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Woman - a word that needs to be redefined?

(104 Posts)
FarNorth Wed 26-Sep-18 16:15:27

Woman = adult human female? Apparently not.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45650462

Lynne59 Wed 26-Sep-18 17:27:33

Woman = adult human female is completely accurate

MiniMoon Wed 26-Sep-18 17:43:35

I am woman!

youtu.be/Zu4xpDuf84A

minesaprosecco Wed 26-Sep-18 17:49:52

How is saying a 'woman is an adult human female' transphobic?

MissAdventure Wed 26-Sep-18 17:52:26

Even if someone transitions from male to female, then surely they fit the description of 'An adult female?'

MiniMoon Wed 26-Sep-18 17:57:54

I meant to say the same thing missA, after looking for Helen Reddy, but I quite forgot, being flushed with success.

FarNorth Wed 26-Sep-18 18:02:18

So what word would you use for someone who was born female and continues to be so?

gillybob Wed 26-Sep-18 18:03:02

A forever woman FarNorth hmm

gillybob Wed 26-Sep-18 18:04:37

We could have a whole series of new women .

Wanna be a
Used to be a
Forever
I am now a
I wanna look like a

I’m sure there’s heaps more .

MissAdventure Wed 26-Sep-18 18:26:40

I would use 'An adult female' for someone who was born and remained a woman, too.
I'm not prepared to use it about someone who is gender fluid, cis, or most of the other 71 different genders there are.

Luckygirl Wed 26-Sep-18 18:58:33

71 !!! - what have I been missing out on!?

FarNorth Wed 26-Sep-18 19:01:13

And 'woman'' doesn't mean adult human female, it means anyone who chooses to say they are a woman?

HildaW Wed 26-Sep-18 19:54:51

Lets be devils advocate and ask....does the word 'Man' need redefining?

Cherrytree59 Wed 26-Sep-18 20:10:25

Woman = female Born with a Womb.
Menstrual female.
Suffers the menopausal symptoms.
You can not rewrite biological fact.
Women so not require Rebranding

oldbatty Wed 26-Sep-18 20:20:55

I don't understand gender fluidity.

gillybob Wed 26-Sep-18 22:25:38

I think it means you go with the flow oldbatty as in woman today, man tomorrow, undecided the next day etc.

MissAdventure Wed 26-Sep-18 22:34:44

Female (MtF)- When somebody that is assigned as a male at birth identifies as a female
Female to Male (FtM)- When somebody that is assigned as a female at birth identifies as a male
Binary- The genders at each end of the gender spectrum (male and female)
Non-Binary- An umbrella term for genders that fall somewhere in the middle of the gender spectrum and are neither strictly male or female. This can be used as a gender identification without further explanation. Sometimes the term, genderqueer, is used.
Genderfluid- Moving between genders or having a fluctuating gender identity
Agender- Not identifying with any gender. Sometimes referred to as being genderless or gendervoid
Bigender- Identifying as two genders, commonly (but not exclusively) male and female. Sometimes you feel like both genders at the same time and sometimes you fluctuate.
Polygender- When you identify with multiple genders at once. Sometimes referred to as multigender.
Neutrois- When you identify as agender, neither male nor female, and/or genderless
Gender Apathetic- When you really do not identify nor care about any particular gender. You are fine passing off as whatever and you really do not have an opinion towards your own gender.
Androgyne- This term overlaps a lot between gender identification and presentation. It can be used to describe others and as an identification. This term is used to describe people who are neither male nor female or are both male and female. Basically anyone who does not fit into a binary gender category.
Intergender- Somebody who's gender is somewhere between male and female
Demigender- When you feel as if you are one part a defined gender and one or more parts an undefined gender. Terms can include demigirl, demiboy, demiagender, ect.
Greygender- Somebody with a weak gender identification of themselves
Aporagender- Somebody with a strong gender identification of themselves that is non-binary
Maverique- A non-binary gender that exists outside of the orthodox social bounds of gender
Novigender- A gender that is super complex and impossible to describe in a single term

A small sample of some terms used..

FarNorth Wed 26-Sep-18 22:48:49

In my opinion, the words 'woman', 'man', 'female' and 'male' do not need to be redefined.

Yet the poster in the OP, which states the simple biological fact that Woman = Adult human female has been taken down because, apparently, it causes some trans people to feel unsafe.

Those trans people do feel that those words need to be redefined.

FarNorth Wed 26-Sep-18 23:03:26

Even if someone transitions from male to female, then surely they fit the description of 'An adult female?'

MissAdventure and MiniMoon, do you believe that a person who does that has become a female?

And what do you mean by transition?
Do you know that approx 80% of transwomen retain their male genitals?

MissAdventure Wed 26-Sep-18 23:31:56

As long as they feel they're a woman, live as one, and aren't doing any harm to anyone, I'm happy to call them an adult female, regardless of what lies beneath, as it were.

notanan2 Thu 27-Sep-18 00:01:14

As long as they feel they're a woman, live as one
Which means what specifically?

I dont "feel girly" and coy
I dont act "girly"
I dont wear make up
So what am I?

(IMO a woman. Because my biology actually matters and influences my life!)

notanan2 Thu 27-Sep-18 00:04:44

Y'see when men say "Im a real woman because I dress and act how I think women should" it is very very problematic for women

notanan2 Thu 27-Sep-18 00:10:17

I am also NOT a "cis-woman" thank you very much. I do not agree that I conform to mens ideas of what a woman should be.

MissAdventure Thu 27-Sep-18 00:24:12

I didn't say you were a cis woman.
I don't even know what one is! Its just a term that's used quite often.

notanan2 Thu 27-Sep-18 00:28:03

Cis woman is a term for people who have vaginas and still dare to call themselves women.

To be one you must accept that you have no say in defining what a woman is (coz cis privilidge) and you are deemed to be "girly" enough to qualify as a type of woman by the "woke" crowd