The definition of a woman

[Jamie123]

Yes I know Pope Francis is dead (and peace be upon him) but something else happened this past weekend which is causing much more of a splash:

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/19/europe/uk-supreme-court-biological-woman-intl/index.html

The Supreme Court has ruled that as far as the Equality Act 2010 goes, gender is defined by what a person was born as, not how they choose to identify. Right now Starmer-schmarmer is keeping a very low profile, but from here on he can't use the Equality Act to justify allowing trans-women into female-only spaces, or allowing trans-women to beat the socks off actual women in women's sports.

I'm seeing my "child" this coming Thursday and I'm taking her (them) back up to college Friday. I may be worrying unnecessarily (she knows I'm a disgraceful reactionary Neanderthal) but I'm a bit uneasy about what to say if she brings it up.

And to be honest, I think this may be a false dawn for "real gender" anyway. If I understand correctly, all the government needs to do is to get a new law passed to replace the 2010 act, making it explicit that "woman" includes trans-women, and the Law Lords' ruling becomes completely moot.

Edited Monday at 09:30 PM by Jamie123

[NeuroTypical]

In my attempt to follow the 2nd great commandment, I've now met and befriended 3 folks who struggle in various ways with just living as the sex they were born with.   There are a lot of struggles I don't mind having in this life, those are struggles I never want to experience.  Imagine trying to live in your own skin with the pervasive, sometimes overpowering pressure screaming at you that "you're wrong".    Gender dysphoria, the closely related body dysmorphia, and the host of various intersex conditions that exist on a hormonal, chromosomal, structural, or genetic level are real illnesses and defects that people struggle with in varying ways.  

That said, the SCOTUK (did I get that right?), and most of the stuff Trump is trying to do (because we elected him to fix this), is spot on.

Humans have two legs.  Some folks don't have two legs.  Humans are still correctly categorized as bipedal.  It doesn't matter if there's a thriving industry that has sprung up to add/remove legs to people who want such things.  

Edited Monday at 09:45 PM by NeuroTypical

[Jamie123]

11 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

SCOTUK (did I get that right?)

Correct - though it's more often abbreviated UKSC. It's what used to be called the "Lords of Appeal in Ordinary" (Law Lords), which was a subcommittee of the House of Lords devoted to legal matters. They are now quite separate from the Lords, though the judges still have the courtesy title "Lord" (or "Lady").

[Jamie123]

Yesterday I drove my daughter back to university, and (paranoid as usual) I was dreading being dragged into an argument on this subject. I was even rehearsing my "defence" ("Am I the Supreme Court? Am I? Yes or no? No. I'm not, am I? I'm just your Dad. So it's no use your complaining to me, is there?"). All nonsense. She didn't say a single word about it, though I'm wondering now if she's even heard the news. It wouldn't surprise me if she hasn't, since she's been living with my wife who is not very interested in following the news. (Though she did seem to know about Pope Francis.) Now she's (they're) back at university I'm sure her (their) LGBTQ+(?) friends will have plenty to say on the subject.

Actually it was quite a good day - though not without complications. When I arrived at my wife's apartment I found out I'd brought the wrong suitcases, so my wife went to Primark to buy another one which annoyed me momentarily ('coz I'm an old skinflint who doesn't like spending money). Then it turned out the Easter egg I got for my wife was white chocolate (which over the past two years of separation I'd forgotten she didn't like) so I went to Poundland to get her another. Of course, Easter eggs were all sold out, but I did find a whole stack of those new non-orange Terry's chocolate oranges on the top shelf. When I tried to get them down they toppled over and rained down on me like hailstones. About twenty of them hit me square in the face and broke my glasses. Luckily it was only the frames that were broken, not the lenses. When I went to the opticians, the only frames they had that fit the lenses looked like the ones David Tennant wore when he was Doctor Who...

...so I thought at least I'll look like David Tennant, which is kinda cool. But when my wife and daughter saw me they said I didn't look at all like David Tennant and I just looked dorky.

Well, there you go.

Anyway, we had driven for well over an hour before my daughter realized she had forgotten to pack her medicine. There was no way I was going to turn back at that stage (the sun was already well over the yard arm) so we had the whole rigmarole of trying to get an emergency prescription before the shops closed. Luckily we managed it, though it wasn't cheap.

Then when I was taking my wife home, I had another guilt-inducing experience where this guy behind me wasn't happy about how fast I was driving kept flashing me. I nearly always enter into an imaginary dialogue with these people.

Driver behind: [Flash flash flash]

Me: "Yeah whatever. Flash flash flash."

Driver behind: [Flash flash flash]

Me: "Yes I heard you first time."

Driver behind: [Flash flash flash]

Me: "Listen maty, if you don't like how fast I'm going you can quite easily overtake me. I'm not going any faster just to please you, so keep your flashy flash-flash to yourself."

My wife really hates it when I do that. I pointed out that I didn't do anything to retaliate, but it still triggers her. I ought to know better, but when you've got a flashy-flashy-flashman on your tail it's not easy to keep your mouth shut.

Finally got back to my house about midnight. But on the whole, it could have been a worse day.

[zil2]

Sounds most unpleasant to me.  Sorry you didn't have a better day.

19 minutes ago, Jamie123 said:

Then when I was taking my wife home, I had another guilt-inducing experience where this guy behind me wasn't happy about how fast I was driving kept flashing me

Assuming I'm not in the "fast lane", if someone does this to me, I put on my emergency flashers (where the "turn signal" on both sides blink at once) and let off the gas a bit. That usually works for tailgaters and folks who think I'm going too slow - no one wants to be behind someone whose car is about to break down.   (Don't tell @mirkwood, but anyone who thinks I'm going too slow is likely being reckless.)

[NeuroTypical]

Ok, that was a rivetingly enjoyable slice of life.   Where I live, the [flash flash flash] is usually from oncoming traffic, and it's always a warning that we're approaching either deer/antelope in the road, or a speed trap.   Colorado doesn't flash lights out of annoyance, we just move straight to road rage.  

As for my kids, we approached rainbow topics the same way we approached everything else, by trying to have an open complete discussion about everything.  We try to explain why people do the things they do, in a way that if our Savior was watching the conversation, He'd smile at the treatment we're giving some of His children.  We explain why we think and believe what we think and believe, and why.  Risks and dangers, blessings and advantages, difficulties and hardships, right and wrong.   Then they go about making up their minds and forming opinions and arguing and whatnot, in an open dialogue of shared trust and respect.  At least that is what we have tried to do.  We maybe accomplish the bare minimum half the time.  Wife is much better at it than I am, and 95% of the successes are hers.   I've had some good moments.

 

[mirkwood]

I have noticed on occasion the speed with which @zil2 mows the lawn...

[zil2]

39 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

I have noticed on occasion the speed with which @zil2 mows the lawn...

I hate yard work.  But I've found that it's a little better if, while going as fast as the riding mower will go, you make vrooming noises.