Transgender war - a peace plan

Transgenderism: Bibliography | Issues | Peace Plan

There's battle lines being drawn, and nobody's right if everybody's wrong.
Young people speaking their minds, gettin' so much resistance from behind...
What a field day for the heat, a thousand people in the street.
Singing songs and a-carryin' signs, mostly say, "Hooray for our side."
It's time we stop, Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down? (Stephen Stills 1965)

1. Opening salvos

12.47pm, Monday, 1 May 2023: A battle is raging in Western society over the issue of transgenderism. The front line is physical and intellectual, with fierce encounters on both sides and emotional intelligence in absentia. The war began, unseen, in the early 2010s, with the implementation of a transgender agenda facilitated by access to a new suite of chemical and medical transitioning treatments and widespread community support for anti-discrimination initiatives based around the traditional, embedded definition of sex and a new, fluid diversity surrounding the term gender. Mandatory affirmation was the driver for subsequent actions, in line with the push against discrimination. What was, at the time, fought by transgender activists behind closed doors in the offices of politicians, doctors, psychiatrists, educators and lawmakers, has more than a decade later now hit the streets, with often brutal encounters between those on various sides of the debate. Posie Parker's Let Women Speak rally in Auckland, New Zealand, during March 2023, was violent, with Parker and her supporters loudly abused, their presentations drowned out, and their bodies physically attacked by a mob of men and women. No protection was provided by police forces who knew of the imminent threats of violence, and the women’s rights supporters were subject to official sanctioning and media distortion both before and after the rally, being labelled anti-trans, transphobic, white supremacist and neo-Nazi. The heat of the debate had reached a new high, and there was a resultant increase in fear within the Australasian transgender community that violence would turn in its direction, due in no small part to manipulation by the local media and the heightened state of anger on both sides. This fear subsequently manifest. Transgender individuals had suffered aggression and discrimination all their lives, and rightfully feared a return to the "bad old days" of the previous millennium. The situation had developed into an ugly, hateful mess. A truce needed to be called, and a path to peace found.

On the ground - soldiers and generals

Any war involves two sides, and within those two sides there are often those who support both sides of the argument but have decided to stand with one. There are also those who are are neutral or disengaged.

In the case of the transgender war, on one side were those who actively supported initiatives to enable transitioning of males to females (MTF) and females to males (FTM), and who supported and promoted the ideology of gender diversity across all ages. This cohort comprised not only transgender individuals but also activists, family and friends of those seeking transition, those with a vested interest in the various processes pertaining to transition, and a large section of the general population who simply saw transgenderism as the latest area in the ongoing fight against sex-based discrimination. This support naturally followed on the gay / lesbian debates which came to the fore during the 1960s and culminated in acceptance of gay marriage during the 2010s. Within this cohort the level of intensity, belief, support, knowledge, engagement and aggression varied greatly.

On the other side, labelled transphobic or anti-trans, were those who opposed all or certain aspects of the transgender agenda, but most especially (1) transgenderism’s negative impact on the rights of women, its rejection of the natural, biological definition of female, and the incursion of males into female spaces; and (2) the physical and psychological impact of chemical and medical transgender transitioning upon children and young people. 

There were other elements of the conflict apart from the warring factions, but those were the most prominent. Contentious secondary aspects inciting the conflict included: 

(1) mandatory changes to social norms through legal and policy instruments, such as the requirement to use pronouns (e.g., she/her in reference to individuals born male), and the incursion of males into female spaces such as toilets, prisons, refuges, health facilities, recreation areas and online space; and 

(2) the stifling of open debate on aspects of the agenda through the weaponization of the term transphobia, supported by proclamations such as: Trans rights are non-negotiable. A good example of the latter was the assertion that trans women are women, which turned on its head the traditional, science-based definition of women and what was considered by many to be accepted reality as reflected in long-held scientific and social norms. For those males who sought to live as females, or females as males, such an assertion could be key to their very existence, yet its impact went beyond their individual desires and needs and caused unforeseen conflict with a large section of the wider community, both female and male. 

