Once you swallow the mantra
Alex Massie in the Times on Sturgeon and TWAW:
The first minister’s shock at discovering that her own government’s prison policy allowed male rapists to be incarcerated in a woman’s prison is transparently convenient, self-serving and bogus. Once you swallow the mantra “trans women are women” no different to any others, there is nowhere to go. Self-ID is an all or nothing proposition but if not everyone claiming to be a woman should be treated as one, the policy collapses in a heap of its own contradictions. This is the point we have now reached even if the first minister does not appear to realise it.
Exactly. He’s talking about that exasperated “Well yes.” Those two little words knocked the support beams out from under the whole ludicrous fantasy.
As recently as 100 hours ago the Scottish government argued it was ridiculous to suppose people might take advantage of the opportunities afforded by its gender reforms. Bad people need no fresh licence, we were told. Now we see — and the government appears to agree — that they had ample licence anyway but the Scottish government thinks the answer to this is to expand that licence tenfold.
While admitting “Well yes.”
Whilst I’m still a little disappointed that she didn’t answer the question she was actually asked*, I have to admit that her response to the question she thought she was asked has been a spectacular own goal. Perhaps, had she not mis-heard, we would have got a whole bunch of meaningless waffle instead of the wonderfully pithy “Well YES.”
I expect that to be appearing as slogans on banners, signs, and T-shirts, in suffragist colours, very soon.
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*The journalist asked “So whit’s different for transwomen?” Nicola Sturgeon [apparently hearing “So it’s different for transwomen?”] answered “Well YES…” I also wonder what’s different for ‘transwomen’; I suspect that the only possible answer is “It’s that they’re men”, and no-one on the reality-denying side wants to say that – even though they’re all thinking it.
tigger surely that’s your interpretation rather than established fact. I don’t find it very plausible, myself.
I replayed that bit three times, listening hard – in fact he doesn’t say “it’s” or “whit’s” that we can hear – all that’s audible is “different for trans women” – which is probably why that’s how I transcribed it in the post about it. [There’s no “So” either.] [They’re talking over each other, so hearing each word with crystal clarity is impossible.]
Do trans-men who have committed crimes clamour to be housed in men’s prisons?
I listened, through a good pair of headphones, to every part of that video multiple times before writing each part of the transcript, paying particular attention to the parts where they are speaking at the same time. Yes, I’m utterly certain that I got it right.
But Sturgeon didn’t listen through a good pair of headphones to every part of that video multiple times before replying, plus “it’s different” makes more sense, but ok.