Writer Jane Harris took to Twitter on Wednesday to ask women about their thoughts on transgenderism – and the response was overwhelming.
“In one tweet only – what peaked you?” the British screenplay writer and novelist wrote, asking her followers what turned them off the transgender movement. For Harris, the turning point was seeing a biologically born male being named in a list of most influential women by the Financial Times.
In one tweet only – what peaked you?
For me, it was the inclusion of Pips Bunce on a list of 100 influential women. I'm all for gender-fluidity – but how can a man who says he is non-binary be included in a list of influential women…makes no sense.https://t.co/gI1n1AleWB
— Jane, Empress of the Known Universe (not GP)🏳️🌈 (@blablafishcakes) April 6, 2022
“For me, it was the inclusion of Pips Bunce on a list of 100 influential women. I’m all for gender fluidity – but how can a man who says he is non-binary be included in a list of influential women…makes no sense,” she said, sharing an article from the Evening Standard covering the transgender Credit Suisse director being named on FT’s list of 100 top women back in September 2018.
Harris was inundated with responses to her question from women sharing their real-life experiences. Responses included concerns over female safety, misogyny, and sharp criticism of the behaviour of trans rights activists.
“Realising people could consider themselves female while still having male anatomy. Femininity may be a state of mind, being female isn’t,” one woman responded. “Also, realising thinking this didn’t make me transphobic was HUGE,” she added.
Hearing a women being called transphobic for asking to be seen by a "female born" doctor – It was about 4/5 years ago. From memory they refused her care at that trust because of it.
— Jane Austen is back (@A_Kickarse_Lady) April 7, 2022
Realising people could consider themselves female while still having male anatomy. Femininity may be a state of mind, being female isn’t. Don’t have enough understanding to comment on post-op gender identification. Also,realising thinking this didn’t make me transphobic was HUGE
— Jessica W 🇺🇦 (@JessicaW84) April 7, 2022
“Hearing a woman being called transphobic for asking to be seen by a “female born” doctor – it was about 4-5 years ago. From memory they refused her care at that trust because of it,” another said.
Another user called out the behaviour of trans rights activists – referring to the hostility shown by supporters who are not in 100% agreement.
“Having TRAs go after my job and blackmail me out of a support community because I wasn’t 100% with them, and instead 90% with them. Sure wasn’t the TRAs extending their hand to help me back up after that.”
https://twitter.com/DaysGoByGoBy/status/1512154187412520961?s=20&t=sFnMIKESqmy77Ska3JW7Ug
One commenter pointed to an assault case which took case in the US state of Virginia in which a teen ‘boy in a skirt’ was found guilty of two sex assaults on teenage girls.
US court case about TEENAGERS using the bathroom of their gender identity.
It seems naive to have puberty age youth pull down their pants in a co-ed space. A rape occurred in girls toilets (Loudon County, Virginia) the perpetrator was "a boy in a dress"— Themama 🇳🇬 (@monabu) April 7, 2022
Another lady shared her story of being sexual harassed by a trans woman “who behaved in very male ways.” She said she then learned about the condition of auto gynephilia and women being “called bigots for saying no”.
https://twitter.com/jetcupcake/status/1512094135154626567?s=20&t=sFnMIKESqmy77Ska3JW7Ug
One teacher said the number of male children identifying as girls in her class – and no female pupils identifying as boys – sparked her concern.
Last year when 4/11 girls in my Year 10 class announced they were NB or male. Loads of trans girls in my school, but no boys – surely it should be equal??
Then I started investigating and discovered it was the tip of a very large, very ugly iceberg.
— Clemency Button (@ClemencyButton) April 7, 2022
Other tweets referred to the issue of self-identification (someone being allowed to choose their legal sex and gender regardless of their biological sex) and the ramifications for women who spoke up against the controversial measure.
A woman being roughed up at the Anarchist Bookfair 2017 for handing out leaflets about the danger to women's rights by self id.#sexnotgender#womensrights
— Rebecca Heath (@BlytheGetsCross) April 6, 2022
Others focused on accusations of ‘transphobia’ and the targeting of women speaking up against biological males identifying as female, including the persecution and ‘cancellation’ of JK Rowling.
Heard yet another BBC report of Prof Kathleen Stock @Docstockk "accused of transphobia". Puzzled, I watched youtube interviews w her. Saw no transphobia.
Sim with JKRowling. I read what she *actually* said.
I then stopped watching/listening/reading BBC. Heartbroken & angry.
— Michelle Shipworth (@MShipworth) April 7, 2022
I've never been a believer of gender but not seen the abuse aimed at women until a news article about JK Rowling being a transphobe. Joined Twitter to see what all the fuss was about and, well…🤯. Reality has truly slid off a cliff with so many ppl. Predators are loving it.
— Rain-Bow-Fay (@fay_rain) April 7, 2022
Seeing a rape survivor (Rose McGowan) shouted at and accused of genocide while she was publically talking about her rape, by a person who was later revealed to be a sexual predator
And the media, twitter, even the Women's March all vilifed HER. I couldn't believe it.— Third Turtle (@third_turtle) April 7, 2022
Others cited biological males being placed in women’s prisons (enabled by self-identifying their gender), expressing concern for the safety of women. As reported by Gript, in December, Justice Minister Helen McEntee confirmed that it is the position of the Department of Justice that biological males can be placed into female prisons if they say they identify as a woman.
Women’s rights groups have raised serious concerns about the safety of female prisoners after a change in the law allowed biological male criminals who said they identified as female to be placed with women in prisons.
Under the Gender Recognition Act of 2015 anyone in Ireland over the age of 18 has the right to legally change their sex by applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate. All that is required is a declaration that the person wishes to live as a particular gender, and the person does not have to have taken hormones or undergone gender reassignment surgery, or have the application overseen by a doctor.
Both women’s prisons in Ireland have now housed biologically-male transgender prisoners who have obtained a Gender Recognition Certificate. The Law Society Gazette reported in 2019 that a “pre-operative, pre-hormone therapy, male-to-female transgender prisoner” was being held in Limerick women’s prison and that “the prisoner was assigned a high level of monitoring after being convicted of ten counts of sexual assault and one count of cruelty against a child.”