The positive birth company

[Blackandwhitehorse]

I’ve just been made aware of the absurd post from the positive birth company (on Instagram) apparently now being pregnant and giving birth is no longer a ‘women centred’ event. I didn’t see the original comments but they (over 1000 comments) were switched off due to ‘hate’. Although reading comments on the post after they seemed more like reasonable questions.. I’ve only just been made aware of what’s actually been happening with all of this, due to Jess de Whals but now my eyes are open and I can’t believe what has been happening.

Is the word woman being erased because it excludes transmen or because it reminds transwomen they can't give birth?
Good questions in your post Novavee.

I think the reason that birth has become such a focus of these linguistic campaigns is because they are trying to gerrymander the categories woman and female (or afab in their lingo). They are trying to shift the boundaries of the woman category. It's not so much that tw don't want to be reminded they can't give birth, but they need to detach the word woman from the concept it describes (female person, which they are not included in), so that it can be used instead for a slightly different concept which they are included in. That way it will be true that twaw. If this can be done in the context where being female is fundamental to the purpose, then it will follow in other contexts.

Women's health and bodily processes are the key place where 'woman' and 'female person' are so obviously the same thing, but only if the word woman is permitted to be used.