Lionel Shriver article

[Motorcyclemptiness]

very well put, IMO

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/breastfeeding-is-now-chestfeeding-why-are-the-language-police-trying-to-wipe-out-women-wfqmws0j0

Share token anyone? I know I should subscribe sometime but

Here:
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d1157740-6d57-11eb-ba86-e516f9df6e0a?shareToken=b46302603c225107da0f9df168b1c478

midgedude - i have never done this before so not sure it will work?

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d1157740-6d57-11eb-ba86-e516f9df6e0a?shareToken=7a3329b2d3ca12ae8221f268b0948162

Bravo Lionel Shriver and thank you. If the chestfeeding debacle has had the effect of bringing the wider issue of women, and sex, in language, into the light then there is at least that.

It works fine thanks

Thank you for sharing @Motorcyclemptiness. I wondered when Lionel would stick her head above the parapet. That's a fantastic article and sums it all up.

Thank you Lionel Shriver and thank you the Times for week after week covering the systematised abuse that is happening to women.

Just read it, agree completely with her sentiments.

This issue has really got a wider audience. My mum read about it in the Telegraph, and was reading me a selection of the letters they had in response. It has not gone down well with readers of the Telegraph. Or my mum, who is a woman who breastfed two children.

I suppose EndoplasmicReticulum that breastfeeding our babies is a uniting experience - even when there are problems, women empathise. There's such an irony that this regressive anti women movement is being led by the very people who can never breastfeed or understand that bond.
Makes you think about what motivates them doesn't it?

It's such a bizarre thing to do, especially since it wasn't necessary to do it to be trans-inclusive as men also have breasts. But it's frankly quite frightening that a hospital/medical advisory group would adopt such woefully inaccurate terminology.

Thanks for sharing this OP.

Why am I not surprise Freddy M had a hand in this policy? I remember watching the documentary about Freddy and Freddy frantically scoring out the words Female, women, mother etc on the maternity forms as if it was a personal affront to Freddy. And now Freddy has a whole hospital trust policy tailored to Freddy. Lucky Freddy.

"This variety of news story does the trans cause no favours. Surely for rational people, the principal trans cause is to be treated like everyone else and be left in peace. Hear, hear. I’m all for that. But bend-over- backwards social obeisance that rides roughshod over half the human race backfires big time. It stirs hostility in compatriots who might otherwise regard transgender people with genial, live-and-let-live acceptance."

Nailed it.

This article is spot on. I'm very glad they've written this from such a well-balanced viewpoint.

I bloody love Lionel Shriver. Can't wait for her novel on the subject! (I live in hope.)

Great article

Thanks for the share token. Great article.

I like the bit where it says as of 2017 only 2 transmen have given birth.

Ridiculous forced language from those who deny their biology but are happy to use it when they need to.

Did FM get maternity leave too?

@WeeTorag

Thanks for sharing this OP.

Why am I not surprise Freddy M had a hand in this policy? I remember watching the documentary about Freddy and Freddy frantically scoring out the words Female, women, mother etc on the maternity forms as if it was a personal affront to Freddy. And now Freddy has a whole hospital trust policy tailored to Freddy. Lucky Freddy.

You’d have to really hate women to behave that way...

Lionel is the ultimate adult in the room. She is a proper grown up and cuts through word salad pandering nonsense. Her books are great too

I didn’t realise there were only 2 trans men who had given birth in the U.K. Makes it all the more insane. Also struck me, yet again, how the word woman really has been taken from us in these discourses: trans women are women, and women are menstruators (that word gets a red squiggle too).

Thanks for sharing - that final paragraph is excellent and has really squared a circle in this issue for me:

"Fair enough, let’s keep making an effort to bring into the fold groups who’ve been shafted or ignored in the past. But making room for minorities needn’t and shouldn’t crowd out the majority. While majorities can abuse their inherent power, they can also suffer abuse."

One thing that has made uncomfortable as I've navigated this whole issue is maybe I was missing something in my (ugh) perceived 'privilege'. Probably just not used to being in a majority of anything 😂

@MsTSwift

Lionel is the ultimate adult in the room. She is a proper grown up and cuts through word salad pandering nonsense. Her books are great too

@MsTSwift yes love her books. She has a clear way of thinking

Dh and I have met her - twice!