This is an excellent, well documented and thoughtful piece. Totally agree with you that this is about policing femininity and controlling women (especially women of color).
Yes to everything you have written in this piece. It's really mind-blowing how the fascist far right movement and their media mouthpieces can just spout off lie after lie without any consequence.
I am grateful for this piece of writing. As an older cis woman I know others who are from the traditional feminist left; they see the ‘whole trans thing’ as usurping the space they fought for back in the 80s. I have disagreed. I’m have thought the project of inclusion that was fought for by gay people and feminists over many decades is just taking the next step and it is my duty to step up too. I had not thought of it from your angle, Joshua, and now I feel I have something positive to say when I want to argue back. It is not just about individual rights and identities
So glad this could help, and it's inspiring to me to hear about your openness and willingness to push back. I've read from women who also think about it as usurping space, and I think it's so important to break down the idea that said space is inherently limited. That is conforming to a larger oppressive worldview, I think, and just seeking to carve out a little space within, which is very much how I see much of the terf 'movement.' So glad to be with you in resisting that, and thank you for leaving this comment!
I too am an older feminist from the second wave and have been appalled by the vitriolic anti trans position so many of my peers have taken. We have argued many a long night but the false view that Trans women threaten cis women’s rights and safety is intractable. I emailed your article to a group of them and posted it on my Facebook page as well in the hopes that it will change their perspective.
Very much appreciate this article! The only edit I'd like to propose is in one sentence: "Transwomen* aren't tranitioning..." for transwomen that fully embrace their femme, it can be jarring to be referred to by their pretransitioned selves. I understand how the context in the sentence highlights the proposterousness of sacrificing privileges to do something with which the privilege would have aided. I wonder if the same message could be understand, especially by those less familiar with transfolks, if transwomen had been used. At the end of the day, I'm truly a fan and I bring this forward with the hope of contributing something meaningful ^.^
There's a lot of back and forth between person-first and identity-first. Given this piece is about eradicating stigma and humanizing the perceptions and interactions that come with transness, I would hope identity-first language would help with that, but if there's a chance for ostracization, then yeah, I'd also encourage person-first.
Absolutely perfect article. It really struck me how many friends with supposedly leftist progressive views jumped on the ‘ok this is TOO MUCH!’ train, literally believing the two women weren’t women just because someone said so. The thought that transphobia is misogyny is a powerful one… I read someone saying ‘the dismissal of powerful women athletes as trans betrays misogyny, because it is the belief that a woman must by nature be weak and delicate, and incapable of such success - so if she is succeeding too much, she must be a man.’
I just read that Boebert is fundraising to give the Italian the equivalent to the gold medal prize money. This is ridiculous on so many levels because this wasn't even a gold medal bout. We have NO idea whether Carini would have won the gold. Carini herself had no problem fighting Khelif. None of this will matter as they use her in their game of outrage.
But I think they don't have a choice. Their entire argument against transgender people existing is that gender is SIMPLE. Binary. To accept that someone with XY chromosomes could be assigned female at birth and live happily as a woman messes with their whole premise and they simply can't allow that to happen.
Unfortunately I can't remember where I saw it. Just one kf those news articles that appeared on my home feed, I read it, thought 'well that's annoying' and then moved on.
You are correct transphobia is misogyny but can I hope this time will be the last straw? Trying to ruin an Olympiad for being a strong competitor? This is absurd. I know it won't go away but we have reached peak stupidity.
How can people not find it EXTREMELY annoying that practically every positive or shared collective activity has bigoted people screaming something nonsensical of this nature on the sidelines and being treated like they are raising important points?
I simply don't understand how these inane and bummer buzzkill freakouts by extremely irrational conspiracy pilled people get a purchase, get taken seriously, generate a media fuss, have to be responded to with multiple official statements. Or more!
Is it because very rich people do them sometimes?
How many times is this going to happen before we collectively start to ignore the transphobic misinformation brigade?
We should start complaining to the media for covering it. They play along, and it is simply unconscionable for them to do so.
These people are sitting in their houses watching TV, right? Since when did crackpots sitting at home get to call for a massive official response due to their unhinged interpretation of what they see?
