The Gender Dissidents SurveyI care deeply about everyone but also fact that biological women will ultimately suffer because of this movement
I talk, politely, on social media and in public – often to people who find this discussion toxic.
I’ve been told I’m toxic, shifted to the right, out of touch and I’ve lost friends.
Tatsie, Skateboarder, Vegan, art director, pacifist, New Zealand
I’ve been threatened and discriminated because I’m a woman. Not because I identify myself as a woman nor I look like “female”. It’s because I have a vagina.
I have been using social media to raise my voice and have created a community where only women can join and discuss about those issues.
I’ve been getting threatening emails from strangers and got attacked by several men in real life.
JJ, A survivor, Korea
This matters to me because I am a lesbian, and have been harrassed by trans activists before I even know what a terf was. When I was younger(around 18yo) I was a vocal feminist and lbgt activists on tumblr, and supporting trans people, but a lot of trans messaged me saying I was transphobic because I asked trans people questions to better understand and help them. After that, I faced more and more issues with harassment based on my sex and sexual orientation, so I stopped being an activist for social issues for a while, trying to understand where I was wrong.
Last year, I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t wrong, and made another blog, going back to being a feminist and lgbt activist. Without the T this time.
I also care because when I was young, I fell in love with my female best friend, and I tried being more masculine to woo her, so I know that being a lesbian can be confusing and I want to help young lesbians to not hate and change themselves.
I created a new tumblr, a twitter account, I try to donate when I can, and to speak up when it doesn’t put me in danger. I plan to volunteer at a women’s shelter at the end of the pandemic.
I have been harrassed online (death threats, pictures of dead and abused animals, threats of men saying they would hurt children if I keep speaking my mind…) and I have lost some friends over it. It’s still something I can’t talk to some of my friends because I know they would disapprove without letting me explain my experiences.
Lavande, Lesbian working in publishing, France
I have PMDD. An extreme mood disorder tied to my menstrual cycle. It is a uniquely feminine burden. Sex is very real to me and the trend conflating it with gender has diminished the representation of what womanhood really is. I do not accept gender as a concept to live our lives by. We are humans with bodies and a personality.
I can’t be vocal about these views at risk of losing my job.
I have been called a “bad ally” and a transphobe.
K D, Canadian Millenial, Canada
I care about women’s rights and protections. I care about truth-telling. I care about mental and physical health for all. I care about child safeguarding. I care about preserving my Charter rights and freedoms.
I’m a founding member of Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights (caWsbar), non-partisan, volunteer coalition working to preserve the sex-based rights and protections of women and girls as enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
I attended Meghan Murphy’s talk in Toronto and I was appalled at the hate mob that threatened us physically and verbally with misogynist slurs. I felt unsafe and rattled. I’d never felt like that before in my own hometown, which is normally safe and peaceful. As a founding member of caWsbar, I use a pseudonym to protect myself, my family and my livelihood. I hope to be “coming out” soon as gender critical.
Esmeralda Vee (pseudonym), Media worker, documentary filmmaker, mother, Canada
I care about the rights of women and children.
I spoke up, took my losses, and now I have a newsletter.
I have lost freelance relationships, several longtime activist friendships, and altered the course of my career.
Matt, US Army veteran, former progressive activist, USA
The current state of trans- orthodoxy is directly at odds with my feminist ideals and with L&G rights. From an intellectual perspective, there is an inherent regressiveness to ideas that mark “femininity” as what makes one “female”; this, in turn, has real-world practical implications that are incredibly damaging to those marginalized on the basis of sex: women and girls. Also, from a philosophical/academic perspective, I cannot stand the incoherent nature of current trans- orthodoxy. Ultimately, I think that it currently is hurting EVERYONE.
I should also note that I believe that this new orthodoxy is creating a culture of authoritarianism on the left that will be hard to overcome.
I have made posts on social media, primarily in replies, on topics related to trans- issues, usually speaking about verifiable statistics (including contributing to corrections on homicide claims), conflicts between trans- orthodoxy and queer theory, and the shift in rhetoric and ideology within trans- communities in the last 20 years.
I’ve lost all of my income from one sector of my freelance work, accounting for the bulk of my income. I’ve been vilified in that community as a bigot and a transphobe. I’ve lost some friends – including very good ones – for my so-called ‘hate’.
A, former academic, freelance writer, male, USA
I’m very concerned about the conflict of rights between trans activism and women, particularly with regard to single sex spaces and women’s sports. I’m also worried that many young people are being almost encouraged into a trans identity, particularly young girls.
I talk about this online when and where it feels safe to do so.
Awkward conversations where accusations of transphobia hang in the air.
MA, Writer
This matters to me for a number if reasons:
1) Because I am a sexual abuse survivor and do not want to be forced into private spaces with males.
2) I do not think it’s fair that males are taking spaces reserved for females in leadership, training, scholarships etc.
3) My experience as a woman is totally different to that of a transwoman – I nearly died from severe early onset pre-eclampsia and then my work tried to make me redundant shortly afterwards! We are women because of our female bodies and that matters a lot.
4) The reinforcement of the stereotypes of what constitutes femininity and masculity is harmful to women. Women are not defined by clothing, grooming, mannerisms and behaviours – we all have different personalities and presentations.
5) I am utterly sick of the misinformation and inappropriate content being taught in schools and workplaces in relation to this issue.
6) I am concerned that publicly funded bodies are not recording sex, so can longer measure sex inequality.
I’ve challenged policies at work with incorrect protected characteristics. I’ve challenged monitoring categories for a research project I am working on – sex has been replaced with gender. I’ve spoken to women and men I trust to discuss the issues. I’ve shared information on social media and written to my MP.
I have been denounced as a ‘transphobe’ on social media for stating my belief in the reality of sex and the need to record it.
M, Floating voter swayed by women’s rights issues
I care because it upsets me that all liberals get labelled as unhinged because some people refuse to acknowledge science and reality to accommodate someone’s feelings. I’m a liberal.
I have been unfollowed, reported and blocked from social media.
R, Writer
The Gender Dissidents Survey