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.

Don't be oppressive - if they want to self ID as 160 years old who are we to point out the idiocy disagree

I don't know, I'm quite amused by seeing who is supporting beheading women for saying no to men, on a women's rights board, and still thinks they are somehow morally superior beings.

Yes, it's fascinating.

You are getting a variety of honest responses to your post. That you don't like, agree or approve doesn't make them poisonous.

It was incredibly naive to think that the many women here do not have their own personal autonomy, considered views as well as lived experience from which to draw their own conclusions. You are, by your own statement, a young man. The folly and arrogance of youth can often lead one to think that they are the only person ever to have 'seen the light'. You are not!

Many women here have been activists and campaigners for far longer than you have even been alive. We've seen it; done it and have the T-shirts too.

This thread would never have been allowed to stand if a feminist had written it and made those kind of unfounded allegations against trans activists.

I agree.

I have seldom felt more unwelcome

Well, when you crash a party you weren't invited to...

We are bad. bad, selfish mummies! How dare we put the needs (not wants!) of women and girls first! We should be ashamed of ourselves for not spending our middle years happily nonbinaryballpalming!

How fuck up is condoning threats to women, threats of any type to women, and the actual violence as ‘retaliation’!

For what?

Women saying no to you?

Because you want to blame women for the things that violent males with poor impulse control do? You really need to grow up. Because right now you have shown about as much insight into human nature and about as much experience of the world as a teenager.

No threats are ever justified as ‘retaliation’! Ever. Only someone with a male view of life would ever think so.

’Retaliation’! Fuck that is fucked up.

And in Australia, a trans activist physically assaults a gender-critical woman.

reduxx.info/exclusive-australian-woman-left-disabled-following-attack-by-trans-activist/

Does the OP have anything to say about that?

Do you think they realise that they are just the latest in a lonngggg line of Identikit posters? It's like bloody groundhog day here. I wouldn't mind so much but they're just replicas of each other, in almost every detail.

And for the love of God, can any of these people not be quite so spectacularly, breathtakingly self-centred!

You've gotta hand it to her tho, her milkshake certainly brings all the boys to the yard.

So lovely when a male rocks up to say "shut up and do as I say, otherwise him over there will take away your abortion rights".

Seems you know just how precarious abortion rights are, OP? Otherwise there'd be no point using it as a threat, right? So you DO understand patriarchy, but you're happy to keep it and benefit from it?

I know.
I asked mumsnet to take down.
Only came down for a short while, OPs accusations not removed.
We re just women i suppose

Your attitude to women who disagree with you is sickening and tiring. How do you explain/ excuse the placards threatening death? The very fact you call them terf demos shows you don't want to hear women's opinions.
NB The equality act protects women's SEX based rights, not gender.

Lol. You're the one pushing yourself into a feminist space telling women that they need to do comply otherwise there will be consequences.

You couldn't be more patriarchal.

A male who condones threats to women as ‘retaliation ‘ is worthy of your compassion?

On a feminist board?

Well, this is where we are at.

It is interesting the poster self describes as a trans person. Have they had full reassignment surgery? I doubt it. I have only met a few people who are truly trans and employed two mtf staff. Not activists, gentle, discreet. Old school.
I have a ftm young adult, natally a woman and they are not interested in rallies and going into male spaces. They wish for a third space for the comfort and that of ciss girls and women. I also have an knowledge of rapes within prisons through a close friend, it is not a myth. I would never allow my DC to go onto a male hospital ward or male changing rooms. Adult or no they would be thrown to the wolves. There is no way on God's earth they look like a bloke! There is a correlation between ND people and gender dysphoria yet it is brushed under the carpet as it doesn't suit the narrative. The amount of abuse they received from their 'glitter family' for changing their thoughts on cosmetics and surgery was horrific. No 'man' wears nail varnish, tell that to Harry Styles! Everyone deserves respect and transgender thoughts should be heard but not at the expense of vulnerable people. Other countries provide non gendered spaces, we can do that but remember people have a right to object. We are a democracy. For what it's worth I am a feminist and I believe my DC is too.

I'm not sure what these posters think feminism is for.

So could you please illuminate us ignorant natal females @invalide? When a male-bodied person comes into eg a women’s toilet, or starts getting changed with teenaged girls and exposing his/“her” penis, or asks to be transferred to a women’s prison, or if they attend a rape survivors’ support group: how we tell if they are a benevolent, law abiding lovely genuine trans woman or a “vile man”.

Is there a magic sorting hat?

Will they be carrying a special membership card? Or even a GRC?

No.

They will not.

And this is one of the many fallacies of the whole “trans rights don’t impinge on women’s rights” dogma.

What you are arguing that women must accept is all men be allowed unchallenged into women’s spaces, hard-fought for and much needed for safety, privacy and dignity. Because no one can tell the genuine trans woman and the “vile man” apart, but we are told if we question it we are a vile bigot, and may be reported for a hate crime.

You are arguing for voyeurism and indecent exposure to be decriminalised.

We are fed up with the off-the-scale narcisism which is demonstrated by so many transgender TRAs.

Rather than trying to find means of giving trans people AND women safety, privacy and dignity it is all “Me me me ME ME ME! Literal violence! Most marginalised in society! No debate! Women just budge up, shut up and know your place!!!”

I would never allow my DC to go onto a male hospital ward or male changing rooms. Adult or no they would be thrown to the wolves.

Indeed. I worry about these young female people.

Nope.

They all think they are The Golden Babe who will defeat the Nasy-Woman Boomer-Karens with nothing more than glitter, pluck, and a Sociology AS level essay.

Unfortunately for them they ALL sound like the Chatbotthingy regurgitating a 2020 Social Justice Insta account mashed up with an extremely dull EDI training manual, as issued by fusty investment bank that desperately wants to look cool on this year’s corporate pride float.

It’s amazing how dated they sound already - time really does speed up when you are middle aged eh?

All female people

Yes, definitely.

And not all "locals" speak with one accent. I have lived here for nearly 30 years (probably longer than the OP had been alive) and I retain my accent from a childhood overseas.

The problem is patriarchal, which doesn't equate to male. Male is a physical descriptor while patriarchy is a social construct that needs to be taken down.

males who think they're female demanding access to female provisions is the epitome of patriarchy.

That you can't see this is part of the problem.