The most vociferous "opponents" of transgenderism rarely expressed its wholesale rejection. They almost invariably stated that they supported transgenderism in general and did not care what an individual adult did in their own life in regard to personal expression of gender, be it any part of the LGBTIQA+ spectrum. It was the impact upon women and children / young people which proved the most prominent area of opposition and garnered most support in the wider community. Many also opposed the impact of transgenderism upon their own lives, and their own freedoms, such as the freedom to use a women’s space such as a toilet and not be subject therein to the presence of men, or to participate in women’s sport without having to compete against men who presented as transgender women and had an unfair advantage within that sport. The latter gave rise to general outrage. As the 2020s rolled out, it was clear that the transgender war was waging, and a peace needed to be secured. In order to secure such a peace, the demands of either side needed to be clearly stated, and a workable compromise reached - one which would douse the flames of discord and secure a long term peace. Unfortunately, the war raged, with both sides becoming increasingly aggressive and, in some instances, violent.

Two videos are presented below as background to discussion and development of a peace plan. The first, from 2016, is a biographical account of young Australian George / Georgie Stone, born male in 2000 but predisposed to non-conforming female gender since early childhood and subsequently following the now common transitioning path of (a) the use of chemical puberty blockers to forestall the onset of natural puberty, (b) the use of cross-sex hormones such as male testosterone and female estrogen to enhance non-conforming gender characteristics, and (c) and gender affirmation surgery to physically, and permanently, alter appearance and the presentation of sexual organs. It is a positive story full of compassion and very much presents the side of modern transgenderism which generally sits easy with the wider community. Few would find exception to how George / Georgie's story played out, as presented in various public accounts, though the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery remains contentious.

Australian Story - About a Girl: Georgie Stone, ABC TV, 27 August 2016.

On the other side of the coin is a recent video featuring the British a women's rights activist and alpha female known as Posie Parker. Her strident comments in opposition to certain elements of the transgender agenda focused on the language used to support transgenderism, attacks on the rights of women, and opposition to the chemical and medical transitioning of children and young people. Here views found a wider audience as time went on.

Posie Parker Down Under, with Kelly-Jay Keen, Benjamin J. Boyce, 21 April 2023.

The battle lines are clearly seen in the two above instances. The Jazz Jennings example in the United States further draws conclusions at odds with the Georgie Stone situation and is closer to the claims of Posie Parker, highlighting some of the negative outcomes of male to female transitioning at a young age and the rise in those seeking to de-transition. 

The Posie Parker movement has been used by the media and others to unjustly attack the transgender movement, ignoring the human and humane rights elements. This seemingly unsolvable situation cannot continue. The war will eventually be won, and it is likely that the transgender community will be the party to suffer most in the peace, along with the wider LGB community. It has to date been able to garner powerful political allies. However, these alliances are likely to change course in the face of community opposition to the more contentious elements of the transgender initiatives, giving rise to a so-called political solution which may satisfy neither party.

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2. Demands of the transgender movement 

The following is a preliminary list of some of the core principles of the transgender community and their supporters. Many of these have been implemented in Western societies over recent years, though push back is now occurring in places such as Europe and the United States as a broader section of the community becomes aware of the implications of some of the elements of the agenda upon other groups. 

1. Acceptance of the concept of gender diversity.
2. Rejection of traditional gender norms such as male and female, in preference to concepts such as binary and non-binary.
3. Recognition of the presence of gender diversity and non-conforming gender following birth. 
4. Acceptance that transgender women, born male, are women. 
5. Acceptance that transgender men, born female, are men.  
6. Acceptance of the right of children and young people to have access to chemical and medical transitioning treatments. 
7. Acceptance of the use of pronouns, enforced through mandates. 
8. Acceptance of transgender women, born men, in women’s spaces, women’s sports, etc. 
9. Acceptance of the proactive promotion of gender diversity and transgender programs in schools and educational institutions. 
10. Unrestricted access to gender transitioning for all ages. 
11. Acceptance of the concept of affirmation for all ages.
    
