Any Questions: What is a woman (spoiler - none of them would say)

[FannyCann]

A heads up for anyone who would like the opportunity to reply to the question "What is a woman".
The question was posed last night on Any Questions.

Any answers is at 2pm.


twitter.com/lesbianlabour/status/1388404168390545413?s=21

[OhDear2200]

Fuck me what a depressing day.

I am so angry at the Green Party.

[vivariumvivariumsvivaria]

Small correction - Christine Jardine is an MP, not an MSP. So, she has considerable influence. She is also the spokesperson on women and equalities...

She is also my MP and has never answered any of the emails I have sent her on these issues.

[BlackeyedSusan]

I thought the conservative bloke did reasonably well, given new laws in Scotland.

[FrancesGumm]

I’ve just had the local election canvassers (Labour) round at my door and I’ve been ranting for about half an hour. My DD came out and backed away slowly and my teenage son walked past them into the house shaking his head and grinning at me.
Actually had a very good chat. I was amazed at what they were oblivious to though - but was good. The lady was around 60, and said she was a lesbian - she’s apparently joined the ‘women of labour’ group whatever it’s called , who are standing up against this nonsense. She wholeheartedly agreed with me.
The man looked slightly dazed but also agreed.
After I had ranted for half an hour they asked me to join the party and campaign with them and get into politics.
But they are taking my concerns on board and the lady wrote down a few names to google - I brought up JK Rowling , Maya Forstater, Keira Bell, Joanne Cherry , Kellie Jay Keen Minshull, talked about the importance of single sex spaces, single sex toilets in schools, males in women’s sports /prisons/refugee.
I said I’d vote for any party who would sit on a BBC news show and state categorically ‘a woman is an adult human female’ and ‘TW are TW’.
She said ‘would you vote for Boris?’ I said yep - if he knows what a woman is. I said if you can get a Labour leader to know what a woman is and support single sex spaces then I’ll vote Labour.

[vivariumvivariumsvivaria]

I would too, Frances.

At the moment, it looks like my choices are Tory, Alba, Social Democrats, or the communists.

It's a funny old world.

[TheWhosit]

I once heard the position taken by the Lib/Lab/Green panellists described as "luxury beliefs" - i.e. beliefs that confer status on the well-off or otherwise insulated while having serious consequences for the 'lower orders'.

In this case the places and situations in which women's rights and trans rights come into sharpest conflict are ones in which the panelists are unlikely ever to find themselves so they are privileged enough to not see or care about the effect their position will have on other less fortunate.

They and theirs are not like to end up in prison, or a refuge centre, or be competing for sports scholarships or sponsorship for example, so why should they make their own lives more difficult by going against the grain and engaging their brains in the service of vulnerable and voiceless women (as well as trans people) when noone who matters is going to thank you for it? No, no, better to see which way the wind is blowing, side with the biggest bully currently in the playground and not think too deeply about it all. Receive your pats on the back and enjoy a job well done.

For me it's the fact that they have the barefaced cheek to take this approach while simultaneously setting themselves up as morally superior representatives of the oppressed. It's contemptible.

[andyoldlabour]

I thought this was going to be about Jo Swinson or possibly the Green Party. There seems to be a lot of this lack of intellect amongst politicians.

twitter.com/bbc5live/status/1203973870056660992?lang=en

www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/what-is-a-woman-greens-4347697

[R0wantrees]

Telegraph today
'University staff given list of banned 'microinsults' they cannot say to trans people
Academics say an obsession with gender identity on campus risks 'morally blackmailing' students and relegating 'less woke' inequalities'
(extract)
Edinburgh University has drawn up phrases that staff cannot use, including saying "all women hate their periods" and "all people think about being the opposite gender sometimes". Scholars should also not place "excess focus on anatomical sex markers".

These are "microaggressions" that "negate or nullify the thoughts, feelings or lived reality of trans and non-binary people" and undermine their transition to different genders, according to the guidance." (continues)
Other "microinsults" in Edinburgh’s guidance include saying "you’re either man or a woman", "you’re just dressing for effect" or uttering "you’re just trying to be special". Another is engaging in "avoidant behaviour" around trans people.

