Watching trans issues being discussed in the media is rarely a calming experience for a trans person. The debate quickly gets heated as both sides argue for and against the dangers which we apparently pose to society at large. Whether it’s a ‘debate’ on TV, an article in print or a rant on social media, it seems that wherever the conversation may start, it always seems to end with tales of women’s safe spaces being invaded by would be rapists.
The more one side fights for more freedom and acceptance for members of the trans community, the harder the other side pushes back. It is easy, amidst the media frenzy, to forget that all a transperson really wants is to be afforded the same degree of respect and fundamental human rights as anyone else.
At the heart of these debates is the Gender Recognition Act consultation, which will soon be debated in parliament, enabling trans men and trans women to self identify as their true gender, without having to prove their gender-variance with medical procedures or psychiatric reports.
But there are certain voices being heard – loud and clear – who are adamant that this should not happen. So what is it about trans people, this marginalised group of society, which poses such a threat that people feel the need to ‘gather’ and protest about erosion of rights and fear for personal safety?
The crux of the issue relates to the right of trans women to enter women’s ‘safe places’ these include: female changing rooms, women’s public toilets in particular, and refuges for women fleeing domestic violence.
To counter this perceived threat, the somewhat illogical conclusion drawn by the (predominantly) female protestors is as follows: Men pose a threat, self identification enables men to pose as women under the guise of their being ‘trans’, therefore all trans women are a threat.
The irony is that the trans woman herself is just as likely (more likely I would argue) to suffer abuse and intimidation from an aggressive male, as a woman. In spite of this, those who are against self identification would rather trans women risk the dangers posed by using the male equivalent of these spaces.
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As a trans woman myself, I can tell you, this is no mean feat. From the moment I was born, my gender-variance has made me a target. I have been forced into a role that felt alien to me, from the clothes I had to wear to the male stereotype to which I was expected to conform.
I have been subjected to sexism, and unwanted sexual advances, I have excluded myself from certain public spaces because I felt uncomfortable with my anatomy. When we go on holiday I will not go on the beach or lie around a public pool, so extreme is my self consciousness.
I do not have a safe space.
If I was raped, if I was subjected to abuse, if I was to be rushed to hospital or God forbid, sent to prison, what would by my protections? Where could I talk and feel safe? Would I be able to access a rape crisis help line? Would anyone there even begin to understand my dilemma?
Stripping this back and focussing on basic human needs: if I can’t use the ladies loo, where should I go to feel safe?
For me the debate should not be about lifting the drawbridge on trans women when we need a safe haven. The debate should be about how we educate men to be more respectful of these spaces and putting safeguards in place to stop the system from being abused. We all need to feel protected and safe from harm, as a trans woman I am no less deserving of these fundamental human rights as my cis gender sisters.
Read More:
- Advice for Trans Victims of Domestic Abuse During Lockdown
- The State of Trans Healthcare in the UK
- The Importance of LGBTQI Spaces for young people
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
I have never had a problem using a female toilet or a changing room.
However I once overheard a sales assistant say to her colleague
“That woman did not half look like a man” – I just thought “Result”
because she identified my correct gender but thought my look was wrong .To me that was fair comment because this was before I had my full reassignment surgery. I think the new GR act will help more people.I always thought that it was cruel to expect a transsexual woman to live as a woman before any hormones or proper help. I didn’t dress fully as a woman until I’d grown my hair after my operations.
Only after my reassignment did I feel confident to appear in public when clothes began to fit correctly .To me the transition came after my treatments and I was able to relax and be myself. All my life before I had problems not realising that I was actually suppressing my true expression. I thought at one time that I was bipolar but I didn’t have all the symptoms of that and during my counselling prior to my ops I thought that once I’d sorted my gender identity I could then focus on the Bipolar stuff. My Counsellor very kindly explained that that may well diminish after a while. He was right . This is why Transsexual people in the past were thought to be mentally ill because the suppression of the true self can have some very powerful side effects. As no transperson was ever successfully treated by psychiatry the medical establishments finally accepted the diagnoses and treatments that had been established along side . The balance of hormones was well proven in my own case. A female brain will not settle without correct levels of hormones. When I had to stop the hormones before surgery I felt the difference just after the surgery and before taking them again. I could feel myself climbing the walls !! But was Ok again once I got my oestrogen !! I am still amazed that the main treatment of oestrogen just changed my life’s direction . I can understand why some trans women don’t need surgery as that can be all they may need . In my case my treatment was the full version. I was fortunate that I found the WPATH methodology through my counsellor. The NHS method would have been torture of the worst kind.
You might like to check out the Rainbow Safe Space Awards project in Southampton (www.reconnectingrainbows.co.uk/campaigns/safe-space-awards) which focuses on exactly this issue. You can download a poster from our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/reconnectingrainbows) to designate a toilet as a safe space for trans and non-binary people.