I think I’m being targeted because I said Adult Human Female publicly.

[GrandKarber]

I’ve name changed but I’ve been here a LONG time.

I posted in a political discussion about the definition of women and the use of cis-gender. I don’t consider myself transphobic, I was absolutely clear that I defend the rights of everyone to live and identify how they want, including protecting female only spaces, and that I define a woman as an adult human female. In 2 posts.

I’ve been banned from the page, trolled, my business has been targetted via its overarching company (I have a franchise) and I’m spooked. We live above the shop, and my kids are here and they know where I am.

What prompted me to post was the comments about Jess Phillips being a coward. She is trying to do all this publicly, in a world where it’s even more dangerous to be a woman. I’m so angry and feel so helpless about it all. I’m not easily cowed, but these utter bullies don’t fight a fair fight. They’re not arguing about a philosophical position, they’re attempting to ERADICATE anyone that disagrees with their fucking ridiculous world view. And I feel like there isn’t anything I can do without risking my family. That’s it, really.

Did OP mention and condone the postings of notable gender critical figures such as JK Rowling?
WTH? Are you saying being publicly in agreement with JKR means you deserve to be threatened and harrassed?

@Christinapple "By making a point of using these words one is basically saying "look everyone, just so you all know I'm a TERF"."

So what words may we use, then, Christina?

We're the class of people who only just got the vote 100 years ago, can't leave the house in Afghanistan, are selectively aborted on a terrifying scale internationally and are 70% more likely to be injured in a car accident here.

We used to have a word to describe ourselves. We used that word to win the vote. We were using it to fight the fights above. We needed it. But now it's been taken from us.

And the objective phrase we resorted to instead, as the only way left to name ourselves? You appear to be inferring above that using it makes threats to violence, if not justifiable, then at least understandable.

So what may we call ourselves?

I ask in all seriousness. Day to day I find myself wanting to use "woman" as it used to be understood, only to remember it's likely to be understood differently. So I brace myself to substitute "adult human female", only to realise it could be taken in bad faith by people like yourself. So I choose between the word that doesn't mean me any more, or the phrase that actually makes me feel unsafe in certain contexts (after all, you say it yourself, above - my using it really can make people that angry).

And it eats away at me as I realise how little I must matter, for society - for our probable next PM, of all things - to have put me in this position.

You've left me without words.

How can you believe this to be defensible?

OP, I'm so sorry. Every time a woman - here at least I know it's still understood - speaks up, she runs this risk. It's a terrifying attempt to silence us. And it's deeply, ethically wrong.

Even this thread, though, will be opening eyes.

QE fucking D.

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/features/bristol-first-female-councillor-elected-openly-trans

Pardon the French, but...

These firsts still matter for us. And they're being taken away, rendered meaningless - and when there is no real, female, first - a first that is truly ours - that ongoing potential discrimination is now being proactively hidden from sight. We can no longer know for sure. It's devastating.

OK, take woman if you insist, it looks like you've won that fight for now at least - but, please, please, leave us something. Just a word. Just some way to distinguish our ongoing, dragging, desperately-needed progress after all these millennia.

It upsets me so much.

It's really, utterly devastating.

Catiette · Today 14:12

Posts like this are what the Thanks button was made for!

🙂

It makes me so angry (maybe you could tell!)

Writing helps a little.

But only a little.

Please don't twist or manipulate what I actually said, thanks.

Just trying to suggest why whatever community OP was posting on may not be currently welcoming of members who appear and openly state they are anti-trans.

Exactly this.

Best of luck, OP.

The TRAs got a terrific lead by piggy-backing on the gay-rights movement, so most people’s first impression was that they were a harmless oppressed minority. Brilliant though dishonest PR.

But as news sources get braver about reporting the issues, I think the public is waking up. And this of course makes the TRAs more aggressive than ever.

Re: @Christinapple's post at 1441...

That's fairly unambiguous: the OP used the phrase "adult human female", and that's equated to "openly stating they are anti-trans".

So, Christina, my question stands.

What word/s are we allowed to use to distinguish us as a class with distinct political needs while safeguarding us from potentially violent accusations of bigotry?

Your passion and eloquence is beautiful 👏👏👏

I’m not a Terf because I don’t believe in being trans exclusionary unless it relates to female only spaces. I’m a feminist but not a radical one in the true sense of the word. And I said that a woman is an adult human female.

This was on Facebook. I can’t remember which page because as I’ve said I was blocked and banned but I’m not enormously politically minded so in all likelihood the page will have been something to do with my job (totally apolitical franchise) or a daft meme/tag page, which I generally don’t bother with. It certainly WASNT a local one or one related to gay/transness.

So now we have that cleared up, I have two questions for @Christinapple

1. What is a woman?

2. Were the people who targeted me and my business correct in doing so?

Furthermore you may be interested to know that all this harassment did was absolutely solidify any negative, distrustful, and exclusionary views which may have been harboured by anyone who even heard about what happened. And I made sure that plenty did.

@Christinapple i really do wish you could see how counterproductive and divisive such silencing is to ANY group. Instead you sit there, desperately trying to excuse the behaviour of these people.

Erm...that is exactly what you are doing. You are twisting things to be "anti-trans" entirely based on your perception. Maybe you should re-examine your own language before criticizing others.

Christina doing sterling #BeeeeeKind #OperationLetThemSpeak work for The Right Side Of History again, I see.

@Catiette brilliant posts, you put it perfectly thank you. @GrandKarber I'm so sorry you're going through this. It is absolutely wrong. And not nice that there's a goady poster who has decided that you are to blame for this. Sending

OP please don't fall into justifying yourself or posting text that could ID you in real life. Take care of yourself and get that post deleted with that info in it.