If staff witness such remarks they should "disarm the microaggression, step in and stop or deflect" by stating the university’s standards of conduct, and "educate the offender" by teaching them to "recognise their biases", according to the guidance. " (continues)
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05/01/university-staff-given-list-banned-microinsults-cannot-say-trans/amp/

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

Nope! Read it three times. Couldn't get passed the bit that makes no sense...

Why would anyone reference chromosomes or genitalia?

Adult human female

And don't insult anyone's intelligence. A human being in motion is easily identified as male or female.

You cannot change your pelvis.

[78percentLindt]

I think I have just heard that men claiming to be female in women prisons are irrelevant and prisons are exempt from GRA from the Green. Wow! Pretty awful responses and could not believe that the 3 women didn't support women's only spaces.

[nauticant]

The topics to be discussed on Any Answers, but some might be skipped:
Independent Scotland. And the rest of Britain.
The climate emergency.
Scottish education.
What is a woman and we should the legal definition be?
Regulations in care homes.

The programme opened with cash for curtains.

[Bluesername]

Listening to Any Answers now...

[Taswama]

Listening to Any Answers too, but I fear Boris's curtains are deemed more important...

[dapsnotplimsolls]

14.33 and still not mentioned.

[LostToucan]

Nope. Nothing.

[vivariumvivariumsvivaria]

Wow.

It really is a subject that no one is prepared to discuss.

[WeeBisom]

At the end when Christine interjected "isn't 'it ironic that the three women support self ID, and the two men don't" I just blurted out "what's a woman, Christine? How do you know the two men are men?"

[DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat]

@WeeBisom

At the end when Christine interjected "isn't 'it ironic that the three women support self ID, and the two men don't" I just blurted out "what's a woman, Christine? How do you know the two men are men?"

I was sooo wishing Murdo might have got in quick with that comment and asked her how come she knew he wasn’t a woman. But he’s probably not as petty as me.

[Abitofalark]

The standard of our MPs isn't impressive. I thought it was Jackie Baillie who pointed out it was three women who were on the trans activist side and men who were on the other. She appears to think this reflects well on the women. It doesn't. And toilets in the home argument - fatuous.

Christine Jardine was obnoxious and the know-it-all zealot, relentlessly trying to stop the man from speaking. Kudos to him for keeping his cool and being to the point. Very poor and superficial level of discussion from the women, taking up positions and denying or not addressing the complications and consequences of the current law.

[WeeBisom]

I also thought the most baffling thing was one of the women said that there is 'no clash between women's rights and trans rights', but when Murdo pointed out that male bodied people are in women's prisons she interjected to say that 'that's irrelevant, that has nothing to do with the gender recognition act.' I just find the bad faith discussion so depressing. I honestly would have 100% more respect for trans rights activism if the supporters came out and said 'yes, there is a clash of rights. As a result of our policy, male bodied people will be allowed in female only spaces. But here is why we think that is justifiable.' At the moment I"m suspicious that they can't actually justify this position, because they are so eager to pre-emptively sweep away any concerns that there's a rights clash at all. If they truly believed in their position they would surely be able to confidently declare why gender identity ought to trump sex in public policy.

[Thecatonthemat]

Complaints time. I am so angry about this rubbish presented as fact. I will also ask how many phone calls and emails they resisted talking about.

[verycrossnamechange]

My colleague is seriously ill in hospital.
A male person who identifies as a woman has been admitted into the bed next to her. This person is accompanied by 4 policemen as they have smashed up the ambulance that brought them to the hospital.

I am so infuriated by all this nonsense.

[verycrossnamechange]

"They" meaning the person, not the 4 policemen. Arrrgghh!

[WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo]

Other gotchas were that everyone has a gender neutral toilet at home

I can't believe anyone thinks this is actually a valid gotcha :( (well actually I can and that's what's so awful)

I share my bathroom at home with 2 males. Technically still boys, but in man sized bodies. However as I gave birth to, and raised them, I am not remotely worried about how they might behave towards me in the bathroom. The same can't be said of the random strangers I might meet in a public mixed 'gender' toilet.

Disclaimer: this by no way means I think all men/tw/men pretending to be tw are rapists. But I am painfully aware that some are.

[toffeebutterpopcorn]

I never actually share a bathroom/toilet. Nope - it’s single occupancy. My two males use it (I assume they are males, I haven’t actually asked) but I am gender atheist, so how does that work?