Of course, it can validly be argued that women from birth (especially those in prisons) are often guilty of violence, including sexual, against other women. I knew one victim of this very well. The fact that trans women sometimes behave similarly should not be a surprise. However,
- It is unreasonable not to take into consideration the feelings of women in prisons, very often there due to the aftermath of the effects on their psyche of being victims of violence by men. Indeed, society as a whole needs to be satisfied that the authorities are acting rationally.
- It is not fanciful to fear that some sociopaths anticipating incarceration, might fake gender dysphoria as a means of achieving access to vulnerable women in prison. A failure to weed out such persons could lead to catastrophic incidents that result in a backlash against trans individuals in general.
I am tending towards the view that some trans women (especially among those who transition early without regret) differ little from those who were women from birth. I believe the differences are sometimes much greater. Although I have not examined the question as closely, I suspect the same is true with trans men.
How much are societal attitudes rationally based, and to what degree are they influenced by what has become normalised? It is shocking to reflect that, in England in 1850, consensual sodomy was a capital offence. (The last executions for sodomy in England were in 1835.) However, at the same time, a 60-year-old man could have consensual sex with a 13-year-old girl without this being considered a criminal offence at all! Perhaps, our own current thinking needs more analysis and less instinctive gut reaction. It is particularly important that we make the best possible decisions on how to help our children.
