Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and Gender Ideology

Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and Gender Ideology

There is a rich diversity of vocabulary that trans* people may prefer to use to describe their gender identity. Non-binary identities include genderfluid, gender-neutral, genderqueer, 3 agender, bigender, neutrois, androgyne. (Transgender Guidance for Jersey Schools)

People that identify as Genderfluid may find that their gender fluctuates on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, and that they often do not identify with the concept of gender at all (Agender). There is no one way to be Genderfluid, and each person's experience may differ greatly. (Manchester Pride)

One of the fundamental notions of gender ideology is to pull apart biological sex and gender, whereas the former is immutable, the latter is a social construct, and with the idea of gender fluid, currently on the teaching agenda in Jersey schools, different genders can be tested out daily almost like changing clothes until you find one that you are conformable with – for the moment!

There is a clear distinction made between biological identity and gender identity. Gender identity is to do with an internal sense of self, which may differ from outward markers of biological identity.

In Aristotelian categories, each object has accidents and substance. The accidents are the outward appearance, so for a dog, the substance is the essential nature of the creature as a dog, its “dogness”, so to speak. The accidents are the attributes that can change without altering the dog’s fundamental nature. A Labrador retriever and a Chihuahua differ in many accidental properties, but their substance as dogs remains the same.

Thomas Aquinas, with his theory of transubstantiation, used Aristotelian categories to explain the words in the Mass – “this is my body”, “this is my blood”, but in a novel way. In the act of consecration, the bread and wine are believed to transform into the body and blood of Christ in substance, while their outward appearances (or "accidents") remain unchanged..

In this case, there is a tearing apart of the “breadness” substance of bread as it becomes the “bloodness” of Christ, while the outward appearance as bread remains (the accidence).

In a similar way, gender ideology holds that a person's gender identity (their internal sense of self) may differ from their biological or physical characteristics. What appears to be the case in the outward markers – biological sex – may differ from the essential gender of the person. A trans woman, for example, has an essential nature – the substance – as “womanness”, while the outward biological appearance – the accidents – may to all purposes be physically identical to that of a biological male.

Of course one difference is that the accidents may be surgically adjusted so that to external appearances they resemble a biological woman. But apart from surface characteristics, the basic biology remains fixed. A trans woman will not have to worry about smear tests, but will have to worry about prostate issues, a clear indication the surface surgery, and even biochemical interventions (hormones, puberty blockers) cannot alter the biological facts.

To summarise, both concepts emphasize the primacy of an inner or essential reality over external appearances. In transubstantiation, the essence of the bread and wine is transformed, regardless of sensory evidence. In gender ideology, an individual's self-identified gender is considered their true identity, even if it differs from biological markers. Changing gender identity, like transubstantiation, is a metaphysical transformation.

And both rely on belief systems for their acceptance. A change of substance, whether it be bread or wine or gender, cannot be measured empirically. It may be thought that gender ideology can seek validation from psychological testing, but the psychological testing itself is carried on within the framework of gender ideology. The existence of a category called “gender fluid” is a key element to understanding the metaphysical aspect of gender ideology.

Both an individual's sense of self and religious faith are rooted in subjective, internal experiences. They are intangible and not directly observable, but they are profoundly impactful. For someone who feels a strong gender identity or a deep faith, that conviction becomes an anchor for their understanding of reality and their place in the world. 

However, just like with religion, this is a belief system which is not and should not be promoted as scientific. That this has done, and attempts have been made to shut down and cancel scientists who hold that biological sex is immutable is a scandal. Indeed the fervour and zealousness of some gender ideology proponents resembles the fervour and zealousness of the worst excesses of Christianity in silencing opponents. 

Children as young as seven might be a “mixed berry gender fluid muffin”, teachers have been told in a sex education resource promoted by the Welsh Government.

And that brings us to the position of children, and the two strategies involved with children and gender.

The ‘watch and wait’  or "watchful waiting" approach does not steer a child towards any pre-determined outcome, but recognises developmental change as an intrinsic part of childhood and adolescence. This is the approach recommended by the Cass report.

The gender affirmative model most notably seen at Tavistock GIDS makes the assumption that the child knows their gender and puts them on a path to change, if for example, the child thinks of their gender identity as a woman. This is an approach very much critiqued by the Cass report.

There is an interesting parallel between deciding the two strategies and the early Middle Ages.

