Actually, Forcing People To Lie Is the REAL Issue

One of the more insane transgender bloggers, "Toni" D'orsay, aka Dyssonance, has a post up that sort of admits that the TG kooks are really, really obsessed with pronouns.  But what is really the issue is not pronouns, but is the ongoing obsession with forcing people to accept outright lies...  Like "women have penises" and "men can get pregnant."  I guess they would really be over the top if a "man" was made pregnant by a "woman."

Among the topics that Mr. D'Orsay hits on are:

• The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival (the boys in dresses won't be happy until they force their way in).
• Forcing women to accept men in the ladies room.
• Forcing states to change the sex birth certificates without the person actually having to change their sex. (as another blogger has pointed out, they hide behind "sterilization."

Then he goes on to push the current "transgender meme" about how the radfems are all about murdering "trans people."  Yes, some extremists kooks have made comments suggesting such, but extremist kooks are extremist kook.  The myth that Janice Raymond is responsible for the deaths of a large number of transsexuals (or even one, for that matter) has already been addressed.  This is a classic example of the sort of silliness that passes for "scholarship" in some circles.  You start out with a fact (Janice Raymond made some comments) and then extrapolate it into a conspiracy theory of epic proportions (Janice and the RadFems killed 50,000 people).  Mr. D'orsay is repeating this lie as fact.

He then goes on to make a statement that is at the heart of the transgender fallacy:

Other people do not get to police how one person’s existence is genuine or not. You do not get to decide if I am enough of a woman, or if I have “female energy”, or if I am the right sort or the proper kind.

It sounds great, doesn't it?  But let's consider the reality of it.  No, I don't allow people to define who, or what I am.  When I transitioned, and certain relatives tried to tell me I was not legitimate, I told them that I was not going to be responsible for their bigotry...but I also went on, an lived my life as a woman authentically not as a "transwoman," or any of the other things that transgender people call themselves.  Mr. D'orsay does not live as a woman, he lives as an out, loud, and pretty darned obnoxious transgender kook.  So, yes, people do get to decide that he is not a woman. "Enough of a woman," is another version of that transgender silliness that womanhood is quantifiable...very male concept at best.  One either is a woman, or one is not.  There is no such thing as a base unit of womanhood, that can be expressed as a measurement.  

Mr. D'orsay has thus to say:

The problem is people not thinking that trans people are what they really are. The problem is people policing trans people’s lives. The problem is f******g a**holes who call trans women men and male, and trans men women and female. 

IF you know someone who does that — no matter what their justifications are for it — you know someone who is actively contributing to the problem, who is part of it, and who is fighting against the solution.

Yes, exactly.  I am fighting Mr. D'orsay's absurd "solution" because, well, it is the real problem.  He, among others, is trying to destroy a major part of our society's structure, for no reason other than his own selfish desires.

The Logical Fallacy of Transgender

In all of the silliness that has gone on today, what with Mr. "Autumn" Sandeen's complete meltdown, and Mr."Cristan" Williams comment on it, I saw something that I should have commented on.  And that was the central issue that I am trying to get people to see.

Sandeen was carrying on because I commented that he would not respond to challenges.  I have seen Williams try to use logical fallacies and intellectual dishonesty to avoid dealing with real issues.  And I realized, they have no choice.

At the core of the transgender paradigm is "self identification."  A transsexual who posts as Aunty Orthodox confronted Sandeen over this.  She was debating Sandeen about MWMF and the issue of who is and is not a woman...

After some back and forth, I asked specifically about Kirk Sneade, a college student who published a manifesto which included this bullet:

• Kirk Sneade has self defined as a woman ever since he realised it gave him legal access to the women’s changing rooms at the Bloomsbury gym.

Does Autumn Sandeen support Kirk Sneade, a self-identified woman, as an attendee to MWMF? Seems crazy, doesn’t it? Autumn would not address the question, instead choosing to talk about equality, and yadda yadda.

Autumn avoided two pointed questions. The first is, what is a self-identified woman? Her refusal to answer suggests that we both agree that Kirk Sneade is not a woman, even though he meets the criteria for self-identifying as one.

The second is whether women can define who is allowed to be a part of women’s-only space. An organizer may want to exclude male-bodied persons, or even female-bodied trans women from their space (e.g., MWMF, Radfem 2013). That’s their right. Autumn disagrees

But what is a woman? Is Kirk Sneade a woman? See how circular this is? If Kick Sneade, a self-identified woman, can enter women’s space, who can’t? Shouldn’t women decide who gets to be included in women’s space?

I have to say, this was absolutely brilliant.  I would challenge any who wish to defend transgender politics to answer this simple paradox.  Clearly, Kirk Sneade is not a woman.  Right?  Well, if he isn't, and you claim someone like Sandeen is, how can this be?  Sandeen's ONLY claim to being a woman is, after twenty years of successful service as a man, in a man's role, in the US Navy, he decided he wanted to be a woman and started self-identifying as one.  Now, he will, of course, claim that he was always a woman, and such, but I call foul on that.  Trust me, I know.  I had a miserable life before I transitioned. I would not have lasted 20 minutes in the Navy, let alone 20 years.  

