This is excellent! If you care about women & girls AND the human rights of transgender people watch @GoonerProf & Susan Smith @ForwomenScot give evidence to @SP_European Scottish Parliament on how sex & gender identity should be framed in next census
The MSPs are well prepared. Rosa & Susan are utterly sensible & clear, making case that sex & gender ID/reassignment are separate things. The human rights of people with both characteristics can be protected without undermining the other, if not conflated parliament.scot/parliamentaryb…
There is a second panel with Vic Valentine @ScottishTrans & Tim Hopkins @LGBTIScotland. The discussion is respectful and open on all sides. No one says there should be #nodebate, or that it is transphobic to discuss how public policy should respond to sex and gender identities.
The session shows shows that it is possible: this is what it looks like when people entrusted with responsibility for our institutions step up and act as grown ups, asking serious questions rather than fudging them like @UKParliament @Girlguiding @YHAOfficial @FootballAssoc
Its striking how much of what Rosa said is not allowed to be uttered on Twitter and many FB groups, gets academics & writers noplatformed, complaints to their employer and worse. Yet in the light of day it clearly sounds nothing like hateful bigotry.
If you have steered clear of this debate because it is too toxic, 'both sides are aggressive', or because you assume that the orgs, people & movements you trust have have already worked this out, or that distinguishing sex and gender identity is transphobic listen to the session.
Be aware that some students have responded to @GoonerProf w rape threats and urine on her office door. Academics have written an open letter against publishing @Docstockk who was also quoted by the MSPs These are the 'evil TERFs' you've heard about
When you hear people say 'TERFs are the worst', or you shouldn't listen to someone because they are a 'TERF' know that it is arguments like Rosa's testimony that you are being told to silence & ignore. Ask yourself if you would stand up if that was happening.
(the link in my tweet above has gone missing .... here is an alternative link )
