Is Jenni Murray right about transgender?

Has anyone seen this?

m.youtube.com/watch?v=uzwMJAFWLtQ

I think this word "identifies" is significant. It seems to have become the norm that
"I am what I say I am" whether talented or not wannabe pop star, vanity publishing author artist (likewise) or now "woman".
If I claim I identify with an RSC class actor, a supermodel or multimillionaire, that doesn't make me one. Even people who are entirely of white European/Caucasian background claiming they "identify" as black?
Has the world gone mad?
And is this not profoundly disrespectful to genuine cases of misidentified gender at birth, children who are both?

Baubles, worrying!

While watching the YouTube link posted by baubles, I noticed one entitled 'How to simulate a period for trans women'. Ffs! I didn't watch it. But why on earth would you want to go to that extent. 'Simulate' is right. Bet they don't experience the monthly cramps though.

Well said Rigby46.

I think trans-women are focusing on the 'wrong' group, it isn't mostly women born as women who shape our society including violence or discrimination - its mostly men in power and who do this.

If there wasn't this blindness the TG lobby would spot this and focus on patriarchy instead f trying allegedly to make 'born' women's lives harder - or making born women justify their biology?

Well, here's a nice one that will be logged in the female crime statistics - as MRAs love to say, "women are violent too".

So, will she/he be in a female prison?

This is about much more than bathrooms. MtoF trans retain the crime levels of men. It's just that they get logged in the female crime statistics. The world is a truly loopy place.

Insignificant by comparison to trying to murder someone, but worth noting that she/he had been running against females and winning and the row was provoked because she/he had not provided testosterone levels.

www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-39266777

So the last few days along has seen two reports of transgender rapists (bepenised) and an attempted murderer.

And still people say "move along, nothing to see here".

I listened to half the link Baubles, hideous. I agree with the information from the psychologist quoted by an earlier poster, that many issues relating to sexual identity issues are psychological rather than physiological in origin. I read recently that more people with autism than those who aren't on the ASD spectrum, report sexual identity problems. That isn't surprising, given the challenges presented to young people in particular, when trying to understand their 'difference'.

I heard the news reports about the transgender athlete who attempted to murder the individual who reported she had not provided testosterone levels, she also injured two people who went to her victims aid.

Another aspect of the subject, it's not just in the West that there's a conflict over gender identity:
www.killyourdarlings.com.au/2013/05/men-with-the-souls-of-women-indonesias-transgender-waria/
Nothing about F to M though.

This advice, and I use the term very loosely, offered to a concerned grandparent is utterly disgusting, basically put up and shut up.

I like this from Steven Pinker:

That's awful LumpySpacedPrincess, (your link to advice of TB) most bullying comes from a place of damaged vulnerability but thats no excuse.

I do fear for our young women, the world seems to be sliding backwards as regards protection rights and consideration.

Taken to its logical conclusion this psychologist's advice could be used by a trans M who identifies as F but raped a woman, as defence because s/he was struggling with his/her identity.
It's like one step forward, three back for we women.

Indeed Sparkly and Iam, all these gender roles but who is getting told to put up with bullying, women, who is still getting told to sleep with men when they don't want to. I am coming to the conclusion that transactivism is misogyny in a dress.

Not sure I agree with old Steven thatbags, it's a bit "Behold, I, a man, will tell you wimmin what feminism is."

They always say that if your feminism is peeing men off then you must be doing it right!

Im with Lumpy here, that paragraph from Steven stank of Male superiorty. The way I see it is, if a person still has a penis he is still a man. Why on earth should they demand to be treated as women when they still have a male organ dangling between their legs. Bloody ridiculous.

I thought Steven Pinker's observations were facile and superficial. They remind me of Tony Blair ardently defending himself against accusations that had never been made while studiously ignoring the subject he should have been addressing.

