My son can tell...

[allthevitamins]

Watching 'Inside the Factory' on BBC1 with DS, 10.

Cherry Healy was talking about lightbulbs with Dr Clara Barker, Materials Scientist.

Please note this is not personal in relation to Dr Baker.

Dr Barker is Transwoman.

DS says, 'is that a lady?'.

I say no, it's a man.

We left it at that.

I mean Dr Barker is quite feminine.

But unprompted, my DS knew that Dr Barker is not a woman.

Why should I have to lie to him about this?

Why lie? It is what it is…

I was asked similar by my son when a trans woman worked in the local shop. I told him they were a man but it made them happy to dress up like a lady and pretend to be one. It’s quite simple just sticking to facts.

You don’t need to

If you wanted to say more you could just say, no it’s a man who likes dressing as a woman

Sadly if that poor child who was abducted by the butcher had been told facts and not just ‘shhhhh be kind’ then she wouldn’t have accepted a lift from ‘the lady’ that she felt was a safe option (because that’s what we tell kids isn’t it ‘if you need help ask a lady’).

Oh well this is a relief!!

Now how on earth do I explain the 'intersex progress flag' that has appeared on a local public building?

DS (13) asked about this.

I said it was 'a political statement' and I didn't agree with it being flown on public buildings. I said it was a development of the Pride flag but I thought that it represented a lot of people's feelings, rather than facts, which I didn't think was right for a public building.

Why is this so difficult?!

I feel like these difficult situations are being imposed on me as a parent!

I feel like these difficult situations are being imposed on me as a parent!

its not hard to say the truth plus kids ask a lot more as they get older.

These situations are being imposed on us as parents! It’s all social engineering designed to confuse and subjugate the masses into accepting utter madness as normalcy. Never stop telling your children the truth about any of this.

Thank you all.

It's so hard IRL!

I think the truth is so important. More important than some man's feelings anyway.

They are!!

I mean, I sit down with DS to watch an interesting programme about how sofas are made and I'm left thinking about whether I have to explain 'why that man is dressed like a lady'.

I couldn't be bothered... I felt a bit annoyed! Hence the, yes dear that is a man... gosh isn't it interesting how sofa foam is made!!

Yes, and it's quite apt that it's "dressing up" like a lady, not "dressing" like a lady. They never wear jeans and a hood do they. It's very much playing dress up, putting on a costume. It's never emulating Jane from next door in her tracks bottoms and long sleeve t-shirt.

I know what you mean. It’s striking a balance of informing them of the truth and reality of the situation, without drawing too much attention to it. It’s insane that we even have to address things like this, especially with children.

Oof you're brave.

Good for you!

Well quite.

There's a man on a charity shopping page on Facebook who is forever posting photos of him in his new dresses in the group...

I have to sit on my hands to stop myself from asking why he never finds a nice hoodie or pair of jeans during any of his hauls.

It's so bloody performative, these people are playing a part so can't be upset if mere children can recognise the theatricality of their appropriation.

We turned over from that to Millionaire and there was a TW on there. They called their FIL as the phone-a-friend and it sounded as if FIL called them Jim. Perhaps we misheard.

This doesn't match the behaviour of any trans woman I know, but ok whatever you say.

Actually many trans women do dress exactly as you describe here.

And this is how we know they are never going to be women cos none of them 'wear jeans and a nice top' 😂

They do though.

We were watching that with our 14 and 12 year old DS, we had similar conversations, that it is a man.

Yes they never dress up in jeans and a hoodie. Always very girlie clothes and quite performative.

I too thought I heard the FIL say Jim!

Poor Jim ! 🤣🤣

Oh ok, that’s interesting. Perhaps you could answer the question you’ve been asked a few times now as to how “live as a woman” is defined as per the GRA?

I disagree the transwomen I know dress very conservatively and wear jeans etc. They are what I describe as the old fashioned TW who have GD and are a small subset of TW.

I was going to say similar.

Before I retired I was a SaLT working in Voice, and a number of (genuinely) gender dysphoric men (never women) would be in the clinic to be taught how to speak in a more feminine way.

They were by and large very quiet, self-effacing individuals who were very aware that they were men, but were uncomfortable with their sexed bodies. Some wore dresses/ skirts and tops, some wore jeans/ trouser suits. A scarf to disguise the Adam's apple was very common. But as you say - they dressed conservatively. Often they had undergone or were awaiting surgery.

Not a single one of them dressed like some porn-addled bloke's idea of what a "sexy chick" would be wearing.

Not one.

Who tells children this?!! In no circumstance whatsoever who’d I encourage my child to get a lift from anyone I have arranged it with prior. Even my parents thought me this. I don’t care if it’s a man or a woman.