So, mainly for my own sanity, here are a few thoughts to get off my chest about the whole ‘gender debate’. This might be a long thread so please feel free to scroll on by if it’s not for you. So, here goes:

Obviously, like pretty much all GC people, I think all trans people should live long and fulfilling lives, free of discrimination and harassment. Wear what you want, identify how you want, have consenting sex with who you want and marry (or not marry) who you want

But biological sex exists. Regardless of how you identify, sorry - it still exists. The beautiful thing about facts is they remain true if you believe in them or not. For me, this is a big reason for the impasse in this debate.

We are being asked to accept things that we know, and can show, to be false. Whilst transactivism keeps insisting we accept untruths there will inevitably, and ALWAYS, be pushback from people who have not lost the use of their critical faculties

I would urge TRA’s to stop using these tactics. Nothing long lasting can be built on false foundations. You are wasting everyone’s time - it will inevitably fail. We have to accept material reality and talk about a solution that can actually work to most people’s satisfaction

The reality is humans (and all other mammals) are sexually dimorphic: males and females (I know about intersex, so don’t bother). And a few aspects of life need to acknowledge this reality. This should not, in any way, be controversial

Sport, for one. Not the most important, but just so BLATANT. There is a huge performance gap due to sex differences. Everyone sane knows it – sport split by gender ID is just nuts. There’s no way this can stand long term, so we need to look for another solution now

There are also issues of safety / privacy. I wish they didn’t, but male humans (as a group) DO pose a threat to female humans. Transwomen, by definition, are male humans. Both of these facts are irrefutably true and to deny either is to deny reality

I don’t believe most transwomen are a threat. But some are, because they are male. Women have no way to tell the difference between the good ones and the bad ones. The only sensible option is to exclude all male people from certain (very few) situations.

I’m male. I’m sure I could use women’s space without abusing anyone. But women don’t know that about me. I get excluded cos I’m male. This is not a judgement on me, personally, being good or bad. This doesn’t oppress me and it doesn’t oppress transwomen either

FWIW, I think most transwomen would not abuse the situation either. Some would though, and some men would inevitably pretend to be trans to access victims (see Ian Huntley). Even if the increased risks were low, why should women have to accept *ANY* increased risk at all?

Even if, hypothetically, there was zero increase of risk, many women would still feel threatened with male bodies in single sex spaces. Why should they put up with *ANY* discomfort or fear so as not to hurt the feelings of males?

And even if, hypothetically, no women felt threatened many would still feel uncomfortable or embarrassed changing / showering etc with male bodies – why should women put up with *ANY* loss of dignity or privacy?

Not to mention the women that will just retreat and not use facilities at all. Is this OK? My friends’ teenage daughters that don’t dare drink anything at school because they hate using the gender neutral toilets. Is this OK?

Then there’s SEXual orientation (clue there). Attraction is based on sex, not gender. The idea that it’s wrong for people to choose partners on the basis of sex is doomed to eventual failure too. In practice it’s usually homophobic AF too so, seriously, please stop doing that

My own view is women should not have to cede a single fucking millimetre of ground, when it comes to their rights. Women’s rights still need moving forward, not backward. It is outrageous that this is even being proposed in the first place

I think this is men’s problem. We’re why there are single sex spaces in the first place. We’re why some transwomen don’t feel safe in men’s spaces. Yet we are not being asked to give up anything, change anything – not even the way we think. NOTHING.

There needs to be another way, and it’s going to have to come out of men’s resources. Whether its third spaces, ‘open’ sports events etc I don’t know. But we need to talk about it. Calmly and rationally. Mainly, we need to fix why men are a threat to both women and transwomen

There IS a conflict of rights and this has to be addressed. If you want to help with that, then great. But if you’re just going to shout that women need to shut up, be kind and just put up with this shit then you are a big part of the problem.

I still think we can get to a solution. But, and I can’t believe this needs saying, it must acknowledge reality. It needs to accept that trans rights cannot just trample over women’s rights. Denying reality cannot work in the long term. It will eventually crash and burn

There is no hate here. No one is trying to erase anyone. We all want to be kind, considerate and compassionate. We need to talk. Accepting biological reality is the first step. Seriously: let’s just talk