The trasphobes simply aren't different psychologically than the hysterical Christians complaining about 'the devil's music' and various other moral panics. (Of course the Christians did that this time based on limited understanding of art, and their usual persecution fetish.)
Eventually, people got tired of the hysteria and realized what they were dealing with. So I have some hopes society will move this time like we did in the past. But I wish the media would not play along like they do. They should be ridiculed and called out for their craven clickbait seeking amplification at every available opportunity.
>We know and can easily see that these fascists don’t actually care about women or women’s sports, at all. They never watch or mention women’s sports unless they see an opportunity to attack trans people (while often really attacking a cis athlete).
Are you in their living rooms? You could not possibly know any of that.
It's laughably transparent projection. What you really mean to say (and know to be true) is that it's transfeminine men who never cared about women's sports before, and who manifestly don't care now either. Otherwise they wouldn't be doing their best to RUIN women's sports.
All they're passionate about is a participation in a performative public panty raid where they can seek praise from fools and charlatans for being crybully sexpest “victims.”
With political writers it's so hard to tell if they really believe what they write. I could make a good case for why trans mania is a threat but it's philosophical and you wouldn't read it.
Getting people to buy into “A man beat up a woman at the Olympics” is excellent practice for getting them to buy into “The Democrats stole the election from Donald Trump again!”
I am grateful and so, so very happy to find you wrote this timely and well written article. I started my own substack specifically to inoculate and try to pull parents, family members, or individuals out of the echo-chambers that is this crazy conservative "gender critical" ideology, so this really resonates with me. It is very good to see and feel that I am not alone shouting in the mad void! This helps in so many ways, thank you!
This is an excellent, well documented and thoughtful piece. Totally agree with you that this is about policing femininity and controlling women (especially women of color).
As an Italian, I am mortified, disgusted, and enraged by the hate campaign our government and many politicians and journalists carried out.
Thank you for your illuminating thoughts.
Yes to everything you have written in this piece. It's really mind-blowing how the fascist far right movement and their media mouthpieces can just spout off lie after lie without any consequence.
I am grateful for this piece of writing. As an older cis woman I know others who are from the traditional feminist left; they see the ‘whole trans thing’ as usurping the space they fought for back in the 80s. I have disagreed. I’m have thought the project of inclusion that was fought for by gay people and feminists over many decades is just taking the next step and it is my duty to step up too. I had not thought of it from your angle, Joshua, and now I feel I have something positive to say when I want to argue back. It is not just about individual rights and identities
So glad this could help, and it's inspiring to me to hear about your openness and willingness to push back. I've read from women who also think about it as usurping space, and I think it's so important to break down the idea that said space is inherently limited. That is conforming to a larger oppressive worldview, I think, and just seeking to carve out a little space within, which is very much how I see much of the terf 'movement.' So glad to be with you in resisting that, and thank you for leaving this comment!
I too am an older feminist from the second wave and have been appalled by the vitriolic anti trans position so many of my peers have taken. We have argued many a long night but the false view that Trans women threaten cis women’s rights and safety is intractable. I emailed your article to a group of them and posted it on my Facebook page as well in the hopes that it will change their perspective.
Extremely well written and thought provoking. This world of instant hatred has become so exhausting.
Very much appreciate this article! The only edit I'd like to propose is in one sentence: "Transwomen* aren't tranitioning..." for transwomen that fully embrace their femme, it can be jarring to be referred to by their pretransitioned selves. I understand how the context in the sentence highlights the proposterousness of sacrificing privileges to do something with which the privilege would have aided. I wonder if the same message could be understand, especially by those less familiar with transfolks, if transwomen had been used. At the end of the day, I'm truly a fan and I bring this forward with the hope of contributing something meaningful ^.^
also consider a space between trans and women, so "trans women".
There's a lot of back and forth between person-first and identity-first. Given this piece is about eradicating stigma and humanizing the perceptions and interactions that come with transness, I would hope identity-first language would help with that, but if there's a chance for ostracization, then yeah, I'd also encourage person-first.