I expect that Pinker quote is from a longer essay on the subjects he mentions. Why does the fact that he's a man make a difference? Can't a man have as good an opinion about feminism as a woman can? It might seem facile but I'd challenge anyone who thinks so to express what that expresses as succinctly and lucidly. I think he has highlighted some of the main problems with what passes for feminism these days.

I'm happy to be corrected, but I reckon, until I hear evidence otherwise, that Pinker and many other men care just as much about equality of opportunity between the sexes as any woman can. Note that I said of opportunity; that doesn't necessarily entail ewuality of outcome because men and women can and do make different choices in life based on their biological and other differences.

Exactly stillaliveandkicking....if a woman thinks she has a penis, its called ''penis envy'' by the Freudians and viewed by some as neurotic...

So maybe men with a penis who think they are a woman, maybe are neurotic?

LumpySpacedPrincess, exactly we always seem to cop the blame, end up with fewer rights.

A man can have an opinion on feminism, he can be an ally or describe himself as a feminist. When a man tells me what feminism is, and particularly what it isn't, then I reserve the right to scoff. His comments are, go for equality ladies, but not full equality, fight oppression but don't go mentioning male violence or being a meanie to the men.

The unpalatable truth is that women have been oppressed, because of their biology, by men. Not all men, heaven forbid I have to get my bingo card out again, but the system is set up and run by men and that hurts both sexes.

Most blokes are lovely but they are often silent when their mates are being sexist, when their given a job they know they aren't as good at as a female colleague at, and over this issue.

Maria Millar has said that the only people getting upset by this is "so called feminists" I would rephrase that as saying that most of the people getting upset about this are feminists, concerned parents plus anyone that thinks about it and it's implications for more than 5 minutes.

But it is feminists that flagged this, that have spotted the changes to the law, logged the abuse, changes in language etc. That's because we centre women and girls and are concerned when we see something harmful rearing on the horizon.

Lots of blokes are just catching up now because it isn't affecting them and it isn't really going to effect them.

So of course Steven is entitled to an opinion but I am entitled to ignore it too.

Sparkly, yes, they don't have penis envy but, and this really gets my goat, they call lesbians who want female only partners Vagina Fetishists. That makes me sad and angry in equal measure.

I heard a radio programme about someone , who, because of a childhood trauma, identified and acted as a 4 year old (when an adult.) Guess what, he wasn't allowed in nursery school or dressed in dungarees. He was treated for a psychological problem. Just made me think there is a similarity between that self identification , which went against the biological fact, and transgender.

The worrying thing is that this is being pushed as the only answer, that really concerns me. I see a small amount of body disphoric individuals being thrown under the bus by some very loud cross dressers, the two are not the same, never were, never will be.

Activists do not want it labelled in any way a mental health issue, or now as body disphoria, that's all changed.

Talking about being trans age suzied, have you met StefOnKnee, transwoman and trans child.

Not a problem but he was taken very seriously in Canada regarding trans rights.

Good point suzied - oh when will common sense be allowed back into the equation??

Re Pinker
Of course there are very many men who are feminists and there should not be a them & us attitude that men can not speak wisely about feminism.

However whilst I agree with some of the statements in the poster piece it is when you dig down that it all becomes less black/white.

e.g. freedom of choice is important but making sure 50% of all professions are made up of women is not.

We know the stereotyping that goes on from the day a child is born and so we need to be clear what 'freedom of choice' means in this context.
It is the 'academic clique' feminists, that Pinker appears to dislike, who do this type of unpicking and discoursing. Without that academic clique I do not believe we would have moved as forward as we have in m/f equality. Easy to sneer but I think they did make a difference to thining.
Of course the best people for the job ought to be making up any workforce but if the potential to be the person who is best for the job & part of that workforce has been undermined because of prejudice/stereotying etc etc then there is still work to be done.
That counts for women/men/all racial groups etc etc.

ps meant to add ones personal experience may be positive on the equality front but that does not make it true for everyone!