If all it takes to be a woman is to self-identify as one, then by that standard, Kirk Sneade is a woman.  But clearly Kirk Sneade is not a woman.  No one, except a true fanatic, would say he is.  But if he is not, where is the line?  And who gets to draw it?  Sandeen would not answer this, because Sandeen cannot answer this.  Would Sandeen insist that people MUST use female pronouns to refer to Kirk Sneade?  After all, Sneade says he is a woman?  That is the same standard as Sandeen claims.  Would Sandeen demand that Kirk Sneade be admitted to MWMF?  Probably...  But that is a bit different matter.  And here is the real kicker.  Would he insist that be allowed in the women's changing rooms?  If not, Sandeen's entire paradigm falls apart.  If so, then Sandeen has shown he has no concept of how women think or feel. And with that the transgender house of cards collapses...

Women, quite frankly, don't "self-identify" as women.  We just are.  Sandeen will call foul, perhaps, or someone else might, and they are welcome to do so.  But ask any woman to really explain what makes her a woman, and that is the answer you will ultimately get.  It is not an identity.  It is a reality.  A reality that Kirk Sneade, and let's be honest, Sandeen, have never, and will never, experience.  So. all they can claim is, "I self-identify" as a woman.  And I am sorry. but that just doesn't cut it.

So, what is the moral of all this?  It is simple. One is a woman, if, and really only if, one is able to actually life in society as a woman.  Not a transwoman, not as transgender, but just as a woman.  I do, and so do a lot of transsexuals who have completed transition and moved on.   

Reality versus Fantasy...

Well, it appears, at least for the moment, that another Internet flame war is over.  As some may know, I occasionally comment in Mr. "Autumn" Sandeen's posts on LGBT Weekly, the local LGBT magazine in San Diego. Mr. Sandeen seems to be their token transgender kook (most major LGBT publications have one, usually posted online, but not in the actual publication).  This week, he did another whiny post about the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival.  Apparently, the "men in dresses" crowd is determined to force themselves on the lesbians separatists who attend this event.

Usually, Mr. Sandeen tends to ignore comments made to his posts on that site. For a while, they were supporting his usual heavy handed censorship, but something changed. It appears that they decided that pretty much anything goes. A few commenters have actually, and quite accurately, referred to him using male pronouns without being banned. Now it appears that Mr. Sandeen decided to take advantage of this in order to, shall we say, "fight back."

The problem, of course, is that Mr. Sandeen wants to be the "transgender MLK." He regularly, including in this week's article, tries to make that connection, and of course, winds up making a mockery of Dr. King and his philosophy. But in order to maintain his "facade" he has to avoid showing his true nature as much as possible. So, apparently, Mr. Sandeen brings in support. That, or he has more than a few sock puppets.

Oh, and a couple of other points that should be addressed.  Sandeen tries to claim that I am obsessed with him.  Actually, he posts more than most, so he gets written about more than most.  Of course, Suzan Cooke has made the same claim...  And Sandeen has commented about the difference in word counts between me and him, as well as the number of comments I posted.  I simply responded to every bit of silliness thrown at me.  I have no doubt that had I ignored even one of them, the claim would be made that I was "bested."

One of those he called upon, is Mr. "Cristan" Williams, who repeated the outrageous claim made on Transadvocate that Janice Raymond is responsible for at least 50,000 deaths. That article was written by Zoe Brain, who is infamous for claiming that he spontaneously, without medical intervention changed from a male to a female. A rather insane claim, to say the least. Mr. Williams seemed to be trying to argue that the "radfems" have to be beaten into submission to prevent further deaths, or something like that.. Here is part of my response to his comment:

Now, beyond that, we slip the bounds of reality, and well….I love a good conspiracy theory….but this not one. I mean, really….this bit of histrionics, which is a recent invention of Williams, and a certain person from Australia who claims to have “spontaneously” changed from a man to a woman (seriously folks, I am NOT making this up) is quite hysterically funny. Funny, I never once encountered this force reparative therapy, nor have I ever heard of such an effort. Perhaps it was super, duper top secret and known only to the secret lesbian separatist cabal…. Known racists? Funny, but since the 1950′s, transsexuals have been accessing medical care without that much trouble. I know when I started in the early 1990′s, I had no trouble at all, and I was in the Deep South (any deeper, and you would be in way over your head). Yeah, I suppose it is possible that a group of extremists might have advocated legislating “trans folk” out of existence. I remember a lot of radical groups that have advocated a lot of laughable ideas. Let’s see, at one time or the other, I have heard of groups who want to give the country back to Native Americans, of a group that wanted to force all white people out of the states that formed the Confederacy and create an exclusively African-American nation, of people who want to ban the consumption of meat, of people who want to execute anyone who is gay, that men should be allowed to invade women’s shower and locker rooms and that women should accept then as “women with penises”…the list could go on, and on. For the most part, sane, rational people learn about such ideas, recognize them for what they are…the rants of crackpots, hope the person does not become violent (like the guy who got it in his head that there is a black market in human body parts and then possibly sent ricin laced letters to a senator and Obama) and get on with our lives. Oh, we might speak up if the person gets a bit of attention, but we generally seem them as the kooks that they are. 

