This is a letter sent in response to Sue Caldwell’s International Socialism journal article Marxism, feminism and transgender politics, which can be read here http://isj.org.uk/marxism-feminism-and-transgender-politics/
This is my first blog post ever, so I am still learning the ropes regarding how this works. The references are below the letter (which is how I sent it in), though I include some here as links within the text, for the convenience of the reader.
Dear Editor,
I was disappointed to read Sue Caldwell’s article on Marxism, Feminism and Transgender politics (ISJ issue 157), which I felt did not adequately address the concerns raised by many women regarding Transgender ideology and politics.
Regarding the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004 Caldwell claimed that: “..trans people in the UK have been changing their birth certificates since 2004. The sky has not fallen in. The proposed change will simply make that process a little easier.” (1) I think this is very misleading, and doesn’t make clear to the reader that under the proposed law change, any man could self-identify as a woman, without any medical diagnosis or treatment. Once a male had his Gender Recognition Certificate they would have to be treated legally as a woman.
This isn’t about letting someone express themselves socially, where it doesn’t harm anyone else, this law could allow full-bodied males legal access to areas where women are naked or otherwise vulnerable, such as women’s refuges, shelters, changing rooms, and prisons (there is already a problem in the UK, with full-bodied males gaining access to female prisons, and with some male prisoners claiming transgender status for opportunistic reasons). (2)
If anyone thinks this is in the realm of science fiction, schools are already issued with guidance which suggests that if a girl feels uncomfortable undressing in front of a male-bodied transperson, the solution is to move the girl out of the girls changing room. It deemed appropriate to say to objectors: “though the individual in question may have the body of a boy, they are in every other respect a girl”. (3) This is teaching girls to ignore their intuition, and not to set healthy privacy boundaries with members of the opposite sex.
Amidst all the revelations of the #MeToo movement, it is disappointing to me that women wanting some privacy, where they are naked and vulnerable, and expressing concerns about laws that would allow any man to self-identify as a woman (thus gaining access to these spaces) are not taken more seriously. Instead, women are routinely sneered at (4), or harassed and abused, for raising these issues. (5)
I think Caldwell’s reference to the Irish situation would give the wrong impression to people outside of the state. She writes: “when the GRA was approved it was not seen as a threat to women”. I would be very surprised if most people in Ireland had even heard about this legislation, never mind have an informed opinion on it.
Overall I felt Caldwell’s article did not satisfactorily address women’s concerns. I think it would serve the SWP well to examine this issue more critically. Many left-wing women, feeling abandoned by the traditional left, have started to organise themselves politically around this issue. I think the SWP needs to listen to these women, and be an ally rather than an obstacle to them.
Yours Sincerely,
<Name>
References
1. Caldwell, Sue. Marxism, feminism and transgender politics. International Socialism Journal, Issue 157. http://isj.org.uk/marxism-feminism-and-transgender-politics/
2. British Association of Gender Identity Specialists, and the British Psychology Society, submissions to the Trans Equality Inquiry, 2015. Quoted in https://fairplayforwomen.com/prisons/transgender-prisoners/ See also https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/male-prisoners-jump-at-transgender-privileges-5zxhkc0jp0n and https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/outrage-transgender-prisoner-living-woman-12022675
3. Brighton and Hove City Council Trans* Inclusion Schools Toolkit page 22. http://www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/assets/media/Trans-Inclusion-Schools-Toolkit.pdf and East Sussex County Council toolkit for schools and colleges page 30.
4. For example, radio presenter James O’Brien sneered at a caller when she said she wanted female only changing rooms in clothes shops. The interview is discussed in this article https://freerlives.wordpress.com/2017/11/16/lbc-and-access-to-female-changing-rooms/
5. Some examples listed here https://bannedbytrans.wordpress.com/masterpost/ See also James Kirkup’s article https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/02/the-violent-misogyny-of-the-gender-debate/
Unmanagable Revolutionary 