MP comes out as transgender

[poshme]

A male Tory MP has released a statement on Twitter that they are transgender, and also that a couple of years ago they were raped.
It's a brave statement.

@lifeturnsonadime He is a male adult (a man) with gender dysphoria. I really don't see what you're struggling with.

@Bambooshoot So you think he felt 0 trepidation about the derision he would receive from Tories about having been raped by a man?

Honestly, my first thought was that this was a wind up designed to open the eyes of the electorate as to what is being suggested re self-ID:

"Dear Electorate, I won't be changing my pronouns or appearance or any single thing about myself but now that I have declared myself trans/a woman I (arguably) fall within the ambit of the EA2010 'gender reassignment' provisions (and even if I technically don't, who's going to have that legal argument with me or within their organisation when deciding whether to exercise the EA exemptions?). Also, should self-ID be introduced, I ought to be eligible for legal change of sex marker on all my documents including my birth certificate, making it even harder to exclude me from single-sex provisions carved out under the EA2010. Thanks for listening. Lots of love, Mr (presumably) Wallis."

Truly, if he'd not included the bit about the rape (which is horrifying and far too dark a thing to include in making an ironic political point) I would absolutely have been leaning towards that as the most likely intention here.

All best wishes to him as a person - I hope he recovers - but, goodness me, this sums up where we are rather starkly.

I mean, everyone is potentially trans, which means everyone is in this sacred caste, which means everyone can now go round pimping, swindling and drink-driving, and everyone who finds that a bit objectionable is just a big, nasty bastard.

[quote Innocenta]@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g Pretty complex when it's a person who acknowledges he is male, with gender dysphoria, and attracted to men. Obviously a lot more honest than the 'was always actually a woman!' version, but you're right, it's not precisely coming out as gay. [/quote]
People with gender dysphoria are pained by their appearance and want to make changes .

Why then is he still being called he with no intention of changing appearance?

How are we supposed to treat him? As a woman who dresses and asks to be referred to with male pronouns?

[quote Innocenta]@Bambooshoot So you think he felt 0 trepidation about the derision he would receive from Tories about having been raped by a man? [/quote]
I'm not a Tory voter but do they regularly abuse survivors of rape?

@DrSbaitso I'm not a Tory voter either but I have plenty of familiarity with homophobia. Are you implying the Tory party has moved beyond this...?

[quote Innocenta]@lifeturnsonadime He is a male adult (a man) with gender dysphoria. I really don't see what you're struggling with. [/quote]
I am struggling with understanding why he needed to make a declaration and whether he now considers himself a woman by making this declaration.

Whilst making no attempt to change his prounouns or appearance.

Transwomen are women, is Jamie Wallis a woman?

@EndaDay

His majority may be tiny now but I won't be surprised if his brave announcement means that he garners more votes in the next election.

The trans activists and their allies-sadly, a surprising number of those who call themselves allies in their own erasure-are young women-will see to that.

I’d stake my house he’ll lose his seat. For every trans supportive vote he gains, he’ll lose two from traditional Tory supporters. It’s not going to play well with blue rinses.

@lifeturnsonadime Do you socialise with him? Is this an immediate problem for you?

*sorry, tories not labour.

@Livelovebehappy Nothing he did justified what the rapist did. At all.

@Innocenta hand up I'd probably imply that, yes. Is there a particular reason you think that's not the case?

[quote Innocenta]@lifeturnsonadime Do you socialise with him? Is this an immediate problem for you? [/quote]
Of course it's a problem for all women if the bandwith of transwomen (therefore women) includes men who declare they are trans and don't even change pronouns or appearance.

It's a step beyond anything I've come across before. Even Danielle Muscato uses female pronouns.

I actually think this helps. He is saying he is trans yet very obviously not changing. This helps the TWANW case - you can be trans (or suffer dysphoria) without transitioning therefore you cannot have any reason for insistence that TWAW.

[quote Innocenta]@BoreOfWhabylon Well, I think it's an atrocious way to respond to someone's testimony about their rape. Perhaps you're not very familiar with assault in gay and lesbian settings but what Jamie said is actually very plausible and convincing. There's no reason to doubt him. [/quote]
@Innocenta you know nothing about me. I was an A&E nurse for more than 30 years. I have cared for literally hundreds of victims of assault, sexual assault and rape. I have cared for dying AIDS victims back in the 1980s when others were scared to even touch them. I have cared for pre and post op transexuals. I am not homophobic. I am not transphobic

I still say there is every reason to doubt anything this individual says.

@ReallyIsThatIt I can't boil it down to only a single reason, but no, I very strongly believe that the entrenched attitudes of the Tories en masse continue to include considerable homophobia. I'm truly quite astonished that people on this thread (in this forum!) don't agree with that. Ii mean, fair enough, obviously opinions will differ, but I think there's such a wealth and preponderance of indicators that it's almost on the "is the Pope Catholic?" level.

@CarbonelCat very well put, especially in the light of Johnson’s ducking and diving in today’s PMQs.

I believe I'm right in saying that there have been quite considerably more 'out' Tory MPs than Labour, in fact and that this was still true in 2019. Happy to be corrected.

[quote Innocenta]@DrSbaitso I'm not a Tory voter either but I have plenty of familiarity with homophobia. Are you implying the Tory party has moved beyond this...? [/quote]
You say he'd be derided for being raped. Do you actually mean he'd be derided for being gay?

@Crimesean

Poor man - being raped is horrific

It's good news that he feels like he can live authentically.

Live authentically? He said he was going to stick with he/him pronouns and not change his presentation in any way. How is he trans?

I never said you were transphobic, @BoreOfWhabylon - I've been accused of transphobia myself when I know that I am not transphobic at all, so I don't casually throw the accusation around. I personally feel you are casting inappropriate doubt on a rape victim, and it's my right to express that view. But I have not accused you of being transphobic. I don't think any criticism of a trans individual constitutes transphobia.

@DrSbaitso I specified being raped by a man. You don't seem to know a great deal about how targeted homophobia works, frankly.

[quote Innocenta]@DrSbaitso I specified being raped by a man. You don't seem to know a great deal about how targeted homophobia works, frankly. [/quote]
Under UK law, rape can be committed only by a man, so there wasn't really any need to make a point about it. So are you saying you think the Tories will deride him for being raped, or for being gay?