Glorianny
Dickens
The thing is it boils down to this, the problem for me and I suspect many other women - is men.
Male violence towards women is embedded in societies all over the world.
Of course, misogynist men don't always go so far as to commit acts of violence against women, but they harass, intimidate, challenge, and provoke. Nearly every woman in surveys conducted has admitted to being, at the very lest, the subject of unwanted and unasked for attention by men.
If you believe, as I do, that transwomen are inherently male, then they will always potentially be a threat in our confined and 'intimate' spaces. And that is why we are not discussing transmen, because they are not a threat to women.
I don't know what the answer is, other than transwomen being banned completely from these spaces. Even if they've had their 'bits' cut off. Sarah Jane Baker - without testicles - deems that the answer to a problem is violence against the offender - a typical male response (and one cheered on by the crowd).
Men have created this problem, and women are once again expected to either deal with it or accept it.
Why should men not be told that they must accept the appearance of transwomen in their toilets and changing rooms instead, and they must refrain from committing acts of violence or intimidation towards them? Why can't we put the onus on men to solve the problem that they have created? Let them deal with it. Let them learn to respect each others' rights instead of compromising women and making it our problem?
But transwomen are subjected to the same if not more violence than natal women. The concept seems to be "I think you are a man therefore you must take your chances". I can't see how that is at all feminist.
If someone looks like a woman they will necessarily be treated by society like a woman. They will suffer the same lack of opportunities, the same restrictions and the same levels of violence and assault.
I don't suppose any violent man asks a woman, "Are you natal? or Do you have a gender recognition certificate?. Because if you are one I might not bash you, but if you are the other I will."
One of the things that is being said about transwomen is that they have brought back to the feminist movement an acceptance of violence that hasn't been seen since the suffragette's bomb attacks. It isn't something I'm entirely comfortable with. But having decided sometime ago, when asked how far I thought I would have gone to get the vote, that I would have taken part in arson and bombing, I think it's possible I would be more active if I was more personally involved in this. So I don't think we can just say that transwomen being violent is a masculine thing, some women have used violence before.
We should remember Edith Garrud www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34425615
Violence against women be they natal or trans is our problem and some of us stand side by side with our trans sisters. Or would some people be happy if men stopped bashing natal women but carried on bashing transwomen? Not our problem has never been a reasonable response to any violence..
The concept seems to be "I think you are a man therefore you must take your chances". I can't see how that is at all feminist.
The concept is that men must learn, be trained, legally enforced - whatever - to stop using violence as a means to an end, on women, transwomen, and other men.
If someone looks like a woman they will necessarily be treated by society like a woman. They will suffer the same lack of opportunities, the same restrictions and the same levels of violence and assault.
Again - the problem is men. What excuse or reason do they have for behaving violently or intimidatingly towards someone who looks like, or is, a woman? None.
One of the things that is being said about transwomen is that they have brought back to the feminist movement an acceptance of violence that hasn't been seen since the suffragette's bomb attacks. It isn't something I'm entirely comfortable with. But having decided sometime ago, when asked how far I thought I would have gone to get the vote, that I would have taken part in arson and bombing, I think it's possible I would be more active if I was more personally involved in this.
But, yet again, the problem is men. Men who were opposed to women's suffrage. The violence was not carried out in the pursuit of misandry. Suffragettes didn't walk down the streets, go into other venues, to make explicit sexual remarks about men's appearance either to them or about them,nor did they threaten them with sexual assault.
Women are intimidated and attacked by misogynist men simply because they are women - for no other reason. And yes, a transwoman is likely to be similarly attacked because they look like one.
Violence against women be they natal or trans is our problem and some of us stand side by side with our trans sisters.
This I agree with. But the answer is for men to stop the violence - including violence towards other men. The answer is certainly not for our trans sisters to take part in it and threaten to punch women in the face for holding a view contrary to their own, nor to incite others to do it. Nor to mass together and hold placards threatening rape for the same reason.
There is an act committed by some men against lesbians which is called "correctional rape" - the assumption being that lesbians, in rejecting men, are insulting their manhood and therefore need 'correcting' through rape. What these transwomen are doing, and those that cheer them on, are suggesting 'correctional' violence (and rape) as a means to get TERFS to come round to their way of thinking. Not debate - that is censored, not discussion - that is no-platformed, but violence.
Glorianny, if I was in a crowd listening to a feminist speaking and she advocated violence towards the transgender community as a way of 'dealing' with them, I would walk away and inform the police. Those listening to SJB roared their approval. The activists may be a minority, but they appear to have a lot of support... support for a typical male response to people they don't like - hit them.
Not our problem has never been a reasonable response to any violence.
The perpetrators of violence are, mostly, men. They have to STOP IT. Our only part in this is to raise our sons not to be oafs (which I'm sure most on here do) and demand that the law does not find mitigating reasons why male violence (towards anyone) can be 'understood', explained, excused - or tolerated. And we have to call out unacceptable behaviour and attitudes by men, not remain silent - maybe we even have to start in infants' schools where attitudes toward women and girls begins to coalesce. And deal with pornography - though I do know that some transgender 'thinking' has it that working in such an industry is just plain old work like any other job. But young impressionable minds - kids as young as 6 years of age are watching it - are IMO damaged by what they look at. And none more so than girls who are not infrequently coerced into looking like and behaving like the 'star performers', by young boys and teens, and teased and bullied if they don't. Oh joy - young misogynists in the making whilst still at school!
I've gone on too long.