After the judgement concerning what the definition of a woman was in April, pushed by "Women Scotland"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cvgq9ejql39
A report giving advice on how things will work is due. It was partially leaked this week. My very dear friend and supporter, my own " Angel", used to work in the legal profession. He has been keenly following the story. He emailed me with a wonderful summing up of this leaked report. He is a wonderful chap and a true ally. It's nice to know there are understanding people around.
Hi, Leeanna.
I bought a copy of The Times newspaper today. No, not an attempt to get back in touch with the world of the posh (not that I ever was, even at that School ). But because, as you’ve probably read for yourself, they’ve been the recipient of a leak of the text of the recommendations of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on how good little boygirls and girlboys should behave. Ironic that the leak apparently came from a civil servant who was unhappy at the time the government was taking to uphold the obviously (to them) overriding rights of biological women over all other forms of life.
The whole thing apparently runs to some 300 pages, so I only know what The Times have chosen to report. And the editorial view of The Times is that it’s a Good Thing and should be brought into force asap. So it’s interesting that the paper’s subheading was the to my mind rather damning:
“Labour sits on plan to preserve safety and dignity by letting staff turn people away based on looks”. That sums it up quite accurately, in my opinion.
In fact, the whole thing has the flavour of “I haven’t got a clue what to advise”. Which is no doubt why it is peppered with examples of “you mustn’t do that; but if you take that advice to heart, then you’ll be in trouble”. It shrieks “there’s never going to be a right answer” through and through. I could almost have been sympathetic to their dilemma, were it not for what we know about the anti-trans attitude of the woman who was in charge when the thing was drafted.
But it is absolutely appalling that the official line now seems to be, interrogate anybody you’re not happy with, and if still in doubt, turn them away. You’ve said in the past that the people most at risk may well turn out to be biologically female but masculine-looking women. I can’t think that this is the outcome that the people behind For Women Scotland, who started all this nonsense, were looking for! Do they only represent the femmes of this world? Be careful what you wish for, and all that.
Anyway, who’s going to be brave enough to face down a butch lesbian?
On a point of detail, with my lawyer’s hat on, I couldn’t help picking up on one bit of wording. “It would be lawful for a transgender person to be asked about their biological sex . in deciding whether to exclude them”. Hang on. A person’s got actually to be transgender before they can be lawfully questioned; about what? about whether they’re transgender or not? “You’ve got no right to question me, because, despite appearances, I’m biologically female”.
I’d have a bit more sympathy with the presumed objectives of trying to protect women’s spaces, if the people drafting all of this looked as though they’d had brains to be put into gear before putting fingers to keyboard. But then I think that about a lot of decisions that are made nowadays! Perils of old age!
So it does seem to be if you look like a guy , they will refuse you admission. I think it may keep away guys with beards wearing a skirt just to invade female spaces. After all, that is what many anti-trans folk thing all trans women are.
If it does actually say this, we are in for some screaming by JK Rowling and co. As I have said before, certain trans women would need a DNA test to establish birth gender.
Comments
gender policing
Ultimately, it's about gender policing women. Ultimately, it's about rolling back whatever gains women have made in the past 50-100 years. ("Kinder, Kirche, Küche.") It's about punishing women who fail in any way to conform to the bigots' idea of True Femininity.
I notice that most of the stories about women being excluded involve cis women who look too "butch" in the eyes of whoever is doing the policing, or girls who are involved in sports, especially if they're any good at it. (God forbid a women should turn out to be as good as a man, or - heaven forfend - better!!)
Ultimately, it's just misogyny. It's male supremacy.
Most of this hate against
Most of this hate against trans women, comes from cis women. The group that forced this decision were a group all women.
The gender-critical advocacy group For Women Scotland (FWS) filed a request for judicial review, arguing that the definition of "woman" under the Equality Act 2010 referred to "biological sex" and not gender.
You should hear some of the stuff they say. People like Julia Hartley-Brewer and many others are insisting that a trans woman, who may have transitioned early and look and act 100% female, must not use any space designated for women's use. The only way you could tell they were not cis women would be a DNA test or a medical exam. They are saying if you have XY chromosomes you are a man , end of story.
When the ruling was made, I knew there was no way of enforcing it in places like changing rooms and toilets etc. I suspect it will be used to keep trans women out of sports and taking jobs, where they are trying to hire women.
This is one of the reasons that started the action.
