F is for 'Feminist'

Remember that campaign a few years ago in which public figures posed in black t-shirts emblazoned with the words 'this is what a feminist looks like' - it was a great campaign to raise the bar on feminism, albeit a couple of the folks who posed in them went on to do things which very certainly didn't advance the feminist cause.

So I thought I'd digress a bit (and possibly open myself up to some grief) to describe my thinking on feminism, and in particular (obv) Trans inclusive feminism.

Music for this post - well it can only be Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin!

Feminism as a concept has a lot of angles - and consequently a lot of opinion attached to it - many of them are toxic and divisive. I can only give my opinion on them, and as usual, take it as one woman's view of the world.

For me, feminism is the belief that a society built around a patriarchy - i.e. benefits and privileges for men at the expense of women is not just and is not acceptable - and it's almost a simple as that - equality of rights, to vote, to healthcare, to education etc etc and equality of opportunity in work and pay. It has always been important to me, as a recognition that - to coin a phrase - we are all created equal. Rights for women means rights for all women, and this has not always been an article of faith - rights for women of colour, for example, did not feature strongly in the feminist movement of yesterday (and arguably still lag behind) - likewise socio economic considerations were missing in some of the suffrage campaigns of the early 20th century, with property rights still being a major factor in campaigns. Latterly and most painfully, trans womens' place in the feminist movement suffer attacks and abuse - apparently because the view amongst some feminists is that trans women are not women and that being a woman is reducible to natal genitalia.

Take a second and think about that, i've spent hours - probably months of my life considering what it means to be a woman, and I simply cannot resolve that a woman is simply the vehicle for a vagina - it has to run deeper than that. Yes body shape and anatomy is important to trans women, but this is, in my own view, much more to do with affirmation and congruence with our psyche than any sort of fetishisation of 'parts' - indeed, some trans women do not opt for surgical interventions, and this is just fine; because, how many times do you actually see another person's genitalia? - Think on that for a few moments too.

The rise of trans exclusionary radical feminism (the term 'TERF' relates to this) and the 'gender critical' movement - a euphemism for trans-phobic activism cloak hatred, bigotry and intolerance in the language of pseudoscience. People with scientific educations which petered out at the age of 13 speak with certainty of 'scientific realities' and 'biological sex' without really making any useful points; they do so with vehemence and venom, part of a dehumanising effort against other women who had no more choice to be born a woman then they did.

They will often cite 'legitimate concerns' about single sex spaces, toilets, changing rooms, refuges and other women only services as being reserved for women who fit a very specific criteria. Usually this is the possession of a vagina, often though, this is not seen as enough - the presence of a working womb and uterus is also cited (which writes off a significant portion of women AFAB (assigned female at birth)). These 'concerns' lack legitimacy as they have no evidence behind them to support the assertions of attack and danger they make - trans women are a small proportion of society and the number of trans women who go on to commit the offences that are cited as being commonplace are also proportionately lower than the general population; countries which have supported the rights of trans women (and men) to transition through self declaration have not seen any increase in criminal activity committed by trans people - which is no surprise to anyone thinking rationally or who knows at least one real life trans person.

Indeed the exclusionary narrative that there is a debate to be had, or 'legitimate concerns' suggests that the basic humanity of a minority is a matter of debate - of course the same 'concerns' have been raised before - for people of colour, for religious minorities, for LGB people. The simple fact is, Trans people exist and have always existed; in some cultures we have survived, even thrived, in others we have struggled, been attacked and vilified - in those societies the rate of self harm and suicide amongst trans people is truly shocking - which makes intersectional feminism all the more important; people are not transphobic from birth, they become so through societal conditioning.

So I stand for all women, regardless of distinction - please stand up for me too.