Gender Discussion #20

[bcfc999]

I've spent a lot of lockdown (re)watching Greys + Private Practice + Station 19, and I think there's a fascinating timeline there of liberal ideas about trans (including an excruciating Private Practice episode which uses the 'born in the wrong body' argument which there's been so much backpedalling about and you can really see why people would want to disown it). I think there are a lot of problems with the Season 18 of Grey's and it makes me sad, but one of the biggest is that the actor playing Kai has marginally less animation and magnetism than the Giant Robot Hand, and that their habit of mumbling pronouns as part of introducing anyone to anyone else is both profoundly irritating and profoundly WTF. It's horrible seeing lovely Amelia having to overact INSTANT! ATTRACTION! to such a grey blur, but I'm comforting myself with the belief that with the best of intentions the show is demonstrating how rubbish this cult is. (Apologies for the essay!)

Oh my goddd I'm on the final season of a PP rewatch and there are two episodes that sprang to mind when you said that - one with a child and one with an adult. I cringed SO HARD at the one with the child in particular. It was awful! I can't remember what I thought about it at the time but the way they all immediately rushed to validate the feelings of such a young child!
I definitely agree with you! For anyone who doesn't watch, the main Grey's storyline that occurs to me is Jackson (a senior plastic surgeon) being encouraged to pick trans vaginas as his research project for a contest - he says he'd rather do his own thing (growing skin for grafts for burn victims I think?) as surgically-created vaginas already exist for trans women, but Catherine says trans women deserve to have the real experience of a more authentic vagina and he could change more lives that way.

 

[maytoseptember]

Wow, it’s like we’re being groomed and gaslight by popular culture, isn’t it? It seems to seep in from every direction.

 

[bcfc999]

This is an article about the vaginaplasty storyline: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t...ial_bar&utm_content=bottom_amp&utm_id=1080321

This is the Private Practice trans woman who cuts off her penis after being told by a psychologist that he wants to do more therapeutic work with her before approving gender reassignment surgery: https://greysanatomy.fandom.com/wiki/Jane_Finch

I can't find the episode details for the one with a child but the paediatrician sees a young girl who seems to have nothing physically wrong with her, then confides in him that she has known her whole life she's really a boy but her mom insists on making her wear dresses etc, which she doesn't like because she's a boy. Absolutely no nuanced discussion about what makes a girl or a boy, no mention that disliking stereotypically girly things doesn't make you any less of a girl. The paediatrician actually mentions puberty blockers to the parents and the psychologist has to step in and say that's a massive step right now, although she does believe the family should respect their child's "real" identity.

I know it's just a show but as said above, it's interesting to see how it gets portrayed in popular media.

 

[Cocobaby09]

Rebel Wilson. Another Hollywood twit.

Rebel Wilson makes JK Rowling joke as she’s announced as 2022 Bafta host | The Independent

 

[Kittypops]

Is it panto time?
3 widow twankies

Aha now, is the pantomime dame arena one where women can enter, or is it strictly men only?

 

[witchofwestbyfleet]

The cast/crew for a London revival of the musical Anyone Can Whistle was just announced and of course the announcement included pronouns, everyone's match their sex apart from the director, a man who identifies as "they/them". Just put his oh so important pronouns then if you must, no one's going to the play to see him anyway

 

[sheleg]

Catherine says trans women deserve to have the real experience of a more authentic vagina

The trans conception of the vagina is basically a duck-hole. That says a lot about how women are viewed, in my opinion. A surgically created cavity made from bowel tissue will never be a "fully functioning vagina". Not sorry.

 

[cloverlabonbon]

All is well with the world….let us tell you about femininity and who better but the Bergdoff. So settle in and listen woman!!!. That is just irony btw and it’s great a quick scan of the comments are all negative. The person is a complete idiot and if you want an idea look up the Andrew Neil discussion show she was on

Munroe Bergdorf stuns is unveiled as Cosmopolitan UK's cover star

Model and activist Munroe Bergdorf, 43, showcases her effortless sense of glamour on the cover of Cosmopolitan UK's 50th anniversary issue, while joining talks about the past 50 years of femininity.

www.dailymail.co.uk

There were so many better options. Why not bring back Jilly Cooper who was the first coverstar. Or a woman celebrity in her 50s to represent 50 years? It's older women who are constantly being erased in society.

