I agree that the best thing Carney can do is to show himself to be a serious person focused on serious issues. The more he does so, the more he will force Poilievre to follow suit or risk looking 2nd tier in comparison.
With respect to transgender issues, this would entail affirming that women's hard-fought rights will not be eroded (meaning trans women have no place in women's spaces or sports), while at the same time, affirming that transgender people have the right to make personal choices, access healthcare and be protected from discrimination in employment, etc., as do all other members of society. This is a common sense position that I believe most ordinary Canadians would support.
No passing trans woman belongs in a "men-only" space. That's ridiculous and does not even come close to meeting the seriousness or reality of the moment.
Trans women are women, not men. Psychology, neuroscience, endocrinology, varying fields of study say as much in not as few words. What is your goal, exactly? Would you send them off to male spaces, where they'd be at much higher risk of being physically assaulted, sexually assaulted or raped? You really think someone like Hunter Schafer belongs in a men's room?
In this hypothetical world you weave, would transgender people gain their own exclusive spaces, as a protected class under the Canadian human rights act? Who would bear the financial burden of such an undertaking? Would you, or any taxpayer for that matter, be willing to cover the increase in taxes required to install new changing rooms, restrooms, and other public facilities?
And how would you even identify who is transgender, anyway? Transgender men always pass, given enough time on testosterone. And I think you severely underestimate the number of transgender women that are able to completely pass as cisgender (and pass one of those hypothetical genital exams that the real conspiratorial weirdos love to froth their mouths over, to boot). What of cisgender people who fail to meet the expected criteria of masculinity or femininity? That's a massive can of worms as well. We've already seen how "transvestigators" treat cis women of color, especially in sports...
So that leaves... what... buccal swabs? Seems a little inconvenient to wait a full 24 hours or more for lab work to pee or change your gym clothes. There's also the issue of cisgender women born AFAB (as females) with an XY karyotype. 1 out of every 80,000 may not seem like it's a lot, but those are only the reported numbers. The estimate is much larger, certainly large enough to make waves, and have some women learn an uncomfortable fact about themself they may not want to know. It also kind of upends the whole... chromosomal "biological reality/sex is binary" method of argument when it becomes a well-known fact that a significant number of cis women are born XY.
So... perhaps forcing trans people to sign up to some kind of register, self-outing, giving them some kind of special barcode or identifier that they have to use or wear in public? Sounds a lot like a certain regime we learned about in history class.
You get where I'm going with this? No matter which direction you go, all are unrealistic, unenforceably impractical, and lead to harm or recoil.
Trans rights and women's rights are interwoven, and that's not a bad thing. Instead of internal witch-hunts, shouldn't we strive to build a better future for all?
We've seen where this kind of rhetoric gets people in the USA. Let's not tank our globally reknowned track record on human rights just to placate some angry fringe outliers.
Women's rights are inseparable from trans women's rights. Women in sports generally appear more masculine than in the general population, and keeping trans women out of sport requires invasive "sex verification" practices that more masculine-presenting cis women will be put through more often than actual trans women because the percentage of trans women in professional sports is so negligible
This is absolute bullshit. Invasive sex verification practices?!?! IT REQUIRES A CHEEK SWAB!!! Once. In an athletes entire life. The dishonestly of the trans activists is breathtaking. Gender ideology is a men's rights movement. All of the downstream harms happen to women, whether it is men destroying our sports, men raping the most vulnerable women in society in female prisons, men invading all of our private spaces. Trans women are not only men, they are the worst kind of men. They have absolutely no regard for women's boundaries.
Trans women are not men. This is a stance that is disconnected from optical reality and decades of medical, neurological and behavioral research. Research that likely predates your existence.
If you're down for sharing a ladies' room with a heavily muscled, fully bearded transgender man, that is your prerogative, but don't roleplay like your take is in any way reasonable, practical or feasible, or will cause anything but harm and risks to safety, for both cisgender women who don't "pass the bar" of perceived femininity, and transgender women alike.
