J.K. Rowling’s post on trans-identity and modern misogyny

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also the constant “TERF”-is uber misogynistic. Akin to fundamentalist-speaking calling all feminists radical or libbers. Yuck!

The term TERF is a slur against women.

https://terfisaslur.com/

Omg. What should we call women who claim they are feminists but don’t count trans women as women then?

They are feminists who call trans women "trans women" and women who were born biologically female "women".

There is no need for homogenization here. We can advocate for respect for and acceptance of trans women, we can fight discrimination against trans women, and we can see them and care about them without pretending they are exactly like women who were born female. If you want to talk about opening your mind, open your mind to not having to wrap all that love and respect and acceptance into an insistence on a single term to designate that love and respect and acceptance. Refusal to say they are the same is NOT the same as saying we don't love you, care about you, respect you, etc. And it sure as hell is not transphobia.

[Anonymous]

It's interesting how this debate is only about trans women. Someone posted earlier upthread that no one cares about trans men. It all makes sense in terms of men "invading" a female space - even when they present as women, men still feel they have the right to define women in terms that best suit their agenda. We'd welcome you to the sisterhood with open arms if you weren't so intent on redefining an already occupied space.
Get your own space!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad someone like her has the guts to say something that a lot of us feel. Shame on the mob mentality attacking her for actually being very affirming and reasonable with her views.

If you need guts to say it and feels ashamed to say you believe something, that’s your first clue it’s maybe a wrong thing to believe.

Let me introduce you to the internet, where you can be subject to a mob attack for any reason or sometimes no reason, but it's always an unpleasant experience.

This exactly. Only an ignorant fool would believe that internet mobs are always on the side of "right". Social media is the frickin Lord of the Flies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with JKR.

I am also BLM supporter and will vote Democratic. I am for all civil, domestic partnership and democratic rights to LGBTQ community and support seperate bathrooms for them if needed in public spaces.

Spent a long time reading about this and trying to figure out this issue. Wish she would have articulated it better, pro-women is not ant-trans!!! Also, wish the media would interview Jill Solloway from Transparent, which I loved, because she had this very issue in one of the episodes when Mapa goes to the camp and the women don't turn him away from the women only event! Can't remember all the detail, but watched when first came out and thought yes that is a valid point! So was she wrong and transphobic also? Why is this not being asked, seemed like there was a lot of trans fans at the time! The violent misogynism directed at Rowlings by some trans groups is also very disturbing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s like being born a female and liking pink and expressing femininity is something bad. Like it needs to be purged and erased. Don’t do his to me. Don’t do this to the billions of women who think this way around the world. Women are still inunde el p,aging fields here. Heck we still don’t even have paid maternity leave in the freaking United States! Unlike some other countries. We get no propriety in society at all.

I accept you, trans or whatever you are. I love you. I admire you. I see you. But you must show the same regard to me. And also listen to the points here about how totally unfair it is to compete in our space, when we have struggle for so long to carve out our space, and gain some sense of traction in society.

How can you think trans women DON’T see and feel those same struggles as we do? Do you think they didn’t face struggles of their own growing up in an body they felt wasn’t theirs? That they didn’t face discrimination for who they are? Amazing you think YOUR womanhood is threatened or discounted by theirs.

Okay explain to me then why they don't want cis-women playing trans roles, you can't have it both ways, the struggle is not the same. And how anyone can support Jenner getting Woman of the Year, who is still a republican and before transitioning had never come out and supported LGBTQ issues is beyond me. She should have refused the award and I quote in acceptance speech, "“The hardest part about being a woman is figuring out what to wear.” F$$$ Y$$

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s like being born a female and liking pink and expressing femininity is something bad. Like it needs to be purged and erased. Don’t do his to me. Don’t do this to the billions of women who think this way around the world. Women are still inunde el p,aging fields here. Heck we still don’t even have paid maternity leave in the freaking United States! Unlike some other countries. We get no propriety in society at all.

I accept you, trans or whatever you are. I love you. I admire you. I see you. But you must show the same regard to me. And also listen to the points here about how totally unfair it is to compete in our space, when we have struggle for so long to carve out our space, and gain some sense of traction in society.

How can you think trans women DON’T see and feel those same struggles as we do? Do you think they didn’t face struggles of their own growing up in an body they felt wasn’t theirs? That they didn’t face discrimination for who they are? Amazing you think YOUR womanhood is threatened or discounted by theirs.

Okay explain to me then why they don't want cis-women playing trans roles, you can't have it both ways, the struggle is not the same. And how anyone can support Jenner getting Woman of the Year, who is still a republican and before transitioning had never come out and supported LGBTQ issues is beyond me. She should have refused the award and I quote in acceptance speech, "“The hardest part about being a woman is figuring out what to wear.” F$$$ Y$$

Okay last point, why don't we broaden what it means to be female and male? Maybe I'm niave but surely that would solve some issues, I don't understand why most trans-women seek to be women that most feminist women see as stereotypes hyper-feminized! I don't know many cis-women who look like the trans women I see! Jenner cover, speech, and interview in the media comes to mind! I don't hear anything about women's issues or denouncing patriarchy!!!

[Anonymous]

This trans bullshit is making me want to vote Trump and I despise him as a black immigrant woman. But on this issue and this issue only, the Trump administration is right. As a former athlete for whom sports were the way to college, I am disgusted and dismayed by how the Democrat-sponsored “Equality Act” would allow XYs who hit puberty as men to destroy the hard-won gains of Title IX by competing against women athletically. Unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She’s spot on. I couldn’t admit it in real life because of all the reasons she mentions, but if sexuality is fluid and changing, why isn’t gender? The big one that gets me is when XY women want to compete in sports as women. Great, so now men can smash all our world records and ensure no biological woman will ever win a medal, step the F down.
I’m curious why trans people make it about gender? I thought it was about feeling like you were born in the wrong body. Like, a butch lesbian isn’t any less of a woman for having a buzzed head and working on motorcycles. Why does feeling comfortable wearing a dress and growing your hair long make you a woman if you have a penis?

