Experiences of a Trans Person

[invalide]

I think it might be healthy to document here the experiences of someone from the other side, and for you to pay it some mind.

I'm an early-twenties STEM student working in renewable energies, and outside of my course I'm a photographer and musician. I've travelled a fair amount and adore my home country of Scotland. Living in Glasgow, I have found a queer community of beautiful people who create a joy to everyday life I treasure.

At the beginning of this month there was a 'Let Women Speak' rally held here that some of you here attended; I have seldom felt more unwelcome and stripped of dignity than while in your crowd, carrying out my photojournalistic duties (images 1&2). While capturing Kellie-Jay Keen pathologising my friends as subhuman perverts and members of the crowd flaunting their homophobia and their use of dogwhistles (subliminal far-right messaging) I was being brazenly looked up and down, receiving steely gazes and pursed lips and hushed whispers behind my back. While photographing the first speaker after Keen, who began her piece portraying autistic people as children devoid of agency, I was approached by one of you who made it clear I looked too queer for their liking and was squaring up for assault. I made my way out at this point (captured at 8:42 here and 9:09 here).
The atmosphere your movement brought to George Square was one I've only before experienced while documenting far-right rallies in Eastern Europe, where I have been hounded through the streets and beaten up for the same reason. I assure you, your ideology would feel very much at home there.

At the other side of the square things couldn't have been more different, you were bathed in colour and music and hugs and laughter, the place is full of friends dancing and dressed resplendent in whatever camp pretty things they felt like (images 2&3).

Ours was a crowd of locals; I strained to hear a Glasgow accent in yours.

Ours is a city that at short notice manages to fill the top of Buchanan Street (image 5) in solidarity with the queer community - the last time I saw it like this was during COP26. It's one that fills George Square in a candlelit vigil for Brianna Ghey.

Your movement has meant I'm called a pervert and a groomer while going about my average daily life. Our morally vacuous, increasingly fascist political class (thinking also of Magnus Hirschfeld and of Martin Niemöller's famous poem) is picking up what you've started and they're running with it. You may not call yourself a homophobe, a white nationalist or an antisemite, but you're sitting awfully comfortably considering that those that do find your movement incredibly attractive.

invalide · Today 16:39

And... then... in the next couple sentences I came close to assault. Do you not see that misogyny and anti-queer violence are two cheeks of the same arse?

Well, you appear to be both cheeks, I must say. Getting glances and being asked to leave isn't being a victim of violence. Women being punched, thrown to the ground, sexually assaulted is them being victims of violence.

As I mentioned earlier, you haven't got anything approaching an honest, or accurate position.

That makes sense

What are Highlanders preferred pronouns?

What are gender based rights?

The rights to do the vacuuming wearing high heels? Because the men who say they are women can totally have the gendery things.

Gendery things are shite.

Piccolo means small doesn't it? 🤔

As I mentioned earlier, you haven't got anything approaching an honest, or accurate position.

None of these people do, either OP or the supportive coddling people. They can't have a rational argument, because they haven't got any.

Gays 4 Kellie J!

Hey @invalide ! You're back!

Can you link to any of those "thousands of other threads calling me and the people I love perverted degenerates". Cos I want to report those comments on your behalf.

Blimey, that was a record speed deletion. I don't see how pointing out that deliberately violating boundaries is utterly predatory is worthy of deletion but I expect our monitors are on this like locusts.

Ereshkigalangcleg · Today 17:43

None of these people do, either OP or the supportive coddling people. They can't have a rational argument, because they haven't got any.

Well, that certainly seems to be the case, but tragically, some people believe every invented word - and act on it.

OP, you will never, ever have the slightest bloody inkling what women live through.

@invalide more than happy for anyone from Twitter to come here and read for themselves to decide on if what women posting here is "vile", "bile" or "ill thought out".

"ill thought through bile".

LOL.

Coming from an ideology that cannot define what a woman is, doesn't consider the long term implications of puberty blockers, hormones and surgery on young children and adolescents, lets men into women's jails with no forethought of the consequences, cannot even define what a trans person IS ('cause some are not "real" trans are they guys?), didn't consider the ramifications of the GRA in both political and real terms, and so much more, can I just say....

snigger

more than happy for anyone from Twitter to come here and read for themselves to decide on if what women posting here is "vile", "bile" or "ill thought out".

Well, as anything not a complete and utter capitulation to their demands tends to be categorised as "literal violence" and "genocide," I won't hold my breath.

No idea who you mean so for sure I’m not

Actually saying that they are people you love does not stop them being abusive to women nor prove that they in the right, here. I have watched some of the footage of the Glasgow Let Woman Speak meeting, and the one in Bristol and a bit of the one in Leeds. It was not the women fighting for women's rights who were abusive and violent. 'Kill Terfs' is hardly a benign injunction, is it? But I have seen it everywhere those who object to women speaking up about their sex based rights are protesting. Can you explain why that is, if you are all so lovable and friendly?

Fascinating thread. The next time I need to demonstrate how the trans movement has a problem seeing women as people deserving of rights, I'll be sure to signpost here.
The thing is, OP, as long as you keep covering your ears and painting every person who disagrees with you as 'far right' this conflict isn't going away.
Start listening to women and what we're actually saying instead of just taking everything in bad faith and calling it a dogwhistle. You might actually get somewhere.

I follow your DD on YouTube, I believe. She awesome!!! My DD and her would get along!

Half the women on here are gender nonconforming.

The very concept of gender identity is about conformity to gender stereotypes.

Free yourself from gender. Redefine what it is to be a male and you have my undying admiration. But women have a few things they need separate from men. I don't believe in gendered souls and I don't allow anyone to compel my thoughts or language. That is the only totalitarianism going on here.
Sorry you can't accept that, but it is irrelevant whether you can accept it or not really.

Also your stats are not stats, they are opinion pieces, an online questionnaire and non hate crime incidents.

No one is physically threatening you, they just don't think you are female.

Much older - that's only their working life, and even then just in one particular sector.

I think it might be healthy to document here the experiences of someone from the other side

What makes you think we don't know what those experiences are? We don't live in a bubble you know. The queer people I know are indeed very lovely. They are also naive and rather close minded. Not people who hear bad news about their own side, and deep in denial. So they're quite dangerous to other even more naive people.

Even some of the ones who've been doing this for years. Sometimes I feel like Rip Van Winkle.

I'm an early-twenties STEM student working in renewable energies, and outside of my course I'm a photographer and musician.

Bless. You have a lovely time. And if you're female, we'll be here for you when you need us. ( If you're not female, well you're not my child so you'll have to ask your own mum, sorry.)

subliminal far-right messaging

When you're old enough to have seen the real thing you'll not worry about "subliminal". Don't drive yourself crazy reacting to every "subliminal" message you see, or think you see. Focus on the overt content and you'll find the subliminal takes care of itself.

You may not call yourself a homophobe, a white nationalist or an antisemite, but you're sitting awfully comfortably considering that those that do find your movement incredibly attractive.

I wont take that personally because you're not Nicola Sturgeon, I would have expected her to know better especially with poor Pam Gosal sitting opposite.

And do be careful who you associate with. Motes and beams.

OP I'll try to be nice. If that is your twitter account, think about changing the picture.

Note to self, remember to buy some fish food.

Bless.

Imagine not realising that transactivism is the patriarchy wearing a new pair of dangly earrings.

Yeah. And it thinks it represents me: a straight woman with a shaved head and a football season ticket.

I loathe being confined to Queer Street. It has absolutely nothing to do with me!