My message to the trans lobby: oh do get over yourselves!
Aschool teacher is suspended for ‘ misgendering’ a female pupil who identifies as a boy; nursery children are given lessons by a drag queen; the church of England advocates tiaras for boys at school.
It’s been a good week for the transgender lobby. or has it?
The truth is that Britain is just about the most tolerant place on earth. There are few corners of this isle where having luxuriant facial growth remains an impediment to wearing high heels and a dress. As for equal rights, we lead the way on issues such as gay marriage.
of course, there will always be the odd sour face. But it’s no longer the case that homophobia or transphobia or any other sexual phobia poses a serious cultural problem. surely it’s time for the LGBT community to relax a little — and enjoy some of their freedoms.
By and large they do. But there is a small minority of dissatisfied dissenters for whom a broadly benign atmosphere of tolerance will never be enough. Unless and until they have a written assurance that every man, woman, child or would-rather-not-say is fully on-board with their progressive non- discriminatory non-binary, this-that- or-the- other agenda, they simply cannot rest.
I don’t doubt their good intentions. But I do wish they could pause for a moment in their pitchforking and listen. Because if they did, they might realise that by pushing their agenda to the extreme, by being so shrill and uncompromising, they risk achieving the opposite of what they set out to. Namely, driving the liberal- minded majority of us around the bend.
THISalways happens when a just cause gets pushed too far by fanatical campaigners. It happened with feminism, whose most zealous harridans regarded all men as rapists. It happened with civil rights when the most extreme advocates cast all whites as racists. And now it is happening with transgender rights.
While I have no issue with men wanting to be women and vice versa (provided they are grown-ups), I really don’t want the subject shoved down my throat on a daily basis and nor, I suspect, do most people.
It’s not just counter-productive, it’s also rather boring, not to mention faintly absurd. Because every time I read about another alleged transgender transgression, some tiny slight that has been blown out of all proportion — the suspended teacher is a good case in point — I am reminded of poor Daffyd Thomas, aka the only Gay In The Village from little Britain.
Matt lucas, whose ‘committed homosexualist’ Daffyd saw homophobia hiding behind every lamppost, said recently that he and co- creator David Walliams would never have got away with such a character in these touchy times.
And it is hard to imagine Daffyd, with his collection of lamé mankinis and permanently offended expression, slipping past the LGBT police at the BBC nowadays.
Yet, if anything, he was ahead of his time. Because we seem to be surrounded by Daffyds now (and, no, I’m not conflating homosexuality with gender issues here — I’m talking about people taking offence where none is intended).
These are young men and women who think the whole world is against them, who cast themselves as victims at every possible opportunity — when, in reality, they are blanketed in tolerance and understanding.
Daffyds of the UK: I’m sorry to disappoint, but the truth is most of us don’t mind what you call yourselves or how you like to dress. We’re not nearly as blinkered or prejudiced — or for that matter naive — as you think. But we would like to ask one favour: do get over yourselves, dears, will you?