In Christianity, Monastic oblation refers to the practice of offering oneself to God through association with a monastic community. Historically, this included children being dedicated to monasteries by their parents, often at a young age, to live under the Rule of Saint Benedict. These children were known as "oblates," and the practice was common in early medieval Christianity.

As Diarmaid MacCulloch notes:

“From what had apparently been a minor provision of Benedict’s Rule, oblation became a major feature of Carolingian life between the ninth and the eleventh centuries, both for boys and girls (though we know a great deal less about the custom in nunneries). It is likely that the majority of inhabitants in monasteries and nunneries were now products of oblation in early childhood, and thus they formed a category of European Christians who spent their whole lives in celibacy, thanks to a decision made for them by their family.... This had none of the provisions for probation or second thoughts that the Rule allowed for older entrants to monastic life.”

So the West, monastic vows were often formalized and tied to the Benedictine tradition. Children dedicated as oblates were expected to follow the monastic rule. But in the East, matters were different:

“The general consensus among Eastern monastic authorities was that it was not suitable to demand an early decision in life on something as important as chastity. Basil the Great sensibly observed that ‘it is not proper to consider children’s words entirely final in such matters’

The Western approach was more like gender affirmation, whereas the Eastern one was much more akin to “watch and wait” until the child reached the age of discernment.

It is yet another example of how the debates may shift, but some of the underlying core ideas and recommendations remain the same. Personally, I think the Eastern Church was right, and watch and wait is the best approach. In the end, the Western church softened its stance towards that and recognition that an "age of discernment" mattered, as of course it still does in matters of law and children, but not, it appears, gender ideology in schools.

Churchill in 3025

To enjoy this, you need to know a few facts. Firstly there are two Winston Churchills mentioned here although they get muddled up. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965 and his grandson Winston Spencer Churchill (10 October 1940 – 2 March 2010). 

Secondly a certain about of Biblical scholarships presents quite a unwarranted degree of certainly over the sources. For instance, it is pretty much a certain fact that the Gospel of John and Letters of John - despite similarities in tone and some language - had two different authors. Of course they were written at different times and in different circumstances, so common-sense might suggest they were by the same author, but some differences do exist and that has led to teasing apart the authorship into several authors at different times. But what if we were to look back over sources in Churchill's life, back over a period of, say, 1,000 years. Would we come to that kind of conclusion?

Churchill in 3025

The Oxford Historical Review, 23 March 3025

Looking back at the fragmentary sources which have come down to us after World War III, it is clear that the name Churchill can be seen visible throughout much of the early to mid-twentieth century history.

The naïve perspective which we can see in the records of historians 500 years ago, was to believe that all references to Winston Churchill referred to one man. It is clear that this cannot be the case. Some records place his birth somewhere in the 1870s but there is also evidence of a Winston Churchill who died in the early 21st century. No man can live that long, so it is clear that there is more than one man who bore the same name. Familial use of names is not unknown, indeed there are clear evidences of it throughout history. It was a way of preserving the identity of families through time.

So how many Churchills were there. I think we can identify at least five.

1) the so called "Young Winston", who seemed to have been involved in adventures in South Africa during what we call the Colonial Civil War, between Dutch and English settlers, neither native to the land, who had invaded and subjugated the population. There is even some old cinema footage which although scrappy has been preserved in the archive whose few surviving frames show a young man most unlike the appearance of later Churchills. The documentary film maker from the partial sources seems to have had the name Attenborough, presumably the same Attenborough who we know was responsible for wildlife documentary films.

2) Moving on from those to Great War, we find a Churchill whom the records record as a Lord of the Admiralty, and a Liberal MP. All the other references in sources refer to Churchill as belonging to the Conservative party, not a party which became extinct some time in the last century. This is clearly a clumsy attempt to rewrite history to bolster the reputation by association of Prime Minister David Lloyd George, who singlehandedly destroyed the Liberal party as any kind of political force. Records do place him as part of the war time coalition, but sober historians think the historical record has been amended at a later date to change him from Conservative to Liberal for propaganda purposes.

3) The Churchill of the 1930s is a vocal backbench MP, a fervent supporter of Empire and the Colonial imperative, who is totally opposed to the independence of India and whose rhetoric betrayed the worse kind of political dinosaur, referring to Gandhi as "a seditious Middle Temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir" Out of touch, this Churchill is at odds with the popular sentiment, always taking on failed projects, such as his support for Edward VIII in the abdication crisis. He is a Churchill who lacks all political judgment and cannot command public support, and spends most of his time painting.

