I think the available news space is dominated by other issues -- like campus protests and all the Middle East issues -- at the moment. It will come back into focus at some point however.
I got an invitation today to Genspect's new substack. A couple of observations. One is that it would be very helpful if there could be a combined subscription option, as frankly I don't have the budget for all of these. Also Genspect will really benefit from discussion on their posts from Wider Lens listeners. There won't be much engagement as things stand, which is a shame.
I was also really shocked that Genspect seems to be promoting the misguided point of view that circumcision is akin to FGM and "bottom surgery". At least that is what it seems, as you have given a platform to only one point of view, that of a antireligious fellow Jew. I think it is very harmful for Genspect to take positions on issues outside of the gender debate, particularly those that are this sensitive, particularly at this time of rising antisemitism when some countries have essentially outlawed Judaism by banning circumcision.
It is already very lonely for religious Jews such as myself who are involved in this issue and want to take a moderate approach and encourage other Jews to look at this issue seriously. This is made even more difficult if Genspect gives the impression that it supports a point of view that amounts to destroying Judaism, as circumcision is essential to our religion.
I would have preferred to comment on Genspect's substack, but again, the paywall prevents that and if Genspect is supporting the anti-circumcision brigade then I am reluctant to give them my money in future anyway as my Judaism comes first.
Or it's not...I like what Billboard Chris says, "There are two sexes, zero genders, and infinite personalities." Simple, really. So, don't change the body to respond to not fitting into the world, but expand the world so that everybody belongs as they are.
Totally agree with your second sentence but we are kind of stuck with the word “gender” until all the forms in this country change to say “sex” which I doubt will ever happen. My daughter was filling something out for college and it asked for “gender” and then listed male and female and something else (like “prefer not to say.”) She got really hung up on this saying the question didn’t make sense because male and female are sexes not genders. And so she wanted to put the prefer not to say option, but we wanted her to clearly put female! While I sort of agree with her in principle, when I was growing up I was fully aware that gender was a synonym for sex. And it’s used that way still in so many places. But then gender became a synonym for “performance.” And then it became a word to describe a “feeling.” And so now it has so many meanings that it means everything and nothing all at once! And now many people are acting like it was never a synonym for sex, which it has been for as long as I can remember! And we could all just say we’re not going to use the word at all anymore (by saying there are zero genders) but then what do you do when you fill out a form and it asks for your gender?!? It’s all so exhausting!
Cross out the word gender and put sex!!! I know, not always possible, but I wish the word would go away now that it has been so coopted and leads to such harm.
I'm in France and a lot of things are going on at the moment on the front of medical transition for minors with pressure on both sides, the one who wants to make it illegal and those who wants it to be available on demand and for free. I thought the Cass Review would be very helpful in this debate. Unfortunately, it turns out that it's already being discredited and labelled anti-trans. It's depressing to see that no amount of sound argument or review of the evidence makes a difference when talking with defenders of this ideology, doctors included.
Even the average uninformed leftist tend to support transitions for minors because of the blatant propaganda in leftist media. And here, there isn't a lot of health professionnals who publically makes a stand against it. All that makes it even harder for ordinary people to push back against it. What is our knowledge worth when journalists and activists relay exclusively the words of trans-affimartive doctors and studies ? When the studies, reviews and testimonies that we can use are immediatly vilified as biased and anti-trans ? I was hoping that the progress made in other countries would have an impact in France but it doesn't seem to be the case at the moment.
It seems like gender world has become a lot quieter since the Cass Review. Or am I imagining that?
I think the available news space is dominated by other issues -- like campus protests and all the Middle East issues -- at the moment. It will come back into focus at some point however.
I got an invitation today to Genspect's new substack. A couple of observations. One is that it would be very helpful if there could be a combined subscription option, as frankly I don't have the budget for all of these. Also Genspect will really benefit from discussion on their posts from Wider Lens listeners. There won't be much engagement as things stand, which is a shame.
I was also really shocked that Genspect seems to be promoting the misguided point of view that circumcision is akin to FGM and "bottom surgery". At least that is what it seems, as you have given a platform to only one point of view, that of a antireligious fellow Jew. I think it is very harmful for Genspect to take positions on issues outside of the gender debate, particularly those that are this sensitive, particularly at this time of rising antisemitism when some countries have essentially outlawed Judaism by banning circumcision.
It is already very lonely for religious Jews such as myself who are involved in this issue and want to take a moderate approach and encourage other Jews to look at this issue seriously. This is made even more difficult if Genspect gives the impression that it supports a point of view that amounts to destroying Judaism, as circumcision is essential to our religion.
I would have preferred to comment on Genspect's substack, but again, the paywall prevents that and if Genspect is supporting the anti-circumcision brigade then I am reluctant to give them my money in future anyway as my Judaism comes first.
Or it's not...I like what Billboard Chris says, "There are two sexes, zero genders, and infinite personalities." Simple, really. So, don't change the body to respond to not fitting into the world, but expand the world so that everybody belongs as they are.
Totally agree with your second sentence but we are kind of stuck with the word “gender” until all the forms in this country change to say “sex” which I doubt will ever happen. My daughter was filling something out for college and it asked for “gender” and then listed male and female and something else (like “prefer not to say.”) She got really hung up on this saying the question didn’t make sense because male and female are sexes not genders. And so she wanted to put the prefer not to say option, but we wanted her to clearly put female! While I sort of agree with her in principle, when I was growing up I was fully aware that gender was a synonym for sex. And it’s used that way still in so many places. But then gender became a synonym for “performance.” And then it became a word to describe a “feeling.” And so now it has so many meanings that it means everything and nothing all at once! And now many people are acting like it was never a synonym for sex, which it has been for as long as I can remember! And we could all just say we’re not going to use the word at all anymore (by saying there are zero genders) but then what do you do when you fill out a form and it asks for your gender?!? It’s all so exhausting!
Cross out the word gender and put sex!!! I know, not always possible, but I wish the word would go away now that it has been so coopted and leads to such harm.
I'm in France and a lot of things are going on at the moment on the front of medical transition for minors with pressure on both sides, the one who wants to make it illegal and those who wants it to be available on demand and for free. I thought the Cass Review would be very helpful in this debate. Unfortunately, it turns out that it's already being discredited and labelled anti-trans. It's depressing to see that no amount of sound argument or review of the evidence makes a difference when talking with defenders of this ideology, doctors included.
Even the average uninformed leftist tend to support transitions for minors because of the blatant propaganda in leftist media. And here, there isn't a lot of health professionnals who publically makes a stand against it. All that makes it even harder for ordinary people to push back against it. What is our knowledge worth when journalists and activists relay exclusively the words of trans-affimartive doctors and studies ? When the studies, reviews and testimonies that we can use are immediatly vilified as biased and anti-trans ? I was hoping that the progress made in other countries would have an impact in France but it doesn't seem to be the case at the moment.