Gender and Activism

Trans Men and Women: “This is how I see myself, it’s fundamentally core to my being”

Us: OK, fine, pronouns…

Trans Men and Women: “I don’t want to be discriminated against or subject to attack”

Us: Totally with you there. Will stand with all people who gender non-conform including trans and also with lesbian & gay people who are discriminated against and attacked for not doing ‘maleness’ and 'femaleness’ - even though there are no such things - 'correctly’.

TRANSACTIVISTS:

“I see myself this way therefore everybody must see themselves in the same terms.”

Us: “Err, hang on….”

TRANSACTIVISTS:

“I have a gender identity which is different from what I was assigned at birth THEREFORE EVERYBODY has a gender identity separate from (their sex)”.

Us: “No, that’s definitely not right. I have a sex, and that’s it - I definitely don’t have anything separate I identify with. That sounds like stereotypes.”.

TRANSACTIVISTS:

(Because it’s a difficult subject for me possibly…) “Biological sex does not really exist - there is only gender, the one you get assigned at birth and your real one”

Us: “One of the major forms of discrimination in humanity is by sex (gives example such as there were more girls in the world killed just for being girls in the last 50 years than men killed in all the wars of the 20th century)

If in trying to do one struggle for justice and equality you end up discriminating against another oppressed group then you are doing it completely wrong (gives examples of child protection services that have left children in danger due to concerns that challenging 'cultural’ things might be racist)”

TRANSACTIVISTS:

(not listening) “Therefore being a lesbian (and occasionally gay men but never straight women or men) - does not exist in the sense of homosexual attraction to another of the female sex. We 'redefine’ human sexuality and the word lesbian based on preferences and identity, not sexuality”

Us: “Well obviously that’s totally homophobic. Highly offensive to try to suggest homosexual attraction does not exist, that it’s just a preference akin to liking tattoos or not.”

TRANSACTIVISTS:

“I can as a woman go into an open plan changing/locker/shower room where women and girls are likely to be undressed.”

Us: “NO WE WILL NEVER ALLOW THAT”