Worrying Increase in Transphobia

[PorcelinaV]

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/09/09/transphobia-uk-press-media-negative-coverage/

An increase in transphobic sentiment among the British public has been fuelled by hostile coverage of trans people from the right-wing press, argues data journalist Ell Folan....

Unfortunately, newspapers still have a great deal of influence on the public and political agenda in Britain, and nowhere is this more obvious than in how perceptions of trans rights have changed.

As recently as Feburary 2021, an absolute majority of British voters (51 per cent) agreed with the statement “a transgender woman is a woman”, including 6 in 10 women. Just 34 per cent disagreed. But after years of negative coverage from the press, those numbers have changed.

In April this year, only 33 per cent of voters agreed that trans women are women, with 47 per cent disagreeing....

It is clear that the media plays an important role in shaping public perceptions, and unless their negative coverage is corrected and refuted, public opinion will continue to worsen.

Exactly this. Transphobia would be taking or omitting actions that harm trans people. Refusing to believe what they believe is not “phobic”.
I don’t believe in god. I’m not Christian-phobic, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic or anything else.

I've posted on this board a few times and everyone has been kind and respectful towards me, as someone who has transfriends but is still navigating how to stay inclusive without giving up the rights of women and children etc.

I have very mixed feelings about trans issues, it's very complicated with ensuring women remain safe and those with GD are protected and given inclusion that doesn't endanger women.

But I have had phone calls recently with a friend who has been a TW for many many years now, being given really cruel abuse in the street and its heartbreaking because nobody deserves that.

I can support women's rights and admit I have been wrong over my allyship in the past, whilst recognising this is a horrible time for transfolk who don't deserve to be abused simply for living in a body that brings them more comfort.

Probably, well definitely a shite analogy but I've worked with dementia patients who believe their dolls are their baby, it makes them happy if I acknowledge their baby and gives my patient an extra dimension to their life quality.
The other hand my uncle suffers from psychosis and believes he's friends with the beatles and the rollingstones, I can't just drive him around to Paul McCartney's house and ask Paul to indulge his fantasy to give him a better quality of life, because its not safe for Paul (uncle can become violent when confused) also, Paul McCartney has better shit to do than entertain my uncle Steven I imagine.
I truly believe GD is MH and as much as I want to champion many people with this condition to give their lives that extra dimension of inclusion, I am aware that like my uncle Steve being indulged, it could have awful consequences for other people if the wrong people are indulged.

Such a horrid time for women fighting to stop predatory men and a horrid time for transfolk who just want to live as themselves and be left alone.

Nobody deserves to feel unsafe and nobody deserves abuse.

I hate there are people out there saying "punch women in the face" for having an opinion and I hate that someone who has undergone surgery and hormone treatment simply to live life as authentically as they can then has to suffer abuse.

It's a hideous circle and I hope nobody jumps on me for this, I think wanting people to be able to live without fear of harm regardless of how we feel about their choices should be standard for a modern society.

That was absolutely me until my DC said JKR was a bigot and transphobic. This did not align with my impression of the woman based on interviews I’d heard. So I read her essay and was astounded to find out that the majority of TW were biologically intact males. Then I found FWR threads and started to reflect on what was happening and its implications.

If TW had only wanted access to women’s toilets and it stopped there, the debate would have never triggered any wider backlash. It’s the Lia Thomas’s, the Emily Bridge’s, in woman’s sports, the Karen White’s and Barbie Kardashian’s in women’s prisons, the Jo Phoenix and Kathleen Stock’s in academia that are, combined, beginning to trigger a backlash in the wider population. It’s the aggression of TRAs such as the likes of SJB and the misogyny shown to women who are unable to meet undisturbed that is triggering a backlash.

If the wider public are beginning to understand what is happening, that is wholly and purely on TRAs. Which is already resulting in negative outcomes for the LGB (in the US) and trans people who never signed up for the whole scale expropriation of women’s spaces.

It seems deeply transphobic to say that you gatekeep the identity of a transwoman based on whether or not you find their history and criminal record too inconvenient. Any male who identifies as a woman is a transwoman, you can't limit which ones you let do it for goodness sake, that's extremely discriminatory.

It does however mean that you have to plan for the entire group which does contain those whose agenda and behaviour is not something you like. The sex class of men has the exact same problem.

And it makes no odds if you could Vulcan mind meld each and every transwoman (and it's not just transwomen, it's non binary people, people who identify as queer, there are many male people of many chosen identities who wish to be in women's spaces with women)

The fact is that when any male, regardless of how lovely they are walks into a women's space, some women are forced to walk out. You cannot leave female people with no access or facilities so that male people you feel protective of can have their best and happiest choice from all the facilities.

Answers have to work for everyone, equally, or you're not a trans activist, you're just a male supremacist. Unless of course you feel that being a trans ally requires in some way that you actively harm and derogate/subordinate vulnerable women?

OK.

The Scottish Prison Service has a policy for which they were advised by the Scottish Trans Alliance (they didn't bother to consult with women's groups or female prisoners) which place males who identify as women in the female prison estate. No need for a GRC, no need for any kind of transition beyond stating that they 'intend to transition'. And this includes convicted male sex offenders as the Isla Bryson case shows.

This has inevitably led to what has been dubbed 'prison Onset Gender dysphoria' where the convicted male sex offender, who has identified as a women prior to sentencing, (but after their crime) then 'detransitions' the minute they get out of prison.

