Re: OT: Trans Day of Visibility 2025 AMA

On Sun, 30 Mar 2025 22:00:04 -0400, Kestrel Clayton
<richZIG.e.clayZIGton@gmail.com> wrote:

>
The last day of March is the Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to
improve awareness of transgender people, to draw attention to the
challenges and oppression we face, and help people understand us better.
The TDoV is more important than ever in 2025, as the Trump
Administration has put us squarely in its target sights.
>
One of the ways I can fight for my existence, and that of several of my
friends and loved ones, is by being visible as myself, answering
questions, and demystifying trans people.

Fair play to you for standing up and being counted!

I am involved in some religious activity at the moment that is
somewhat similar in terms of standing up. Catholics in recent years
have tended to keep their heads below the parapet largely in response
initially to the dreadful abuse scandals that happened but also, I
think, because religious belief has become distinctly unfashionable,
at least on this side of the Atlantic. In the activity I am involved
in, I argue that if we sincerely believe in our religious faith and
truly regard it as the greatest gift that we can give people than we
should not be shrinking from talking about and demonstrating that.

I'm not trying to equate the problems that religious believers have
with the problems that transgender people have, simply making the
point that problems with people's perceptions can only be dealt with
by facing up to them, not hiding from them, and I respect you for
doing that, especially in the context of today's hate-filled social
media.

>
I am a transgender woman. I am visible. Ask me anything.

I'm aware of two particular areas where problems seem to arise. One is
the area of participation in sport which other here have addressed.
Another one where I have been involved in a lengthy discussion
elsewhere is that of transgender women using female-only toilets and
changing facilities. I personally don't think there should be any
issue where facilities are cubicle-based but can see problems where
casual nudity is the norm and some (many?) women might not appreciate
the sight of male genitalia on display, whoever they belong to.

I think some of this goes back to the latent fear that women generally
have of men - a fear that men generally don't really grasp - and their
worry that they have no real way of knowing whether a transgender
woman is a genuine woman or some male seeking to satisfy his prurient
desires. This, of course, is not helped by cases like the one in
Scotland where a male rapist, claiming to be transgender, was sent to
a women's prison.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64729029


Any thoughts on how such problems can be dealt with?