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Culture War Roundup for the week of January 23, 2023

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Except believing trans women are men isn’t transphobic, it’s a definition question. An important definition question, but one nonetheless.

It is transphobic by any mainstream formulation of the trans movement. There is probably a formulation of transgenderism that doesn't require twaw and a dozen people probably can be found who believe in it but when you lose every single main stream proponent of a cause in your attempt to steel man a position and simply stating your formulation aloud would in fact get you canceled publicly by the movement I'm not really sure what you're accomplishing. There is also a formulation of transgenderism run by right wing conservative trans people, but it would be wrong to then conclude that fighting transphobia isn't primarily a cause of progressives.

That requires you to accept the formulation of the trans movement, which is dumb.

The term transphobia is just a moniker to separate the good and bad people from the perspective of the trans movement. It's just incoherent noise if you don't accept the formulation of the trans movement.

I'm pretty sure she is being called a transphobe precisely because of that belief of hers. Am I missing something?

But regardless of that:

'Believing black people are dumber than whites isn't racist. It's a question regarding psychological matter of fact.'

'Believing women shouldn't be allowed to vote isn't misogynistic. It's a question of democratic franchisement'

I don't think Rowling would accept that logic. I think she would call anyone who said that a racist misogynist.

It's not about what I, you or any people outside the Overton window think. It's about what Rowling thinks in every other context. This is her world. She broke the rules. And now she wants her case to be heard on grounds she would reject for anyone else.