Bad arguments against trans rights

“Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, said she felt Stock’s views on gender identity, including that people cannot change their biological sex, were probably “in step with the majority of the population”.”

 If you are going to oppose trans equality, it makes sense to have at least some idea of what you are opposing.  

Here are some relevant points:

1. Being trans is not about changing biological sex. Trans people aren’t asking for generic treatment to change their chromosomes.  

2. Gender identity is not always linked to biological sex, so it only confuses things to assume they are the same thing.

3. Insisting that people should look and act a certain way because of their biological sex is absurd. It’s trying to base morality on biology. 

4. Saying that views of the rights of a minority should be a certain way because of the beliefs of the majority is very dodgy. 

5. What matters is not biology, or views about biology, but minimising suffering.  The suffering of oppressed trans people can be considerable.

6. These “biological sex matters” arguments used to be used (and often still are) against the rights of gay people.  There’s a huge inconsistency in supporting equality for the LGBs but not the Ts.

7. Exactly the same arguments have been used about gay people - that their sexual attractions and activities are “unnatural” and “against biology”.  Use of these arguments against gay rights is in decline, so it’s frustrating to see them used against trans rights.

There may be arguments against full trans equality, but if there are they have to be better than those we have seen so far, as we see little but misinformation, misunderstandings and fallacies of biology and ethics.

We don't care

Boris Johnson had a party when he shouldn't.  We don't care.  The Metropolitan Police won't investigate, because they don't care.  Why should they?  Members of the government have broken most if not all the rules of parliamentary behaviour.  They don't care.  The Speaker of the House gets rather angry every now and then, and tells them off, but nothing serious happens.  He doesn't care. 

Members of the government have been handing out billions of pounds of contracts to family and friends.  We don't care.  It's just what they do.  We have been told by the popular press for decades that politicians are cheeky and think only of themselves and so it doesn't really matter does it?  It only shows nothing has changed.  What is a few tens of billions between friends?

We really showed we in the UK truly weren't bothered when Leave campaign promises were publicly thrown away the morning after the EU referendum in 2016.  "Hundreds of millions of pounds per week for the National Health Services freed up by leaving the EU?  Did we really promise that?  Well, we were a bit hasty."  All businesses were going to be fine because we clearly weren't going to leave the Single Market.  EU nationals in the UK were going to be fine and Brits living in the EU were going to be fine because freedom of movement for the nice people would remain.  Sorry - we made a mistake - none of those are true. But no-one cares.  Business investment collapses, and the future of our children are limited and no-one even bothers to mention it.

Later on, as more promises were ripped up, Boris Johnson's government lied to the Queen to justify trying to suspend Parliament to prevent votes on EU policy.  No-one cared.  It's only the Queen.  She clearly didn't care.  She could have kicked Johnson out of office or demanded that the Speaker of the House take action.  She didn't.  After all, why bother?

So we don't care.  And we aren't alone.  Trump plots to overthrow democracy.  The evidence is clear.  But there is no sign of the cops knocking at his door.  It's just too much trouble.  All that fuss.  The Russian involvement doesn't matter. Nothing happened.  Senior generals took precautions to prevent World War Three being started by Trump in one of his moods.  I'm sure they will do the same if he becomes president again, and all that fuss and anxiety about who wins elections will be at an end if Trump gets in again, so the US can live in a peaceful and stable dictatorship.  It will be so relaxing.

 I know we don't care.  It's simply not worth our time.  But, you know, just between us, I do occasionally have a fleeting thought - a wish - a desire: to be proved wrong.