It's utterly lunacy. How are we going to police this? Bloody genital inspections for every piss break? Where do you draw the line? Are AFAB women born XY considered men in this dogma as well? Trans women socialized as female at a young age, raised as girls, who never expressed or identified with any form of masculinity, even in masking? It's nonsensical. Trans women aren't the problem. Rapists and abusers are.
This no-exceptions mindset is crude, it is cruel, it is emotionally reactive, and it is toxic. Labelling every medically transitioning trans woman a rapist or an "invader" is an incredibly bold and ridiculous assertion, not unlike labelling every man a woman-basher, or every migrant a violent criminal.
Preconceptions invariably lead to prejudice and violence against the target of focus. Trans people, trans women in particular, are already marginalized, discriminated against in housing and employment, and proportional to their population size, experience much higher incidences of sexual assault, rape, and gender-based violence than their cisgender counterparts. 1 in 2 trans women have been raped at least once in their lifetime. One in TWO. Think about how crazy that is.
Us vs. Them rhetoric always inevitably leads down a very dark and violent path, and honestly? It's not societally beneficial, or even remotely helpful. I don't think any one population needs to suffer for another's comfort. Call me a bleeding heart, I guess.
With regards to trans women in sports, I think it’s such a small issue that taking a strong stance on it either way is a mistake imo. Sure lots of people are opposed to trans women in women’s sports but I don’t think they really care that much. I think the correct response is to dismiss the issue as the unserious nonsense it is and say that school boards and sports agencies should rule on that however they feel is right.
I’m probably a bit biased on this though because all evidence I’ve seen suggests that the idea that trans women who have been on hormones for long enough time have any significant advantage over cis women is completely unfounded, but the scientific truth of the matter is probably irrelevant unfortunately.
I don’t think there will be oxygen or time for these culture issues.
It is hard to predict what will happen with Trump, it seems to be certain that it will be chaos. Random tariffs, threats of 51st state and border dog & pony shows. There will be no oxygen left for the finer nuances of trans women in sports or bathrooms. Nobody cares when Canadian steel plants go from 3 shifts to 1 and lay-off hundreds of people.
I don’t think there will be time either. We the Liberals climbing in the polls, I think they will go for elections as soon as practical. It counters the unelected PM noise and the Liberals don’t mind an election campaign while Trump hasn’t gotten tired of his chaos machine. Pretty cynical approach, but events.
Well said. There won't be enough airtime to give to cultural issues in the very fast election call. But the libs (assuming Carney) will need to pounce on sovereignty issues sooner than later. PP was in the North today and talked coherently about northern defense in concrete terms. Stop the ads about PP's pension. Start the ads about buying fighters (and subs) from France. Learning about drones from Ukraine and building drone manufacturing capability here and in Denmark and Panama. Tariff protection is a distraction. Sovereignty is and must be made a laser focus.
Two months ago Poilievre was making fun of the Liberals when they said they would increase efforts in the North.
I would counter Poilievre’s new found love for the North by saying that I am more concerned about the threat from the South and pivot to economic issues.
I think Pollievre's statement on TVO That "the government should mind its own business and leave people alone to make their own personal decisions" sums it up nicely. Of course that would mean no anti trans legislation, no anti woke agenda, so PP didn't actually mean that, but Carney can. Flesh that one out and you have a policy that works.
As if people aren't being left alone to make their own personal decisions ALREADY.
At the the heart of this reasonable sounding "parent's choice" (where the parents are usually the bloody problem, particularly religious ones who still don't accept homosexuality as anything other than a "lifestyle" FFS) is the usual ignorant right wing lack of regard for the professional integrity and expertise (and genuine caring) of both teachers and doctors in this challenging context, not to mention the kids them SELVES, who aren't like, FIVE.