4) The War Time Leader of the 1940s. This Churchill, probably the son of the 1930s Churchill, is quite different. He is a man who captures the public sentiment, who makes bold and charismatic speeches, and builds alliances with the opposition parties, and negotiates for support from the Americans. This Churchill is on the other side of the divide with Royalty, being a fervent supporter of George VI.

5) The Post-War Leader. This is probably the same Churchill as the war time leader, who has retained his hold on the party leadership. It is this Churchill who is according to some sources accorded a State Funeral. However some historians who see the War Time leader as a younger man (the son of the 1930s Churchill) think this is an embellishment to explain how he fell back into the role of a minor MP away from the party leadership. There is film footage but they argue that it was part of a fictional movie . It is clear that some fictional depictions of historical figures in the late 20th century were common, and Churchill as a great war time leader was depicted by a great many actors. As with Jesus movies, which also proliferated, sometimes the film make played fast and loose with history.

6) The Final Churchill. This Churchill appears in the record when he makes very outspoken speeches on issues in the Middle East and on the Communist Bloc. He is the one who dies in the early part of the 21st Century. It can be argued that he could be the same as the War Time leader who coined the phrase "The Iron Curtain" and was clearly also outspoken on the so-called Cold War.

So in summation, what the record may show is the following, with a high degree of probability.

The young Churchill, probably another figure with the name Winston (as the title of the fragmentary documentary does not actually mention the name Churchill) who was associated with the Churchill name, or who could have been an ancestor of the War Time Leader.

The first War Time Leader. A conservative at the heart of the coalition government who seems to have been successful after 1922 when the government fell apart but later retired from politics due to age and infirmity.

The Wilderness Churchill. Probably a cousin and certainly a strange man of no judgement who backed all the wrong causes, and who failed to engage with the public.

The Second War Time Leader. Probably the son of the first, a charismatic individual who went on to lead his party after the war, and then retired to the back benches. Later writers invented the fiction of an early death and a State funeral as they could not imagine a Prime Minister taking their place as a back bencher although there is plenty of evidence from the late 20th and early 21st century that this was commonplace. This man was outspoken from the back benches and died in the early 21st century, by which time, with peace movements rising, he quietly slips from the record without fuss.

A Bardic Lay of Hougue Bie

Something for the Spring Equinox. This was written for a poetry competition and while not a winner was in the top ten! The poem had to be about Hougue Bie, and I think I've got pretty well everything I know about it there! One of the longest poems I have ever written.

A Bardic Lay of Hougue Bie

Memory passed to memory in the tribe:
Before the written words, the scribe
Of rituals and ancestors, our own past,
And stories told when children asked;
The priest would light the lamps inside,
Where lay the bones of those that died,
Seeking wisdom from the sacred mound,
While we gathered in silence, all around;
The sun rising, the dawn so very near:
We feel the breeze, we feel the fear;
This sacred time, this awesome night:
Through the passage, a line of light,
A finger pointing to the farthest wall;
The priest announces to one and all,
In chants, the time in the ancient lay:
The season come for planting day;
The sun has told us spring is here,
Of the turning wheel of our year;
But now this we will leave behind:
The ancestors have not been kind;
In storms, the wind, crops that fail,
The gods show us a different tale;
The dragon’s flame is spitting fire:
Thunder breaks, on funeral pyre;
Ancestors silent, speak no more,
And priest has learnt another lore,
Of sun, the moon, and falling sky,
Another path, or our time to die;
Now is the time, this the final day,
And after the sunsets final ray,
Seal the stone mound, leave alone,
Forget the language of the bone.

Norse men seeking treasure came,
Break open mound, it was a shame!
But finding no gold or silver there,
Sealed once more in their despair;
The Christians build a holy shrine,
Upon the summit, a fine design;
And Richard Mabon left his mark:
Jerusalem oratory, simple, stark;
The Holy Sepulchre, Christ born,
And also wall paintings did adorn
The chapels looking down on high,
And chantry when he came to die;
The Reformers swept this all away:
Made out that he had feet of clay;
Days of destruction, empty shell:
Gone the Doom that spoke of hell;
The preachers denounce and inspire:
Destroy like dragon breathing fire!

