After being on Twitter for one month now, I have read many a tweet and done loads more research. There are just so many trans battles such as:-
The list goes on and on!
And then we get to the thorny problem of Self-id and the Gender-Critical. Perhaps the biggest battle of all – but for what?
Many trans folks are not too worried about this for starters – you dont need a piece of paper to KNOW your gender.
OK – I don’t get the Gender-Critical’s concern about “Women’s Places” (especially the loo) and for sure some of them are fruit cakes of the highest order – but that is not the point.
The problem is the public is not exactly on board with us on Self-id. When I dug down to all the data the public feel, we should have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria before getting a Gender Recognition Certificate.
And if Self-id was adopted and something went wrong, (as it did with the infamous Karen White), the press and media would kick the S*** out of us!
And where would our acceptance be then?
We also have the issue of the “bearded ladies” – people saying they are trans when they act like drag artists or crossdressers. The terfs fear they will get the same rights as bona fide transexuals and I can see their logic in that.
We should lose this battle – we can then blame the Gender Critical for being who they are – invariably unreasonable transphobes. Let them “be the bad guys” for once.
It will be one-way bricks which they can defend – as we have had to do for the last four years. For this battle is NOT over – it is just postponed in my book.
And then we get to the WPATHWPATH World Professional Association for Transgender Health https://www.wpath.org Standards of Care – Self-id may make it harder to get hormones and surgery – not easier. While in principle, a GP can prescribe hormones, they invariably will not; they will refer to a mental health specialist – one qualified in Gender Dysphoria.
Tell him/her/they that you have completed Self-id will mean diddly squat – they will dig deeper than ever before I suspect. It will be just one more issue to justify and prove.
So even if Self-id was introduced in the main I am sure the WPATH Standard of Care will remain intact – a Gender Dysphoria diagnosis will be required and for bottom surgery and that will remain as TWO separate reports.
Self-id will come….the young generation will see to that. Probably 2030 – 2035 I would guess.
It forms part of the Legal Gender Recognition in the EU (& UK) declaration and is also part of the Yogyakarta Principles.
But UK society is not yet ready.
We need to be totally accepted by society, and at the moment there are 20% who are transphobes – ready to pounce.
We need trans councillors and preferably a trans MP. I have campaigned for Self-id in the past, but at this moment I now feel it is not worth the effort.
Good things come to those that wait.
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I do not usually add to a blog, but for technical reasons (just one link) I have decided to add to the blog above. Today is Monday the 31st of August 2020.
Given I have given up on my fight for Self-id (just temporary though), I want to clarify where I stand regarding the much needed GRA reformGRA Reform Gender Recognition Reform Bill - Scotland https://www.gov.scot/news/gender-recognition-reform-bill/ Published 03 March 2022 09:34 Part of Equality and rights Simplifying how trans people apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate. See Also https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/mermaids-manifesto-for-gra-reform/ https://www.stonewall.org.uk/what-does-uk-government-announcement-gender-recognition-act-mean .
It is evident looking at the latest EU study (Legal Gender Recognition) that the Real Life Experience Test (RLE) causes bona fide transwomen the biggest problem. I agree with this – it causes me many issues and is deeply unfair.
My reform of the GRA would look like this:
These two new avenues do of course mean a diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria will still apply as per WPATH Standards of Care. To lower queues, GP’s are able to prescribe hormones but the latest stats show only 14% do. I know GP’s are busy but I do think they should be much more relaxed in offering adult trans folk help at the local level.
I think many terfs, GC’s & radfems would buy into this and may offer support in solving all the other problems trans folk endure.
