Category: Others

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Healthcare Others

I had several large males attempt to body-block the sign I was holding

I’m an autistic woman who has real difficulty with affirming things that are obviously not true. My brain just can’t process them, so while I could try to use female pronouns about a man, I’d get it ‘wrong’ most of the time, even if I were really trying – I can say what I see or not talk at all. I’m afraid of ending up in a situation where I am legally or professionally sanctioned for something that I cannot help because of my disability.

I’ve written to my MP on several occasions, attended protests, donated to crowdfunded causes, shared articles and hosted discussions on social media.

I challenged the representative of a pro-transing-children group who came to speak at my workplace, describing my own experience as a GNC child who grew up to be a happy bisexual adult (they told me I was actually a ‘purple jelly baby’ – you can probably guess which charity).

I’m most proud of my part in raising a banner at Bradford Pride in support of lesbian women’s right to sexual boundaries and male-free spaces.

Someone made a formal complaint about me at my hobby group, resulting in a humiliating and bizarre cross-examination/lecture from the head referee. I’ve had people I’ve been friends with for years drop me without discussion, which hurt. I certainly feel more reluctant to do activities or join clubs now, particularly given that I keep my ‘wrong think’ out of unrelated activities, so someone would have had to have gone looking for evidence on my personal social media accounts.

When I protested in person, my group were not only asked whether we were a ‘hate group’ by 2 uniformed police officers, but during the event I had several large males attempt to body-block the sign I was holding, one in particular using his greater height (and girth) to physically get close to me and get in my way. I’m not a very physically imposing or confident person, so that was quite intimidating. I don’t think there’s any place for me as a bisexual at Pride any more, since they keep saying my sexuality is inherently transphobic; I’m only ever there as an activist.

J

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Healthcare Others

No one should be compelled to lie

As a woman myself, with children, I care that women can organise politically and socially without men, that children should be protected from making choices they are not mature enough to consent to, and that no one should be compelled to lie.

I am very vocal on twitter, I have attended demonstrations, I am slightly vocal on facebook and when this topic arises in conversation I make my opinion clear.

So far I have lost one friend and another thinks I’m a bigot that she can save.

Mairi C, Woman

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Healthcare Others

I’m concerned about children receiving medication & surgery too early in life

I’m concerned about children receiving medication & surgery too early in life & without enough counselling. Also the rise of males identifying as female & then going on to commit assault.

I’ve only ‘liked’ tweets on Twitter

I’ve been blocked by a few accounts.

CW

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Healthcare Others

Women need single-sex spaces

I care because women need single-sex spaces and because of basic fairness, e.g. men being included in women’s sports, fiction prizes etc

I have mainly engaged on social media. Some discussion with friends and family.

My children think I am a transphobe. I’ve lost some friends.

Al, Curmudgeon

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Others

I escaped before I got as far as medical intervention but I now see the other side

This matters to me because I spent 5 years of my life (14-19) actively buying into transgender ideology. I identified as male for a number of years and also nonbinary, I did a full social transition. I detransitioned in May 2019. Thankfully, I escaped before I got as far as medical intervention but I now see the other side. Transgender is a dangerous cult. I am proud to be a woman and proud to be a lesbian. Transgender ideology harms lesbians (female homosexuals).

I have been speaking out publicly since June last year mainly on twitter @tjdetrans. I also have done a few interviews on youtube and also sky news, I have done a few public talks about my experiences. I recently wrote a longer article on my experiences “one year out-my story” on medium. Finally, I have been involved in a few pride protests… I was at the front of Manchester pride with my hand sewn banner “Gender Ideology Harms Lesbians” and also at Leeds with a similar banner. I speak very openly about my views on the subject.

I have had numerous encounters on Twitter with men telling me what I should be thinking, them claiming to be women etc. Transgender activists also hate my voice as they view me as a threat. At Leeds pride I had one woman I knew prior to detransition (Id nonbinary) shout “traitor” at me. I have also had several comments on YouTube about my appearance that have been rather negative.