And so to legend, of those dragon days:
Stories told by fireside, of ancient lays;
Fire and destruction, and noble knight:
The Seigneur of Hambye, and his fight,
Against the great worm, bringing terror,
He came to fight, our own torchbearer;
Our Golden Legend, the dragon slayer:
Until his own squire turned betrayer,
Killed his master, and took his wife,
Until dream time brought him strife;
Awoke so fearful, so short of breath,
Confessed to all, sentenced to death,
The mound a tribute for Seigneur slain:
Never such tale so tall, it’s very plain!

Nothing stirred beneath the mound
The dragon slumbered underground

Prince’s tower was built upon the hill:
Folly of its day, there no longer still;
La Tour d'Auvergne, its formal name:
Gothic revival as bright as a flame;
But Romanticism's fire so burnt out,
A bright vision fading and in doubt;
Antiquarians consider with a frown:
And so the tower was pulled down!

Antiquarians dug inside the ground:
Behold! The ancient dolmen found;
Revealed once more to light of day,
And tourists crouch along the way,
To the chamber inside the stone,
Where found grave goods and bone.

And so the unsealing is complete:
Equinox comes, and merry meet!
New pagans gather at the dawn:
Greet the sun’s ray newly born,
As in silence, it marks the day,
Down the ancient passage way.

Now the lay of Hougue Bie has been told:
To modern times from olden wold!

Knights Templars of Aquarius

Knights Templars of Aquarius

A Topical Look at Religion: Molly Leach and David Jones highlight lesser known 'other denominations' which have followers in the Channel Islands
(Jersey Topic 1967)

In an old house in St. Ouen is a white-walled room which links the present with Ancient Egypt before the Sphinx was built; when the fabled continent of Atlantis was the physical and spiritual heart of the Earth.

In the rooms are four-thousand-year-old Ushabti—small images which were entombed with the Egyptian dead to serve or guide them on their journey. The figures are carved with hieroglyphics from the Book of the Dead.

A five-thousand-year-old bronze figure of the god Osiris is outlined by a pale, rosy light as he emerges from the tomb. He symbolises triumph over death, and the radiance around him is the eternal light of the spirit.

The little sanctuary, with its exquisite, esoteric paintings and "lost world" symbolism, is in La Maison de Leoville, St. Ouen, head¬quarters of the Knights Templars of Aquarius.

Founder of the order, Mr. Hugh Randall-Stevens, a well-known singer and author, now lives there permanently after many years of commuting from London.

Before the first world war Mr. Randall-Stevens had been studying medicine but, after serving as a pilot in the old Royal Naval Air Service, he was demobili.ed in 1919 and embarked on a singing career. By 1925 he had become a very successful singer.

One evening in 1925 he was working at his desk in his London flat when a voice spoke to him quite clearly. It told him that it had been a High Priest in Atlantis and warned that the world, once again, was heading for major disaster unless men halted their mad race for earthly power and began to seek for the spiritual truth about why there were here on earth.

Hugh Randall-Stevens was naturally startled. He wondered if he were going mad. He was not at all interested in spiritualism or psychic matters. He decided to see a doctor, but after a thorough check-up was assured he was 100 per cent fit both physically and mentally.

However, in spite of his scepticism the Voice came again—and continued to come and after his initial reluctance had worn off he did as it asked and wrote down what it diitated.

The Voice told him that he, Randall-Stevens,. had been through many previous reincarna¬tions. He had been an Initiate-Priest in Atlantis and had later been the scholar—King Akhnaton of Egypt. His duty now, in the present age of Aquarius, was to remind men of the awful lessons of the past—and to warn them that Man could, once again, destroy civilisation on Earth.

Over the years that followed, the Voice, which described itself as "The Master Oneferu" has dictated hundreds of thousands of words to Mr. Randall-Stevens, whom it addresses as "El Eros".

It has told how survivors from Atlantis escaped to Egypt, China and the New World when the great continent was totally destroyed by evil, spiritual forces, set into motion by wicked men.

The Atlanteans were red men—the ances¬tors of the Egyptians and the Red Indians of South America, before the Spanish invasion.

In Egypt the Atlanteans and their descend¬ants built the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid—not as tombs—but as centres of power and temples of initiation. Possessing secret and powerful psychic wisdom, the priests and initiates from Atlantis caused potent thought-waves to flow out over the world to help the spiritual evolution of all men.

