As my co-author (and husband) Drew Hutton and I became involved in the issue of transgender ideology, we were repeatedly struck by the number of men and women who told us the issue just did not affect them. They did not have young children or grandchildren and many were retired or self-employed so did not have to be concerned about using pronouns in the workplace. There was also obvious discomfort. People who did not have a good grasp of the issue nonetheless knew that this was a risky topic and that they could commit the “sin” of speaking politically incorrectly at any moment.
Sadly, it does indeed affect everybody. Gender ideology seeks to replace our sexual being with the superficial idea of a so-called gender identity. The stereotypical ideas about femininity and masculinity that second-wave feminists fought fiercely to abolish, and that they referred to as “gender”, have now been given recognition and standing in law. The first-wave women’s movement of over a century ago fought relentlessly for women-only spaces to safeguard women and girls from rampant sexual harassment and assault; now any man who says he identifies as a woman has the right to enter women’s spaces.
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“Gender identity” is a person’s own belief in stereotypical ideas of sex and gender. Many trans activists staunchly defend its significance with some arguing it is an essence or a “soul”, a sexed soul that is different to its owner’s sexed body. Thus, it cannot be proven to exist. We must take the word of those who promote its existence even though it is not fixed. Queer theory asserts that sex is not only not limited to male and female but that it is fluid. A person’s gender identity can thus change throughout their lifetime. Consequently in some Australian states a birth certificate can be amended annually in line with a person’s feelings about their gender.
This changeable belief became a protected identity in Australian law when Julia Gillard’s government amended the Sex Discrimination Act in 2013. Unlike the Turnbull government’s reforms to recognise same-sex marriage, which were preceded by a nationwide postal plebiscite that was debated over the airwaves and in public meetings and finally gained overwhelming support, these amendments were passed with little fanfare. Feminists who pointed out that women’s rights would be adversely affected were quietly dismissed. There was no opportunity for the community to learn about the queer theory that drives many trans campaigns; and no public consideration of the impacts on children.
Not surprisingly, this artful method of changing the law resulted in poor law. The amendments to the SDA protect a person’s identity “appearance or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of a person (whether by way of medical intervention or not) with or without regard to the person’s designated sex at birth”. A person’s gender identity has become
whatever that person says it is....
Jasmine Sussex, a breastfeeding counsellor at the Australian Breastfeeding Association, has been taken to court for vilification, discrimination and harassment by Jennifer Buckley, a trans person. Sussex publicly stated that lactation by trans people who were born male is experimental and potentially dangerous for infants. This week, the court case against Sussex had a small win on a technical point. She can appeal against the original decision but has to still argue that her words did not constitute vilification. Other than The Australian, to date this case has been given minimal coverage in mainstream media.
There is a rapid social transformation taking place. The under-reported censoring and harassment of feminist academics in Australian and British universities indicate the groupthink and authoritarian tenor of the times....
Mature women know that sexuality is much more than these body parts and recognise the insult that this attempt to diminish the integrity of their lives is. This is the context though in which many younger women now prefer to deny their biological sex – after all, trans people are welcome and respected everywhere – while femaleness is reduced to a caricature of bodily functions.Government departments claim they are being inclusive when they use non-gendered language such as a “pregnant person” but the reality is that they are erasing biological women. In four decades society has shifted from pride in the achievements of women to again hiding and denying women’s contributions. Everyone’s sexed body is denied so that people who want to deny their biological sex may feel comfortable.
This is an edited extract from Over the Rainbow: A Challenge to Cancel Culture, edited by Drew Hutton and Libby Connors, Spinifex Press, out this week.Roxane Tickle or Jennifer Buckley and all the trans-sexual men are NOTHING LIKE YOUR MUM. They ard not women. They are blokes playing at being 'women'.