Anyway, thanks for a good laugh….

I guess Mr. Williams had no answer to reality, as his next response was to fall back on an argumentum ad hominem, the logical fallacy of attacking the person and not their position. That is Mr. Williams' standard practice when he cannot defend a position (which is not at all uncommon).  

I could be wrong, but the whole mess that resulted from one comment had the feel of a very organized effort. I suspect Sandeen invited some people (he has already done that on a smaller scale) hoping to bury me in comments. Didn't quite work very well for him.... As it was, he pulled just about every trick in the book... I imagine he thought I would whither in the face of a massive load of absurd rhetoric. When that did not work, the insults started. As I have pointed out, my identity is quite secure thank you. Repeating lies started by a cyberstalker is not going to scare me off. Anyone I care about, knows better, and anyone who believes that crap...well, I could care less.
Of course, the hilarity continues....  Sandeen was having a hissy fit on Twitter...and she brought in some old faces...

Monica Roberts ‏
@AutumnSandeen @cristanwilliams She was hatin' on me for a while until she discovered I don't play with pseudo cisprivilege chasing fools

Truth be told, I pretty much stopped reading Mr. "Monica" Roberts crap because I realized it was a bad combination of Ebonics, racism, and pretty much the same rants repeated over, and over, and over, and over....occasionally punctuated with his self-aggrandizement about some award he got.  In short.  BORING!

And a new face....who has some incredibly stupid things to say....

J. Skyler @AutumnSandeen @transgriot Im sure she was the one on Wired's interview w/ @GailSimone on Batgirl saying "transgender" is a slur.

Nope, not me.  I hadn't seen the article, and when I took a quick look, and saw the number of comments, I lost interest quickly.  But yeah, Mr. Sandeen is quite correct.  I do agree.  I, personally, would consider it a slur if applied to me.  For those who identify that way, no.  Of course, the subtlety of that is lost on fools like Mr. Sandeen, and company.  Then there was this particular bit of cluelessness...

J. Skyler ‏@
@AutumnSandeen @gailsimone @transgriot also misidentifying as cisgender knowing that's not the intended use of the term, which is hysterical

 Oh dear, I forgot to ask the gender fascists for permission before "identifying."  Actually, it has nothing to do with identity.  My gender matches my physical sex, so, according to the definition, I am cisgender.  Of course, the same, technically, could be said of Mr. Sandeen, and Mr. Roberts, among others.  They are clearly male, and clearly men.  So, by definition, they would be "cisgender" as well.  I do, by the way, I think this J. Skyler person is more than a bit cisphobic.

J. Skyler ‏@jskylerinc
@GailSimone @autumnsandeen @transgriot she's a surgical essentialist who thinks anyone who doesn't undergo surgery is pretending/deviant. 

For those who don't speak "tranny" that means I don't believe women have penises and want to keep them.  Now, I suppose that "pretending" would be pretty accurate, but I would not call most "deviants."  I reserve that term for specific cases, like the guy who was exposing his junk to young girls.  But Mr. Sandeen came back just as cluelessly...

Autumn Sandeen
@jskylerinc @GailSimone @TransGriot It's more than that. She even gets on post-SRS folk who she deems to not be ideologically pure.

Nope, it has nothing to do with "ideology," pure, or otherwise....

Autumn Sandeen ‏@transgriot @cristanwilliams I've feed the troll too many times, I fear.

Actually, except for occasionally cyberstalking me, Sandeen has pretty much avoided responding to my posts. I guess being humiliated as much as he has been will do that to a fellow.

So, let's see....

If they can't refute an argument.....

They will try to bury you in comments....

If that doesn't work.....

They resort to insults....

And when that fails.....

They call you a troll.

Yes, such is the classic transgender approach to reality.

Update:  And then they resort to word count flames...

Yeah, go figure...Sandeen is now comparing the number of words I have posted, versus the number he has posted.  Hmmm, doesn't he know, women tend to be more verbal than men.  Perhaps he might take that into consideration!  Well, in any case, he can update his word count, and whine even more....   ROTFL!

Update:  It appears that Sandeen went a bit too far.  This morning, he had posted two more comments on his post, basically postings of two tweet he had made, which were attacks on me, and which mentioned me by name (which I prefer to keep private).  I responded, and pointed out that he has a habit of attempting to out women against their will.  Both posts, and my responses were removed afterwards.  I kind of wonder if Sandeen did it, to cover his tracks, of if the people at LGBT Weekly didn't like his behavior. Most curious....

It's Really Very Simple...

I occasionally take a look at Mr. "Autumn" Sandeen's Twitter feed.  Some of his best comedic work is there...  For example, today he got into a debate with a woman who posts as Aunty Orthodox.  Here, with my comments, are some of the sillier moments...

Aunty Orthodox 
@AutumnSandeen Alright, go for it. More power to you, to Camp Trans and so forth. But from my POV, you're working to destroy women's space.

Autumn Sandeen
@auntyorthodox No. I'm working to expand women's space to include all women.

