@Pricey what does Gender Critical mean in this instance? How would you define it?
But I do think that biologically, there is going to be some influence on our traits. Although those tend to be more generalisations, and not everyone will fit that. If there is a place for those generalisations, I guess we can only decide that for ourselves and how it fits our ideas about this topic.
But on the other hand, I do think that people can hate their own body or sex, that they can feel it is wrong or doesn't define them. That they can dissociate and disconnect. But it probably helps that I've had firsthand experience of similar happening to me. It's something you have to explore and work through for yourself to find the answer that works for you. I don't know that there is an answer that works for everyone. People have to decide what their own priority is, how they want to present themselves and who they want to be. And they might need support with figuring that out.
CW for Length.
@sim @Pricey Women should be allowed to feel safe in their spaces.
I do agree that there are some people who are dysphoric, and that is absolutely a mental illness that requires treatment- much as my Bipolar requires treatment for me to be healthy.
I am now, however, well educated enough in psychology to say how, exactly, these persons should best be treated. I take medication to help me be healthy, I go to therapy, I learn how my brain works and how to live with my condition.
If the best practice for these few people is surgery, hormones, and what haves you, then so be it. I doubt the majority of the peoples who with SRS and all the rest are same people who are making women's spaces unsafe for women.
Basically, if you've got a penis you don't belong in the women's bathroom or at the women's gym. If you've gone all the way with SRS, hormones, medicines, what have you, maybe there is an argument there- but it specifically isn't my space to argue for or against. It's not my bathroom or changing room that these individuals would be asking to enter.
I feel like, ultimately, I can have an opinion and I'll share it freely but the decision has to be made by women when it comes to the whole spaces thing. It's up to them to share or not share these spaces, and people need to remember that no one is REQUIRED to share their private spaces.
This isn't like desegregating schools which is an absolute good, after all.
The problem comes when there isn't that divide like in some changing rooms and showers. But even in that case, I'm afraid of other women. It's hard to escape the changing rooms when you are being bullied in them and need them to get changed. You are exposed in more than one way.
I think there is a case against admitting transwomen into female sports competitions because they would still have the strength of males. They would have the advantage and it wouldn't be fair. I'd be for a competition for transwomen to compete with each other though, I just don't know if there is the numbers for it.