Cambridge dictionary drops new definition of the word ‘woman’

[Coconutmeg]

It’s quite long to get in a t -shirt though.

They demanded 'women' included them, now the call themselves female too.

No. They are men. Every single one of them. Whether it's dysphoria or a sexual paraphilia.

Only men are so fucking entitled and privileged that they can literally define women out of their own category just to accommodate their fantasy of what they think a women is.

Quite.

The line has been way too crossed at this point for being 'polite' any longer.

Male people are not female. Ever. At any point. There is no point of transition that turns a male person female. I will not support or enable this ridiculous lying any longer. Too much. Way, way, way too much.

They demanded 'women' included them, now the call themselves female too.

The definition doubles down on tying 'female' to woman, interestingly. In the 'woman' definition there is no way that someone who is female is not a woman, so it's transphobic against trans men.

It goes so far as to say that living as 'female' (even if that female is a trans man) is enough to make you a woman.

Trying to read this having just woken up.

I'm so confused.

So at this point maybe everyone should remove male and female, man and women from their vocabulary and become adults and children. Then at least we will know that anyone left using female or woman must be a man.

Bollocks to them, let's shout it from the rooftops - if you have a penis you are a man!

It's about having been on the developmental pathway which leads to the ability to produce small gametes. Penis is irrelevant

It's about having been on the developmental pathway which leads to the ability to produce small gametes. Penis is irrelevant

Not quite - it's a sufficient but not necessary condition.

Every human who has an actual penis, not a grafted on appendage from their arm or leg tissues, is a man or a boy. You can be a man without a penis, for medical reasons.

Using their logic, 'sea horse' should be included in the definition of 'a horse.' The same error would be committed, which is that the terms 'trans woman' and 'trans man' have their meaning built into BOTH of those words and not just the latter part.

A 'trans woman' or a 'trans man' is a gender identity (for those who belief in the unfalsifiable concept of an abstract gender identity) which is used to signify that the person is, in fact, of the opposite sex to the second word in those expressions. It doesn't make sense to discuss these inside the definitions of 'man' and 'woman.' They should have their own separate definitions.

I also notice that while 'female', as a noun, has that warning about most people frowning on its use outside scientific literature, 'male', as a noun, has no similar warning at all. So there is the common linguistic erasure of all terms referring to people of the female sex happening here, too. Which is not something neutral.

You may use the word however you wish and other people may also use the word however they wish.

What other words does that work for? If I decide I am a "judge" based on how I wish to use that word can I on the strength of that demand my right to preside over a court? If I decide I am a "police officer" do I therefore have the right to arrest others as long as I follow police procedures? (Words of course I may also use as I wish)

If not, why not? Why does how someone wishes to use the word "woman" unlock the rights and access that go with that word, but not these others?

No. I'm afraid some things are just a straight lie. And my internal response to someone using 'whatever word they like' is 'that's a lot of crap'.

There's a finite limit to how much all this can be indulged, and we've reached it. Largely through the absolute lack of respect for others it involves.

It is not only the ‘mary’ with small m that is wrong but also the misuse of ‘assigned at birth’.

The only reason this has changed is because activists don't like the argument of the dictionary definition of woman.

I find the obsession with eroding what makes a woman a woman odd, because what's the point of transition? How can someone have gender dysmorphia if being a man is exactly the same as being a woman?

Now also on AIBU

To think that the Cambridge Dictionary doesn’t know what a woman is? http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/4697740-to-think-that-the-cambridge-dictionary-doesnt-know-what-a-woman-is

Exactly.

Hence having now turned 'woman' into a word being emptied of all meaning and no longer meaning a female person, there's now a full on attempt to grab and colonise 'female' too.

Which when it's been emptied of all meaning and mostly means 'male person who says so' will mean the next target is identified.

There is no sense, no logic, no coherence.

Odd definition of 'drops' which means to cast aside, or colloquially 'drop in', 'drop off' meaning to visit or to deliver.

Who knew that this Cambridge Dictionary could have such a very low standard.

Language is actually part of a form of logic.

Is this really the official dictionary? If so it isn’t worth using.

Mary with a small m and assigned at birth
are very wrong.

(The Telegraph does not seem to have picked up on the small ‘m’ in their report:
It gives the examples: “She was the first trans woman elected to a national office” and “Mary is a woman who was assigned male at birth”)

The definition does not include the biological fact that women are of the reproductive type with large gametes

It is wrong to give two contradictory definitions, as they do, by saying a man could be a woman, without explaining that the second definition is unrelated to the meaning of ‘woman’ as an adult female human being - but is either a ‘legal fiction’ in the case of a man having a GRC; or a fiction in ‘common use’ to reflect the feeling of some men that they have a female sense of themselves which trumps their sex.

At least Alexa gets it! www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4697702-alexa-is-a-terf

So according to the Cambridge Dictionary, woman now means man.

Me too. So disappointing.

What does this do in terms of the law? Men can claim they are women now according to the dictionary definition. How did this happen? Who decides this?

The primary definition is still 'adult human female'.
But yes, it needs clarifying
If you've not seen the gov.uk petition yet, here's the thread with the link

www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard/4668426-petition-update-the-equality-act-to-make-clear-the-characteristic-sex-is-biological-sex?page=5&reply=122280895

Thank you. DH is also signing.

"She was the first trans female athlete ..."

I'm confused by the use of "she"? Surely if they are female and also trans then the person identifies as either they or he or they wouldn't be trans - they'd just be female? because if they were female they wouldn't need to be trans in order to identify as a woman? My head hurts.

Yes, 'trans female' has become a meaningless phrase because of some trans activists trying to appropriate 'female'.