The debate was attended by so many, from different parties and nations. Yet all came to the same conclusion: conversion “therapy” is abuse. The overrepresentation of LGB+ MPs (the only openly trans MP, Jamie Wallis, was not present) shows that as much as the media attempt to divide us, we are a united community.
I would prefer to centre desire and will when talking about transition. To me, transition is more than meeting a medical need, just like crossing the Rubicon was more than Caesar getting his feet wet. It’s taking your life in your hands and shaping it yourself. I think that’s beautiful. I didn’t transition to “alleviate my dysphoria,” I transitioned because I fucking wanted to. Who is the state, or a doctor, to tell me I can’t?
I am writing to complain about the article originally headlined; “We are being pressured into sex by some trans women”. In this letter I intend to set out what my issues with the piece were and how the ‘solutions’ offered by the BBC’s ECU have not at all addressed that problem. The outcome I am searching for is a full retraction and apology for the piece. In my opinion this article does not mean journalistic standards and serves only to elevate gossip of known anti-trans agitators to a position it simply does not belong.
Trans Action Warwick regard this protest as a success. They say they achieved their aim of disrupting the event, using it to make a statement that we need to oppose transphobia and those who weaponise it against us. They believe we can’t gain liberation by attending and asking “difficult questions” alone and that doing so risks legitimising the answers and normalising the negative way transphobes talk about trans people.
The fact that transgender men and nonbinary people exist (and in the case of the former can have legal recognition of that fact) is enough to warrant the use of inclusive language. It’s not about beliefs or about ideologies, its about ensuring that people get the care they need and that requires going beyond primitive views of ‘basic biology’.
Helen Joyce’s comments on the show recently caused a massive controversy as she argued to “reduce” the population of people she found to be “damaged” and “difficulties for a sane world”. This tirade included all transgender people, whether they were “happily transitioned” and even those who had detransitioned.
My personal, Gemma Stone, opinion on this is that we should escalate it as far as it will go; and then keep on complaining if we have to. It seems like a minor thing, one article about us portraying us as sexually violent – but its more than that. In my opinion a victory here is getting the article taken down and sending the message to the BBC that what they did was dangerous, harmful and will not be tolerated.
The Conservative government in the UK are determined to push forwards on using transgender people as a wedge issue in order to distract from their incompetence. They are fanning the flames of the culture war so that you forget the thousands of our family members who died alone and in agony as they lapped up the luxuries in parties while paying their mates millions of your money to invariably do a terrible job of providing basics like PPE to hospitals.
If they believe it hard enough, perhaps they can will it into existence but I doubt it. Trans people just don’t want to have sex with rancid nasty bigots. We want to have sex with people who love us and respect us, like anyone else.
Put simply; GRC or not, the law states that discrimination against transgender people is not lawful in the vast majority of circumstances. (Which I only add because single-sex exemptions exist, but have never been tested in law)