But evil forces on the planet became strong again as man became greedy for material wealth. Over the centuries knowledge and wisdom were lost and only ritual remained.

In the early days of his contact with the Voice, Mr. Randall-Stevens, who was quite unable to draw, was sometimes controlled so that his hand automatically drew pictures to illustrate the story of the past and show some of those people who figured in it. When this happened the hand moved rapidly and with uncanny accuracy. After a certain number of pictures had been drawn this kind: of control ceased and did not happen again. "I still cannot draw" says Mr. Randall-Stevens, "not even the simplest diagram".

He and his wife, on the instructions of the Voice, founded the Order of the Knights Templars in early 1954 though his books, based on the dictation of the Voice had been selling steadily for many years.

The Order of the Knights Templars of Aquarius is world-wide and open to men of every race, creed or colour. Its news letters pour out from Jersey to members all over the world. They contain the continuing teachings of Oneferu and contributions and articles on current world trends and happenings from different members.

Mr. Randall-Stevens believes that thought is the most powerful force in the universe. Wrong and evil thought is a tremendously potent force working. for_the destruction of man. It must be opposed by right thinking and an increase in spiritual wisdom.

"Man will never reach the planets by physical methods", he says. "He is not meant to. There is a screen of electrical force around the earth which protects it from cosmic forces which would be utterly destructive to life as we know it".

He warns that atomic experiments are creating deadly danger and in this field of research Man is rapidly reaching the point of no return. There is not much time left. Man must quickly make a change of direction. He must look inward—find the buried God-force within his own nature—then work sincerely for spiritual development. He must grow up and learn to recognise worldly power and success for the trivia they are.

Most of Mr. Randall-Stevens' books are in the Jersey public library. They tell of ancient worlds; of courtyards and temples still buried under the sands of Egypt. Their stories of the past and prophecies for the future make fascinating reading, even for the man who "just doesn't want to know" about their deeper message.

Much of the information given by the Voice has been proved uncannily accurate by much later excavations in Egypt. Mr. Randall-Stevens' book of press cuttings give clear proof of this.

Ides of March

A look back to the past.... and maybe to the future...

Ides of March

Caesar, supreme, confident, right
Great Dictator of Ancient Rome
All bow down before his might
Or died, like Cato, far from home

Caesar, supreme, confident, right
Tore up into ancient rules and ways
His army always ready for a fight
And so the Republic slow decays

Caesar, supreme, confident, right
Until the Ides of March, of fate
Foretold by one with Second Sight
Brutus thrusts last dagger’s hate

The tyrant falls, but at great cost
Because the Republic will be lost

1965 - 60 years ago - March Part 2

1965 - 60 years ago - March Part 2

19.--A woman, Madeleine Fox, aged 32, was found lying in a lane off wands Vaux last night bleding profusely from stab wounds in her neck and died before an ambulance reached the scene ; a man, Anthony Oliver Lynch (27), a native of Dublin was later arrested and appeared in the dock at the Police Court this morning .charged with her murder.---Five pictures, including a Rembrandt, belonging to Sir Francis and Lady Cook, of Le Coin, La Haule, were sold in London today for £1,052,100.—Before The Royal Court Ernest George Moody was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment and Allan Banks Browning placed on probation for three years for the theft of over £400 worth of tinned foods and washing powders.—Fines of £100 were imposed at the Royal Court on Walter Noel Fallaize (21), and Ronald Francis Trotter. (20), who pleaded guilty to having broken into premises and stolen 50 cases of lager and a quantity of goods valued at £140 ; Derek Richard Colley (18) . was fined £65 ; Christopher Honeycombe (20), and Maurice Louis Le Var (18), also implicated, were fined £30 and 20 respectively.—The civil action which came to be called the " War of the Roses " ended at the Royal Court today when Warmerdam and Co. (Crews Hill) Ltd. were awarded £1,150 against Cdr. E. D. Bowie, proprietor of the Jersey Rose Nurseries, Maufant.—By 42 votes to 35 the jersey Debating Club decided "That this House would prefer petticoat Government".—Before the Royal Court; 33-year-old Graeme Vernon Davis was placed on probation for three years for originally receiving a quantity of foodstuffs valued at £258.