Thomasin Pick, Detransitioned woman. Lesbian

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Others

I will march if I have to

I care because between the age of 9 to around 11 years old I was sexually abused by a male ‘family friend’. It matters to me to have a safe place away from men to get undressed at the swimming pool and to go to the toilet in peace without men in this space. I didn’t know or even have on my radar any issues with the trans movement and have no ill will to trans people and completely agree they should have safe spaces, unisex spaces but can never agree to give up safe spaces for women and I will march if I have to.

Well only tonight have I had the courage to post on my Facebook JK Rowling post, I’m ashamed to say I’ve not done it sooner through fear of being called transphobic or a bigot but I’ve decided I must speak out.

Only time will tell but so far 3 of my Facebook friends have liked it and no one has unfriended me, if they do they do but I hope this means real life people actually are nothing like the hate on Twitter.

Karen T, private sector (employed)

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Others

I am angry about the drift towards rejecting the term “same-sex attraction”

I care about the conflation of sex and “gender identity” because it risks undermining the legal and political rights of women and lesbians. How can the pay gap be tracked when people who have achieved a top job as a male then identify as a woman, changing their employers statistics overnight and erasing any trace of the real picture? No longer being able to reliably record, collate and analyse statistics of the social, political and economic impact of our biological sex will make it impossible to have an evidence-based discussion about sexism and misogyny.

I am angry about the drift towards rejecting the term “same-sex attraction” and that organisations such as Stonewall are not supporting lesbians, and are actively silencing discussion on this issue.

I am very worried about the numbers of young lesbians that report that they resorted to defining themselves as non-binary, asexual or “queer”, often being coerced into having relationships with males, and taking several years to realise that they were lesbians.

I am very proud of those young women now detransitioning/desisting from a trans identity, but am very upset about their experiences of a conveyor-belt approach to hastily validating and medicalising their trans identity, with no consideration of the other factors that had led them to start on this path, and no exploration/promotion of the possibility that they were lesbians.

Given that such a high proportion of those in prison who identify as “transwomen” are convicted of serious and sexual offences, then either there is a high proportion of transwomen who are perpetrators, or a high proportion of perpetrators who falsely claim to be transwomen – either way, including biological males in women-only spaces clearly adds a new and statistically very significant risk, and the silencing around discussing this is nothing new in the context of sexual and physical abuse.

I have initiated many discussions in real-life with people and have shared articles on social media. I have taken part in discussions on social media and tried to focus my thoughts on those who are new to this discussion and need to see something other than name-calling and antagonism.

I have had a huge amount of my time taken up by having to keep responding to antagonistic and accusatory comments, rather than leave them stand – it is difficult to get the balance between not allowing people to maliciously take up my time, and ensuring that they do not get to dictate the tone and context of the discussion. I have been very fearful of reprisals and targetting of organisations that I’m publicly associated with, so have always had to double-check everything I write/say.

Jill H, Lesbian feminist

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Others

Using public toilets already carries enough embarrassment and shame

I have a medical condition that makes my periods extremely heavy – it’s not uncommon for me to faint from menstruation-induced anaemia, or to sit on a toilet, weeping and free-bleeding for half an hour, building the resolve to attempt to deal with it. When I’m on, I live in a constant state of anxiety that I’ll bleed on clothes or furniture and everyone will see it. Using public toilets already carries enough embarrassment and shame, without adding the fear that the people hearing me rustle in cubicles, or seeing me wash blood from my hands, or using the toilet I’ve just had to makeshift clean, are male.

And I’m angry at the suggestion that my experience is somehow random, that it has nothing to do with being a woman, and the stigma around it is unconnected to it being a female experience. And it pisses me off that there are people who believe that I shouldn’t talk about my condition because periods are a ‘cis privilege’. It makes my stupid inconvenient blood boil.

I challenge inaccurate or illogical statements wherever I find them. I’m anonymous on Twitter and feel bad about it. Using a fake name and no picture saves me from the worst of the backlash that lots of women receive. I just don’t have the energy to deal with the hate from all sides that seems to come with a woman expressing even fairly innoccuous opinions. I live alone and on only my own salary, so when I see people being doxxed or their jobs threatened, it terrifies me and makes me feel incapable of revealing anything about myself. I’m not very important so maybe I’d fly under the radar, but it’s scary.

