Minimally provocative articles to help peak people-pleasers

[BrainHaver]

There are so many brilliant articles out there explaining the dangers of gender ideology and its infiltration into daily life. But I am hesitant to share most of them beyond social circles I already know to be critical.

This is because these articles often use language or phrasing that others (i.e. generally well-meaning non-TRAs who subscribe to the woke "be kind" orthodoxy, and/or who aren't very good at recognising nuance) see as provocative, or "anti-trans", even when they are not. People like this tend to shut down and become much less receptive to hearing sensible arguments, if there is anything that they could possibly interpret as "transphobia", because they then attribute everything said in the article to their perceived transphobia of the author, rather than assessing the arguments on their own merit.

I would like to gather a list of articles/resources that dispassionately discuss the issues at hand, and in doing so make the problem clear, without sounding overly biased (to someone with a shallow understanding of the issue). A good example is the recent Economist article mentioned in another thread (available without paywall here: www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300420584/why-the-word-woman-is-tying-people-in-knots). I would feel comfortable sharing this widely , because it explains the position held by both sides, discusses the issues and double standards inherent to one of the sides, and doesn't need to say much about trans people to make its point. In particular, it makes no value judgements about transgenderism. It uses factual language, and doesn't sound ranty.

Of course, the ranty articles have their place (I for one struggle to talk about this topic without getting very impassioned, because I am so angry about it all), but I really want to make more people in my circles aware of what's going on and get them on board. I think the best way to maximise the chance of this (while also minimising personal risk), is to share pieces that make the points in a factual, dispassionate way. After all, the reality is shocking enough on its own.

So, please link away!

I’m afraid none of the good arguments here convinced me. It was the other side that did. That batshit Edinburgh Action For Trans Health manifesto for instance. They are really asking for that?

This is always a tricky one as the issues are so broad. I’m sure you’ll get some good recommendations here, I’ll have a think/look tmrw.

Meanwhile, the following might include something appropriate:

gcritical.org/introduction/

Have you looked at the Break it down for me thread?

It’s a bit daunting IMO but if you e got time to trawl:

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

Carole Hooven is the Harvard professor that made a point about the importance of clear sex based language in medicine and science and was accused of transphobia from someone in her own department!

I’ll have a look for articles later.

I’d go at it the other way round, OP. Enthusiastically praise the policy of putting rapists in women’s prisons. Explain that the rapists’ feelings are more important and it doesn’t matter that they have already assaulted women prisoners. Women should be proud to be collateral damage while being kind.
Say how great it is that transgender Lauren Hubbard won sportswoman of the year for coming bottom in the Olympics, denying a woman a place. How the triple medal winning woman athlete should just suck it up, being ignored for the award.
State your support of binders, hormones and bilateral mastectomies for teenage girls. Say how future ill health and infertility are choices children should be allowed to make. Etc.

@OneEpisode Oh wow, that manifesto is insane. I would also be interested in collecting peak-worthy things from the other side. Particularly things distributed by official/mainstream bodies, so that no one can dismiss them with "that's just one crazy individual who has no influence over anything". The main thing I'm trying to avoid is anything that a generally reasonable person with little background understanding might accidentally misconstrue as "transphobic".

It depends which issue matters to them. Three friends who I don't think have ever seen themselves as gender critical have been disturbed at the use of 'inclusive language' such as menstruator. They have to work pretty hard mentally to make this incredibly obvious misogyny fit into their viewpoint of trying to be kind.

I also hear friends who are passionately concerned not to be homophobic or 'old fashioned'. Any link in their minds with right wing 'traditional values' shite and they're gone, and I see why.

To be honest I do restrict myself from talking about this because I know that I am such an extremist on this whole issue. It's bizarre to me that I am on the extreme end of anything, but I am. So mostly I listen; I hear what people are surprised or upset by and I might make a very brief comment.

It's also true that not everybody is going to think the same about this.

Would something humourous work, as an introduction?
I could not stop laughing when I read this, it's so, so good:
janeclarejones.com/2018/11/13/the-annals-of-the-terf-wars/

In book form, I thought "Trans" did an excellent job, but, yeah, that's not an article...

Also, maybe the JK Rowling article on the topic, if she's not off-limit in the eyes of the people you're talking about. I read it and I though - how can ANYBODY object to what she's saying?

Oooooh, and some of Debbie Hayton blog posts, maybe?

Sorry to hog the thread, I really need to get off the computer.