22.—Inquest opened and adjourned on the body of 32-year-old Madeleine Mabel Fox, with whose murder by stabbing Anthony Oliver Lynch has been charged.—Weekend fog delays hundreds of passengers at the Airport.—Verdict of suicide recorded at inquest on Miss Gladys Lilian Penny, found gassed at her home in Chevalier Road.

23.—Induction of the Rev. P. G. K. Manton as Rector of St. John's.— At the annual dinner of the Beeches O.B.A. it was stated that the school was loosing £7,000 a year.

26.—Wristlet watches worth 9..,60 stolen in an early morning smash-and-grab at S. M. Naidoo and Son, the watch and clock shop, 78 Colomberie.

29.--During the night the premises of Mr. Keith Wallas, watchmaker and jeweller, 8a Waterloo Street, were broken into and 60 wrist watches worth more than £350 were stolen.—Summer suddenly came to the Island Yesterday and with record March temperatures, many hundreds of people spent the day on the beaches.—Jersey Amateur Dramatic Club presents “Blithe Spirit" at the Opera House.

30.—Two men were buried alive under tons of clay when a 12 ft. bank collapsed this afternoon at the Merton Hotel's swimming pool site alongside Belvedere Hill, workmates rushed to their aid and they were dug out almost unhurt.

JK Rowling on the Biological Reality of Being a Woman

JK Rowling on the Biological Reality of Being a Woman

I believe a woman is a human being who belongs to the sex class that produces large gametes. It’s irrelevant whether or not her gametes have ever been fertilised, whether or not she’s carried a baby to term, irrelevant if she was born with a rare difference of sexual development that makes neither of the above possible, or if she’s aged beyond being able to produce viable eggs. She is a woman and just as much a woman as the others.

I don’t believe a woman is more or less of a woman for having sex with men, women, both or not wanting sex at all. I don’t think a woman is more or less of a woman for having a buzz cut and liking suits and ties, or wearing stilettos and mini dresses, for being black, white or brown, for being six feet tall or a little person, for being kind or cruel, angry or sad, loud or retiring. She isn't more of a woman for featuring in Playboy or being a surrendered wife, nor less of a woman for designing space rockets or taking up boxing. What makes her a woman is the fact of being born in a body that, assuming nothing has gone wrong in her physical development (which, as stated above, still doesn't stop her being a woman), is geared towards producing eggs as opposed to sperm, towards bearing as opposed to begetting children, and irrespective of whether she's done either of those things, or ever wants to.

Womanhood isn't a mystical state of being, nor is it measured by how well one apes sex stereotypes. We are not the creatures either porn or the Bible tell you we are. Femaleness is not, as trans woman Andrea Chu Long wrote, ‘an open mouth, an expectant asshole, blank, blank eyes,’ nor are we God’s afterthought, sprung from Adam’s rib.

Women are provably subject to certain experiences because of our female bodies, including different forms of oppression, depending on the cultures in which we live. When trans activists say 'I thought you didn't want to be defined by your biology,' it’s a feeble and transparent attempt at linguistic sleight of hand. Women don't want to be limited, exploited, punished, or subject to other unjust treatment because of their biology, but our being female is indeed defined by our biology. It's one material fact about us, like having freckles or disliking beetroot, neither of which are representative of our entire beings, either. Women have billions of different personalities and life stories, which have nothing to do with our bodies, although we are likely to have had experiences men don't and can't, because we belong to our sex class.

Some people feel strongly that they should have been, or wish to be seen as, the sex class into which they weren't born. Gender dysphoria is a real and very painful condition and I feel nothing but sympathy for anyone who suffers from it. I want them to be free to dress and present themselves however they like and I want them to have exactly the same rights as every other citizen regarding housing, employment and personal safety. I do not, however, believe that surgeries and cross-sex hormones literally turn a person into the opposite sex, nor do I believe in the idea that each of us has a nebulous ‘gender identity’ that may or might not match our sexed bodies. I believe the ideology that preaches those tenets has caused, and continues to cause, very real harm to vulnerable people.

I am strongly against women's and girls' rights and protections being dismantled to accommodate trans-identified men, for the very simple reason that no study has ever demonstrated that trans-identified men don't have exactly the same pattern of criminality as other men, and because, however they identify, men retain their advantages of speed and strength. In other words, I think the safety and rights of girls and women are more important than those men's desire for validation.

I sincerely hope that answers your questions. You may still disagree, but as I hope this shows, I’m more than happy to have this debate.