Manufactured Outrage and Scapegoating: The “Stillbirth Panic” The recent controversy around trans inclusion in stillbirth discussions is a textbook case of manufactured outrage. It began with a single, cautious statement from Rebecca Graham of SA Health, who reassured a parliamentary committee that when she used the word “women,” this was intended to include transgender and intersex women. The purpose was simple: to avoid exclusion in policy language and ensure compassionate care for anyone affected. From that one line, anti-trans commentators rolled the story downhill until it gathered moss. What began as a footnote about inclusive terminology was exaggerated into claims that trans women were “invading” pregnancy and miscarriage support groups. The result is a culture-war narrative: supposedly, “men who think they’re women” are trying to rewrite one of the most painful experiences a woman can endure. There is no evidence for this. Trans women cannot conceive, and they are not...
Transwomen and Lesbians 1. “Women rejecting men” as the underlying anxiety Against lesbians (especially mid-20th century) Lesbians were framed as: Women who “hate men” Women who are “afraid of proper heterosexuality” Women who refuse their “natural role” A lesbian wasn’t just someone attracted to women — she was a woman refusing male access . This was often treated as the real crime. Against trans men Trans men are framed as: Women “escaping womanhood” Women “opting out” of oppression Women “rejecting their sex” Again, the anxiety is not about identity but about female autonomy —specifically, women removing themselves from a category men are entitled to define, desire, or control. ➡️ In both cases, the outrage is less “what they are” and more “what they refuse to be.” 2. Erasure through reframing Lesbians Common claims: “They’re really straight women who haven’t met the right man” “They’re traumatised” “They’re just tomboys going thro...
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