Absolutely perfect article. It really struck me how many friends with supposedly leftist progressive views jumped on the ‘ok this is TOO MUCH!’ train, literally believing the two women weren’t women just because someone said so. The thought that transphobia is misogyny is a powerful one… I read someone saying ‘the dismissal of powerful women athletes as trans betrays misogyny, because it is the belief that a woman must by nature be weak and delicate, and incapable of such success - so if she is succeeding too much, she must be a man.’
Don't believe your lying eyes, right?
I just read that Boebert is fundraising to give the Italian the equivalent to the gold medal prize money. This is ridiculous on so many levels because this wasn't even a gold medal bout. We have NO idea whether Carini would have won the gold. Carini herself had no problem fighting Khelif. None of this will matter as they use her in their game of outrage.
But I think they don't have a choice. Their entire argument against transgender people existing is that gender is SIMPLE. Binary. To accept that someone with XY chromosomes could be assigned female at birth and live happily as a woman messes with their whole premise and they simply can't allow that to happen.
Your last sentence raises a good point. But only if you think about it. So it will make no difference to bigots.
do you have a cite for this. i’d like to take action to stop her
Unfortunately I can't remember where I saw it. Just one kf those news articles that appeared on my home feed, I read it, thought 'well that's annoying' and then moved on.
I found it. Thanks!
You are correct transphobia is misogyny but can I hope this time will be the last straw? Trying to ruin an Olympiad for being a strong competitor? This is absurd. I know it won't go away but we have reached peak stupidity.
How can people not find it EXTREMELY annoying that practically every positive or shared collective activity has bigoted people screaming something nonsensical of this nature on the sidelines and being treated like they are raising important points?
I simply don't understand how these inane and bummer buzzkill freakouts by extremely irrational conspiracy pilled people get a purchase, get taken seriously, generate a media fuss, have to be responded to with multiple official statements. Or more!
Is it because very rich people do them sometimes?
How many times is this going to happen before we collectively start to ignore the transphobic misinformation brigade?
We should start complaining to the media for covering it. They play along, and it is simply unconscionable for them to do so.
These people are sitting in their houses watching TV, right? Since when did crackpots sitting at home get to call for a massive official response due to their unhinged interpretation of what they see?
The trasphobes simply aren't different psychologically than the hysterical Christians complaining about 'the devil's music' and various other moral panics. (Of course the Christians did that this time based on limited understanding of art, and their usual persecution fetish.)
Eventually, people got tired of the hysteria and realized what they were dealing with. So I have some hopes society will move this time like we did in the past. But I wish the media would not play along like they do. They should be ridiculed and called out for their craven clickbait seeking amplification at every available opportunity.
Holy hell yo:
>We know and can easily see that these fascists don’t actually care about women or women’s sports, at all. They never watch or mention women’s sports unless they see an opportunity to attack trans people (while often really attacking a cis athlete).
Are you in their living rooms? You could not possibly know any of that.
It's laughably transparent projection. What you really mean to say (and know to be true) is that it's transfeminine men who never cared about women's sports before, and who manifestly don't care now either. Otherwise they wouldn't be doing their best to RUIN women's sports.
All they're passionate about is a participation in a performative public panty raid where they can seek praise from fools and charlatans for being crybully sexpest “victims.”
With political writers it's so hard to tell if they really believe what they write. I could make a good case for why trans mania is a threat but it's philosophical and you wouldn't read it.
Getting people to buy into “A man beat up a woman at the Olympics” is excellent practice for getting them to buy into “The Democrats stole the election from Donald Trump again!”
Khelif is 9-5 as a pro fighter, so she’s not an invincible machine. Reality don’t much matter of course.
The problem for the trans lobby in this case is that it highlights how "maleness" can overwhelm women in sport...
Sure.. the boxer isn't trans... so it's ok then..🤔
I am grateful and so, so very happy to find you wrote this timely and well written article. I started my own substack specifically to inoculate and try to pull parents, family members, or individuals out of the echo-chambers that is this crazy conservative "gender critical" ideology, so this really resonates with me. It is very good to see and feel that I am not alone shouting in the mad void! This helps in so many ways, thank you!
So true...