I thought that one was particularly silly.  Sandeen, and other transgender extremists really are trying to destroy women's space.  They cannot stand the idea that there are places that "women with penises" are not allowed.  Sandeen needs to understand, women don't have penises, at least not that they want to keep.  I would argue that  transsexual woman is a woman, even before surgery, but that is not the case with Sandeen.  When he first burst onto the seen, he was an avowed non-op.  Then, he became a "surgery-tracked transsexual."  Then, he decided that having his testicles removed was enough.  He is back to being a Arnold Lowman-style, "woman with a penis," or more precisely, a transvestite.  But, he is apparently quite delusional, or terribly dishonest...

Autumn Sandeen


‪@auntyorthodox My birth certificate says I was born female - therefore for attendance purposes I'm going to consider my gender identity.

Sandeen also needs to understand that he is NOT and never will be a woman, no matter what his fraudulent birth certificate says.  And you have to love that male attitude that say, "I don't care, the rules don't apply to me...."  He is going to decide what criteria applies in his case.

Now, particularly enjoyed this next exchange.  First let me set it up by providing a little background about the person mentioned....



Kirk Sneade is an undergraduate at University College, London (UCL), who, along with his  "campaign team" were branded as being"misogynist pricks" by other students after he made a controversial run for a campus office.

First, he uploaded a video of a woman being punched by a man and a photo with the slogan "memes are gay". Then, Sneade, who has the audacity to claim he is the victim of discrimination, compared his situation to the persecution of communists in Nazi Germany.

This is his original manifesto:

• Kirk Sneade has self defined as a woman ever since he realised it gave him legal access to the women's changing rooms at the Bloomsbury gym.
• Kirk wants to make clear his desire to attend all Women's forums to talk about Important Woman Issues such as hair dressing, shopping and walking sassily away from confrontations with your exes.
• Kirk understands the need for equality. He wants to campaign to encourage women of UCL to wear leggings, jeggings and summer-time denim hot-pants.
• Kirk would also like to formally change the name of the Print-Room Cafe to the Pretty-Girl Cafe, and launch an official enquiry into why there are so many pretty girls in the cafe compared to the rest of UCL and what can be done about it.
• More speculatively, Kirk also suggests perhaps herding up the pretty girls you see around campus and keeping them ready for emergency transport to the Roxy later on when things start to get a little dry.
• Kirk is worried that people may see this manifesto as sexist. Kirk wants to make clear that while it is sexier than most, you should probably have a look at the others because some of them are pretty sexy as well.
• Kirk also wants to campaign for reinstatement of the Varsity rugby match, campaign against student politics being full of students who are out of touch with the student body and start the dissolution of the Women's officer position as it an inherently sexist and outmoded position of power within the union.

Now, with that in mind, consider this next bit:

Aunty Orthodox ‏ @AutumnSandeen "self-identified" doesn't seem like an adequate condition for actually gaining access to women's-only space.
 

Autumn Sandeen ‏‪@auntyorthodox Well, who -- in the broad sense of who -- decides how to police women's space, and who polices it?
 

Aunty Orthodox ‏‪ @AutumnSandeen I'd think it should be the organizers of the space, right?


Autumn Sandeen 

‪@auntyorthodox As I said - yes, they get to decide. But, trans community, of which I'm a part, get to engage in free speech & action too.
 

Aunty Orthodox @AutumnSandeen If you were in a women's-only space, would you welcome Kirk Sneade? 

Autumn Sandeen@auntyorthodox Now who's personalizing? Btw, that argument is the example of the KKK fallacy. ‪http://ht.ly/k2p6s 
 



‪Aunty Orthodox
@AutumnSandeen You're evading my question, and now you're bringing up the KKK? Please be serious.
 

Autumn Sandeen @auntyorthodox No no no. There is a logical fallacy called the KKK fallacy. It's in essence one that claims that...
 

Autumn Sandeen ‏‪ 

‪@auntyorthodox ...that are a number of black criminals, then all black people are dangerous and should be discriminated against..a fallacy.
 

Autumn Sandeen @auntyorthodox No no no. There is a logical fallacy called the KKK fallacy. It's in essence one that claims that...
 

Autumn Sandeen ‏‪ 

‪@auntyorthodox ...that are a number of black criminals, then all black people are dangerous and should be discriminated against..a fallacy.
 

Autumn Sandeen ‏‪

‪@auntyorthodox ...that are a number of black criminals, then all black people are dangerous and should be discriminated against..a fallacy.


Okay, there is so much silliness here....  First off, Sandeen tries, again, to avoid the real question, which is basically, by what right does he claim to be a woman?  While the most extreme of radical feminists take an extremist position that basically ignores science....well, so does Sandeen.  The feminists say that it is all about socialization.  They very much adhere to the "blank slate" theory.  That we all start out as blank slates, and our "gender" is written upon us based on socialization.  And that since we are all socialized based on what is between our legs at birth, that determines whether we are truly men or women.  That is, men are men because they are raised to be men, and women are women, because they are raised to be women.  Of course, science has proven this completely false.  The transgender extremists claim that simply because they claim to be women, and in some cases, claim to have "female brains," we have to take their word for it, even if they also state that they want to keep their male genitalia intact.  Science has also proven them to be wrong as well.  Those, like Sandeen, who claim to be "women with penises," expect people to take their word for it, even when they clearly, and unequivocally, act like men.

