How do you feel about transgender rights?

Say, for example, a transgender woman (male) wanted the right to use a female changing room - do we recognise the transgender woman's plea,

first of all you'll have to define the word "rights" - I think they should be given the same rights as anyone else by the government, but they shouldn't be allowed to sue someone for not hiring them due to it or something like that (although I feel that way about any group)

So you think people should be allowed to base hiring on things like sex, race, class, sexual orientation, etc?


Posted from TSR Mobile

I personally see private businesses like I see private houses - you have the right to refuse entry to whoever you want because you paid for it and it's yours and your responsibility as to what goes on within it (obviously provided nobody's harmed, stolen from, committed fraud against, bla bla bla). I'm obviously not being arbitrary in that sense of tolerance and I hope you see my perspective (I'm really not racist, sexist etc I just see the owner as the person who should decide their matters opposed to the government aside from harm, theft etc) because by refusing entry they're not harming, stealing from them etc, just being mean, which isn't against the law for free speech and neither should it be in this sense unless there is a natural/obvious duty that arises (e.g. so if you've got a contract saying someone can enter, work, use, etc) but obviously I don't see my views as absolute and I can see why people might not agree with me in our culture where the state is seen to have more abilities in terms of these things

So yes. I also assume then they can fire a person for having such traits yes?


Posted from TSR Mobile

if they were that cruel, sure, it's their prerogative, but obviously I don't endorse* that kind of behaviour, I merely tolerate it based on the fact that they own the property and they can do what they want with it provided they don't harm, steal etc - I know, I sound like I'm being mean by allowing people the freedom to do it, but at the end of the day I think peaceful solutions to these sorts of non-violent acts should be the way forward and not through the government, e.g. peaceful protests, boycots, campaigns, awareness raising, etc to persuade the person not to do things like it

you seem to be very anti-government.


Posted from TSR Mobile

Do you feel that it's practical and ethical for someone to ask for the same social and legal treatment as the opposite gender simply by identifying as such? NOTE: transgender is not the same as transexual.

Although I am for the right to personal expression and identity, I think that the ability to change something like this (on a legal level), especially without surgical changes, can be problematic. Say, for example, a transgender woman (male) wanted the right to use a female changing room - do we recognise the transgender woman's plea, or do recognise the fact that other women may be uncomfortable with this and that sex/gender segregation exists for a reason? Would it not also be hypocritical if we were to legally recognise a gender transition, but then not recognise someone whom identifies as a different race, ethnicity or even nationality?

I'm somewhat undecided, particularly as this can -- though not always, importantly -- be a legitimate psychological phenomenon.

Your point is a bit flawed with regards to nationality as people can legally change this, depending on what country they identify as a citizen of, after living there for some time.


Posted from TSR Mobile

Why would a biological woman be uncomfortable? If they're uncomfortable with a transgender woman then how do they feel about butch women or tomboys? Are they going to report those kind of women?

All the other biological women using those bathrooms don't know who you are "on the inside".

If you have a male body, then all they see is a man in the wrong bathroom. Just because you might feel like a woman on the inside doesn't give them any reason to feel more comfortable with you being there.
Whereas if you have a female body, no matter how much of a tomboy you might be, they've no reason not to expect you to be there. All they see is another woman using the ladies' room.

Having a male body is irrelevant, women cannot see what's underneath their clothes, which would be women's clothes. They're not walking around with beards. Just because a woman has male sex organs does not mean they look manly, plenty of transwomen do not look masculine at all, with or without surgery.

Should a woman be uncomfortable with a person with intersex organs?

Since the OP was discussing people without any surgery in this particular example, I was speaking on the assumption that, if you have a male body, people don't need to be looking at your genitalia to know that. I go out fully clothed, and people can still tell I'm a man, and I'm guessing this will be the case for the vast majority of males, regardless of their internal thoughts and feelings.

In which case I agree, if they are able to make everyone who sees them believe that they are biologically female, nobody is likely to feel uncomfortable seeing them in a female bathroom.

The people who they are likely to feel uncomfortable with are people who look like men (which it is still possible to do, even if one is wearing women's clothes, make-up and attempting to put on a high voice.)

Would you rather a transwomen go into the men's toilets and get verbally or physically abused or make a biological women uncomfortable for 5 seconds while she washes her hands?