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Biological men in woman only spaces

(209 Posts)
BlueRuby Fri 17-Sept-21 12:41:07

I was in a public womens toilet the other day and a couple of young women started talking to me over the basins and hand dryers. They were talking about men "self identifying" as women, and being able to use women only spaces, not that we have many safe spaces, but they mentioned changing rooms and toilets. I said I didn't like the idea of trans men, particularly men self identifying as women (so NOT those who have been through the whole surgical transitioning process) being allowed in those spaces. I am appalled that a man can decide to throw on a skirt one day and go to womens changing rooms and toilets. It is a risk. I genuinely sympathise with those who are going through the transitioning process - it must be hard to feel that you've been born into the wrong body. But I think the trans community has a very loud voice, despite being a tiny percentage of the population, because they are men and have been socialised, as men, to believe they should be heard. Their "rights" and "freedoms" seem to be regarded as more important than the rights and freedoms of biological women, who have had to fight for every little step forward. A biological man can never be a biological woman because you can't change DNA. Going back to the two young women, they were surprised when I said I didn't want biological men in women only spaces, and said they hadn't thought of the safety aspect. This is a difficult subject - ranging from the intensely personal to international sports - which I believe needs to be discussed openly and honestly, with no bullying to silence people. I'm pretty fed up with politicans, "influencers" and commentators jumping on the trans bandwagon and telling me my rights to safety and privacy don't matter. I fully expect some vitriol from some people, but women's rights are being eroded and we need to think about this.

Galaxy Tue 21-Sept-21 14:31:23

In the way you seem to take from peoples posts that they see transwomen as barely human.

PippaZ Tue 21-Sept-21 14:23:40

see seem

PippaZ Tue 21-Sept-21 14:23:03

Galaxy

Do you mean the unusual thing of being raped or sexually assaulted for example. Those women who have had that thrown at them in life. Those women who need refuges for example, free from men because of trauma. Sorry if you view their needs as tutting. Those women need to live in the world which is why they fought for and fundraised for refuges etc. Can I make the claim that you see those women as barely human.

No. But you see to be able to take something I didn't say from my post.

PippaZ Tue 21-Sept-21 14:20:50

What should be stopped are transwomen who behave like men, display their male appendages and insist that they have a right to be in female safe spaces

Just how often is that happening? It is probably more likely that a man, dressed as a man could waylay a woman coming out of a toilet in a less than safe area at a less than safe time.

Safety is the problem - if there is one - not trans women.

Galaxy Tue 21-Sept-21 14:13:29

Do you mean the unusual thing of being raped or sexually assaulted for example. Those women who have had that thrown at them in life. Those women who need refuges for example, free from men because of trauma. Sorry if you view their needs as tutting. Those women need to live in the world which is why they fought for and fundraised for refuges etc. Can I make the claim that you see those women as barely human.

Mollygo Tue 21-Sept-21 14:08:01

But jaylucy, no one on here has said that all trans are bad.
No one has said anything negative about the trans who do not inflict their maleness, or demonstrate or display their maleness in inappropriate places.
“Nothing to stop a man going into . . . “
What stops a man, dressed as a man, acting like a man from going into women’s spaces is the fact that they would be identified as a man. Now they can dress like women and claim to be women, why would a man even bother.
What stops a transwoman, looking like a woman, behaving like a woman from going into female spaces-probably nothing. As you and others say, no one looks down their pants.
What should be stopped are transwomen who behave like men, display their male appendages and insist that they have a right to be in female safe spaces even when that is distressing for females (who in some folks eyes should just ‘get over it!’) That equally applies to men who aren’t claiming to be anything else.
If your ex opted out of being a man and chose to be a transwoman, and is as you describe him, good on him perhaps you set a good example. Interesting you use male pronouns for him. Some posters would take issue with you over that as a sideline.

Aveline Tue 21-Sept-21 14:05:22

In Scotland women who have been raped or sexually assaulted can no longer be guaranteed a female doctor. A man self identifying as female has more rights than the poor distressed women.

PippaZ Tue 21-Sept-21 13:47:02

Doodledog

It’s a turn of phrase. I’d be surprised if anyone but you thought I was implying that they were mine, or that I had any ownership of them in a literal sense.

I do apologise Doodledog; I didn't make myself clear.

I was not suggesting you own it, or that anyone using them did. It is this idea that by providing a toilet the owners automatically provide a "female space".

Obviously, the owners must ensure that the space is safe but that is different to this idea of "female space" monitored for those some people don't see as "female" or, it seems, barely human.

Reading jaylucy's post of Tue 21-Sep-21 11:29:50 reminded me of various events. In her post, she is describing a poor woman (who used to be her husband) just needing to go to the loo. Going to the toilet has been made an uncomfortable issue for him - even though it is something we all have to do.