I agree that the best thing Carney can do is to show himself to be a serious person focused on serious issues. The more he does so, the more he will force Poilievre to follow suit or risk looking 2nd tier in comparison.
With respect to transgender issues, this would entail affirming that women's hard-fought rights will not be eroded (meaning trans women have no place in women's spaces or sports), while at the same time, affirming that transgender people have the right to make personal choices, access healthcare and be protected from discrimination in employment, etc., as do all other members of society. This is a common sense position that I believe most ordinary Canadians would support.
No passing trans woman belongs in a "men-only" space. That's ridiculous and does not even come close to meeting the seriousness or reality of the moment.
Trans women are women, not men. Psychology, neuroscience, endocrinology, varying fields of study say as much in not as few words. What is your goal, exactly? Would you send them off to male spaces, where they'd be at much higher risk of being physically assaulted, sexually assaulted or raped? You really think someone like Hunter Schafer belongs in a men's room?
In this hypothetical world you weave, would transgender people gain their own exclusive spaces, as a protected class under the Canadian human rights act? Who would bear the financial burden of such an undertaking? Would you, or any taxpayer for that matter, be willing to cover the increase in taxes required to install new changing rooms, restrooms, and other public facilities?
And how would you even identify who is transgender, anyway? Transgender men always pass, given enough time on testosterone. And I think you severely underestimate the number of transgender women that are able to completely pass as cisgender (and pass one of those hypothetical genital exams that the real conspiratorial weirdos love to froth their mouths over, to boot). What of cisgender people who fail to meet the expected criteria of masculinity or femininity? That's a massive can of worms as well. We've already seen how "transvestigators" treat cis women of color, especially in sports...
So that leaves... what... buccal swabs? Seems a little inconvenient to wait a full 24 hours or more for lab work to pee or change your gym clothes. There's also the issue of cisgender women born AFAB (as females) with an XY karyotype. 1 out of every 80,000 may not seem like it's a lot, but those are only the reported numbers. The estimate is much larger, certainly large enough to make waves, and have some women learn an uncomfortable fact about themself they may not want to know. It also kind of upends the whole... chromosomal "biological reality/sex is binary" method of argument when it becomes a well-known fact that a significant number of cis women are born XY.
So... perhaps forcing trans people to sign up to some kind of register, self-outing, giving them some kind of special barcode or identifier that they have to use or wear in public? Sounds a lot like a certain regime we learned about in history class.
You get where I'm going with this? No matter which direction you go, all are unrealistic, unenforceably impractical, and lead to harm or recoil.
Trans rights and women's rights are interwoven, and that's not a bad thing. Instead of internal witch-hunts, shouldn't we strive to build a better future for all?
We've seen where this kind of rhetoric gets people in the USA. Let's not tank our globally reknowned track record on human rights just to placate some angry fringe outliers.
Women's rights are inseparable from trans women's rights. Women in sports generally appear more masculine than in the general population, and keeping trans women out of sport requires invasive "sex verification" practices that more masculine-presenting cis women will be put through more often than actual trans women because the percentage of trans women in professional sports is so negligible
This is absolute bullshit. Invasive sex verification practices?!?! IT REQUIRES A CHEEK SWAB!!! Once. In an athletes entire life. The dishonestly of the trans activists is breathtaking. Gender ideology is a men's rights movement. All of the downstream harms happen to women, whether it is men destroying our sports, men raping the most vulnerable women in society in female prisons, men invading all of our private spaces. Trans women are not only men, they are the worst kind of men. They have absolutely no regard for women's boundaries.
Trans women are not men. This is a stance that is disconnected from optical reality and decades of medical, neurological and behavioral research. Research that likely predates your existence.
If you're down for sharing a ladies' room with a heavily muscled, fully bearded transgender man, that is your prerogative, but don't roleplay like your take is in any way reasonable, practical or feasible, or will cause anything but harm and risks to safety, for both cisgender women who don't "pass the bar" of perceived femininity, and transgender women alike.
