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.

Have they/them fecked off?

1. Women are responsible for what men do.
Women fighting for women's rights are right wing male nutters. Obviously.

2. Women saying no to men is a hate crime.
No. I just said it. I don't hate you. I'm just saying no.

3. Women speaking for themselves are exclusionary and selfish.
See no. 2. Think we definitely got that vibe in the OP.

4. Women’s opinions are violence against men, thus male violence against women is justified.
Bingo. Seen that one

5. Women and Feminism must be useful to men or they are worthless.
Women must be an ally. Or be crushed. Ok. Check

8. Men are whatever men say they are and women are whatever men say they are.
Definitely got that one

10. The worst thing about male violence is that it makes men look bad.
Oh dear. Who is doing the threatening on this thread?

11. Whatever women suffer from, it is worse when it happens to men.
Of course. Got it. Apart from all those murders. Oh wait. Women get murdered much more often for just being women.

12. Women’s ability to recognize male behavior patterns is misandry.
Evil women. Isn't that a lot of the entire premise of the OP.

13. Angry women are crazy. Angry men have trouble expressing themselves.
Ahum yep. Gotcha. Seen that one too.

14. Women have all the rights they need: The right to remain silent.
Yeah don't protest women. That makes you right wing.

15. Men are the default human. Women are strange subhuman others
Who aren't worthy of respect like men. They are fair game to threaten and intimidate.

16. Everyone owns and controls women’s bodies except the women themselves.
Tick. Shut up women.

Do you think we can get a full house before the end of the thread? I think we are doing a good job so far given the page count.

I honestly applaud your post , your photos and your testimony . I’m tired of the anti trans brigade and their hate and their bigotry . For over 14 decades I dealt with women’s rights directly and indirectly and represented them . I’ve never in those 14 years had a woman come to me with anything even related to trans women affecting their rights or fear of trans women . Im sure a tinny minority had some sort of issue at a stage , I’m not denying it , but is this worthy of taking away rights to a whole community? Of promoting hate ? Of constantly harassing an already under attack minority ? Absolutely not .
Trans people , men , women , I don’t care have as much rights to be protected under our laws as anyone else .
Seeing this almost “ far right “ like as you describe so well , protests in Scotland is actually scary . Scotland is a country that accepts people , promotes human rights and acceptance . Bigotry has no place here

Comforting to know that even men who tell us they are women are still willing to spare the time to tell us how to woman better.

The thread got hidden briefly, then opened up again. There have been a lot of deletions of women defending themselves against the overt misogyny of the OP and the kind of people who think it's acceptable to threaten women with violence for standing up for women and girls. The monitors are watching.

You spent over 14 years dealing with women's rights and still don't understand that we have the right and need, for single sex provision?

I must admit, I do zone out a bit at work too, but that seems a bit extreme

I must admit, I do zone out a bit at work too, but that seems a bit extreme

Second this!

@SueVineer I must have missed the part where OP said that people deserved violence for looking at her wrong, or maybe you just made that up?

Honestly I'd respond to everyone who has already quoted or responded to me, but this thread is already spiralling and I don't have that kind of time commitment.

Ironically a lot of the responses demonstrate exactly the kind of abuse OP is and has been subjected to. It's tiring for me to see let alone a trans person. I wonder how some of you get anything done when you're so constantly enraged!

Well, that's my entire life ruined,

i guess am going to put my 14-year-old son back up for adoption,

I expect this thread will pop up on Twitter later, if not already.

So where do you stand, Mum23amazingkids, on whether it’s ok to threaten women with decapitation if you feel disrespected by what they say? Are you in favour like the op?

I actually see much misogyny in what you call the 'Queer community'. The attempt to 'Queer' society is massively back-firing - for the reason it is founded on the erosion boundaries of the type that women and girls, and children more generally, require to be safe and to have dignity.

Furthermore 'Queer' does not represent everyone who is gay or lesbian, and it also represents a lot of people who are not even gay or lesbian. Many people reject Queer Theory and do not see it as a positive at all.

You missed it, despite several people quoting it and responding to it.

I'm putting this here into your echo chamber to let you know what this moment in time is like for the other side.

Do you seriously think that women have no insight into what it's like to be male? I ask because transgenderism is a men's rights movement.

Maleness is considered to be the default setting. The male experience/ outlook is what's called normal. We've been told the male story since we were born. We know it by heart.

And we know what we're facing, whether you're enforcing your demands through violence or through moral blackmail. Or (as at present) through gaslighting society into treating cross-dressing men as victims and ushering them into all women-only spaces -- the advance guard for all other men who want to end women's right to be away from the male gaze.

So violence against women is justified if they push your buttons. Now where have I heard that before? And you wonder why women don't want you in their space.

Scotland is a country that accepts people , promotes human rights and acceptance . Bigotry has no place here

Unless you count the sectarian violence which still simmers in Glasgow, or the open hostility to English people. And please, don't pretend that racism doesn't happen in Scotland...

Bigotry is still there are always has been. I think it has just changed its makeup, personally.

where OP said that people deserved violence for looking at her wrong

OP quite clearly said "retaliation" was justified due to "existential violence".

What rights don't TW have, apart from rights given to women as a sex class?

TW can't legally be discriminated against for jobs, housing etc.

But that doesn't give them the right to invade spaces set aside for biological females.

People cannot change sex

men however they present are not women

sometimes sex really matters eg ensuring TW are still called for prostate exams

women are entitled to single sex spaces

men can’t have everything they want

I’m so against things told from both sides here I would be here all day making a list . But I say it again , it’s good to see her testimony here . It’s important she knows , people are not all like on MN .

For over 14 decades I dealt with women’s rights directly and indirectly and represented them
^^
14 decades.

Well I guess you are like one of those people who has to make a big deal of saying they've done more than anyone else on the internet can possibly have done - it's a propaganda technique known as an appeal to authority to try and look as if you have more creditals than anyone else.

But 14 decades might be slightly over exaggerating it...

...kinda undermines your appeal to authority. And it's rather disrespectful to suggest that no one hear has experience working with women or is a woman who has a problem in this area.

The fact that you are full on TWAW probably would put off a woman from telling you such an issue too.

But minor details....

Interesting take on the 2 rallies that took place at the same time OP. I was there. The two groups were well separated at different ends of George Square. It was very well policed. There was no need for the let women speak participants to go to the other rally or vice versa, so I am intrigued that you came over to mingle and got such "accurate" information.
Where I was standing were all Scottish accents as far as I could tell. But it's a major city and a welcoming one, so what's the problem with different accents?
Interestingly, two of the speakers were detransitioners from glasgow. Both were devestated that as soon as they questioned their trans status, they were left with no friends from "the trans community" that previously loved them and were ostracised and harassed for their changing beliefs. Were you there for that bit OP?