But that is only half of what is going on here.  Now, no one would ever, seriously, suggest that Snead is a "transgender."  He is clearly a misogynistic man, who has a serious delusion as to how funny he is.  Simply put, he isn't remotely....  But the problem that Sandeen tap dances around is, "If the transgender extremist have their way, who do you keep someone like Snead out of women's spaces?"  He states that he self-identifies as a woman.  Even though he clearly does not, how do you "prove" this?  How can you seriously differentiate between him, and Sandeen?  That is a problem for Sandeen.

And it is not solved by straw arguments like "the Klan Fallacy."  There are serious differences between "skin color" and "sex."  They are not comparable.  That is why we have different laws to deal with the two.  There is NO rational basis for discrimination based on skin color, but there is for discriminating, in certain limited situations, on the basis of sex.  It is irrational to claim that one has a right to be "uncomfortable" sharing a rest room with someone of another race, but it is not irrational to desire to keep someone of the opposite sex out of the restroom, or more importantly, locker rooms and showers.

As to the "Klan Fallacy," that is simply a straw argument tossed about by kooks like Mr. "Cristan" Williams, and Sandeen.  It has no application here.

Here is another interesting exchange...

Aunty Orthodox@AutumnSandeen Alright, go for it. More power to you, to Camp Trans and so forth. But from my POV, you're working to destroy women's space.


Autumn Sandeen ‏‪

‪@auntyorthodox ...is by intention defining women's space as not including of one kind of woman. Just as evil as it would be to exclude..


Aunty Orthodox ‏‪@AutumnSandeen It's not evil. If there is evil, it is forcing women to lose their safe space to people who only "claim" to be women.
 




Autumn Sandeen ‏‪@auntyorthodox ...and I can see now you're one of the bigots. I actually pity you...you're now on the wrong side of history.
 




Aunty Orthodox ‏‪‪@AutumnSandeen And trans activists who refuse to acknowledge womens' rights to create exclusive spaces are actually harming women.


Autumn Sandeen ‏‪‪@auntyorthodox ..your beliefs. To be true to my belief on how to combat antitrans sentiment, I must see your belief system crushed.

A couple of interesting points...  Disagree with Mr. Sandeen, and he instantly calls you a bigot.  Even if what you are doing is simply defining women's space as not including men.  I mean, really, Mr. Sandeen's only claim to being a woman is basically "because I say so."  That is one of those issues he keeps avoiding.  And then there is his classic fallback to violent language.  He has to "crush" Aunty Orthodox's belief system.  Crush...  Kind of scary. And I should point out, nowhere in any of this debate does Aunty Orthodox come across as a radical feminist.  Perhaps she is, but I see no evidence of it.

The bottom line to this whole thing is summed up in this exchange....

Aunty Orthodox @Autumn Sandeen This isn't about equality though. It's about women having the power to establish safe spaces, however they define that.
 

Autumn Sandeen ‏‪@auntyorthodox Ordinary equality means trans women are treated as other women..white, black, Hispanic, disabled, veteran..fill in the blank.


Sandeen could care less about safe spaces for women, as he is not one.  He is a man, and he thinks like a man, including the belief that he what he wants is all that matters.  And, more to the point, "trans women" are not remotely women.  To compare "trans" to things like "white, black, Hispanic, disabled, veteran" is absurd.  By its very nature, "trans" indicates that  they are men, and they want to continue to identify as men.  I am a woman, not a "trans woman."  Yes, I am a white woman, I am a Christian woman, I am a disabled woman...but those do not directly address my being a woman.  To say one is a "trans woman," on the other hand, is to make a statement that expands to "Well, I am really a man, who identifies as being a woman, but I cling to my identity as a man while still claiming to 'really be a woman.'"  Yeah, well, that's nice, now please, stay out of women's spaces....because you don't belong there.

Why Are So Many Transgender Kooks Also Bullies?

As I have recounted, I have again been subjected to a round of attempted cyberbullying by Mr. "Autumn" Sandeen.  But, this i only the tip of the iceberg.  If you don't adhere to the approved "transgender kook party line," watch out.  I have mentioned the attacks that Mr. Sandeen has leveled at Cathy Brennan, who has also been attacked by numerous other transgender kooks.  And now, another of the bully boys, Mr. "Cristan" Williams is having another hissy fit because he, and other boys, are not allowed to visit the infamous Michigan Womyn Who Can't Spell Women Music Festival.  Now, let me disclose, right off, I have no real interest in ever going to such an event.  Like the vast majority of women, it simply does not appeal to me.  But, this has become the Holy Grail for the Men in Dresses crowd.  They have fits at the very thought that they are not welcome in that place.  And speak of Mr. Sandeen, I recall that he claims that they have to let him into the MWMF because his fraudulently obtained birth certificate proves that he is, and I am not making this up, a "woman born woman."

