Anti trans groups like Safe School Alliance and Women's place UK call for the protection of 'women's spaces'. So, protected from who, is the first question?
Well, these organisations actually focus on trans women as the danger to women. Why? Has there been a record of events and incidents where trans women have attacked women in 'women's spaces'? Errr.... no.
But, surely there must be a long list of trans women convicted of harming women or girls, or at least a series of complains, a list of recorded incidents maybe? For these groups to have formed themselves, raised many thousands of pounds from shady unidentified donors and to be running a high profile campaign against trans women, surely there must be some evidence? But no, nothing.
So, what is it all about? It seems crazy to focus so much time and effort on a perceived threat that doesn't exist. Do these groups just hate trans people? That is certainly a possibility. The BBC reported on an increase of 81% rise of hate crimes against trans people in the UK in the last year. Perhaps they are just haters? Good lord they are not alone in this world of increasing racist, anti migrant, and religious, bigotry.
Or, is there a longer term plan? We know many of these groups are backed and supported by far right Christian fundamentalists, mostly based in the USA. The Christian fundamentalist philosophy is not just anti trans, they are anti LGBT, and crucially also anti contraception and abortion. They want to take the control women have achieved over their own bodies, through decades of struggle, away from them.
At first glance it seems an odd marriage of convenience for the UK transphobic Gender Critical movement to be bedfellows with fundamental far right US Christian funding. But I guess that's the point. MONEY. I suppose a few at the top of the TERF groups are probably being paid handsomely for their efforts, while I imagine their followers are seen as no more than useful twitter thumbs up idiots.
Ok, so back to the plan. Well, if the completely unwarranted attack on trans people succeeds, who's next?
I believe the next attack we have to look at is on lesbian access to women's safe spaces. Especially in situations where heterosexual women are vulnerable to sexual predators. It's quite right that males are already banned from these spaces, toilets, refuges, and women's prisons for the safety of women. But what about other women who are sexually attracted to women?
It will be promoted by the Christian evangelical groups that it is surely not acceptable that straight women are forced to share these spaces with lesbians who may bully them for sex and place the heterosexual women under pressure to accept lesbian advances, which are 'unnatural' to them.
The old tropes keep coming back eh? The same stuff used against black people and even gay men's access to schools with boys. It's always all about 'protecting women and children.'
I can see how easy it is to get on board with this nonsense. As a trans woman myself, I could make the case that I have two straight daughters and a granddaughter. Why should they be forced to use women's facilities and 'safe spaces' with lesbians who may be sexual predators?
Can you see where this is going, yet?
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