12. Acceptance of the personal and legal right to affirmation of personal gender reassignment, at any age.
    
13. Mandatory affirmation policies in support of gender transitioning. 

Whilst the transgender rights issue arose out of the anti-discrimination movement, its implementation expanded into areas of social transformation, the use of language, and health and welfare responses.

3. Demands of the “transphobic” / “anti-trans” movement 

The demands of this group are more prescriptive, in seeking to repeals specific laws and policy elements pertaining to transgenderism, alongside opposition to elements of transgender ideology.

1. Recognition that there are two primary sexes – male and female, inherent at birth.
2. Acceptance that sex (male or female) is not a social construct.
3. Acceptance that nature takes precedent over nurture. 
4. Recognition that gender diversity occurs after birth, and can be natural or due to nurture and external factors. 
5. Recognition that transgender women (born male) are not women. 
6. Recognition that transgender men (born women) are not male. 
7. Requirement that transgender women be excluded from all female spaces, both physical and online. 
8. Banning of chemical and medical transitioning of children and young people. 
9. Banning of chemical and medical transitioning until physical and psychological maturity is reached, enabling the provision of individual informed consent. 
10. Undertaking long term academic study of the impacts of chemical and medical transitioning. 
11. Banning the weaponisation of the terms transphobia and transphobe. 
12. Opening public debate around transgender issues, without censorship. 
13. Recognition of the sexual fetish-based cohort primarily present within the born-male transgender community, and the threat it poses to females and young people. 
14. The removal of mandates around the use of pronouns. 
15. The removal of mandatory affirmation in all areas of dealing with people seeking gender reassignment.
16. Treatment of gender dysphoria as a mental illness, with traditional medical and psychiatric policies and procedures applied in its management. 
17. The basic objections to impacts on women's right and children / young people expanded into areas such as the law, the workplace and freedom of speech

As can be seen from these two lists, there are core elements which generate conflict between the supporting and opposing groups.

4. A peace plan 

Any peace plan must be developed in an open space free from the accusations of transphobia which would naturally be proliferated, by activists and the media. The heat must be taken out of the issue, and physical violence on any side rejected, both personally and by the relevant authorities. A ceasefire must be called. The following is an outline of a possible peace plan.

1. Acceptance of the natural distinction at birth between the male and female sex. This must be reflected in birth certificates and related official documents, alongside preferred presentation gender. 
2. Acceptance of the existence of gender diversity following birth, as expressed through the LGBTIQA+ spectrum. Support to be expanded across all age groups. 
3. Recognition of female rights. 
4. Recognition that female rights take precedence over transgender rights.
   
5. Exclusion of males from female-only spaces of all forms, physical and online.
6. Banning of chemical transitioning for children and young people. 
7. Banning of medical transitioning for children and young people. 
8. Chemical and medical transitioning to be limited only to adults and following a process of third-party assessment to ensure informed consent. 
9. Banning mandatory affirmation policies in all sectors, and a return to the traditional assessment-based health care model. 
10. Removal of mandatory use of pronouns and other language-based obligations related to gender diversity. 
11. Halt to gender studies programs in primary education facilities.
12. Limits on gender studies programs in secondary education facilities.
13. Support for gender diversity in educational facilities, ranging from primary through secondary and tertiary.
    
14. Long term studies to be initiated to assess the range of physical and psychological impacts of all forms of transgender transitioning, with special emphasis on chemical and medical processes. 
15. Clarification of, and promotion of, the negative medical impacts of chemical and medical transitioning processes and procedures. 
16. Expanded support for mental health issues related to transitioning and de-transitioning.
17. Support for freedom of speech when discussing transgender issues. 
18. Identification of sexual fetish-based gender dysphoria related activity in the transgender community.
19. Identification of sexual fetish-based non-gender dysphoria related activity in the transgender community.
20. Support for transgender anti-discrimination activities and actions, taking into consideration broad community impacts and subject to community consultation prior to implementation or rejection.
    

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Transgenderism: Bibliography | Issues | Peace Plan

Last updated: 18 July 2023

Complied by On the wrong side of the Left