You can colour me totally surprised that the good people of development twitter (at least most who've chatted with me) say they believe that male people can be woman, in some real sense. And that insisting we need a word for female people is old hat (and mean and not inclusive).
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Replying to @MForstater
I think a majority of development professionals consider themselves to be socially inclusive. Meaning they aren’t biologically essentialist, they can see the spectrum of gender and consider trans women to be women?
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Replying to @FloCarson
Hi Flo - yes I think you are right most people in development want be inclusive and don't believe that people should be forced to, or judged by, whether they conform w gender stereotypes about what men and women's roles or attributes should be (me too!)...
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Replying to @MForstater @FloCarson
But from there we get into a mess by confusing & conflating 'sex' & 'gender'. Sex =biology

. Gender can be two things - a feeling in yr head of being a man/woman, and the expression of gendered roles - wearing makeup & heels or a shirt and tie, acting kind vs acting tough1 reply 1 retweet 4 likes -
Replying to @MForstater @FloCarson
Under 'self ID' a transwoman is any male who identifies as a woman (a feeling in their head). I am a woman but I dont have a feeling in my head. I don't think a male person who "feels female" is literally same as a female person (though it is polite to treat ppl as they like)..
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Replying to @MForstater @FloCarson
In practice tho we can't see or test feelings in ppl's heads. So we judge how ppl express through clothes, hair, makeup, voice etc. So we end up saying 'a woman is someone who wears feminine clothing etc.. Rather than a woman is
and what she wears is no one elses business!!1 reply 1 retweet 0 likes
So we end up being "gender essentialist" (associating womanhood w having a 'ladylike brain' or conforming to gender stereotypes) instead of recognising women as a sex w particular needs (reproductive rights, privacy) & who have been oppressed as a sex thru prescribed gender roles
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Replying to @MForstater @FloCarson
There are ppl w gender dysphoria who have surgery, and others who just like to dress in gender nonconforming clothes. We should smash stereotypes & support diversity! But this doesn't have to mean believing that
are
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