All About The Cotton Ceiling

[Manderleyagain]

"The Cotton Ceiling" has come up in court today. Many people will not have heard of it before, but there have been some threads on this board full of relevant info. Some are now closed but are worth a look. The phrase is a metaphore for the barriers that trans women encounter when trying to have sexual relationships with lesbians. The metaphorical Cotton is the knickers of lesbian women.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/3294339-cotton-ceiling-evidence-thread

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4386058-BBC-cotton-ceiling-thread-number-2

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/3578225-Transactivists-tweeting-violent-threats-to-Sharron-Davies-for-opposing-the-cotton-ceiling

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4385007-BBC-article-about-cotton-ceiling

The court case is Allison Bailey's employment tribunal. One of her tweets which was the subject of a complaint was about a workshop on overcoming the Cotton Ceiling. It is discussed at the end if thread 6, and the beginning of thread 7.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4550451-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-6

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4551757-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-7

Thanks for the info. It would seem this is nothing more than sexual coercion dressed up as 'progress and kindness'.

Allison Bailey's hearing has certainly been an eye-opener in terms of the brass-necked duplicity going on around this.

What gets me is regardless of the meaning/explanation, it's such an abhorrent term. Speaks of real arrogance and entitlement on behalf of whoever came up with it.

Yes and then to use it as thd title for a workshop. You'd think they would use a blander title, something about dating when you've come out of trans. The sheer boldness of putting something like that in the title.

Interesting.
I hope it means more people's eyes are opened (wide, in sheer astonishment!)

It's basically rape culture.

The website terfisaslur.com has an entire section devoted to the vile rantings of those who denounce lesbians as bigots. Really eye-opening to the mindsets of those who rail against the "cotton ceiling"

terfisaslur.com/cotton-ceiling/

The Cotton Ceiling workshop was organised by trans woman Morgan page. Back in 2012 at the time of the workshop she had an email convo about it with lesbian activist Cathy Brennan. CB put it on her web site. (Maya forstater tweetedit recently).

cathy-brennan.com/i-am-redacted-lesbian/

She basically said that trans womens bodied are female even if they have a penis, so it's wrong (as in inaccurate) for a lesbian to discount them as sexual partners on the grounds of never fancying males.

Worth reading how the conversation unfolds. Stonewall employed this person, and the complained to Allison Bailey's chambers because Allison tweeted about it critically.

I'm a lesbian, transwomen are definitely not in my dating pool.

What I keep thinking is, if they’re struggling to find partners amongst actual lesbians, instead of trying to overcome the ‘cotton ceiling’, wouldn’t it be much easier for trans women to date each other? They could have speed-dating evenings. If they truly believe that you can be a woman with a penis, then surely as a trans lesbian, you must be open to dating other trans lesbians? Or is it only trans women who can reject the mighty penis (of other trans women) now?