In 2018, Scotland passed the Gender Representation on Public Boards Act, a law that requires public authorities with boards (i.e. a statutory board or board of directors) to encourage participation by women. To meet the "gender representation objective", public boards must aim to have 50% of their non-executive members be women. When filling a vacancy in the board, there must be multiple candidates, including at least one woman and one non-woman.
The legislation as assented contained a definition of "woman" which was inclusive of trans women, by including any person who held the protected characteristic of gender reassignment as defined by the Equality Act 2010, and is "living as a woman and is proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of becoming female.
Leeanna
Early transitioners
True. I transitioned relatively early at age 24 so do very well. Nobody reads me, not even at trans conferences. I can't imagine what they would say to an XY woman who has AIS (Androgen Insensitiviy Syndrome) who was designated female since birth.
So is there any statement for F->Ms who want to crash their space? By their definition, they would have no choice but allow them. But then they would have to violate their 'looks' criteria.
Total BS.
The women driving this are deluded.
This misogyny of the worst sort because it sets women against women, the winners are rightwing males who have been poisoning the subject for years and remember they own nearly all the media. Women have nothing to fear from transsexual women, as history shows. They have from heterosexual males again the stats show that most abusers or attackers are men. I am not condemning all men because most would never attack a woman but a significant number who do. In the developed west, religion often plays a big part - all the major religions feature male gods and are male dominated and many have a long history of misogyny. In the US which is a theocracy abortion and contraception are being taken out of the hands of women, in fact in some states women have to go full-term even when a foetus shows no life signs, which puts the mother at potential risk.
In newly emerguing economies like India, women are seen as second class and men have little control over their urges and there have been some awful attacks on women in recent years. Men fear women's sexuality, and seem to have an excessive fear of menstruation, which is a natural process, often segregating menstruating women. It is known where women are given power over their bodies they improve the environment in which they live because they generally are more in tune with their communities and while many want babies they don't wish to be forever pregnant or nursing and they wish to see their existing children thrive.
What is needed is for men to control their urges and that requires education, how can it be right for a male predator to claim it was the woman's fault because she dressed too sexily? Violence against women has to be seen as criminal and be legislated against and also against minorities. It is absurd, in a world where there are more women than men, women are seen as a minority.
JK Rowling seems to have believed the propaganda, probably because she isn't that clever, but her enemies are predatory males and the misogyny of society not transwomen.
Angharad
I honestly think..
that the TERF brigade ( working on the "thinking" of Germain Greer) decided that victimising trans women was a way of making themselves bigger and more important. All schoolyard bullies enjoy the opportunity to look down on someone "weaker" than themselves, and by picking a section of the population like trans women, who, by and large, don't want to fight back, they have a "perfect victim".
Throw in a few mostly made up or wildly exaggerated "news reports"(look at the terrible things said about poor Dr Beth Upton, who was painted as a maniac because she wanted to get changed at the end of her shift ), a good slice of "we are all doomed if we let these perverts in", an Equality Commission head who doesn't understand that her remit is to safeguard everyone equally, rather than just her buddies, a Health Secretary who hates himself for being gay, and wants to make sure that anyone else on the LGBTQ ship is miserable too and you have what they call in the States a "Perfect Storm". Even better, do it at a time when we have a Prime Minister without a backbone, and a billionaire "Author" prepared to bankroll the TERFs so that any progress or acceptance which the trans community has earned is airbrushed branded as "woke". It's enough to make me stop reading the papers.
Lucy xx
"Lately it occurs to me..
what a long strange trip its been."
stop reading the papers
I can't remember the last time I paid for a paper. These days the only paper I read is the freebee that is distributed in my little town (Pop about 2300) at the grocery store. Strictly local news and predominately pages of advertising. Even that is read sporadically.
I do listen to local news on the TV from our nearest big city. I tend to tune out "national news" because while I do trust our local broadcasters to present unbiased local news I don't trust the network reporters.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin ein femininer Mann
I agree. This ruling was
I agree. This ruling was pushed by TERF women. Driven by media demonising trans women. Often referring to opportunist men attempting to take advantage of the small acceptance that trans women had gained. I am talking about all those videos you see with a guy in dress wandering into women's spaces and exposing themselves, then loudly proclaiming "What? I'm trans" .
I saw one with a fat bald guy with a bikini top on trying to enter a female changing room on a beach. Then the media say, "Look, this is what trans woman are like." "They are all perverts" .
Then the majority of women, who have never (knowingly) met a trans woman, form their opinions on this. They think trans women are their enemy.
Leeanna