A thread not focussed on performance athletes, or abstract notions of what might be happening to other people.
Instead a thread about how we can encourage and include people in whatever exercise they are interested in and removing barriers to participation.
We would love to see positivity, but that does not preclude discussing negative experiences or concerns. Just that we would like to see positive solutions to those things. If you have other concerns, we would suggest finding/making another thread.
We will post a bit more on here going forwards. But for now, just putting the thread up to be found in the future.
Good idea. I know this thread came about because of some negative posts on the original discussion on the Transgender Athletes thread, but I also saw many supportive and friendly comments there, along with genuine interest in working out some of the concerns too. I hope those supportive commenters represent the vast majority of contributors to our forum, and that this thread will flourish as a result. Finding a way forward is an unenviable task. But I'd like to think that if the starting point comes from common understanding and respect; and if the focus is on building on those foundations, then success lies ahead. I hope there are several people who will vouch for me when I say that I am always willing to work on making our site better for all - so if anyone wants to make any suggestions on how we can improve our representation of gender, the feedback inbox is always open.
Thank you coth. The previous thread went off the rails at various points and in the end I needed to walk away from it, but as well as the aggro there was a lot of support for transgender people on there and a desire to learn about the issues faced by transgender people. I can only second Rosa's comment
Also grateful for this thread - don't know how much I will be able to contribute but I'm pleased to see the previous one confined to history and look forward to learning.
A thread about how we can encourage and include people in whatever exercise they are interested in and removing barriers to participation.
Glossary -------------------- Amendments/Corrections/Requests just ask for a sidebar edit. This is NOT comprehensive, just some helpful shorthand. ---------------------
Gender Identity ≠ Gender Expression ≠ Anatomical Sex ≠ Sexual Orientation
Anatomical sex = The physical aspects that make you fit into a category based on genitals, chromosomes etc i.e. Intersex, Female, Male... Gender identity = The internal view of gender, the way you see yourself. Gender expression = The way you present to others externally through clothing, behaviours, language and other social signals.
Sexual orientation = Who you are attracted to.
None of the above are dependent on any of the others, individuals may relate one to another in their specific case, but assuming what one might be based on observation of another is not a sound basis for determination.
Transgender (Trans) = When your gender identity does not match your identity assigned at birth based on anatomical sex. Cisgender (Cis) = When your gender identity matches your identity assigned at birth based on anatomical sex. Non Binary (Enby) = When your gender identity doesn't fall into either of the female/male choice. It may exist somewhere on the spectrum between woman and man, either stable of fluctuating between woman-ness and man-ness. This may encapsulate those that may use terms such as genderfluid, agender, demigender et al.
Pronouns = she/her, him/his, them/they etc... How to refer best to someone else. Really simply, follow their lead. Ask if unsure, be polite. If corrected, it's not a problem unless you repeatedly ignore correction.
Transition = The process somebody goes through to alter their physical attributes to better match their gender identity and expression.
Dysphoria = The distress a person feels due to a mismatch between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth. Can fluctuate and be experienced at varying degrees. Dysmorphia = Discomfort with the shape/form of the body. Present in eating disorders and the like, but can often effect transgender people, with triggers such as body hair presence/absence, chest/genital presentation etc. Deadname - The name a person is assigned at birth, that they no longer use.
Triggers = Things that are known to cause an effect. Typically, X causes a person to experience dysphoria/dysmorphia. Sometimes these can be managed/avoided, other times they are inevitable.
Acronyms: amab = assigned male at birth (originally born anatomically male)
afab = assigned female at birth (originally born anatomically female)
ftm = female to male transitioner mtf = male to female transitioner egg = state of somebody before becoming aware they were transgender i.e. "their egg cracked when they realised and began to emerge" GIC/GIS = Gender Identity Clinic/Service, providing transition services GRS = Gender Reassignment Surgery
General notes: * Not everyone will be comfortable talking about their situation, depending on where they are. * Not everyone has the language to articulate how they feel, what they want to say. Be patient. * These things are NOT static, what you encounter in a person today may evolve into something else later. * Am I trans/cis/enby etc... Frankly, you tell us. Whatever YOU are comfortable with at the time is what we will adopt. It is YOUR identity. * This language is weird. Yup, and we (CreatureOfTheHill) as a plural system talk strange too, it's OK. We (CreatureOfTheHill) are not "normal", never have been. * Am I weird/abnormal? Possibly, but it has NOTHING to do with being here or being trans/enby or whatever. People just are in general, and that is OK, we love you for your quirkiness.
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Gender identity, please help change
Jun 2021
