Expressing 'gender critical' views

[ArabellaSaurus]

If you hold gender critical views-

-There are two sexes
-Sex is immutable
-Biological sex matters, and laws relating to sex should be based on sex not 'gender'

• please tell me if you feel able to express these views:

-To friends and family
-On social media
-In a professional context

I'm keen to hear whether women in particular feel that their right to freedom of belief and freedom of expression is upheld in the UK today.

Many thanks.

Yeah i dont believe anyone can change sex, just like I don't believe someone can change race, or learn to fly. But my life isnt a life where this issue is pertinent or requires extensive discussion. I have too much else going on. Worrying about things like poverty and gang crime and cuts to the education system.

I guess as it is for all of us, battles must be picked. Im not sure how much use there is in arguing. I find asking questions maybe more productive.

And do you think that laws should be based on sex, or on each individual person's inner feelings?

You know it's not all about you, right?

This comment says that either you're a man, or you're a woman who has led a sheltered life and is speaking from a position of uncomprehending privilege.

Their sex. But I honestly don't think it is a priority if it isnt uniformly that way across every single aspect of life because I think in many cases, the people going to that space know that it is "trans friendly" and either don't care or fully support it.

As I said, I'm thinking about things like poverty and the education system and gang crime. These are my every day issues that actually directly harm my family.

It seems like it takes so much of some people's brain space on this site. It cant be healthy to be so fixated and obsessed on this to the detriment of other real things going on around you.

How's your kids mental health? Is your partner happy at work? What's happening in your local community? How's the old people coping? Could you go out and help some people in need? It sounds like part of the issue is that you don't have much to do or think about.

I am not sheltered at all. I think that the fact I have other more pressing issues shows that I am not as privileged as those who have time to obsess about this issue. I'm too busy trying to feed my kids and ensure theyre supported in school. Not worrying about whether a boy who thinks he's a girl might join their school one day.

The irony!

I’ll talk openly with family.

Friends it depends. Some think the same as me. Some less so.

At work I’ll talk about it if someone else has started the conversation and I’ll be honest but guarded in what I say and how I say it.

Okay. Women here have spent time fighting for women's rights. You have other priorities, and that's fine. I'm sorry your family is facing so many issues, and I hope you find a way through.

I think most families are facing as many issues as we are. We are quite lucky with what we have in terms of knowledge, power and therefore, access to support. But not everyone in my community is as lucky as us so a lot of my time is spent trying to help other families in my community have what we have.

These are the immediate issues families are facing. Literally how the next plate of food will get on the table or safe support for their SEND child in school. It would be a luxury to run thought exercises on these trans related issues that actually play no part in our every day existence. We have too many other things to be worrying about.

Great to hear you are doing so much to help your community!

For 51% of the population…the thought of hard fought rights being erased is a pretty fucking big social issue !!!

Women's rights are so often relegated as less important than all the other issues.

Amazingly, I manage to deal with both being concerned and involved in how my SEND children are supported / cope at school as well as supporting the fight for women's rights.

I also have a FT professional job.

It's almost like some people can manage to consider more than one important (to them) issue at once!

Indeed. It’s always, “We’ll get round to worrying about women’s rights when we’ve solved all the other problems in the world.” Without realising that if we actually worried about women’s rights we would be on our way to solving a decent chunk of the other problems too, as so many of them stem from misogyny.

No Surely not fluffy!! I mean isn't that impossible??

like @ArabellaSaurus i consider the erasure of the rights of 51% of the population by redefining women to mean "and some men with lady feelings" a pretty huge social issue.

I suppose it depends if youre only helping yourself and how big of an issue it is for you.
As a NHS clinical staff member, a mum, a partner, a relative and a community member, I'm pretty busy helping in all those contexts. That's the disadvantage of being disadvantaged. You don't have time for thinfs that could maybe a problem. You barely have time for the definite problems.

But its good that some people are able to lead that type of carefree life.

To family yes, to friends, some, at work, not unless they’re also friends, on social media no.

Well, I don't know, LoftyRobin has prompted some introspection. Maybe I'm just not spending enough time berating people for how they choose to spend their time/effort/money.

Things like poverty and lack of accessibility in education and work affect way more than 51% of the population. And it affects the vast majority of people in my community. Nit just half of them. As I said earlier, it's good that these more pressing issues in my life aren't as prevalent in the lives of all women and they have time to fixate on this.

you work in the nhs where hours and hours and hours of time and significant cash that could have been spent on services has been spent placating and indeed actively supporting men larping as women

mum? Are you not a birthing person?

Interesting that a poster berating others for prioritising fighting for women's rights and child safeguarding works for..... the captured NHS 😆

'just half'

Nobody is being berated. I just answered as to why this is barely a conversation in my world. We just have too many other things to talk about

this is the feminism board so obviously we're going to talk about social issues through that lens

Of course. The male half of the population must be prioritised!