Woman - a word that needs to be redefined?

The Youth Hostels Association has quietly redefined the terms 'female'and 'male'.
People can book into a dorm based on their gender identity of choice.

YHA accommodation for women is typically advertised as “a female bed in shared single-gender rooms”. The YHA said that the policy had been “in use since 2016 without any concerns or complaints”. One member in her 60s, said that when she complained she was told that there had been no “significant incidents”. She said: “What do they consider significant? The YHA has always been a supportive place and a choice for single women travellers. That safe space is no longer there.”

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/youth-hostels-association-allow-trans-guests-to-use-female-dormitories-7qsltrjjd?shareToken=1d98137b6e45ab2e9db0dfa67090f8d1

Here's an extract from an excellent article from James Kirkup, summarising the situation -

Your 13-year-old daughter tells a teacher that’s she’s uncomfortable with her body. She prefers trousers to skirts, football to ballet. She says she thinks she’s a he and wants to be treated as a boy at school. Would the teacher tell you your daughter wants to change gender?

Your 11-year-old granddaughter comes home from school upset. Changing after gym, another girl stood watching her undress and playing with her penis. (The girl in question is transgender, so yes, she has a penis.) When your family complains to the school, what happens?

www.spectator.co.uk/2018/10/trans-rights-have-gone-wrong/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

I came across this on Mumsnet.
It's a recording of a phone call where the Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre refuses to help a woman who has been living in a Women's Hostel but is now afraid to stay there because she has had to share a room with a male-bodied trans person.
The Centre won't help the woman because her wish not to share a room with a male-bodied person could be seen as discrimination and that person may want to take legal action against the woman, in future.
If that did happen, the Centre would be able to help the male-bodied person.

youtu.be/Ck81ZX_5jFk

Here is an extract from an article about the same event.
A woman has filed a human rights complaint against a Toronto shelter for female recovering addicts, claiming staff forced her to share a small double room with a pre-operative male-to-female transgender person.

nationalpost.com/news/canada/kristi-hanna-human-rights-complaint-transgender-woman-toronto-shelter

Its also worth bearing in mind that there are transwomen who are AGAINST the trans rights movement, and want rights for themselves that protect them from violence and discrimination but do NOT agree with removing or invading rights for women.

There are also older men who have lived as transvestites or transsexuals for decades, who blazed the trail for the younger generation to have freedom of expression, who are now being attacked by the trans movement for describing THEMSELVES as transvestites or transsexuals and not as "real women"

Something to bear in mind is that when women, gay people, black people claimed their rights it didn't involve removing rights from anyone else.

Trans activists do want to remove rights from women.

(The transwoman you mentioned, Terribull, as someone who speaks sense, is Kristina Jayne Harrison.)

It's a shame this matter gets conflated with gays and issues surrounding their rights, which no one here has a problem with. Since trans rights have become politicised it seems that an aggressive arm of their movement is hell bent on waging war with any women who challenges their rights to segregated women only spaces and their desire to move into roles that should pertain to women like Labour Party Women's Officer. Of course there are huge implications for women and girls if they lose their female only spaces it really shouldn't have to be spelt out. Unfortunately, it seems that the moderate voices of transgender women, Farnorth posted a link to a speech by one such person, I think her name was Kristina, anyway she was well worth listening to are drowned out by the bullying, trolling element who seem to have a complete disregard for natal women per se if they put forward any opposing point of view. They are getting more aggressive in their behaviour by the day. Hence a poster giving the definition of a woman was taken down at the behest of one of their supporters. Why should we be asked to alter our definition to suit their newly acquired status. A friend of mine had to fill out a form at work where she was given different options to tick regarding gender, one was entitled "cis woman" she had no idea what that meant, in line with most of the wider population who will have never have heard the term. Nevertheless it's insidiously creeping in

Here is some horrifying information on the absence of statistics on transgender prisoners.
It is taken from the Fair Play For Women website. (my underlining)

Not long after Fair Play For Women published its study the MoJ [Ministry of Justice] confirmed that there were 125 transgender prisoners in England and Wales.

This confirmed that our calculation of 113, based on the evidence we found was absolutely valid and was, as we had predicted, a conservative figure.

The MoJ acknowledge their own figures are likely to underestimate the true number. There may be some transgender prisoners who have a Gender Recognition Certificate who will not be counted. Once a male prisoner gets a female birth certificate they not only become eligible to live in women’s prisons they are no longer counted as a transgender prisoner and disappear into the figure for the female estate. Proposed changes to the GRA will allow prisoners to change their birth certificate on demand so the presence of male-born offenders in women’s prisons will effectively become invisible.