Yes, the latest to take on this issue is Mr. Cristan Williams, who posted a rant on TransAdvocate, which he now runs.  In it, he tries to link the policies at MWMF to transsexuals being denied medical care.  This follows an earlier article (that I planned on commenting on, but couldn't stop laughing at whenever I saw it), where one of the kookiest of the kooks, Zoe Brain (who presumably did not need such medical care since he claims he just sort of magically turned into a woman) claims that Janice Raymond caused the deaths of 50,000 transgender people because they committed suicide after being denied SRS, or something like that.

Personally, if some group has an exclusionary policy that, well, excludes me, that's fine.  I have no desire to invade, for example, the Pacific-Union Club here in San Francisco.  It is a men's only club, and while I will admit to a mild curiosity about what might go on there, I would not remotely consider trying to force my way in.  The same goes for the Bohemian Club, and a few others.  Sure, it would be interesting to have some insight into the mysterious and supposed conspiracies that are hatched out in the woods up near Monte Rio, California, but trying to force them to let me in does not haunt me like invading the MWMF does the transgender kooks.

Sure, a lot of post-op transsexuals, and maybe even a few men with intact penises manage to sneak in every years, but that is not what the boys are after. They want, as always, to be able to "openly" invade the place. That is, to force the women there to "acknowledge" them as full-fledged women with penises, or in some cases, former women with penises...or whatever.

Why, the very fact that there are a few women up there in the woods in Michigan who have not been beaten into submission to the transgender party line gives these poor boys a case of the vapors... Here is what, Nancy Burkholder, the person who apparently started the who thing has to say about it:

My mind was blank, my body absolutely still as I became aware of the emotional devastation that I felt inside. The events that were going down seemed totally unreal. Nevertheless I found a place of calm inside myself. I found acceptance for my situation, and I could feel the emotional devastation without the devastation overwhelming me.

Now, I will grant, Burkholder claims to have not been aware of the policy, and apparently it was not mentioned in the literature until this person showed up.  But seriously, you would think this person had been raped, rather than simply denied admission to a music festival.  No, it is not pleasant having one's identity challenged, especially if one really is transsexual, but even if that is the case here, it seems to represent some pretty massive insecurities.  I can't speak for everyone, but I am secure enough in terms of who I am that I don't let such things throw me for this big of a loop.

My advice to Mr. Williams, and all the others who whine about this every years is simple.  Get over yourselves.  Lisa Vogel and her crew don't want you at their private party, and you need to accept that.  They don't think you are really women (yeah, she thinks the same about me, but I really could care less) and well, in the case of those most obsessed with the whole thing, I suspect she is probably right.  So, go find a bunch of girls who will play with you.  I am sure you can find a few who will swallow the lie that women have, and want to keep, penises.  But Lisa isn't one of them, and I don't think she is going to give in to your bullying.

The Radfems Have Some Good Points

I often state, only half-jokingly, that I am an extreme moderate, a member of the Radical Middle, the Far Center.  By that, I mean that I tend to disagree with those who are extremists. For example, I have a lot of disagreement with both extremists on both sides of the abortion issue.  I believe that abortion should be illegal except in cases of rape, incest (which I consider to be a form of rape), and to save the life of the mother.  I do not believe that women who have abortions should be prosecuted for doing so.  I believe that adoption is a superior alternative to abortion, and was once rather vulgarly attacked by someone (a note left on my windshield) because I had a bumper stick that read, "Don't Abort, I'll Adopt."  I have also been attacked by those who think I am a just too darned liberal on the issue because I don't favor executing women who have abortions, or think that abortion should be illegal, even if the mother's life is in danger (somehow it is lost on those extremists that the child will almost certainly die as well as the mother).  But, such is the nature of extremists.  I can respect your right to disagree, but I expect the same in return.

I feel the same way whenever a group of radical feminists start blindly attacking "transgender" people.  They tend to take a very broad brush approach.  But, I also find that the truth, again, falls somewhere in the middle.  The Radfems, as they are known, have some views that are, unfortunately, rooted in ignorance.  A lot of their philosophy is rooted in the rejection of a biological basis for gender.  To them, it is all nurture, and no nature.  Men and women are different because of social environment.  And yet, they also seem to take a "biology is destiny" view that rivals that of some on the extreme Right.  They push the idea that gender is oppression, but they wish to oppress those who feel their gender does not actually match their body.

Now, as I say, they have some good points.  The fact is, sadly, the vast majority of so-called "transwomen" (a term I don't care for) may be "trans" but they are not remotely women.  I am often amazed at how so many of them seem to take a surprisingly male approach to the act of "being a woman."  They seem "womanhood" as something to be taken by force, as an entitlement that they have a right to, and they attack anyone who has the audacity to challenge them on it.   

