Am I wrong, but the gender war seems to get more toxic every day? Escalating from the conflation of the Gender Recognition Act and the Equality Act, we have now reached the point where the gender-critical taunt trans people about biology and, in turn, trans people throw back accusations that the gender-crits are all Nazis.
Put simply, people dont get to choose their biology – skin colour, chromosomes or genitals. Being born with those damn dangly bits (last seen floating of the Isle of Wight) is what makes me trans. I won’t deny my birth sex; medically, it’s dangerous to do so.
However, people can choose their politics, and many trans people are firm in the view that the gender-critical are followers of the devil, wanting to eradicate trans folk and dont give a damn if one of us self-harms or dies.
One gender-critical organisation goes so far as to say that the suicide rate of trans people is the same as cisgender people. This is a total fabrication; there is shed loads of evidence that the trans suicide rate is between 7 and 10 times higher than cisgender people, principally because trans healthcare in the UK is in such a terrible state.
Many on both sides of “the debate” perhaps dont realise that both gender-crits and trans activists are often from various camps.
To add to the confusion within social media, the mischief-makers, often kids or those from other countries, smile in delight at causing more hate. Proof of that pudding was that pipebomb tweet to JKR, which originated from some rogue account in eastern Europe.
One group who I am sure are not Nazi’s are those whom I call “BIBS”. Believers in biological sex. People like Rosie Duffield, who is clearly from the left and has recently been given the gender-critical “Star of the Month” award for saying only women have a cervix.
In truth, Rosie is sadly a very poor politician. Famed for having staff members leaving her office because of alleged transphobia, Rosie puts her mouth in gear before engaging her brain. Keir Starmer said as much, saying in a recent interview, “she should not have said that.”
For sure, she should have not.
Her statement got us nowhere except drive more hate.
Let’s work through this statement again. Only women have a cervix.
For a start, it is offensive to trans men who at this time can’t even get surgery because of failures within the NHS. The statement is offensive to trans women, we can’t help how we were born either. The statement may well be offensive to Intersex and non-binary people, and importantly, it is also offensive to women who lost their cervix because of having a hysterectomy. Women like my wife. Who had a total hysterectomy because of ovarian cancer.
The gender-critical make a big fuss about those de-transitioners who had a mastectomy but appear to toss away women who lost their cervixes because of a hysterectomy like they are lepers.
So while Rosie Duffield appears not to have right-leaning politics, she is undoubtedly a BIBS and, in my view, a naff politician.
Being a BIBS’s is not exactly constructive in the gender war – it creates division.
So when Judith Butler used the “N” word and was subsequently censored for whatever reason, it was pointed out to me that Julie Bindel had called out the far-right in an unherd article published back in October 2020.
Now, as a trans rights activist (tra), I try to avoid reading articles from what we call “the dark side”. Yes, I speak to some gender crits, but I can’t think of a worse punishment than reading lots of GC articles, and I am sure the GC dont take kindly to what I write either.
However, after a stiff drink (I lie, I dont drink), I read Ms Bindel’s article, and to her credit, she did call out the far-right.
In fact, the content of her article in many ways matched what I researched and wrote in my article, Splitting the T from the LGB.
Common ground?
Good God.
So while I am happy to confirm that, in my view, the BIBS are not Nazi’s (I apologise if I have suggested otherwise, especially to Kirsty D one of my Twitter followers) – there is one question left unanswered.
Julie’s article starts with these words:
What the hell is happening to feminism? It belongs on the Left, right? It is a movement for the liberation of all women and one which prioritises those at the bottom of the pile. And, yet a growing number of female activists have been rallying with the Right — sometimes even the hard Right.
Indeed, Julie, they have.
The problem is when you all sing from the same hymn sheet, it can be pretty awkward for others to ascertain the difference between the different GC groups! Then there is that “Women’s Declaration” that appears to seek the eradication of trans people, certainly, “N” like – the jury is out on that. Legal advice required.
As a tra, I dig deep to find out things. I even go so far as to prioritise truth over taking sides, this blog being proof of that. Consequently, I know a reasonable amount about the far right, much of it, for various reasons I have not published. Perhaps Julie would like to have a chat when at the FiLiA conference this weekend, and we can swap notes? I am one of those outside the Guildhall protesting about FiLiA’s position in regard to 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 .
Because it is not satisfactory to say, “and, yet a growing number of female activists have been rallying with the Right — sometimes even the hard Right”.
We all deserve the truth, and if you won’t name them (though I suspect I know who you mean) – I damn well will.
Authored by Steph @PlaceSteph
