Does anyone else feel disheartened?

[ItsCoolForCats]

I was so elated at the ruling and the implications for women's sex-based protections.

And I am happy that certain media outlets have realised (begrudgingly in some cases) that refusing to air the concerns of women over the last decade has lead to a very one-sided debate. It's great to see orgs such as Sex Matters being quoted so extensively now.

However, I'm really disheartened by the sheer scale of the push back and by the fact that so many women don't support the ruling. I mean, why would anyone think that women don't deserve fair and safe sporting opportunities, for example? Why is it always women that are expected to forgo their rights?

The Supreme Court ruling should be definitive, but it doesn't feel like the end. There is the judge bringing the case to the ECHR (I know some legal experts have dismissed any chances of success), but I think activists are going to pile a lot of pressure on the government to make concessions and look at amending the law. The disquiet about the ruling amongst so many Labour MPs about the ruling is concerning me.

Is anyone else feeling a bit dejected?

😂
O.K!

How I feel is... women were digging a tunnel with no tools but a bent spoon. Now thanks to the Supreme Court we have our pick and shovel back. Still have to dig the tunnel though.

See also - Stockdale paradox.

I think you residents of Terf Island shouldn't be feeling disheartened, you've made some really significant gains and I think there's enough solid ground reclaimed that you are in a good position to move forward.

I'm struck by the lengths, breadths and twisted processes people will go to to avoid simple solutions like: 2 [usually already in place] sex-specific toilets and an accessible one as per building regs; a 'unisex' one but only if space permits;
'woman' means 'biological woman'; there are only two sexes and you can't switch between them; the Supreme Court is the Supreme Court not a student debating society.
'Simples!' as an anthropomorphic meerkat once said

Confusing what is clear seems to be the main TRA tactic to delay the inevitable rebalancing of rights.

I love MorrisZapp's energy and spirit - a tad OTT but I love it!
If you could bottle it, I'd order a crateful to be sent over to us here in Ireland

Well really it's thanks to FWS and all the dogged and diligent women who kept on digging with the bent spoon that the Supreme Court finally gave us our tools back - but you know what I mean!

The Pagan Federation, British Druid Order, and to a lesser extent Order of Ovates, Bards and Druids have all come out as ant womens rights very publicly. Very upsetting to the pagan community. They are banning members on a whim. No discussions allowed, personal experiences of sexual assault by trans id men being deleted. Witch trials by another name

Right-on sausage fest.

Many such cases.

That is fascinating. I wonder whether it's partly to do with organisations which are involved in one way or another with identity creation being susceptible to other kinds of identity creation which they see as analogous? So either their minds tend in that direction in any case, or they are likely to see challenge to any kind of identity claim as having an impact on their own identity claims? It's been interesting to see in my own field (languages) that it's many of the colleagues who are most concerned with language-learning as an identity move who have been most ready to embrace trans ideology and have been most fractious about the SC ruling.

https://archive.ph/YUmYj

"Overall, the public backed the Supreme Court ruling by 59 per cent in favour, against 18 per cent who disagreed – a three-to-one majority."

Stop worrying. Celebrate. Shout it louder. That 18% will only shrink the more vocal we are.

Sorry if it’s been mentioned already but I listened to Julie Bindel on the Political Party podcast and it was very reassuring that it is the beginning of the end. Clowns like Stonewall and others have to keep challenging it as otherwise they have nothing to do, the organisation will close/refocus and they lose their jobs.

Not disheartened so much as absolutely sickened by the extreme misogyny that has become so normal in the UK.

And I've not seen a 'gratuitous drag queen' news story for days.

God, let’s hope we’ve seen the last of these.

Not surprised at all. I'm chock full of admiration for the intelligent, principled and extremely courageous women who have dared to do this and in doing so have moved the needle back to protect the hard won gains of earlier generations of feminists from those same fascist bigots. I presume you were referring to women like Allison Bailey, Maya Forstater, Kathleen Stock and numerous other wonderfully brave and defiant plaintiffs?

I feel exactly the same. Toys being thrown out of the pram by a loud minority doesn’t change a thing. Even the “protect the dolls” campaign backfired!

'Even the “protect the dolls” campaign backfired!'

Gender critical feminists could not have dreamed of a bigger gift than 'Protect The Dolls' 😁

Yes me too!

I’m on another parenting site where it’s being discussed, there are women doggedly subjecting other women who don’t want to change in front of males or compete against them in sport to struggles sessions.

Why can’t women just say no? why isn’t that enough? It’s actually awful to witness and makes me so angry.

This tweet from Kathleen Stock summarises how I reckon many of us are feeling:

https://x.com/Docstockk/status/1917999038194217155

"I know I have a rep for calm serenity but the closer we get to sanity, the more I feel need to wreak vengeance, raze buildings, salt the land and take down every Establishment or celeb muppet that ever fell for gender nonsense, till they are all in outer reaches of the D-list"
👏👏

Oh, gosh no, OP.

Most people are terfy.

https://archive.is/YUmYj

There is work to be done. But it is a different world from what it was a few years ago.

We have Forstater - 'gc' views are protected beliefs.
We have the Supreme Court - transwomen are men, women's rights are protected, LGB rights are protected.
We have the Cass Report - gender incongruent or questioning children should be supported but not medicalised or 'transed'.

We have a bunch of small but very mighty grassroots organisations working on all different fronts to counter gender ideology's creep.

Most of all we have the ability to talk about it. The omerta and media blackout is gone.

We have a lot of sunk costs and people who've been fed bullshit (sex is a spectrum, etc). It will take time to disentangle the nonsense from every aspect of life where it has been coded into regulation and policy. Politics, religion, healthcare, police, justice system, prisons, schools, the arts, sports, media, HR and the workplace ... there's a way to go!

All we ever needed was sunlight, though. It's breaking through.

Take courage!

Well said Arabella

Lovely post Arabella.
So much has been taken from women and girls but we can get it back.

Schools is where we now need to focus our attention. Transactivists have been all over them selling their "born in the wrong body / girls have no right to boundaries" crap. 😡

YEEEESSSSSSSS!

A la lanterne, vipers!

For all the criticism of women for smiling too widely and celebrating the SC in an unwomanly way, theres a real need to also express our fury and frustration at how this lie was able to be enforced for so long.

It'll be a different story once they realise their insurers won't cover them. At the moment, Stonewall and others are still telling them this isn't law. Wait for the misinformation to dispel and the financial consequences to become known.

All this requiring women to be kind and quiet at getting their legal rights dragged back - after the disappearing and behaviour of men and the media in general sod kind, I agree, I'm furious. Kathleen Stock's post nails it.

I'm feeling sanguine about today's election results and the rise of Reform. Much as I loathe the frog man and his ilk, Labour will have to wise up and seriously address the priorities of ordinary voters and perhaps cater less to the precious element that have led us up this garden path. Otherwise Reform and Kemi will do to Labour what Trump did to the Democrats. It's an open goal.