Just look at the behavior of the most extreme of transgender activists, like "Autumn" Sandeen, who decided that having himself castrated entitles him to claim that he is now a "womon born womon" (and yes, he actually used that spelling) and that he just might show up at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival.  Look at "Colleen" Francis, and his supporters who think that a "transwoman's" right to flash his penis around a women's locker room trumps the rights of the women.  Even if young girls are involved.  Look at the style of "Cristan" Williams, and how his writing seems more that of a man trying to shove his views down women's throats than anything else.  He loves to gloat, strutting like a Banty rooster" when he imagines he has scored a victory (which is usually more imaginary than real, as he tends to present straw arguments and then ignore any refutation of his silliness).  I still get a laugh from his silly response when I refused to let him set the terms of a debate.  He refused to continue, and accused me of "the Jennifer Shuffle."  How, classically male, but not unusual.

And don't even get me started on the absurd, stereotypical way many transgender men (i.e. transwomen) think real women should behave.  Just check out a video or two of Mr. Sandeen flouncing around in one of his outfits.  It is an insult to women, period.  I remember once, a person who, in retrospect, was more likely transgender than transsexual, commented to me, "You dress like a housewife."  It was meant as a criticism, but I took it as a compliment.  I also remember, after attending a Halloween event at a local LGBT center, being told that several had wondered why a "straight woman" was there with her daughter.  Again, I took it as a compliment.    That is, after all, what I am.  Not a drag queen, not some bizarre caricature of a woman who favors the label "transwoman" because I want to hang on to my past, but simply an ordinary, run of the mill, woman.

Unfortunately, like most extremists, the Radfems paint with a broad brush.  And, unfortunately, they follow the transgender approach of lumping transsexuals in under the "umbrella" that is "transgender."  This is largely because they don't want to believe that there is a biological basis for transsexualism, which would refute their position that men and women are exactly the same emotionally and mentally, except where differentiated by nurture, even though that is clearly an invalid position.  But, when it comes to the behavior of the transgender, they are dead on.  Any woman should be offended by much of the behavior of transgender extremists, not just the Radfems, and no one should attack them for expressing such offense.  But Heaven help anyone who actually finds fault with transgender behavior.  Even if they are right on many of their points.

Reaping What You Sow

Well, Riki Wilchins, who gave the world "Transexual Menace" (though now even Wilchins is using "Transsexual Menace" seems to be coming face to face with reality.  Wilchins has been very active lately, writing about the issue of testosterone blockers, and how they may bring an end to the nightmares faced by transsexual youth, and then in another article, writing about having to deal with children's question about whether or not Wilchins is a "boy or a girl" when claiming to be a "mother."  

Now, Wilchins basically made a career out of being very publicly "gender queer" even as Wilchins went through transition and had sex reassignment surgery.  I quickly came to see Wilchins as one of those people who was not worth focusing much attention on...sort of like "Kate" Bornstein, who I suspect regrets having transitioned and who is trying to deal with now being a man trapped in a woman's body...sort of a bizarre, almost Twilight Zone twist if there ever was one.

Wilchins never really made an effort to assimilate, or "pass" as Wilchins puts it.  Now, as I have stated before, I have come to realize that "passing" is very much a transgender concept.  It is basically an assertion that one is not really a woman, but is fooling everyone else into thinking one really is.  That is why I say, "I simply am," rather than "I pass."  I am not fooling anyone.  I am not trying to.  And, quite frankly, I don't have to.

Wilchins, who has a six year-old daughter who has been confronted by children saying "you can't be her mother."  Wilchins, interestingly enough, is upset by this.  Could it be that Wilchins really was transsexual, but got caught up in a bizarre political/social revolution, and now, as they say, "the chickens have come home to roost?"  Could Wilchins have made a bad choice?  Is Wilchins, as they say, now "hoist by one's own petard?"

If so, it would certainly be a rather ironic situation.  Wilchins did a lot of damage to transsexuals.  Wilchins was one of the more obnoxious voices pushing for gender upheaval when most of us just wanted to get on with normal, quiet lives.  Wilchins actively sought the spotlight when most of us wished to avoid it, and quite frankly, wished Wilchins would just shut up.  

Among other things, Wilchins was active in Camp Trans, and attempt by a group of transgender males to force their way into the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival.  It should be noted that more than a few post-op transsexuals have simply ignored the "womyn born womyn" and attended the festival.  Camp Trans, as evidenced by some nasty graffiti painted on one of the camp's kitchens, was about intact males forcing themselves on the festival.

So, someone who made a career out of "not really being a woman" is forced to face the reality of choices made.  Sad in a way, but also rather satisfyingly ironic.  A morality tale for the transgender community.  You really do "reap what you sow."

Obsession

For the past week or so the transgender blogs have all been covering the story about Lu’s: A Pharmacy for Women which was recently opened by the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective in Canada. They have taken notice of this new pharmacy because it has a policy of only providing services to "women born women." So, of course the transgender types are absolutely livid.

Now let me begin by saying that I do think this is a silly rule for this pharmacy to have. Here is the reasoning behind it from Caryn Duncan:

“We are an organization that has for almost 40 years supported
women around their battle with breast cancer or unwanted pregnancy or delivering
a baby with a midwife, [and] celebrating or dealing with menopause,” Duncan
said. “It’s about bleeding—or wanting to bleed or not bleed. It’s about being a
woman, and the physiology of being a woman.”

