Remember – you aren’t necessarily trying to change the mind of the person you are talking to: some people are absolutely committed to this ideology. However, you might run across waverers, especially in real life, and you might also have other people watching that you can convince (especially in comments sections on newspapers etc.). The arguments used are usually quite limited, and I have yet to find one that stands up. If I had, I wouldn’t be writing this; I would be on their side.
So, in each case, here’s a few simple things I would say and why.
Before we reach actual arguments, though, you will be told to be KIND a lot of the time. This is usually directed at women. Sometimes they call it “inclusive”, but they mean “kind”. Other times, you will be told, “it doesn’t affect you”. Let’s deal with those first.
“Be Kind”
- Why can’t men be kind and accept men who don’t conform?
- How is it kind to lie to someone and say things you don’t believe or that cannot happen, like changing sex?
- No, YOU be kind. Accept my boundaries.
It seems more than coincidental that the trans movement really began to take off after the #BeKind movement. This was almost entirely aimed at women, working on our conditioning. Don’t be gaslit into thinking you are in the wrong and ought to give up your rights out of compassion. Women’s boundaries are not unkind.
Also, it is NOT kind to allow people questioning their identity to think that they can change sex or lie to them to say that they have.
“None of this affects you.”
- How do you know? You don’t know me.
- How kind is it not to stand up for other people?
- Safeguarding affects us all.
It is a typical argument of those in privileged positions to allow only those directly affected a voice because the most marginalised are often those least able to find a platform to speak. For example, the group arguably most marginalised by the erosion of “woman” as a meaningful term would be the millions of female fetuses aborted each year. If we don’t speak for them, they will have no voice.
See also “Why does this matter?”.
Now we have those out of the way, let’s deal with the arguments that get raised all the time.
Forward to When they say “Transwomen are Women.”
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