This took me on to thinking of my father. When he was still with us he had IBS, Ulcerative Colitis and Diverticulitis. In other words, his gut was a mess. I am very sure that if a "women's" toilet was the only one available, he might have dashed in to use it.

While he was still going out he carried a card as the Crohn's and Colitis group was running an awareness campaign. Because as even that did not help at times, he stopped going out.

I have found something similar. My gut too is a mess. It seems there is a dodgy gene in the family. At one time I knew that looking healthy, if I avoided a queue and used a disabled loo, I would be able to hear the "tuts". This was when I discovered the tutters.

They have disappeared a bit now as those who provide the loos put up notices about invisible illnesses and conditions. However, I have a feeling we have a lot of tutters on this thread and they certainly do nothing for those who have to cope with some of the unusual things life throws at them - but still need to live in the world and go to the toilet.

nanna8 Tue 21-Sept-21 13:02:19

If I saw a bloke in the ladies loo I would report him. So would most. Especially if there was a Gents loo available. Same applies to changing rooms. We are old fashioned like that here.

Doodledog Tue 21-Sept-21 12:57:42

It’s a turn of phrase. I’d be surprised if anyone but you thought I was implying that they were mine, or that I had any ownership of them in a literal sense.

PippaZ Tue 21-Sept-21 12:35:10

Doodledog Tue 21-Sep-21 12:04:21

Your attachment to public loos as "our area" is very odd. It belongs to the shop, the council or whoever made it availabe. It is put to them to ensure they are a safe area for all.

PippaZ Tue 21-Sept-21 12:30:49

jaylucy Tue 21-Sep-21 11:29:50

Well said and thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Doodledog Tue 21-Sept-21 12:04:21

I see the public loo issue as symbolic of the other 'female spaces' - a metonym if you like. They are called 'The Ladies', and even have a picture of a woman to differentiate them from 'The Gents'. They have Sanpro machines next to the condom ones, and the 'nicer' ones have tights on sale and scented handcream for when you've washed your hands.

Every different issue has slightly different features and connotations, so we could argue all day over whether it matters more if men are allowed into changing rooms but not refuges, or whatever. Even then, a changing room in a busy store with cubicles and an attendant in the communal area is different from those in a swimming pool where it is noisy and people are in stages of nakedness.

I don't think anyone is saying that men don't need refuges, but many women escaping male violence definitely need somewhere they are guaranteed not to hear male voices, or where a man won't tower over their children, or be sleeping nearby. Even if that's only for the first couple of nights, it is important to a lot of women. Maybe not all, but it is the ones who do need this who should drive the agenda, not the occasional man who needs refuge.

To stick with refuges for a minute - they used to be called 'Women's Refuges', and were set up by groups of feminists who could decide for themselves who could enter. Like so many things, they were formed by women for women, and had to be fought for - whether for funding, for the right to be set up amongst those who didn't want them in the neighbourhood, for police protection and so on. I'm sure that even then there were men who needed refuge, but they didn't set them up (as far as I know, anyway). If they had, men (however they identify) could have used those, with women and transitioned transwomen in the women's ones. But they didn't. Instead, they rely on women to take them into ours.

It seems that any issue with transwomen has to be dealt with by women. We are the ones to take them into our areas, our research groups, and our sports teams and deal with any associated problems, whether we like it or not. Men (and even if you think that transwomen are women, they started out as men) just wash their hands of it, and leave women to move over and deal with their issues, with the support of women who also see any 'coping' as being 'women's work'.

For the millionth time (or for the benefit of anyone who is coming to this discussion for the first time) none of the above means that transwomen who want to live quietly as women shouldn't do so. As is always 'helpfully' pointed out, nobody checks their pants to see what is in there, so there is nothing stopping them. It is the men with their penises out and on display in changing rooms, the ones with booming voices in refuges and the ones insisting on being locked up (and locked into a cell) with women in prison who are the concern, as well as the possibility of men who are intent on getting intimate access to vulnerable women using the No Debate climate.

And as has been alluded to here, it's not just about safety. It's about women having nowhere to go to be amongst other women. Yes, there are many public loos where few people would want to hang about, but 'powder rooms' have always been where women could gather and find female support - from borrowing mascara or buying a tampon to asking for help. Arguably the most famous feminist novel of the 70s was called The Women's Room.

