break it down for me".
Anyone looking to understand could start there.
I can't do links on my phone but maybe someone could.

waterlego

Scott is open and honest about their regret for surgery. And their continued dysphoria. They are warning anyone who will listen that it is fraught with high risk. Not to just listen to the doctors.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3145470-Break-it-down-for-me

@chestnutSquash

There is a wonderful thread in Feminism chat called " Break it down for me". Anyone looking to understand could start there. I can't do links on my phone but maybe someone could.

It is upthread.

The original Adult Human Female products are at Standing for Women - all others are copying Kellie-Jay (aka Posie Parker). Please do buy from there if you can.

I am the slowest typist on MN.
But, great minds...

@Winesalot Poor Scott. I get the impression from their Tweets that they care very deeply about gender questioning youngsters.

@DonaldsTrousers, I think you’re in a town very near to mine. One of my friends works for the NHS in your town. She is GC but has to keep that pretty quiet at work 😐

@chestnutSquash

I am the slowest typist on MN. But, great minds...

chestnut

I reckon we should post it every couple of pages. It takes me forever to find in search.

#cringe

[quote Awning10]This is worth a watch if you are new here:

[/quote] That’s an amazing piece of video. Thank you.

[quote waterlego]@Winesalot Poor Scott. I get the impression from their Tweets that they care very deeply about gender questioning youngsters.

@DonaldsTrousers, I think you’re in a town very near to mine. One of my friends works for the NHS in your town. She is GC but has to keep that pretty quiet at work 😐[/quote]
Our area is a hotbed for both TWAW and for GC voices. Hence the big fuss when WPUK held an event during the Labour Party Conference. The memories of that night stayed with me a while.

Through my kids, I know of lots more trans kids (majority girls) than would be statistically likely. Definitely elements of social contagion, 'coolness' at being trans and edgy, lots of autism/traits. Yet the school seems unbothered. I hear nothing from them about it, while more and more kids are being positively affirmed and socially transitioned at school.

The LA are under the spell of Allsorts who have significant power locally (they used to do fantastic work with LGB youngsters), and no one at the school appears to feel able to stick their hand up and say 'can we look at this please?'. I get the fear, but to me this is safeguarding first and foremost.

Sorry for the derail!

@Smallgoon go on... tell us why #cringe.

Tell us why pretending shit so men like you is less #cringe than protecting the rights our grandmothers died for.

Go on