You may not believe in 'self diagnosis' but here in Scotland, the GRR Bill and the before the law machinations of many of our public institutions have made that a reality - mixed sex prisons and a dearth of any kind of single sex rape crisis services across the country.

So, should we 'discriminate' against all males (regardless of gender identity) in respect to single sex services in order to give women safety, dignity and fairness or should we believe Shona Robison's declaration that no predatory men will take advantage of these kinds of situations in order to be predatory and allow anyone who declares themselves to be a woman into the single sex spaces and services allowed by the Equality Act 2010?

This can't be overstated. Trans women are not the Black people in this (offensive) analogy.

My previous post meant to quote @GCAcademic

It's what happens when uncompromising dogma meets reality.

Yes and the rest of the post

First response nailed it

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

Exactly. It’s just twisting and bending of the language to suit a particular agenda.
Not sharing a belief system really doesn’t mean one denies that people who do have those beliefs exist. It’s such a bizarre claim.

I worry about the amount of men using and abusing the role of TW only to be able to access women only spaces for their own sick gains. Not only does this cause harm to women, but it puts genuine TW in a bad light. I think this is also why it's so important to stop pushing the idea that TW should automatically be allowed into women only spaces. IMO any genuine TW or TM will respect the right of all groups and want to live peacefully as however they feel they are, whilst also receiving respect in return from those around them to express themselves however they want. I have also heard things about young children who are seemingly confused (quite rightly as they are still developing and always changing) and being coerced into changing their identities and even things like starting hormone therapies, either by parents, or from what they learn in school.

@Froodwithatowel Agree that what some call “t-phobia” is what many others increasingly see as “fighting the gaslighting” - especially on the behalf of children.

Don’t compel children to use inaccurate language about what they can plainly see with their own eyes. It boils down to basic safeguarding of children and young people. If this is “T-phobia” to the OP - tough shit.

I often wonder if those believers in 'but just the nice and real ones can be in women's spaces' have really thought this through.

Who is going to stand on the doorway of all women's spaces and check? What are they going to check exactly? How will you be able to identify the ones who are ok and the ones who are not, are you talking about making a judgement based on personal appearance or requiring them to carry some kind of identify card with all the many issues involved there?

Is a male with a history of sex offending and violence against women for example likely to nicely say 'ok, sorry' when you ask them on the door to leave?
What do you do if they just come in anyway?

Really sorry about this, but the GRA was exactly this compromise, and this mess is exactly what has happened when a very few men were granted non consenting access to women and women's spaces. It doesn't work.

It's not transphobic to want to be able to use a public bathroom without the worry of a 6ft bloke being in there, I have no issue with someone being transgender but please keep WOMEN'S spaces safe for women.

So pleased to see the general public are becoming much more informed about this topic. When people realise the vast majority of Transwomen still have male genitalia, they realise exactly what a man and a woman are.

How on earth do we know who the “nice” men are? And what’s the criteria? He won’t sexually assault my DDs? He flushes after peeing??

No decent man would ever dream of coming into women-only spaces. He’d be mortified at the thought of it.

Yes. Also our dignity and privacy. We don’t have to say yes to males in our spaces.

If you have a penis, you don't belong in the women's bathroom. That's as simple as I see it, I don't care how someone identifies I'll respect them and use whatever pronouns they want, but I will never be comfortable and accept the idea that men can impose on women's private spaces as long as they 'identify' as a woman. It's bullshit.

That's why I think even the majority of respondents to that YouGov survey (who thought the line should be drawn between those who have had surgery and those who still have a penis) haven't really thought this through.

You would need bouncers on every toilet door checking people's genitals to make that a workable policy.

And in any case, you could be a post op trans woman and still be obviously male due to your size and body structure and your presence could still be distressing to women even if you happen to be the nicest, gentlest person in the world.

It's just not workable.

Trans women are men. I would never date a trans man or anyone who thinks you can change sex.

Im happy the other side is finally coming across, it’s been fairies and unicorns for years.

I must be getting old. I just don't understand how this had become such a thing.
There is a huge creature with horns and massive dangly bollocks in the field across the road from my house. I would without hesitation have called it a bull before now, but maybe it's a cow, given that body parts and biology mean nothing?

Or are humans special and not bound by biology like other animals?

For me, it’s nothing to do with right wing media (which I don’t use) and absolutely everything to do with not being able to have a sensible conversation on women only spaces and sports without being called a Terf and having personal insults thrown by TRAs.

I’m not transgender myself so you are better off listening to those who are so they can explain it much better than I can.

I'm prepared to listen to TW (or TM) talk about their experience of being transgender. I'm happy to go along with pronouns

I would appreciate it if TW, TM and men would afford me the same respect. And 3rd spaces which anyone can use if they're comfortable alongside single sex spaces for women and men.

Sport with Open and (biological) Women's categories. And I'd appreciate the authorities having zero truck with Prison Onset Gender Dysphoria.

So a moderated version of #BeKind

So much hatred & ignorance, it doesn't worry me one bit if someone is a trans & if they have legal status as a woman or man that's good enough for me. I don't give a shit about sharing a toilet with a trans woman, I mean how the fuck would you know?
If a trans-man on the other hand started using ladies toilet that might raise a few eyebrows.
I just don't buy the it's unsafe argument & the idea that someone who is transgender is doing it because they want to infiltrate a toilet. Christ.
And I've noticed that there's a lot more nastiness than usual of this issue & people who are or have transitioned. It doesn't make sense to me & it's not something that bothers me in the least.

I agree with all of this.