My thoughts exactly in the first paragraph. There are a lot of us who love trans people, but this point in particular hurts me as a woman. As someone who is female. Trans people aren’t listening anymore. All they see is hate and you are wrong and you don’t understand, blah, blah, but the truth is that it goes both ways. They want to shut down anyone who disagrees with them. But we have a valid point, and concerns. So please listen and don’t disregard it. I am not happy with trans people suddenly competing in sports for women. They will always be at an unfair advantage and it’s disingenuous to think otherwise. I also don’t care for a trans competing in beauty pageants like Miss Universe. While drop dead gorgeous, when I saw Miss Spain last year, it broke my heart as a born woman. What like my actual, born with femininity wasn’t enough? A person who was once a man actually took a spot that should have been given to an actual biological female? It’s insulting, given all the crap that has been thrown at us females for so long. The fight just to be seen, heard and taken seriously, and then this? Why can’t those of you who disagree see that there is a point here and a frustration among women who have had to fight for so long just to have what they have. It would be demoralizing for me to be in a competition against a trans person and have an opportunity taken away from me. What I also think is that if you want to compete, maybe the olympics should have general or gender fluid races and competitions. That way we can all play fair.

And now we’re defunding Women’s shelters in the name of trans-women’s rights...

This is going too far. And as always, it’s the most vulnerable in society who pay the highest price — in this case, women seeking refuge after suffering from male violence will no longer have a shelter. If your movement has evolved to eliminating safe spaces for rape victims as a cause celebre, your movement is rotten to the core.

NP. I don't care about the beauty pageants. Trans women can participate in those if they want.

However, the trans women, who experienced male puberty and in many cases, lived as an adult male, should not be participating in sporting events for women. What happened at that women's shelter was just wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does giving Trans women rights diminish biological women's rights?

We're all in the same group as "female." I don't care if trans women want to join. The more the merrier.

THIS

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who cares about menstruation?

I am an XX woman who doesn't menstruate anymore (IUD). I am soooo grateful for that!! LOL. Menstruation sucks. I would love for my DD to get an IUD that stops menstruation when she is a teen.

I have no problem with saying "people who menstruate." As a woman, I have no desire to claim menstruation as some great thing. It's a PITA.

You are missing the point. You are perpetuating the negativity in being a woman. This is fing sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really don’t understand what’s offensive about that statement.

I have seen friends’ occasionally post about blocking her and how she’s transphobic. Because I was never a Harry Potter fan I had never followed her very closely. It’s very disappointing to now read her statement and know this is what all the anger was about. Really? Seriously?

She literally denies the existence of trans people. She will not acknowledge that gender =/= sex and a trans woman in her mind is not a woman.

She does not deny the existence of trans people. I'm new to this and trying to understand but the hate is outrageous. This is complicated and it does feel as if there is a lot of hostility from the trans community toward those of us who do menstruate and I find that an offensive way of being labeled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really don’t understand what’s offensive about that statement.

I have seen friends’ occasionally post about blocking her and how she’s transphobic. Because I was never a Harry Potter fan I had never followed her very closely. It’s very disappointing to now read her statement and know this is what all the anger was about. Really? Seriously?

She literally denies the existence of trans people. She will not acknowledge that gender =/= sex and a trans woman in her mind is not a woman.

The vast majority of people do not believe trans women are literally women. They are trans, and that is fine. They can dress how they want, present as they want, have surgeries and get the hormones they want. But that doesn’t make them literally women, and that’s essentially all that JK has said.

This. I'm as liberal as they come and every woman I know feels this way.

[Anonymous]

I am deeply saddened by Rowling’s essay, which unfortunately and ironically comes during pride month. In fact, I’m weeping as a write this. I have a wonderful, kind teen trans daughter. Rowling has no idea how hard it is for kids like mine. Suicide and depression are significantly higher, and discrimination, even murder, is always a threat. My daughter wouldn’t choose to be any gender other than the one she was physically born into if it was any kind of choice. It’s just not. She is a girl and that’s that. She is not a threat to women in any way, she just wants to be seen for what she knows in her soul to be - a girl. Even as her mother I cannot claim to understand gender dysphoria, but I do know that I love my child no matter what and I hope she will be happy and safe. Please, for her sake, and the trans community, be compassionate. The struggles they face go far beyond whether a cis woman can’t deal with sharing a bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gah, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to be a woman. I’ve been one for 50 years and as far as I can tell, there’s very little upside.

Really? I love being a black woman, hardships, stereotypes, racism and all. I wouldn't choose to be anything else.

I agree. PP why are you promoting self hate? This is what we've fought against forever and you've just decided to go along with those who seek to diminish us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really don’t understand what’s offensive about that statement.

I have seen friends’ occasionally post about blocking her and how she’s transphobic. Because I was never a Harry Potter fan I had never followed her very closely. It’s very disappointing to now read her statement and know this is what all the anger was about. Really? Seriously?

She literally denies the existence of trans people. She will not acknowledge that gender =/= sex and a trans woman in her mind is not a woman.

The vast majority of people do not believe trans women are literally women. They are trans, and that is fine. They can dress how they want, present as they want, have surgeries and get the hormones they want. But that doesn’t make them literally women, and that’s essentially all that JK has said.

This. I'm as liberal as they come and every woman I know feels this way.

I guess you don’t know me because I don’t feel this way.