The MoJ figures include the ‘reported gender’ of the transgender prisoners, with 99 reporting their gender as male. The MoJ does not know if this is a prisoners birth sex or their preferred gender identity. Without knowing this distinction the information is meaningless. We still have no official figures from the MoJ confirming how many are male-born.

fairplayforwomen.com/prison-data-confirmed/

This seems to me to be one of those issues where the minority is dictating policy, to the detriment of the majority.
You're right about that, Blinko.

Politicians need to be told the views of the public on this, through the government's consultation : consult.education.gov.uk/government-equalities-office/reform-of-the-gender-recognition-act/

Or through writing direct to your MP. The easy way to write to your MP, or other representatives, is via the website www.theyworkforyou.com
Even if you don't know your MP's name, that website will find it for you.

Another one for women's prisons?
metro.co.uk/2018/10/01/trans-woman-41-pretended-to-be-a-boy-to-groom-a-girl-7994533/amp/

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/06/transgender-person-accused-rape-remanded-female-prison-sexually/

Instersex people are not transpeople.

Citing intersex as a readon why self IDed transwomen who are 100% physically male should have full acess to women at all times (including sexually if they ID as lesbians) is disingenuous and deflecting from open debate about trans

What about all those, and it is more common than you think, who are born with undetermined, unclear sex?

In the past, any bits extra would be cut off and they would be determined as female by default.

NHS trusts get penalised if patients stay longer than target times in mixed accomodation

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with how macho or effeminate the males are and how girly or butch the females are.

Women need single SEX spaces in prisons & hospitals & other spaces where they may be vulnerable for good reason.

Existence of gentle men or transwomen makes females no less vulnerable to MALE on FEMALE violence & intimidation.

I know plenty of gentle men, that does not mean that male on female violence is not an issue.

Knowing gentle men does not make me feel safer on a mixed hospital ward when I am groggy, vulnerable and feeling exposed.

No, Jura, penetration by a non human penis object by force or without concent is classified differently in the UK.

Here is an article explaining why some lesbians feel marginalised by trans politics and no longer feel that LGBT includes them.

getthelout.wordpress.com/2018/07/05/the-journey-begins/

I suspect not jura2. It would probably be called aggravated sexual assault, or somesuch, as it would be if a man assaulted a woman with an object.

However nice and respectful your trans friends may be, some trans people are trying to take over the definition of 'woman', 'female' and anything else to do with being a woman.

Are you aware that a recent Cancer Research UK campaign to encourage women to have cervical screening did not use the word 'woman'?
It appeared on twitter and said 'Cervical screening (or the smear test) is relevant for everyone aged 25-64 with a cervix. Watch our animation to find out what to expect when you go for screening #CervicalScreeningAwarenessWeek'

This was so that transmen (females) would feel included.

notanan2- I have to admit I am not a legal expert. But could you clarify then. A woman puts on a strap on dildo and rapes a wo/man - and she would not be guilty of rape?

The trans I know are totally respectful of gays - there are some exceptions, I am sure- but this is NOT my experience, at all.

Transactivists however DO seem to have an issue with gays. Their treatment of lesbians who say that their sexuality = not having sex involving penises for example.

I have got no problem with gays - that is a different issue altogether.

I stand by what I said and that is those who feel they are in the wrong body need psychiatric help, not surgery.

A lot of psychiatrists share that view. I remember reading a while back about how one tried to find out how many trans people regretted their decision. He found a worrying number had, but because the militant trans activists have become so powerful, that fact is ignored.

When we are talking about young people and worryingly even children drawn into this it's terrifying.

As I understand it, Women's Aid have accepted self-id for some time, both for workers and for clients.
They say there have been no problems.
Possibly that is because there have been very few male-bodied people actually being workers or clients in women's refuges. (my guess)

There was an interesting discussion here some time back about people who identify as female being able to work in women's refuges.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29760212

geneticliteracyproject.org/2016/07/29/does-the-human-warrior-gene-make-violent-criminals-and-what-should-society-do/

Only males can have the warrior genes. It makes men more predisposed to violence and sexual aggression than women.
You cannot "identify" away the warrior gene.

This is why women have FOUGHT for safe spaces that are separate from MALES to change in, sleep in, have medical treatment in, take refuge in.

If you don't need such save spaces you are fortunate and should still defend other women's right to a male free space to feel safe in should they need it.