A number of articles have also popped up in recent days written by trans women asking that we don't label people to like what has happened with Margaret Atwood and JK Rowling stating that doing so just trans people as radical activists and just makes things worse for the trans community. So my questions to you are TERF, TERF, TERF, what are your thoughts? Acronym Test do you think we should be using this label to describe people who are airing what can be transphobic views?
Melissa Mccarter
@lissahoop · 4:35
So to say that someone is male to female transitioning, they would say, Well, they're a man who are just taking on characteristics of female because they see gender as rooted in biology. And I think that the average person thinks that I don't think it's just a radical feminist would think that. And that's why I was not understanding about JK Rowling because she didn't seem to me to be a radical feminist
Jessica McMillan
@JLMcMillan · 1:47
But while some people might not be malicious if they followed some of their ignorant views to a logical conclusion, they'd realize how harmful it is against everyone. And so that I think that's where the education really comes from. I agree that it shouldn't be a term that's used lightly, and it's unfortunate now that it's sort of in Twitter vernacular, I suppose. But you really raise a good point, and I appreciate it. Thank you
Tasha Frank
@NLOFrank · 3:05
Hi, Melissa. I just, first of all, need to say I'm really sorry if you can hear running water in the background. Sometimes when people turn showers on, you can hear it in my recording. Thank you so much. You brought up some amazing seeing thoughts and points, and it's been really interesting to listen to your own thoughts on this. I definitely agree with you in regards to the fact that there's a difference between the term of transphobic and the use of turf
Tasha Frank
@NLOFrank · 3:31
So I think that is also important to mention that trans people are now getting attacked for using the label test to describe behavior that's happening against trans people that are attacking trans people. And now trans people are getting attacked for naming it. Hey, this is discrimination. This is not okay thing. So I think that was a really great point you made as well. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed listening to you as well
Tasha Frank
@NLOFrank · 4:34
But we don't need to disrespect each other, and then we leave it. When I first looked into JK. Rowling stuff when it all first came into the news, I thought, you know what? Give her a minute because maybe she will educate a bit more or kind of come back from this. But the more she's trying to argue her point, the more as you said, it sounds like she's moving that way. And the more I'm like, you know what?
Jessica McMillan
@JLMcMillan · 2:53
And it does nothing for raising awareness when throwing the word turf around or the acronym Turf as like a catch all where turf is more explicitly related to the battleground really of the female body, which Rowling is trying to make these exceptions on what defines a female body in a very uneducated way. Speaking again of Butler because Butler has recently talked about Rowling and says, quote, and I'll attach the article. My wager is that most feminists support trans rights and oppose all forms of transphobia
Melissa Mccarter
@lissahoop · 1:30
We don't even have it covered a lot of these things or people are getting private insurance and they're paying for it. They're choosing. And so not everybody has to pay for transitioning or hormones or whatever. And so I wonder if that's a factor in it. So maybe you can give me a little bit more details about this because I'm not up to date on all of this
Melissa Mccarter
@lissahoop · 4:29
But I think you see some reactions of J. Key Rowling, even Margaret Atwood taking offense at the idea of being called turf or that other people are being called turf. And I might be wrong about JK. Rowland, but I do get the sense from Margaret Atwood that she's kind of defensive about that
Melissa Mccarter
@lissahoop · 2:42
And so they're conflating gender and sex in a way that a radical feminists might question the relationship between your gender and sex, the idea that there is a biological essentialism, that they're coming from two different paradigms that are kind of getting to the same conclusion, and that the difference between you could have someone who is influenced by Conservatives and the religious right, and they're not necessarily married to the idea
Tasha Frank
@NLOFrank · 4:41
And the issue with turf beliefs is that trans women are, in fact men, which obviously is not the case. They are women. But that's the tough belief. And therefore it's men going into women's spaces and basically being a risk to people. And actually, statistically, trans women are more likely to be attacked and abused in cisbases than a CIS woman. But that's a topic for another day. But yeah, it is this it's demonizing of men
Tasha Frank
@NLOFrank · 2:55
And they are very vocal. They are very powerful and they have managed to make it very difficult for trans people to be able to get these bills passed and appeal and things like that, obviously, I am in the UK, so I keep an eye on what's going on in the UK more so than other places. So I do like to keep an eye on the places, especially the US, because I'm going to be moving there
Tasha Frank
@NLOFrank · 4:58
Actually, I'm not quite sure where you're getting that from, because actually, if you look at the statistics, if you look at a lot of papers that are coming out of the moment, it's disputing what you're saying. And when you actually have those conversations with people and go, let's have a look at the statistics then and then you actually see the statistics. People are like, oh, okay
Tasha Frank
@NLOFrank · 3:05
Hi Melissa, in regards to your reply entitled Conservative, I do try to keep up with us politics. I am going to confess that I don't fully understand some of it, although I'm trying to learn. So I do think there are a few differences between our UK Conservatives and us, but I am quite ignorant in US politics area. So people please do correct me if I am wrong. For me
Melissa Mccarter
@lissahoop · 0:28
I know very little about UK culture and politics, except for basically what I see on TV. So I would be interested in the differences and similarities based on this subject. I don't know if there's any like essays or even studies about this. So if you find anything, I'd be very interested in seeing that