Leaderboard

Hi Chrissy, good points, thank you. I must admit I’ve also considered: am I a woman or a trans woman? Some months ago I told a friend that I’m a trans woman. But then, what is a trans woman? For me it’s someone who was always a female in her heart but was raised as male. Recently though in thinking about this some more I decided that indeed I am a woman, a special kind of woman, a trans woman. That may sound confusing to some, it is a bit for me! I’d love to hear your thoughts. Emma

Emma, I have to say I disagree in part about Jenni Murray. I don't disagree about her specific point about the language, but she was being a little deceptive with what she was doing. The point started with talking about the BMA using "pregnant people" instead of "pregnant women," and she made it sound like she was being expected to refer to herself that way, but that simply wasn't the case. The BMA was trying to find language that would cover everyone they were working with, they were mandating that all pregnant people be referred to that way. So at best her point was simply stupid, at worst is demagogic in that she probably very well knew what she was doing right there. I agree as far as the vicar, she might very well have been in an early stage of transition in which - some/many - of us do focus a lot on clothing and make-up. Her thoughts on women's place in the church were really unrelated to her own gender identity - which is true of anyone, the fact that I'm a woman doesn't mean that I now understand every issue relevant to women. A bigger take-away for me, in watching the Jenni Murray video and then immediately the little girl (Tuesday was the first time I actually watched them back-to-back) was thinking about how happy the girl is now and how JM would want to take that away from her. Beyond any specific thing she said that makes her overall commentary very cruel. xoxo Chrissy

Excellent, Chrissy! Good for you on all of it. I hope you feel terrific about yourself. Also, I hope that you become closer friends with the women in your group. I watched the videos, thanks very much for those, too. Here's some thoughts: Jenni Murray: She wasn't nearly as "TERF-y" as I expected. I tend to agree with her considerations about the words, such as "chest cancer" instead of breast cancer. She sounded reasonable but also uninformed. Sure, the vicar's response to her question was odd but I suppose she's still processing so much about what to do for her parishioners, how to present herself authentically. In fairness, the vicar was raised as a male so perhaps isn't as cognizant as he probably should be about women's positions and rights. I will say I'm disappointed to hear that Jenni's opinions are based on such a small sample size. Girl with cards: She is a sweetheart isn't she? I loved watching her story. She's on the right track and all I can say is good for her. I'm envious! Lee Mokobe: wonderful! Janet Mock: she's so beautiful and articulate. I read her book too and loved it. Her video was a perfect one for your meeting. Her authenticity is so undeniable. She's a woman, simple as that. I'm so happy for you Chrissy! Emma