It's a very reasonable article, of a piece with similarly reasonable articles I've read, mostly on Substack where writers have the most leeway to express themselves without someone else curbing any perceived excess.
But I do think too much ground is given to proponents of gender identity. I can't see that ‘trans women are women’ is true in any sense, nor can I see what it would mean for a male to “feel female”, or how somebody would treat somebody as a woman outside of contexts where sex would be relevant.
Having read your piece, I'm not sure if you see it either. To say, “Trans women are not women in the sense that biological women are, because trans women are not born with female anatomy” seems to concede the entire point, since being an adult with female anatomy is both necessary and sufficient to being a woman. The social stuff is linked, but besides the point.
I agree trans people should be treated with compassion. But it is asking too much to expect us to deny material reality.
Totally agree. I'm not sure that there is any way to "treat trans women as women" when we've agreed they have no place in sport, women's changing rooms etc.
What would "treat trans women as women" even mean without the biological aspect? Hold open doors for them? Call them ma'am? Both are meaningless, of course. And largely mean nothing to actual women. I like it if someone holds a door open for me but most people don't let doors slam in anyone's face, male or female. It's just a common courtesy that we extend to everyone. Call them ma'am? Well we could, but we'd be faking it.
It seems to mean "I agree to pretend along with you that you are a woman even though neither of us really believes it". The agreeing to pretend is the bit that matters. That speaks to a need to control other people, to get them to go along with your view regardless of their own view. I won't be endorsing that.
I've said elsewhere that my aunt has phantom limb syndrome following an amputation. She feels better with a blanket over her cold leg that isn't there. We bring her blankets. But we don't all pretend, and she doesn't pretend she actually has a leg. What we are doing is an odd trick that helps her and we don't know why. The trick stops short of us all promoting a fiction.
Maybe Ian could tell us if he has other things in mind here. Otherwise great piece. And I acknowledge I'm completely radicalised on this subject to the point where I now have no interest in playing games any more. Compassion yes, for the genuinely dysphoric. But also radical truthfulness.
That was a very helpful article Ian. Helpful because I hadn’t previously understood what the crux of the debate was. It feels like, as often seems to be the case in many big changes, that activists need to generate controversy in order to attract attention to their cause, but the controversy also turns people away from their cause and makes things worse for the people they are trying to protect.
What is gender? Feminism used to use gender to mean sex roles, something that is due to socialisation as much as psychology. When did it become an innate essence? Saying you have a gender identity is no more provable than claiming to have an immortal soul. What does feeling like or living as the other sex mean? I have no idea what other women feel or how that is different from men. I have differences and similarities to both men and women. What does living in a gender mean when there are a myriad of ways to live? Does it mean anymore than appearance? These to me are the stumbling blocks. Get rid of gender boxes that we are put into
Why isn't TMAM a thing? We don't ever seem to hear from them? Are they quietly living and let living? Not creating hullaballoos about their preferred bathrooms, pronouns, prisons, crises centres? Do they just not feel strongly about this stuff? Where are they and why are they so quiet?
Nothing has challenged my natural predisposition to live & let live, or even my love of outsiders, quite like being expected to intone a lie or be branded a bigot.
I maintain my respect and acceptance of people choosing to live *their* way *despite* the gender activists, not *because* of them.
Thank you for saying everything that swirls giddily around in many of our heads but we are unable to articulate it either for weariness, or fear, or lack of 'articulateness' :) Especially delighted to read this as I have just read about the hungamma over Hogwarts' Legacy and the legions of people either campaigning for a boycott or trying to reconcile their need to buy / play the game while simultaneously distancing themselves from 'she who must not be named'.
Hurrah! You used "cognitive dissonance" correctly! (People usually go into denial to avoid cognitive dissonance.) Great piece all round. And the more we hear from people who are transitioning/detransitioning the better.
Very interesting. One thing occurs to me, though. The number of natal women in prison who have committed the most serious violent offences against women is far larger than the number of trans women who have done so. Some are so dangerous they're kept out of the general prison population. Does the very small number of potentially violent trans females really amount in principle to a new challenge for women's prison managers?
It’s a different challenge because males are physically stronger, which is partly why we segregate in the first place. All a bit downstream of the basic point that males (however they identify) should not be housed in female prisons, a principle which should never have become contentious.
It's a very reasonable article, of a piece with similarly reasonable articles I've read, mostly on Substack where writers have the most leeway to express themselves without someone else curbing any perceived excess.
