This is a brilliant piece of writing. Helen's description of the tension between individual rights and the requirements of society goes right to the heart of the matter, direct to the heart of all of us who are baffled by the current polarization of public discourse, who feel unable to describe ourselves as left or right, conservative or liberal, or to support any of the political parties. "The brute fact of being female – of belonging to the sex capable of getting pregnant, even if you as a particular woman don’t ever get pregnant, or indeed can’t personally get pregnant – is why women have been exploited and oppressed throughout recorded history." This sums it up in a nutshell. Once again, I give thanks for the intelligence and courage of the magnificent Helen Joyce.
As ever - great thinking and writing. Thank you. It’s a mystery (and great sorrow) to me that ‘left’ movements like the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, founded in the necessity of communitarianism and collective action, have been so easily conned by trans activism.
Not entirely on topic, but while here, I wanted to draw readers' attention to a petition on Change.org. It is protesting Hackney Council's introduction of separate male and female changing rooms at the West Reservoir to replace the communal changing area. It is sponsored by a man (at least in name) and includes some very odd statements. https://www.change.org/p/save-the-west-reservoir-communal-changing-areas?source_location=search
Fortunately, and unexpectedly, given its political orientation, the Council seem to be going ahead with separate facilities.
Really useful article, thanks Helen! And Bea, I'm in Wellington, NZ, and am going to talk to the City Council this afternoon about their sneaky passing of the Rainbow Action Plan, which is going to make all new and refurbished toilets and changing rooms 'all gender'. We're starting a petition to oppose this. I'm going to bring up the Hackney West Reservoir as an example of why they shouldn't go ahead. The petition to keep the communal rooms has been active for 8 months, and has only 1200 signatures. And this is Hackney!
Good luck with the City Council, Emily, from Plymouth (UK). I'd love to know what happens and more about the situation in NZ, and am sure others on here would, too. (Perhaps there's a more appropriate forum, but I'm not a regular social media user.) It is encouraging to see that the West Reservoir petition hasn't garnered that much support, even with the 'celebrity' (Rob Delaney - no, I didn't know who he was either) endorsement.
The public sphere, as I believe Habermas called it, is now dominated by social media. Unqualified celebrity opinions are massively 'liked' and podcasts which purport to engage in debate about contemporary issues deliver misinformation which goes unchallenged by the uninformed amateur host. At least the BBC (and other national broadcasters) used to attempt some kind of balance and interrogation of policy advocates by genuine journalists. The problem now is that they won't even give space to the subject of trans activism. Under these circumstances, banning social media access to under 16s sounds like a good idea, but national broadcasters must address the trans issue critically and stop normalising it through slipping in the obligatory trans individual/character to every programme.
I think your description of the conservative–liberal spectrum reflects the 18th‑century philosophical distinction. Modern usage of the terms is largely flipped
Conservatives emphasize individual responsibility, self‑reliance, and minimal state interference. They tend to view community norms as something that should emerge organically rather than be engineered by institutions through social‑engineering projects.
Modern liberals emphasize collective responsibility, social safety nets, and institutional efforts to correct inequality. They argue that communities have obligations to protect vulnerable groups and support norms around inclusion and equity.
I think it is modern-day liberalism that is being pushed beyond Enlightenment roots by a radical left movement based on Marxist collectivist ideology. The goal is to disrupt existing societal norms in ways that weaken the broader capitalist and democratic structure.
Not sure what labels to apply, but it seems that 'developed' societies have been persuaded to extend the concept of 'normal' because we shouldn't be 'unkind' (e.g. about obesity) or 'intolerant' (e.g. first-cousin marriage). That's irritatingly described as 'punching down'. However, we instinctively know what 'normal' is, in the same way as we can immediately tell the difference between male and female. We also know what harm is being done, hence we're in a perpetual state of denying reality, or speaking up and facing unwarranted opprobrium from minorities with disproportionately loud voices.
Always enjoy your analysis and advocacy. I think an even better way to encapsulate the liberal vs conservative worldview would be minoritarianism vs majoritarianism.
In the liberal minoritarian framework, as you lay out, the social norms and impositions by the majority are viewed as oppressive, and any kind of “minority” status confers instant victim status and therefore moral currency. This goes for especially any type of social deviancy. To judge anyone’s social deviancy is to oppress a minority, which is the greatest moral crime
I think this is why gender ideology is so frustratingly “sticky,” and unfortunately probably undefeatable under the current liberal paradigm. Transness is inherently socially deviant, and therefore will always be granted ultimate moral currency.
Helen always writes with such clarity, it’s impossible not to see the logic & truth. If only there were mainstream media outlets (looking at you BBC) that would have her on to talk, millions of benighted ignorant people, especially women, would understand why ‘trans’ is a women’s rights issue.
This is a brilliant piece of writing. Helen's description of the tension between individual rights and the requirements of society goes right to the heart of the matter, direct to the heart of all of us who are baffled by the current polarization of public discourse, who feel unable to describe ourselves as left or right, conservative or liberal, or to support any of the political parties. "The brute fact of being female – of belonging to the sex capable of getting pregnant, even if you as a particular woman don’t ever get pregnant, or indeed can’t personally get pregnant – is why women have been exploited and oppressed throughout recorded history." This sums it up in a nutshell. Once again, I give thanks for the intelligence and courage of the magnificent Helen Joyce.