Further, Duncan claimed that the pharmacy doesn’t have the expertise or capacity to serve transgender women, stating “I think we’re being very reasonable.”

Now, as I said, all of this is pretty silly. But, I also believe that this group has a right to choose who they are willing to serve. Just as I believe that the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival has the right to exclude those that they do not consider "womyn born womyn." That does not mean that I do not consider such attitudes to be rather reprehensible. I also believe that groups like the Ku Klux Klan have a right to say who can, and cannot join, dress up in silly costumes, and march around a burning cross even though I find the Klan's beliefs to also be completely reprehensible.

Of course, the gender fascists don't see things that way. They are unwilling to extend to others the sort of rights they would demand for themselves. For years, they have tried to demand admission to -othe Michigan's Womyn's Music Festival. And, in another example, there was an effort to demand that those who had not had surgery be admitted to a bisexual women's group even though there was quite a bit of nudity involved.

Now, all of this is typical transgender behavior. Any suggestion that simply stating one is a woman does not immediately, and completely, change one's sex is met with outrage and shrill cries of "Prejudice, bigotry, and dicrimination!" It does not matter how one might be perceived by others, the gender fascists demand that the world bend to their delusions. So what it their presence causes discomfort to women seeking a safe space? That is not as important as their right to pretend to be a woman.

Most of those with Harry Benjamin Syndrome seem sensitive to these sort of things, and would actually avoid such a situation. Not only would they be concerned about how they might be perceived, they would also not wish to cause other women distress. But the larger transgender community increasingly tosses such concerns aside. They could care less if others might perceive them as "men in dresses invading women's space." All that matters is their right to claim an identity, no matter how absurd that might be.

And what makes this thing even sillier is the fact that many of those screaming the loudest are unlikely to remotely be affected by this situation. The pharmacy is located in Vancouver, Canada and yet among those who have been the most shrill are bloggers in places like San Diego and Texas.

When I read about stuff like this, it means little to me. Personally, I would have no desire to go to such a place. I have absolutely no interest in associating with those who hold views like this, nor do the vast majority of women. Places such as this, and the Michigan festival cater to a tiny, relatively isolated group of extremists. Most women are probably not even aware that such exists, and if they are, they have no interest in using such services.

But, to the gender fascists, this is all a serious threat to their carefully constructed delusions and as such, they must be fought. It really is all terribly funny in a very sad sort of way.

It's That Time of Year Again...

Yes, it is that time of year when the transgender community starts whining about the Michigan's Womyn's Music Festival. Historically the Festival has a "womyn born womyn" policy that has been interpreted as excluding HBS women. In more recent years, that policy has been relaxed somewhat, and it stated as a matter of conscience, not a rigid policy. Of course, HBS women have attended the festival over the years. The real issue is the presence of transgender people who claim to identify as women.



In a recent article on Bilerico, the author states "In my personal opinion, if one feels as though he or she has been born into the wrong body than that's enough to qualify as Trans, or the new, less technical term GenderQueer." Such a statement is, in my personal opinion, highly offensive. The only criteria by which a person qualifies as "Trans" or worse, "GenderQueer" is if that person chooses to identify as such. I do not, and personally I consider having either term forced on me to be highly offensive.



He goes on to state, "Although The Womyn's Music Festival vows to not do any "panty checks" it seems as though the inclusion of Transpeople to a festival like this would have to be all or nothing. Being pre-op, half-op or even post-operation male-to-female transgender simply cannot matter. Who is to say that being pre or post op makes one more or less of a woman? You simply can't." He has a point, though he misses a bigger one. While a person who has Harry Benjamin Syndrome but who has not had surgery is still mentally a woman, there are a large number of men who call themselves "pre-op" who actually have no intention of ever having surgery to become female. They are not, in my opinion (and in the opinion of the vast majority of society) women, and never will be. So yes, surgical status does make a difference. I can certainly understand the MWMF not wanting to allow so-called "women with penises" into their midst. If a woman with HBS can assimilate well enough to attend, and she is sufficient identified as a woman to not feel the need to inform people that she was born male, then I see no reason why she should have a problem attending. And quick frankly, many have done just that. And any so-called "pre-op" who would wish to impose his self on such a gathering does not belong there anyway.


And no, that is not "passing" as many transgender types love to claim. The term "passing" implies that one is fooling people into believing that one is something they really aren't. But then, that is the whole point. For an HBS woman, it is not fooling someone. It is simply being what they are. Of course, I realize some can't quite grasp that.

Now, personally, I don't agree with a lot of the views of the founders of the MWMF, but I can understand why they might feel the way they do. Ironically, the person who caused a lot of this controversy could have simply kept her mouth shut. By telling her past, she raises questions as to whether or not she is really a woman.

Still, the bottom line is, this group does have a right to associate with who they wish to. Personally, I would not wish to attend this event. It is simply not my cup of tea. But that is a my feeling, and other women feel differently. In fact, a close friend, a "woman born woman" who is lesbian-identified went this year.

The bottom line is, many of those who are the most upset about being excluded are, ironically, the very sort of person I can understand them wanting to exclude. And the real irony is, I bet those who are the most upset have no comprehension of that irony.