But I do think too much ground is given to proponents of gender identity. I can't see that ‘trans women are women’ is true in any sense, nor can I see what it would mean for a male to “feel female”, or how somebody would treat somebody as a woman outside of contexts where sex would be relevant.
Having read your piece, I'm not sure if you see it either. To say, “Trans women are not women in the sense that biological women are, because trans women are not born with female anatomy” seems to concede the entire point, since being an adult with female anatomy is both necessary and sufficient to being a woman. The social stuff is linked, but besides the point.
I agree trans people should be treated with compassion. But it is asking too much to expect us to deny material reality.
Totally agree. I'm not sure that there is any way to "treat trans women as women" when we've agreed they have no place in sport, women's changing rooms etc.
What would "treat trans women as women" even mean without the biological aspect? Hold open doors for them? Call them ma'am? Both are meaningless, of course. And largely mean nothing to actual women. I like it if someone holds a door open for me but most people don't let doors slam in anyone's face, male or female. It's just a common courtesy that we extend to everyone. Call them ma'am? Well we could, but we'd be faking it.
It seems to mean "I agree to pretend along with you that you are a woman even though neither of us really believes it". The agreeing to pretend is the bit that matters. That speaks to a need to control other people, to get them to go along with your view regardless of their own view. I won't be endorsing that.
I've said elsewhere that my aunt has phantom limb syndrome following an amputation. She feels better with a blanket over her cold leg that isn't there. We bring her blankets. But we don't all pretend, and she doesn't pretend she actually has a leg. What we are doing is an odd trick that helps her and we don't know why. The trick stops short of us all promoting a fiction.
Maybe Ian could tell us if he has other things in mind here. Otherwise great piece. And I acknowledge I'm completely radicalised on this subject to the point where I now have no interest in playing games any more. Compassion yes, for the genuinely dysphoric. But also radical truthfulness.
That was a very helpful article Ian. Helpful because I hadn’t previously understood what the crux of the debate was. It feels like, as often seems to be the case in many big changes, that activists need to generate controversy in order to attract attention to their cause, but the controversy also turns people away from their cause and makes things worse for the people they are trying to protect.
The squeaky wheel …
Thanks again.
What is gender? Feminism used to use gender to mean sex roles, something that is due to socialisation as much as psychology. When did it become an innate essence? Saying you have a gender identity is no more provable than claiming to have an immortal soul. What does feeling like or living as the other sex mean? I have no idea what other women feel or how that is different from men. I have differences and similarities to both men and women. What does living in a gender mean when there are a myriad of ways to live? Does it mean anymore than appearance? These to me are the stumbling blocks. Get rid of gender boxes that we are put into
Why isn't TMAM a thing? We don't ever seem to hear from them? Are they quietly living and let living? Not creating hullaballoos about their preferred bathrooms, pronouns, prisons, crises centres? Do they just not feel strongly about this stuff? Where are they and why are they so quiet?
Perhaps because men might physically attack them?
Nothing has challenged my natural predisposition to live & let live, or even my love of outsiders, quite like being expected to intone a lie or be branded a bigot.
I maintain my respect and acceptance of people choosing to live *their* way *despite* the gender activists, not *because* of them.
Great piece!
Also, great article.
Thank you for saying everything that swirls giddily around in many of our heads but we are unable to articulate it either for weariness, or fear, or lack of 'articulateness' :) Especially delighted to read this as I have just read about the hungamma over Hogwarts' Legacy and the legions of people either campaigning for a boycott or trying to reconcile their need to buy / play the game while simultaneously distancing themselves from 'she who must not be named'.
Well done for not naming her by the way :))))
Lovely piece Ian, and the move to common sense is so important with such potentially fractious issues. Thanks.
Hurrah! You used "cognitive dissonance" correctly! (People usually go into denial to avoid cognitive dissonance.) Great piece all round. And the more we hear from people who are transitioning/detransitioning the better.
This might be my favourite comment, I'm so pleased you noticed re cog dissonance, which is much abused!
Very interesting. One thing occurs to me, though. The number of natal women in prison who have committed the most serious violent offences against women is far larger than the number of trans women who have done so. Some are so dangerous they're kept out of the general prison population. Does the very small number of potentially violent trans females really amount in principle to a new challenge for women's prison managers?
It’s a different challenge because males are physically stronger, which is partly why we segregate in the first place. All a bit downstream of the basic point that males (however they identify) should not be housed in female prisons, a principle which should never have become contentious.