Pulled up at work for ‘trans views’

[wherearethemarsbars]

Recently, a colleague at my company has declared that they are ‘agender’ and asexual and has asked to be addressed as ‘they’. As a result, my company decided to arrange a trans training session where some trans people came in to talk to us all about gender and terminology etc etc.

During this session, I was asked to describe my experience of living as a ‘cis woman’. I said that I didn’t have any experience of living as a cis woman, only as a woman so I couldn’t comment. I was pressed further and didn’t say much, only that the term ‘cis woman’ doesn’t align with my personal beliefs of what a woman is, so therefore declined to comment any further.

A few days later, I was pulled up on this by management who said that my behaviour was not acceptable and that I should be making an effort to be inclusive to everyone. I’m a bit baffled. Can I get others’ thoughts on this topic?

This is so true. For what it’s worth and slightly off topic, but I am in a relationship with another woman. I used to go to a lesbian social group from time to time in my city, and at a certain point they started allowing trans women (who very much looked like men) to attend. I noticed on the FB group recently that they put a statement out saying their ‘position’ is that they do not recognise this ruling and trans women are still welcome, and basically if you don’t like it, take this opportunity to review your membership.

You can guess what happened to my membership 👋

I would so be getting on to my union rep about this. Fucking bullies.

Get the F out of there!

Quite! I wish they'd put as much inclusivity into people with disabilities in hospital. My FIL is 97 and profoundly deaf and partially sighted. They thought his directional amplifier with headphones was a music machine/radio. No effort made to speak to him properly. Wonder if he'd said he was trans he would have got better treatment. !

I assumed this total waste of money training was very much on the way out. Don't the NHS have better things to spend money on FFS.

I wonder what your company paid for the training. They should get a refund because they gave out out of date information. ‘cis’ has always been a meaningless series of letters.

It implies that women who haven't identified out of being women somehow identify with their social roles and gender stereotypes and therefore their oppression. I don't. 'Cis' can fuck off.

Many unions are captured. See all the ridiculous announcements they've issued since the judgement. The Free Speech Union isn't and, I believe, anyone can pay to be a member. Other than that though I know little of them.

This sounds like a very good idea.

FFS the NHS are on its knees with needing finding and they are spending money on training like this?!?!?! And you wonder why they are in such a state.

No it’s hugely offensive why should she sit there and be forced to accept that language being used at her?

i bet they won’t do it…

In what capacity are you doing this?

The term cis women is not acceptable to women.
It is not a term many women agree with since it is used by a community to remove the title women
They were disingenuous in using it to refer to you.

I would therefore declare that courtesy works both ways.
You did nothing wrong, they did. They know women do not agree with their terminology and yet insist everyone bows down to whatever terminology they want everyone else to use.

I would not acknowledge such a question.

True, some more than others.

I would have said I don't see myself as a cis woman (I'm mid 50s so that terminology wasn't something I was bought up with) but I understand some other people do identify me that way. To me, I'm just a middle aged woman and what parts of my life experience do they want clarification on? My age is probably a bigger part of how people see me now than my sex as I'm almost a "boomer". I would probably say I don't like being identified by my age as I do think a lot of younger people make assumptions about "boomers" (the term nearly always used negatively) or those who could be seen as such.

A lot of negativity around older people these days so in that way I can identify with people who feel judged because of assumptions others make.

You might want to look up Havel’s grocer. There are many threads that quote it on FWR.
.

Sorry if someone has already explained this but in light of the SC judgement, the term in effect doesn’t exist.

previously we were told

‘cis’ women’ plus trans women = Women

but that’s isn’t true

biological women (which includes trans men) =women

and VV

cis doesn’t exist. Trans women sits as a subset of biological men

I'd be sending an email to my manager and copying HR in about discrimination against my beliefs. Beliefs are, as I understand it, a protected characteristic in the equality act, and I would make sure I documented the conversation where he pulled me up in the email so there is a written record. I would also include information on the supreme court ruling stating that transwomen are men.

Spot on.

That's funny, because all this gender idealogy came in long before he was in power.

The Supreme Court Judgement only affected definition of sex in the EA.

People can continue to use 'cis' if they want, and other people can continue to find it offensive.

You could simply reply by saying: “I refer you to the outcome in the case of Forstater v CGD.”

What a load of bollocks! They''re allowed be called anything they like and you can't say you are a woman!
Exactly what one poster said, ask them for their concerns in writing. I bet they won't do that and if they do they'll come off looking even crazier.

This and then this again and again and again; when will they learn 🥹