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If people are going to give figures/statistics please can we have citations? Where does the 5000% increase stat come from? What research is there showing that there are serious concerns regarding autism in trans guys? There is no 'bending of reality'. I am a trans male/non binary person and it is upsetting having to read things like this. I am all for considered discussion but when people present an argument as a fact with figures that are not cited it is not ok.
generalmalaise
@user114644
Really great posts from Hoefla and Bobby Briggs. I want to add a couple of points. First, I am female, I lurk on here occasionally, I signed up just to comment.
On toilets, and other sex-segregated spaces: I can't speak for all women but in my view the issue here is not transwomen – it's the fact that, if you say anyone who claims to be female can have access (which is what self ID would make super-easy) then predators get a free pass. And it does happen, unfortunately – there have been some terrible cases in prisons. I want transwomen to feel safe too, and I don't have an answer to the problem, morally or practically. But women have been shouted down and threatened simply for raising the issue.
On 'transwomen are women': This is something that women have been pressured to believe in the last few years, and I think it has created much of the animosity. If we believe that transwomen are literally women, then what is a woman? A particular style of appearance, a feeling... or a physical reality? People find this point very difficult, because it seems unkind and exclusionary. But it does matter, hugely. Not all women have the same bodies and experiences, but having this kind of body, as opposed to a man's body, has all sorts of implications, in terms of health, personal safety, sport etc. It's tempting to claim that 'sex is a spectrum' but it's not. A body has the potential to produce small gametes (sperm) or large gametes (eggs) and there's no inbetween, or other type (even in intersex people, who are often a bit sick and tired of getting dragged into this). There are many trans people who point out that yes, we are biologically either male or female... and that's what makes them trans. Furthermore, women have lost their jobs for stating that this distinction is crucial.
On kids: Most people presenting at gender clinics used to be older transwomen. But in the last decade, the number of girls (trans boys) presenting has surged something like 5000%. This is staggering. Why is this the case? There are serious concerns that many of them are autistic and/or would grow up to be lesbians – but culture and society has led them to believe that their personalities, sexuality, outward presentation and interests mean they cannot be women and must change their bodies. In the current climate, questioning this is taboo.
There is more to say, but I am not as eloquent as some of the previous posters. I just wanted to explain a few things, because I have been aware of these issues for many years.
And some context – ten years ago, this stuff really wasn't as contentious as it was now. I think, because, we weren't being asked to accept this bending of reality, in some cases. I really don't have the answers; this stuff is incredibly difficult. I want trans people to live freely, happily and safely. But women need to be able to speak openly about things that affect them.