Pronoun badges for train staff and mis-gendering passengers

[CervixSampler]

Trans woman 'repeatedly misgendered' by Northern Rail worker at Piccadilly https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/trans-woman-hits-out-after-20829187

This article doesn't say if they have a GRC but they have legally changed their name. Lots of information in this with talk of white privilege, mental health being affected by mis-gendering but in light of the Maya ruling last week I'm wondering if staff can be forced to use pronouns that don't match what they see? To use Sir and he then the staff must have seen a male despite the facial surgery, acrylic nails, bra under their top land ponytail. I really struggle when things don't match as it were and my brain just can't compute it (awaiting ASD assessment) It's like a trans Stroop test. Just because I see a pony tail, long nails, and feminine facial features it doesn't mean that I will see a woman if other factors say male. Height, build, mannerisms, speech, voice, gait etc would all be interpreted as male and counter any feminine dressing and make up on the surface.

I feel really sorry for Eden. Especially after reading she was on her way to a dentist appointment. I might be projecting a bit here, because I absolutely hate the dentist, but it's not a good time to have to cope with anything unexpected.

I hope that Northern Rail can get to the bottom of what the member of staff thought was going on, and whether it was maliciously motivated or had more benign roots.

@TheRebelle

It’s an example that not everybody is doing it on purpose to be hurtful, some people just can’t get their heads around it.

No it isn't. It really isn't the same at all.

Abracadabra
If there's an impasse between satisfying the beliefs of opposing ideologies, surely a compromise should be sought, rather than requiring one side to back down. A compromise such as addressing Eden as 'Eden' for example, and referring to her in non-gendered ways, e.g. 'this customer' rather than 'this man'.

It will be interesting to see if Northern Rail will allow such a compromise. I don’t think they will. I think it’s more likely that their employee will be ‘retrained’ to provide positive affirmation.

I don't have acrylic nails, or a ponytail. As these are the attributes which Eden said makes one a woman, is it the case that I am a man because I lack them? yet I know I am an adult human female; because biology .

I have to say it sounds a lot more likely to me that the worker was being clueless or confused rather than deliberately rude.

Because if he was at all clued in, he would also be aware that his job was at risk from the pointless rudeness.

Maybe Northern Rail is the one workplace in the country that needs more trans awareness training.

@Cailleach1

I don't have acrylic nails, or a ponytail. As these are the attributes which Eden said makes one a woman, is it the case that I am a man because I lack them? yet I know I am an adult human female; because biology .

Abracadabra has eloquently demolished this "gotcha" over several posts.

I am sorry, I haven't RTFT so might be repeating but this stood out to me

“It’s just frustrating because when you’re trying so hard to be perceived as the gender that you are and trying to meet expectations of how people view you, it just completely undermines it all.

“I just had facial surgery seven months ago, I've legally changed my name and I'm on hormones every day yet people still decide to ignore what they see in front of them.

This just illustrates the problem with affirmation and the 'gender trumps sex' narrative. It looks as though Eden has a need to be 'perceived as 'the gender you are' (not the sex) and can't see the irony in the comment that 'people decide to ignore what they see in front of them' when the truth is that people see a male person presenting as if they were female.

The SW and Mermaids affirmation only type approaches surely have to take some responsibility for situations like this, but it is always everyone else deemed at fault