It's utterly lunacy. How are we going to police this? Bloody genital inspections for every piss break? Where do you draw the line? Are AFAB women born XY considered men in this dogma as well? Trans women socialized as female at a young age, raised as girls, who never expressed or identified with any form of masculinity, even in masking? It's nonsensical. Trans women aren't the problem. Rapists and abusers are.
This no-exceptions mindset is crude, it is cruel, it is emotionally reactive, and it is toxic. Labelling every medically transitioning trans woman a rapist or an "invader" is an incredibly bold and ridiculous assertion, not unlike labelling every man a woman-basher, or every migrant a violent criminal.
Preconceptions invariably lead to prejudice and violence against the target of focus. Trans people, trans women in particular, are already marginalized, discriminated against in housing and employment, and proportional to their population size, experience much higher incidences of sexual assault, rape, and gender-based violence than their cisgender counterparts. 1 in 2 trans women have been raped at least once in their lifetime. One in TWO. Think about how crazy that is.
Us vs. Them rhetoric always inevitably leads down a very dark and violent path, and honestly? It's not societally beneficial, or even remotely helpful. I don't think any one population needs to suffer for another's comfort. Call me a bleeding heart, I guess.
With regards to trans women in sports, I think it’s such a small issue that taking a strong stance on it either way is a mistake imo. Sure lots of people are opposed to trans women in women’s sports but I don’t think they really care that much. I think the correct response is to dismiss the issue as the unserious nonsense it is and say that school boards and sports agencies should rule on that however they feel is right.
I’m probably a bit biased on this though because all evidence I’ve seen suggests that the idea that trans women who have been on hormones for long enough time have any significant advantage over cis women is completely unfounded, but the scientific truth of the matter is probably irrelevant unfortunately.
This is a sensible argument.
I don’t think there will be oxygen or time for these culture issues.
It is hard to predict what will happen with Trump, it seems to be certain that it will be chaos. Random tariffs, threats of 51st state and border dog & pony shows. There will be no oxygen left for the finer nuances of trans women in sports or bathrooms. Nobody cares when Canadian steel plants go from 3 shifts to 1 and lay-off hundreds of people.
I don’t think there will be time either. We the Liberals climbing in the polls, I think they will go for elections as soon as practical. It counters the unelected PM noise and the Liberals don’t mind an election campaign while Trump hasn’t gotten tired of his chaos machine. Pretty cynical approach, but events.
Well said. There won't be enough airtime to give to cultural issues in the very fast election call. But the libs (assuming Carney) will need to pounce on sovereignty issues sooner than later. PP was in the North today and talked coherently about northern defense in concrete terms. Stop the ads about PP's pension. Start the ads about buying fighters (and subs) from France. Learning about drones from Ukraine and building drone manufacturing capability here and in Denmark and Panama. Tariff protection is a distraction. Sovereignty is and must be made a laser focus.
Two months ago Poilievre was making fun of the Liberals when they said they would increase efforts in the North.
I would counter Poilievre’s new found love for the North by saying that I am more concerned about the threat from the South and pivot to economic issues.
I think Pollievre's statement on TVO That "the government should mind its own business and leave people alone to make their own personal decisions" sums it up nicely. Of course that would mean no anti trans legislation, no anti woke agenda, so PP didn't actually mean that, but Carney can. Flesh that one out and you have a policy that works.
As if people aren't being left alone to make their own personal decisions ALREADY.
At the the heart of this reasonable sounding "parent's choice" (where the parents are usually the bloody problem, particularly religious ones who still don't accept homosexuality as anything other than a "lifestyle" FFS) is the usual ignorant right wing lack of regard for the professional integrity and expertise (and genuine caring) of both teachers and doctors in this challenging context, not to mention the kids them SELVES, who aren't like, FIVE.
https://substack.com/@dougaldlamont/note/p-157158281?r=1ii73h&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action