I engage in the discussion in real life, though, and on Facebook under my own name with people I know.

Where I’m anonymous on social media, it’s just name-calling (TERF, bitch, Nazi, cunt etc.) and vitriol like “die in a fire”. Nowhere near as bad as the non-anon people, but still pretty horrible.

I’ve lost a few acquaintances, been unfriended on Facebook, had people I otherwise get on with really well question my left wing / liberal credentials, express disappointment, refuse to have any conversation about it.

Lkh, Woman. You know what that is

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Others

I was terrified by the thought of periods

I had a number of moments in my childhood where I didn’t want to be female. I dreaded losing my flat chest, I was terrified by the thought of periods and if I had known I could  opt out, I would have done. I didn’t and now I am glad that this option wasn’t available when I was 10-15 years old.

I realise now that it wasn’t that I wanted to be a man, I just didn’t want to be seen as ‘less than’ or as a sexual object. I was never a girly girl  – i never liked labels, and always hated that being female meant that I wasn’t allowed to do woodwork or computer studies amongst many, many other things.

I have observed both sides of this debate very closely over the past few years and I have always fought openly against discrimination of any kind. Both sides have offensive representatives, but the more it has gone on, the more disturbing I am finding the sheer amount of people that shout TERF when someone is being inquisitive.

All my life I have fought against the old fashioned view that being a woman is about liking pink and wearing make up.

I believe that transgender women and men should have rights and support  and should never be subjected to abuse.

I also believe that transgender women should be able to use women’s toilets, but I feel very very uncomfortable with the ‘self id’ element that I see – where trans women have no intention to transition.

Most women I know have experienced some sort of sexual assault, and toilets always felt like safe places. My feeling is that toilets and female prisons are places that should never legally be allowed to be used by predators.

In terms of athletics, it is simply unacceptable that trans women are taking away women’s achievements.

I would love to discuss this more openly, but I have seen what happens when people ask questions and this whole thing is alienating me. I haven’t dared to.

I have been blocked by people on Twitter for following some gender critical people as well trans activists.

KM

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Healthcare Others

That much of this bile comes from people I’m usually politically aligned with saddens me

I’ve had a long-standing interest in women’s rights because my mother was a staunch advocate for women and active locally in helping those in difficulty. I saw a lot of this while growing up and it had a profound influence on me. To see women now being dismissed as hateful bigots for wanting to protect their hard-won rights and protections is deeply troubling to me and that much of this bile comes from people I’m usually politically aligned with saddens me.

I discuss it with friends and family and I post on social media but aside from that I haven’t attended and organised meetings or anything of that nature.

One of the perks of being entirely unsuccessful career-wise is that nobody where I work could care less about my opinions.

I’ve had a frank discussion with one of my very dearest female friends whose stepson is now identifying as a woman. I was nervous about talking this through with her but in the end she was very receptive to what I said and we remain friends.

A scared feminist mother, I care because the fight for women’s rights has been brutal and hard and we are not there yet. The GRA / Trans movement is stripping away what we have fought for. We need safe spaces for women, and we need to acknowledge that sex is a protected characteristic. I am terrified for all women in hospitals, prisons, shelters, public toilets etc who may find themselves next to a biological man – regardless of whether that man is predatory. I’m scared for my children, and all the children out there being told that because they don’t like pink and barbies maybe they are actually a boy, and perhaps they would like hormone suppressants? Fuck.

Unfortunately I have done nothing… I have only spoken with my mum and sister about this. And please know, I have spent my adult life being vocal on important and challenging topics, attending rallies, encouraging education and conversation. But this feels different. I feel in danger to speak up due to how toxic the conversation is, how easily people are fired and targeted personally. Just walking past the protesters at the 2020 women’s place uk conference with my baby in a sling was terrifying. I’ve never felt that rage before from people with opposing views.

MT