this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2025
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UK Supreme Court rules 'woman' means biological female (news.stv.tv)
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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I know it's a hot topic in both the real world, and online, but I suspect not a huge shock to those learned individuals. I doubt the Scottish Government will be appealing, I suspect Swinney keen to put it behind the SNP. A sad day for trans women. I'm sure they, and their allies, will campaign on to try to persuade the UK government to amend the various acts next.

Edit: locking this post to stop fly-bys. As a mod I don't want to see the discourse descend further than what has already been posted

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago

I have emailed my MP asking where he expects me to pee when in public, given his party's support of my urinary leash. Darkly funny for someone with a PhD, published papers, a job - the sort of person that Labour seem to want for their precious GDP and economy - to be needing to email their MP to find out where I am expected to piss.

The ruling is abhorrent and the carve outs which basically forbid trans people from any space like toilets or hospital wards is sickening to the extent I am now looking for jobs in Ireland. The interpretation isn't even one of forced detransition, it is entirely eliminationist for transgender people while also excluding feminine men and masculine women from shared spaces that are interpreted as single sex. It is the bigoted fantasy of what the worst elements of the evangelical right wanted in the US.

If this doesn't sit well with you, there is a protest this Saturday in George Square 2pm to 5pm: https://bsky.app/profile/whatthetrans.com/post/3lmyfzhiag22c

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 days ago (2 children)

What is the definition of "biological female" in this instance? Chromosomes? Being born with a uterus? Because I have some bad news for them if they think human (or any) biology is that neat and tidy.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I suspect no penis is what they will be going with, but it isn't very clear to me either

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago

Their ruling does the opposite of clearing up the matter. It just invites further questions. Which means further legal cases. That's on top of this ruling being plain cruel.

If lack of peen makes you a woman then there are plenty of conditions that can cause this. By accident or by birth.

It's an infuriating ruling on many levels.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Pretty straightforward.

See how a female sheep is a ewe and a male sheep is a ram. Have you ever struggled with that one?

So if a ewe is infertile...it's still a ewe. If it has any other factor's that add questions, it's still pretty clear what makes a ewe and what makes a ram.

Pretending like the 1000s of years of human history and the 100,000s of years of Homosapiens is all of a sudden thrown in to question due to semantics is not an argument.

We are all well aware of what a Biological Woman (a female human adult) is and. A Biological Man (a male Human Adult) is.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Who except a farmer is ever in a situation where getting the sex of a sheep right actually matters? I'm sure if you put a sheep on sex hormones and gave it some surgery you'd convince me to answer the other way, and I'm sure as fuck not chromosome testing the sheep to find out.

So is it based on genitalia? Is it chromosomes? Is it what your birth certificate says? How does any of this affect intersex people? How do you intend on actually checking without it being both ludicrously impractical and invasive? And if you say "I can always tell," no, you can't. You do not know when you can't tell. That's what not being able to tell is.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's not about "being able to tell" it's about reality.

Are you seriously telling me you don't understand what a female and a male is. I grew up in the 90s. We all knew then. It's pretty straightforward.

We used to have common sense. Now we have lost it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Right, so how do you personally tell? Is it just by guessing based on their appearance, voice, and name? Because if so, that's exactly what I'm talking about

[–] [email protected] -3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The joy is I don't have to guess. If you have to prove it through your biological sex then it's pretty straightforward. What are you. It's one of two options.

There is however a large majority who you can tell on the markers you have noted. However, what does the law state now?

We have biological Sex. So that's how you define it. Easy. How do you prove to your gas supplier where you live? You show proof of address.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Right, so you do just think you can tell. Glad we got there in the end

We have biological Sex

Biology does not care for simple categorisations. Remember Caster Semenya and all the shit the world flung at her?

You show proof of address.

So are we all carrying our birth certificates around just in case there's a particularly zealous dick inspector outside the bathrooms?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I wouldn't see any problems with having to prove your sex to join a gym or the likes. No. That's fine.

I also didn't say "I can tell" I said there are ways to tell with certain people. Your ignorance of humanity is wild.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The joy is I don't have to guess.

Yeah, you did say

I wouldn't see any problems with having to prove your sex to join a gym or the likes

Right, and for every other sex-segregated space that is regularly brought up in these discussions and which doesn't require registration beforehand? What about the bathrooms at a restaurant? I don't need a membership to go to the local swimming pool. If I get arrested I'm not likely to have my birth certificate on me.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Most pools these days are unisex, and piss where you like.

Still doesn't change that there are two sexes.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Still doesn't change that there are two sexes.

One day you might learn that there is, in fact, more biology than what you learned in primary school

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 days ago

Outliers to the norm don't change the norm. Sometimes I wonder how humanity got this far then I remember this madness is new.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

They're so fucking stupid. Well, at least there are some folk who understand that reality and state law aren't synonymous, but the issue will be the freedom just given to those who want to harm us.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

"biological". Dog poop is biological. Cold viruses are biological. The tree in my front yard is biological.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I'm assuming that hatchet faced harpy, Rowling, was immediately on Twitter?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

I couldn't care less tbh. Don't give her the attention she craves

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Where does one appeal a Supreme Court decision?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

The Thunderdome

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

I am not a lawyer. But the supreme court isn't the highest court in Scotland for criminal cases for instance, so it isn't acually supreme. I think this is however civil and hence nowhere in the UK after doing some more reading. However the European Court of Human Rights does in theory allow a route to overrule the supreme court yet afaiu too

And I can't see the SNP doing it as things stand

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

I hope from now on all transgender women in GB will be allowed to pee on the floors of any gouvernment buildings instead. Or on JKR directly.