The Culture Clash on the John Oakley Show this week raised the spectre Charles McVety has long been warning of: a sexual predator identifying as a trans woman using protocols in place to support trans people to access the women’s change room of a public swimming pool and make inappropriate advances on a woman undressing after her swim. Ken Gallinger responded to her letter to the Star. I thought his response was measured and insightful, but that didn’t stop Charles from going ballistic. And, some trans activists believed it was out of bounds, too. Here’s our conversation. Below, you’ll see an email I received from a (not)fan and my response. Enjoy! The email: nothing you have ever said has inspired me – i find you repulsive and have stopped listening to you on oakley show – and as charles has said to you….stay away from my children, you and your sick tgs…if you want to help them het them psycho help, they sure as hell need it – you make me sick, but no more. My reply: I regret that your position is so entrenched that you are not open to hearing what I actually say on the Oakley Show. On today’s show, for instance, I was taking a stronger position than was Charles because I was saying that predators come in all shapes, sizes, sexualities and gender identities and that we need to protect the vulnerable in our society from all of them. Pretending that only one sexual identity – transgender women – ever perpetrates sexual assault is naive and allows far too much to continue. There are far more assaults on males by males in washrooms and locker rooms than will ever be perpetrated by transgender women on anyone. The problem is heterosexual men targeting women and having access by falsely identifying as trans women. It’s not the trans women we need to be afraid of here. Taking the problem apart to understand it needs to happen before you try to fix it, something that those who want to discriminate against any one not like them rarely take the time to do especially if a situation arises that they can exploit.
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One Response
Greta, I am an accepting straight male with no bone in this fight. I listened to your exchange with Charles and at the end of it felt 3 things:
You admitted some predators might take advantage of the law regarding gender identification, but that predators have been preying upon boys in change rooms since the beginning of time. That is a horrible counter argument to make to solidify your stance. I agree that it is exceedingly unlikely a transgender woman would take use this new law for predatory purposes, but that still misses the point that it opens the door for unsavory males to use the loophole.
I strongly believe in individual rights, but in this case my opinion is that in order to make this one person comfortable, everyone else in that change room is going to be very uncomfortable. My guess is that the transgender would be more than aware of everyone else and their discomfort, and therefore would likely feel uncomfortable themselves. Your point in accommodating transgenders or most other groups that don’t fit inside “traditional norms” is well taken, but at what point do we stop accommodating when it’s potentially to the detriment of the “greater good”?
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