Is Ireland planning to cancel women?

Do you want to remove the word "woman" from the maternity act?

I was on a most illuminating call last night. The conversation linked in nicely with a recent conversation I had with an academic from a major Irish university and also a former member of that community now ostracized. It also links in with an email I am going to print at the end of this article. The email was sent to ALL STAFF at an Irish university this week.

So, at a little after midnight, I happened to be scrolling through Twitter drinking coffee and chasing sleep away when I stumbled across a notification for a Twitter LIVE conversation in my feed. Odd time for a group chat I thought to myself.

I hopped on to take a listen. 50 people were already settled in before me. They gathered, I can only assume, due to the fall-out from a transgender debate on a segment of Joe Duffy’s Liveline. I must admit I’m kinda proud that I had to search Google for the name of the most popular radio program in Ireland. Getting off the grid continues apace. Anyway, I digress, it seems there was a flashpoint moment during this radio program. Someone, and I can only assume a transgender someone, thinks it would be a great idea to remove the word “woman” from the Irish maternity act.

Oh how absolutely adorable.

So, transgender women a cohort that produce exactly Zero babies in Ireland are attacking the people that produce all of the babies in Ireland. And their chosen battleground is the maternity ward. Interesting. Incidentally, I have never actually heard of a transgender male, i.e. a biological woman identifying as a man make this argument. But I am sure the community will rustle one up if they happen to read this. The other point to note is that the Dublin Pride have withdrawn their media partnership with RTE over the platforming of callers into Liveline that voiced the opinion that they quite like the idea of keeping the word “ woman” around for a little bit longer. I must confess I wasn’t aware our state broadcaster had partnerships like this.

Now, before we shuffle down the road any further I should state my opinion or maybe reveal my bias. Here’s what I think and you are free to agree, disagree or scream blue murder at me.

Firstly, there are individual people who are transgender or whatever flurry of other terms that exist to describe people that don’t identify satisfactorily with male or female. I think we can all find a little more compassion here, myself included. No real issue. I’m supportive of exploring what that means to each individual person and how Ireland as a society can help or be more inclusive.

But then there is the trans movement that claims to represent the needs of these individuals. Now, here we run into major problems. As I don’t really think it serves the needs of a 13 year old Irish kid trying to figure out their identity. This transgender movement, as it exists at the moment, I very much dislike. The movement, as far as I can ascertain, is advancing an ideology. And quite frankly the ideology often is bonkers. As is evidenced by what happened on Joe Duffy’s Liveline. Sometimes this movement speaks out-loud, and anytime I see its lips move, it seems to be advancing some kind of new crazy. And sometimes dangerous.

Biological males competing in biological female sports. Biological males incarcerated in female prisons, Or removing the word “woman” from legislation and official public communications. To re-iterate, if you’re a biological man that identifies as a woman fair enough. Let’s talk.

But if you’re a movement promoting that a biological man identifying as a woman can then also claim to be a lesbian I say stop. If you’re a movement that then cancels women attracted to other women because these females don’t want to entertain these types of relationship - I say hell stop.

Hell stop to biological males, or men with penises as I rather old-fashionedly like to call them, creating a world for themselves where its ok to coerce that penis into a woman that has a stated attraction to biological females. And, by the way, an Irish woman experienced the movement advocating for this exact example above and raised it on the call last night. So, I ain’t making it up folks. I’m not that smart unfortunately.

What in essence is the movement doing in this scenario?

To my mind they are abusing the L, the B, and the G’s of their own community with forced indoctrination. As far as I am concerned the global movement’s goals are not to get you or me to accept an individual’s preferred identity but rather for me and you to relinquish our identities. That won’t be happening anytime soon. At least for me.

So what is the ideology you might ask?

By way of explanation I am going to ask another question. Enquire of a member or representative of the transgender movement how many transgender people they believe will exist in say 25 years time?

I can guarantee you the answer will not be under the current 1%.

The population of 13-17 year olds in the US identifying as transgender has almost trebled according to the New York Times from a study carried out between 2017 - 2020. Indeed, I wonder what the number might look like now after 2 years of corona mayhem. I do know that I read the state of California has up to 8 times more kids identifying as transgender than the more rural states in the US now. So, it also seems that where you live and how much exposure your child gets to transgender information has some effect on outcomes. Or at the very least requires further investigation.

My pet peeve on this subject is the university and academic sector. As I firmly believe it is in the ever expanding social science departments of these educational centres of excellence that the ideology first gained momentum and then rolled-out across the western world, drip by drip, before finally breaking on our shores here in Ireland. Now ask your self another few questions.

What is the end-game?

Do you want to live in an Ireland of 2042 where 40% of the population are identifying as transgender?

What effect will all of this have on the family unit?

Finally, I received an email from an academic in an Irish university about their upcoming Pride Events. I am going to publish it with out naming the university, the person who provided it to me or the names of the equality people that distributed to staff around that college. The purpose of publishing it is not make people feel “unsafe” but to let them know what is going on in plain sight. Much of what is offered as advice is recommendations about how staff should behave outside the university. In their private lives. It starts off harmless enough but soon rolls into murkier territory. Maybe, the majority of people reading this won’t have a problem with this e-mail. And if they don’t I have to accept that and get on with my day I guess.

But maybe It’s Time U Rejected the Foolology elements of the transgender movement. And started asking hard questions of the Foolology departments.

Dear colleagues,

I would like to remind you of the Pride XXXX taking place today from 12pm in the tent outside XXXXX with music and food.

We will also launch our Pride at XXXXX University lanyard at this event alongside an invitation for staff to pledge support to the LGBTQIA+ community. We have created this Pride at XXXXX University lanyard to enable our staff to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. Wearing this lanyard signifies that you, as a staff member have committed to taking action to learn more or to stand with our LGBTQ+ community on campus and in your life outside of XXXX University

You can pick up your Pride at XXXXX University lanyard from the Pride XXXX or XXXXX University reception desk going forward.

To accompany the lanyard, we are asking that staff members pledge, privately, to take action over the next week, month, and year to increase their awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and/or reduce stigma. They can write their pledge on the card provided to remind them.

Some actions that staff members could take include:

•            Start learning key LGBTQ+ terms and concepts.

•            Keep up‑to‑date on the latest LGBTQ+ issues and news.

•            Attend training on LGBTQ+ awareness or specifically gender identity and expression.

•            Find and read LGBTQ+ research and consider including it in future reading material for classes.

•            Bring others on board, and have conversations about LGBTQ+ issues with colleagues, friends and family.

•            Practice being an active bystander if you hear anti‑LGBTQ+ language or comments said by colleagues, friends or family.

•            Reach out to a local LGBTQ+ group.

•            Learn more about LGBTQ+ history.

•            Listen, and have conversations with LGBTQ+ family, friends and co‑workers.

•            Add your pronouns to your email signature.

•            Ask LGBTQ+ family, friends and co-workers how you can better support them.

•            Attend Pride events.

•            Visibly show your support through posters/badges or flags.

•            Practice kindness, compassion and inclusion toward LGBTQ+ people.

•            Any other actions that you can think of, big or small!

Happy Pride!

Kind regards,

XXXX XXXXX

XXXXXXX (They/Them or He/Him)