Growing up as a girl, then becoming a woman, our experiences are too specific to our sex. No male can ever claim they are “us” as well without knowing those feelings we all had growing and maturing as women/girls in society.
V Brown, Canada
Author: bomp123
This matters to me because I don’t want to lose years and years of women and men fighting for women’s rights just because a man “identifies” as a woman.
I have “liked”, followed, and spoken up on social media with like minded individuals
I have been harassed and called names as a result of speaking my mind.
S, Canada
I care because I’m a young woman, and have seen women in my industry and in my life disappear into the “gender” fantasy in order to escape from their problems. It is not helping them.
I am alarmed and dismayed at the rapid progress of gender ideology into law and the damaging psychological and physical consequences on young women. I care because I used to be involved in LGBT activism, and I feel lied to. When lesbians protested Pride in the UK with “Get the L Out” I was told not to research them, and that they were bigoted TERFs who wanted trans women out of public life. I took this at face value, and I’m ashamed of this now, as these women had very good reason to be upset.
I’m new to gender critical philosophy, but I have been researching as much as I can. I’ve spoken to women in my life who I feel would be receptive (luckily, they are) and I’ve just recently come out publicly on social media. Right now, I am mostly keeping my head down as I do my own research into the problem on a local level, including the number of girls being referred for transition services and what has been happening legally in the past few years. I think this will give me the best possible basis to speak out strongly for local women later on down the track.
I’ve been called a TERF, and have had friends questioning my motives. Luckily, so far I’ve avoided the worst of what many women go through. I am certain that if my employer learned what I was looking into, there would be professional repercussions.
Amy, Australia
As a woman this is very close to my heart. I’m an abuse and rape survivor, and a lesbian. I also have endometriosis which is hard enough without having people tell me I can’t call myself a woman!
I have connected with radfems and gender critical feminists around the world, via Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter. I have supported other women and tried to spread awareness of the issues, and am currently in the process of organising an in-person group for women supporting women.
I’ve been sent death and rape threats for years now, suicide baiting, name calling, attempts to manipulate me and trigger my ptsd. Every day I am bombarded with hate – I have to take mini breaks every so often to manage my mental health.
K, 31, Australian, critical feminist
As a mother, I am appalled by the message to children that there might be something wrong with their body just because they don’t fit into society’s stupid rigid stereotypes for girls and boys. As a feminist I am concerned about the natural erosion of women’s hard won rights that comes from eroding the definition of the word woman. I am worried about women losing their safe spaces and women-only platforms.
I have written to my MP and spoken to close family members but I don’t really post on social media and I would be too anxious to post about this. I did tweet using the #theycallmeTERF hashtag once but that’s all. I have supported petitions and crowd funding for legal battles though.
I haven’t really spoken up so no. It makes me feel very anxious.
Jen, Australia
I care because I am a woman, a woman with a daughter. Just like me my daughter is a “Tom boy”.
I never wanted to be a girl either it’s not fun. So I ran around with a group of mostly guy friends. However I still like boys so I would date.
When I was 15 years old I lost my virginity to my first real boyfriend. He must have thought that made him have some ownership over me. I was abused beaten and raped, threatened and very scared to move against him. He carefully separated me from my friends and family. He carefully destroyed me and any confidence I had.
As I got older I realized how dangerous some men really are to women. In a world that is made for men we are seen as lesser then. Anyone with a penis being in the same bathroom as me is scary. I don’t want to be scared in a bathroom or a dressing room. I also need a place to talk, having someone their who has or did have a penis would make me uncomfortable.
I’m not against Trans people. They 100% deserve safety and rights too! But why is it that for them to have rights women have to give away the safety we barely have. It feels like Trans women don’t understand and that might be because our experiences are not the same. That’s ok too.
But opening up women exclusive places because someone says they are a woman is very scary.
Biology is real! What about in sports? Will women have to compete with someone who has male biology? Just bc they call themselves a woman? It’s so not fair. This is not the society I wanted for my daughter. It’s also so confusing. I too spent my whole childhood wishing I was a boy. When my boobs came and I got my period I cried because I wanted to be a boy.
In today’s world, society would tell me to transition. But it would have been wrong for me. Now as a adult I know that I am who I am. I don’t have to change. I am a woman, a mother and I am a little rough around the edges. I keep my hair short. I dress how I want and my fiancé still loves me for me. If I had changed I never would have found my happiness.
I have tried my best to speak out on social media and raise other women up. Sadly there is a scary amount of opposition who don’t care about women’s rights they just want the title. They bring down a storm on your job, your family and everything they can attach to you. What a scary thing. Even if your boss agrees with you, they still have to fire you or lose their business!? That is terrifying.
This “agree with me or suffer the consequences” culture that’s happening. This “cancel culture” has moved to regular people. No longer does an angry mass demand a show be taken off the air.
Now they look at a small town mom and say, “agree with me or I will take everything from you”(it’s actually terrifying if you think about it.)
I’m also a artist so I use some of my art to send a message. It’s usually one drawing on black background and large vibrant words. I’m trying to reach out across the line and ask for thoughtful conversation instead of a angry swarm waiting to destroy on command. I’m no one’s enemy.
The consequences seem to be similar for everyone. Like I said before, even if I’m just asking for conversation or a debate to try and see the problems for what they are I am met with blind hate.
Like a swarm of angry bees waiting to sting whoever comes near their hive, we’re not allowed to touch this conversation. So I’ve had hateful slurs thrown at me. Long time friends have unfriended me and I’m made to feel like being a regular woman is a hateful thing in itself.
C. Mutt, I’m a mom and a Artist. My nature is to love and Create. I believe all people have the Right to be safe, happy and live their best life, USA
Nobody knows how to properly read studies or articles anymore, nor formulate arguements with sufficient political and dialectic efficacy.
I’m just speaking up, whenever I can really.
It seems quite a number of both trans and conservative people don’t like what I have to say, but that’s apparently my fault for dissecting and bring nuance to misinformation and propaganda.
Paige, :), USA
I care because women’s rights exist on the basis of sex. Gender isn’t an accurate substitute for what it’s like living in a female body.
I have been vocal online as myself and with a sock account.
I have lost so many friends and professional contacts that I barely have any left.
Germaine F, Female human being, USA
It matters to me because I believe there are many of us who have lived under one set of understandings (I am 60) and others who are more progressive and are angry if I don’t understand their position or have doubts about it. It seems that if you don’t agree you are ‘hater’ or on the side of injustice. It’s a little too much.
However, I have gay family members and gay friends, children of my friends are gay or trans-gender and I treat them with the same love and respect as anyone else.
I may have doubts about the issue on a grander scale, but I feel like some will label me a ‘hater’ if I share or have doubts at all.
I don’t want to discuss it with over-passionate people.
Mary, Believer in God through Jesus Chris, mom of two adult children and three step-children, professional, and I stay active (exercise), USA
I have a daughter and a son. I tell them that they can perform their gender any way they want but there are biological facts to having a penis or a vagina (or being intersex).
This matters to me because it is a fact. It matters to me because I think pretending it is otherwise can set the progress women have made back. It matters to me because it invalidates the experience of being born a female…a physically weaker sex with less muscle mass…which translates to sports and safety.
I haven’t done much – I would be kicked out of my community! I haven’t spoken up except to a few close friends.
Brenna A, USA
The Gender Dissidents Survey 