[quote BrainHaver]@OneEpisode Oh wow, that manifesto is insane. I would also be interested in collecting peak-worthy things from the other side. Particularly things distributed by official/mainstream bodies, so that no one can dismiss them with "that's just one crazy individual who has no influence over anything". The main thing I'm trying to avoid is anything that a generally reasonable person with little background understanding might accidentally misconstrue as "transphobic".[/quote]
A lot of the Stonewall website will do this.

Eg: www.stonewall.org.uk/truth-about-trans#public-toilets

Another generally useful site is:

www.peaktrans.org/

If you want more “reductio ad absurdum” then search for pronoun bracelets. Lots of tik tok/YouTube videos available made by very young people who have variable gender identities.
Apparently others should check their wrists for the current pronoun and thus know if the video creator is she/her, he/him or NB at the moment. Or wearing in combo. Three at once for instance.

As I only use 3rd person pronouns when talking about someone in their absence, eg relating what happened earlier to someone who wasn’t there, I cannot tell what pronoun to use right now about any of these young people. I do know most are people I could ask for a cadge of period products.
I cannot fail to misgender these young people most of the time no matter how kind I try to be.

Holy shit OneEpisode can someone archive this please

edinburghath.tumblr.com/post/163521055802/trans-health-manifesto

This might not be quite what you are looking for but it takes a middle road and acknowledges there is a conflict. Because its fawcett it comes pre-approved by 'be kind' types.
www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/blog/sex-and-gender-identity-finding-a-way-forward

This also takes a middle route, by an academic feminist who is involved with WEP
femacademic.com/2020/06/13/on-being-an-intersectional-feminist-at-50/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

It's also worth Google Google Reverse Voltaire by May Leng. A good moderate blog.

[quote WitchButNotTheFunKind]Holy shit OneEpisode can someone archive this please

edinburghath.tumblr.com/post/163521055802/trans-health-manifesto[/quote]
It's unbelievably simple to archive (they all work the same). You go to

web.archive.org

You paste the URL into the box (see picture) and if someone has already done it (like in this case) you click one of the dates and you see the archived version.

<a class="break-all" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20210916165239/edinburghath.tumblr.com/post/163521055802/trans-health-manifesto" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20210916165239/edinburghath.tumblr.com/post/163521055802/trans-health-manifesto

If you're the first person to archive something, it will walk you through the process.

[quote WitchButNotTheFunKind]Holy shit OneEpisode can someone archive this please

edinburghath.tumblr.com/post/163521055802/trans-health-manifesto[/quote]
This makes absolutely terrifying reading!

@ComprehensiveTea

Would something humourous work, as an introduction? I could not stop laughing when I read this, it's so, so good: janeclarejones.com/2018/11/13/the-annals-of-the-terf-wars/

In book form, I thought "Trans" did an excellent job, but, yeah, that's not an article...

And this. Honestly I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. So I did both.

(I'm one of the 2018 women working on become a feminist

My daughter is an intersectional feminist and thinks my views are dreadful.

TimeToDateAgain Thank-you

At least they didn't make the usual demand that they be paid for producing this kind of drivel.

[quote WitchButNotTheFunKind]Holy shit OneEpisode can someone archive this please

edinburghath.tumblr.com/post/163521055802/trans-health-manifesto[/quote]
Jesus Christ, this is hilarious. It just goes on and on, they demand anything and everything - talk about deluded.

Good luck with all of that .

That manifesto is nuts

“We demand that trans people are immediately freed from police, military & government contracts without repercussions.”

I don’t get this- why would trans people need to be freed from these contracts, and if it’s to do with the anti capitalist anti state revolution, why just trans people?

Wait wait wait I just read to the end:

“We demand immediate release & pardon for all trans prisoners.”

Are they trolling? That’s some next level shit

I think Jonny Best writes very well about the utter horror that Stonewall have become if that might be a useful lead in?

www.jonnybest.co.uk/whats-gone-wrong-with-stonewall-1

Do you think it’s possible that the issue isn’t that your target audience are uncritical people pleasers who need sugar coated spoon feeding, but actually are just opposed to all forms of transphobia and capable of recognising it even when you try and dress it up as something else…?

www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/trans-transgender-children-gender-family-project

Here you go OP (and madamdedea)

Unlike most TRAs, I think it's important to read stuff one disagrees with.

No '"transphobia" in the modern sense. Just adults who should know better imposing their sexist and homophobic beliefs on non-conforming children or failing to protect non-conforming children from homophobic and sexist bullies.