Galaxy Tue 21-Sept-21 11:47:47

Have you read the thread. If so you would know I dont think my brother or son are going to jump on someone, I dont think they should be in single sex spaces though. As many many of us have said most of us know many transwomen, and in those conversations many transwomen agree with the need for sex segregated spaces.

jaylucy Tue 21-Sept-21 11:29:50

My ex husband is trans and now living as a woman and considering that, as you say, he socialised as a man, fathered 6 children , his job could be classed as male and the motor sport that he competed in internationally is still about 90% male, I can assure you that he was more bothered about actually going to the toilet rather than attacking another female if using the female toilets!
His whole personality and voice has changed since his transition and he has always had possibly more female friends rather than male friends anyway and certainly can never see him even thinking of attacking someone , which is what you are implying! The hormone treatment that trans going from men to women have cuts down on the testosterone and therefore the aggression and they really only see themselves as becoming what they have always believed they should be.
There is absolutely nothing to stop any man walking into a ladies loo and assaulting a woman anyway as so few public loos are now attended, if that is what they are determined to do. Why would you assume that, in your ignorance, that because someone is born a certain sex, as medically defined, that how they actually believe they what sex they should be would mean that they would instantly jump on someone of the sex they want to be ?
I can only suggest that you actually have a conversation with a transgender person at some point!

PippaZ Tue 21-Sept-21 11:10:42

VioletSky

Public toilets are the least secure places. There are no emergency exits, you can't lock the main door in, they have thick walls and the cubicles are very often easy to climb over.

I had an incident when I was 15 where a boy followed me in at a campsite and I was luckily able to push past him and run.

The signs on the door aren't magic.

I have never seen a public toilet as a safe place to hide

Good point VioletSky. They often end up pretty gross to. I can't remember the last time I used one other than in a shop or supermarket.

VioletSky Tue 21-Sept-21 10:33:21

I know we are going around in circles but, who here is honestly equipped to say that a woman cannot become a man and vice versa.

A woman has already given birth with a transplanted womb. How long until that level of change is available to trans people. How long until elements of their own dna can be used to grow and change their genitalia completely to become biologically male or female. My guess would be, not that long at all.

I'm just a mum of 5 and I don't have time to go get myself a medical degree and do my own research before it's time to retire so I trust that when research done scientifically with no bases in feelings, shows that gender is not as definable as we first thought, change is coming.

I'll leave it there

Hetty58 Tue 21-Sept-21 10:26:33

BlueRuby, why does this same subject keep turning up, ad nauseam on GN - like a bad penny.

At risk of repeating myself (yet again) nothing has changed - at all - has it? There is no increased danger.

There has always been the possibility of men, dressed as women, in loos and changing rooms.

Nobody ever checks inside your underwear to make sure that you're female - do they?

Galaxy Tue 21-Sept-21 10:24:57

I think that's the point we are making violet, toilets in my view are relatively easy to solve, it's the other things refuges, prisons, crime statistics, and on and on. Oh and sport. I dont want anyone turned away, some men experience domestic violence, they need support, but not in a womans refuge.

VioletSky Tue 21-Sept-21 10:23:36

Mollygo from the government equalities office, the estimate is between 200,000 and 500,000 in the UK

VioletSky Tue 21-Sept-21 10:19:03

No comparison between a refuge and a toilet, that's the point I'm trying to make.

I lived in a refuge for a while due to abuse at home, granted that abuse was done by a woman.

A refuge is not a public space.

Admittance is granted to those most in need of help and space is very limited. Staff stayed on site, each room was secure, each room had emergency buttons. There were security cameras. Everything possible was done to give safety to those who needed it.

I would not have wanted a trans woman turned away if she needed help but I know that's not my decision to make.

Mollygo Tue 21-Sept-21 10:12:41

The assumption by some posters, that only those who support trans rights over females rights to safe spaces, know any trans, beautiful people or not is quite strange.
Where do they think we live?
I only know a few of either gender, and found out about 2 of them by accident. It made no difference. The few that I do know, are not happy about all the furore being raised by a minority of trans- mostly transwomen. They feel it threatens their future and their safety and they understand my concern about safe spaces for females.
These are people who dress, and more importantly for them, behave as the gender they aspire to be rather than making it obvious that they are not.
Just to save me the hassle of Google, VioletSky, please can you tell me where to find the evidence of “hundreds of thousands” 7:55 today.

Galaxy Tue 21-Sept-21 10:06:01

Well I am sure you saying that will make it so. I wish women didn't need domestic violence refuges for example, my saying that doesnt make the need for them vanish.

VioletSky Tue 21-Sept-21 10:01:01

I remember one particular case where a breastfeeding woman was shouted at by another woman because her husband kept looking at her.

She didn't have a breastfeeding problem, she had a husband problem but she couldn't see it.

We don't have a trans problem we have a problem with feeling safe where the solution is not a toilet

VioletSky Tue 21-Sept-21 09:56:56

Remember the outcry about breastfeeding mums being told to feed their babies in the toilet?

That sort of thinking is taking us backwards not forwards.

I can't understand how relegating any woman to the toilet to feel safe is possibly ever a good thing. It's just not logical to me

We should be safe everywhere