 

[Milliemoo99]

I'm pretty certain the vaccine disrupted my cycle as well. I've spent 30+ years being bang on every 30 days and suddenly I was every 23 days and needing antibiotics every 6 weeks for cystitis. GP initially put it down to perimenopause, then decided to send me for a kidney scan because of the recurring infections. By the time the appointment came through, everything was back to normal and has remained so ever since, but there was a four-month window where I was a miserable, hormonal, razorblade-peeing mess. Sure, just a minor inconvenience.

I wish that the people who created and who are selling the vaccine, could perhaps check some of these side effects from the vaccine and maybe produce a slightly different version of the vaccine for those who are liable to get side effects! (Or check immunity and whether or not the vaccine is really needed each time!)

It seems fairly common for some women to have issues with hair dye and skin reactions after the vaccine as well!

I have had all 3 doses of the vaccine, but was so tired after each of them, I found it hard to get out of bed for a few days after each injection, cos i felt so rough!

 

[thegirlscout]

There were so many better options. Why not bring back Jilly Cooper who was the first coverstar. Or a woman celebrity in her 50s to represent 50 years? It's older women who are constantly being erased in society.

They could have used a disabled cover star. Disabled women are practically invisible and never seen as feminine. That would have been an excellent choice.

 

[HoGi]

Pretty much anyone would have been a better option than a man.

 

[emmer_moans]

I hope soon an actual woman who is nominated for an award under banner of "female identifying" will win their award and say Fck you! I am not female identifying, I AM female you fckwits!
Please please please can more female celebs correct these categories. I would love one of the greats to say something in her acceptance speeches in upcoming awards to show how ridiculous it is. I would love female actresses, celebs, public figures to correct newspapers and online articles, demand corrections in print, e.g. Correction: Yesterday we printed that XYZ, a "female identifying actor" won an award. The editor apologises to XYZ for the error, the caption should have stated that XYZ, renowned actress has won the award as Best Actress"... You get my point.

We need the tide to turn. We need celebs to force editorial corrections regarding identities. We need professors to back up the integrity of their fellow professors work rather than keeping silent. We need actors to say publicly that they do not accept pronouns on their headshots.

Edit to add: I would love for a high profile female celeb to stop an interviewer on live tv and say, "excuse me, you just referred to me as female identifying, but categorically, I am female, I am a woman because you can't change sex. Please respect the truth and stop lying." Interviewer is frozen in panic on live TV "errr oh errr um, ah, sssss-sssorry".

 

[thegirlscout]

Saw this on British Vogue’s Instagram and had to laugh.

 

[sheleg]

I’ve stopped buying women’s magazines. They’re full of blokes masquerading as women.

 

[Vee6]

 

[emm]

ultimate insanity will be in the future when these women who have has this surgery decide they actually do want to get pregnant while being "men"

 

[Vee6]

Why does no one care about these kids? I honestly think a big part of it is because it’s mostly girls having the surgerys.

 

[emm]

They could have used a disabled cover star. Disabled women are practically invisible and never seen as feminine. That would have been an excellent choice.

Exactly, disabled people (men and women ) are still so underrepresented (and I would hazard a guess much more of the population than trans people?) yet are not even less likely to feature anywhere as trans people start to take over as the minority

 

[maytoseptember]

View attachment 991048

God, that makes me feel hopelessly sad. Were those surgeries carried out in a bleeping back alley? That scarring is atrocious!

The TIF side-smirk in full effect as well.

Edit: Is this the same girl? It’s hard to tell!

 

[Shesaidwhat?]

It genuinely worries me how in your face it all is these days and that if you’re not into pink and playing with Barbies sort of girl that clearly means your trans.
I think back to teen me who lived in Fred Perry jumpers and tracksuits, like pretty much 99% of teen girls back then and none of us ever got questioned about our gender.
Whereas today I wonder if my nieces wore the same outfit, how long it would be before something got mentioned?