Ds1 is a fresher with a transgender flatmate (biological female). He calls his flatmate “he” and refers to his flatmate as gay because his flat mate is in a relationship with a male. His flatmate has had a full mastectomy but no bottom surgery.
He doesn’t believe it does any harm to go along with it and sees it as not rocking the boat and “being kind”. He uses the preferred pronouns. He doesn’t however believe that a person can change sex.
He is finding the flatmate difficult to live with as a generally high maintenance person who needs constant attention and nobody in their large corridor wants to share with them next year.
DS1 is gay. Interestingly the university placed the transgender flatmate in the female section of the corridor.
DS2 is lower sixth and thinks it’s all complete nonsense and a mental health condition.
I am strongly feminist. We have all discussed the issues a lot over the dinner table. I have been very consistent in my view that it’s a mental health issue. That the reinforcement of the belief system is flawed, restricts freedom of speech, perpetuates harmful stereotypes and is damaging to women but that nobody should be treated detrimentally because of how they like to dress (unless it’s overtly sexual and therefore potentially harmful to others such as children - like the enormous boobs teacher in Canada or those who like to parade about in fetish gear in public where children might be).