Helen, I wish we could clone you and Sex Matters! So many countries around the world need you. First stop, Canada.
As ever - great thinking and writing. Thank you. It’s a mystery (and great sorrow) to me that ‘left’ movements like the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, founded in the necessity of communitarianism and collective action, have been so easily conned by trans activism.
Not entirely on topic, but while here, I wanted to draw readers' attention to a petition on Change.org. It is protesting Hackney Council's introduction of separate male and female changing rooms at the West Reservoir to replace the communal changing area. It is sponsored by a man (at least in name) and includes some very odd statements. https://www.change.org/p/save-the-west-reservoir-communal-changing-areas?source_location=search
Fortunately, and unexpectedly, given its political orientation, the Council seem to be going ahead with separate facilities.
Really useful article, thanks Helen! And Bea, I'm in Wellington, NZ, and am going to talk to the City Council this afternoon about their sneaky passing of the Rainbow Action Plan, which is going to make all new and refurbished toilets and changing rooms 'all gender'. We're starting a petition to oppose this. I'm going to bring up the Hackney West Reservoir as an example of why they shouldn't go ahead. The petition to keep the communal rooms has been active for 8 months, and has only 1200 signatures. And this is Hackney!
Good luck with the City Council, Emily, from Plymouth (UK). I'd love to know what happens and more about the situation in NZ, and am sure others on here would, too. (Perhaps there's a more appropriate forum, but I'm not a regular social media user.) It is encouraging to see that the West Reservoir petition hasn't garnered that much support, even with the 'celebrity' (Rob Delaney - no, I didn't know who he was either) endorsement.
He just thinks men and women chat much better when you takes your clothes off ....
The public sphere, as I believe Habermas called it, is now dominated by social media. Unqualified celebrity opinions are massively 'liked' and podcasts which purport to engage in debate about contemporary issues deliver misinformation which goes unchallenged by the uninformed amateur host. At least the BBC (and other national broadcasters) used to attempt some kind of balance and interrogation of policy advocates by genuine journalists. The problem now is that they won't even give space to the subject of trans activism. Under these circumstances, banning social media access to under 16s sounds like a good idea, but national broadcasters must address the trans issue critically and stop normalising it through slipping in the obligatory trans individual/character to every programme.
Thank you so, so much for this and all you do. I have restacked.
I think your description of the conservative–liberal spectrum reflects the 18th‑century philosophical distinction. Modern usage of the terms is largely flipped
Conservatives emphasize individual responsibility, self‑reliance, and minimal state interference. They tend to view community norms as something that should emerge organically rather than be engineered by institutions through social‑engineering projects.
Modern liberals emphasize collective responsibility, social safety nets, and institutional efforts to correct inequality. They argue that communities have obligations to protect vulnerable groups and support norms around inclusion and equity.
I think it is modern-day liberalism that is being pushed beyond Enlightenment roots by a radical left movement based on Marxist collectivist ideology. The goal is to disrupt existing societal norms in ways that weaken the broader capitalist and democratic structure.
Not sure what labels to apply, but it seems that 'developed' societies have been persuaded to extend the concept of 'normal' because we shouldn't be 'unkind' (e.g. about obesity) or 'intolerant' (e.g. first-cousin marriage). That's irritatingly described as 'punching down'. However, we instinctively know what 'normal' is, in the same way as we can immediately tell the difference between male and female. We also know what harm is being done, hence we're in a perpetual state of denying reality, or speaking up and facing unwarranted opprobrium from minorities with disproportionately loud voices.
There're many layers in it, aren't there?
The clarity here is superb, Helen. It is very hard to articulate the issues so clearly.
Always enjoy your analysis and advocacy. I think an even better way to encapsulate the liberal vs conservative worldview would be minoritarianism vs majoritarianism.
In the liberal minoritarian framework, as you lay out, the social norms and impositions by the majority are viewed as oppressive, and any kind of “minority” status confers instant victim status and therefore moral currency. This goes for especially any type of social deviancy. To judge anyone’s social deviancy is to oppress a minority, which is the greatest moral crime
I think this is why gender ideology is so frustratingly “sticky,” and unfortunately probably undefeatable under the current liberal paradigm. Transness is inherently socially deviant, and therefore will always be granted ultimate moral currency.
I found it really useful the way you laid it all out, Helen.
Good to meet you briefly at the lobby.
My wife and I miraculously got to speak to our MP's assistant - after waiting two hours !!!!
Have cross posted
https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/hey-streeting-leave-them-kids-alone
Dusty
Yes. Even so, I realize we have to deal with the present situation regardless. Hopefully we can get on track back to sanity.
Helen always writes with such clarity, it’s impossible not to see the logic & truth. If only there were mainstream media outlets (looking at you BBC) that would have her on to talk, millions of benighted ignorant people, especially women, would understand why ‘trans’ is a women’s rights issue.