A sex difference in the human brain and its relation to transsexuality
https://www.nature.com/articles/378068a0
@light What's with your obsession with sexuality light?
@chestycougth Aren't we all?
Jokes aside, it's because a lot of people believe strange and novel things about gender and sex, sometimes expecting others (including myself) to believe them and even getting angry when we don't (or at least, they used to), so I want to know why.
@light Yeah, true, we're all obsessed with sex (except for the occasional asexual person).
And yes, while many people may have strange and novel opinions on sex and gender, I don't think those people (for the most part) try to force it on other people?
@light I assume you're talking about transgenderism here?
@chestycougth Yes. I've had people take issue with the word "transgenderism". There is a law in Germany that makes it illegal to misgender trans people. There was a court case in Canada that ruled that someone was guilty of something or other because they said that gender identity isn't real (cc: @taylan maybe you can remember the details?)
@light @taylan@feministwiki.org Well it can already be considered illegal in the UK under the 2010 equality act (source: https://reportandsupport.essex.ac.uk/support/harassment-related-to-gender-reassignment)
That's if you consistently and intentionally misgender someone then that could be considered harassment. Not putting an opinion forward on this btw. Just stating the facts.
@light Having said I have no opinion... I kind of do actually... Religion is a protected characteristic (presumably under the equality act as well) and there's plenty of people who disagree with religions but I don't think it would be ok to bully or harass someone for their religion even if I disagreed with it. Also I don't think people being protected from discrimination because of their religion is them "forcing" their religion upon you. I don't see how transgenderism should be any different?
@chestycougth I don't think misgendering is equivalent to bullying, harrassment or discrimination against a religious person. It's more akin to blasphemy.
As of now, I believe that "trans women" are not literally women (and btw, making that illegal is a greeaaaat way to incentivise me and others to agree with you; people famously love having their beliefs criminalised and definitely respond to it by obsequiously avoiding the evil crimethink! 😃 /s [end rant]). I fail to see the difference between making this belief apparent in my speech by using male pronouns for a "trans woman" and a religious blasphemy such as not referring to Yahweh as "Lord" or not saying the Lord's Prayer at school.
If someone tried to make the latter illegal, you would see the problem with that, yes?
#TransTyranny
@chestycougth I'm not talking about repeatedly saying "you are a man, you are a man" to a transwoman. I agree that would be rude. I'm just talking about making it clear that you believe they are a man *when it comes up*. For example, using male pronouns to refer to them rather than female ones.
I don't know whether that's against the law or not. I hope not.
@light Well, I mean the law is still pretty clear from what I linked you earlier. You generally have to use the pronouns that that person uses. I don't see why that would be difficult though? I mean it wouldn't be hard to not ask a Muslim to eat bacon? I think you can still say that you believe they aren't the same as a biological woman (or man - you seem to be singling out trans women) as long as you aren't making a point out of it and trying to bother that person in a targeted way
@chestycougth What on earth are you talking about? Those things are not comparable. I wouldn't be "asking" trans people to do anything. I would simply be using the pronouns that best describe them.
How is it hard to deny the evidence of your eyes and ears?
Also, https://noc.social/@light/116173492251648680
@light Like I'm saying, all the evidence of science tells me that Christianity is BS. Doesn't mean I feel the need to shout that at every Christian I come across
@chestycougth Again, I. Am. Not. Advocating shouting my beliefs at people.
@chestycougth To reiterate, laws such as the one you mention prove that this is false:
>I don't think those people (for the most part) try to force it on other people?
@chestycougth
It says on the page you linked:
>Refusing to address a trans person by their preferred name and correct gender pronoun:
> A manager repeatedly addresses a trans woman by her previous name or uses "he/him" pronouns, even though she has clearly communicated her preferred name and pronouns, undermining her gender identity in meetings and emails.
>Repeated and deliberate mis-gendering of a trans person or people:
> A co-worker continuously refers to a nonbinary employee using the wrong pronouns despite being corrected multiple times, doing so in conversations and written communication as a form of disrespect.
This is what I take issue with. People should be free to express their opinion on whether a trans person is a man or a woman.
Forcing them to act as if someone is a sex which they are clearly not is tyranny of the same kind as Winston Smith being forced to accept that 2+2=5.
@light It's blasphemy to a Christian to say that Christ is not the son of god. Does that mean that non-christians can't believe that? No. Would it still be harassment to go up to Christians and follow them round and tell them that Christ is not the son of god? Imo, yes.
So imo of course it's fine to believe that trans women (or men) are not women (or men) but I don't think it's ok to repeatedly say that to their face. The harassment law exists to protect people from that.