Catholic journalist gets visit from police after ‘misgendering’ a trans person

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As a friend of mine (who was shocked to discover, after consulting one of those DNA services, that far from being half-Irish, she was only 49% Irish) often points out, there are far more people of Irish descent living in the UK than in Ireland and it’s about time people stopped shouting about it.

It’s entirely obvious (after years of external investment and recent referendums - whether approved of or not) that Ireland has moved on from post-colonial obsessions and is a much more grown-up place because of it.
 
I’d suggest that the antics of the DUP are, currently, doing more for unification than anybody in recent years.
 
They’re becoming more of an ageing clown-car act than serious politicians.
 
So he did have transition surgery and is now female. Thank you for clearing that up.

In that case, he would no longer be considered male by the outside world but is now female and should be acknowledged as such.

Sadly, what we as Catholics believe isn’t the issue (although it is for the Catholic journalist). The boy had transition surgery to change his gender and is now physically and legally, a female. To refer to her as her past gender is wrong but not, in my opinion, anything to be arrested for.

Many journalists would have simply stated as background for those unfamiliar with it that the person was born male but had transition surgery making him now female. I don’t know if that was done in this case.

If I were in the Catholic journalist’s shoes, I would simply state that even though I recognize that physically and legally the young person is now female, as a Catholic, I still consider the person the gender given at birth by God.
 
*26yr old adult and his over 40 something mother. Who advocates for gender conversion surgeries on children. Not a child.
 
Londoner said:
It’s just going to offend and upset people. Calling that person female is not indulging a fantasy. It’s recognising something that has become a reality.
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I think the issue might be a fundamental misunderstanding of what “reality” means. What you are in fact referring to is a legal fiction.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
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UK News Report: "Police to question Catholic mum-of-five Caroline Farrow for 'using wrong pronoun to describe transgender girl." Could be arrested if she doesn't come to police interview
I really do not understand why this woman is going out of her way to be offensive.
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I don’t either, and I don’t like it when someone goes around announcing they are Catholic and then goes out of their way to be offensive, especially towards a child. So they had a debate on TV, fine. Was there any reason to continue this on Twitter? No.
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Perhaps because it is important that the outrage mob not control social media because if they have their way, all opposing voices will be shut down.

Think of the Covington boys situation. Suppose the boys just kept quiet and no one rose to their defence. The outrage would have continued and those prone to be active in their outrage would have full license to persecute, vilify, slander, and act with impunity.

Is that the world you want to leave to your children? A world where the mob rules and certain opinions, no matter how nonsensical are the de facto “correct” ones without the possibility of being challenged?

This woman is speaking up for the truth as she knows it. Why should her voice be silenced merely because the outrage mob declares that it should?

Shouldn’t the opinions of that mob be challenged at every turn by strong voices with clarity of thought and well-reasoned argument? Why should any venues be closed to some but only open to others?

Why should the loudest, most active and most angry voices have their day, when what is good, true and right is in no way settled?

Calm, clear, open debate on all subjects ought to be promoted, and when some merely want to shut down opposing views, that propensity should be opposed by everyone willing for a fair and good result, rather than domination by “correct” thinking.
 
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It’s still the mother’s child and the Catholic mother is talking with the 26-year-old’s mother.

How exactly does she expect someone’s mother to react when she insults their kid?

When I was 26 my mother would have gone full Tiger Mom on anyone who hurt me.

I’m muting this thread now as I frankly find this woman’s behavior unnecessary, and considering it’s Lent, a bit ugly. If other Catholics wish to celebrate her, then that’s their choice. I would prefer to pray for everyone involved in the situation rather than call names.
 
(name removed by moderator) . . .
We might not agree with her but politeness means we might at least use her preferred reference in a conversation.
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Yes but somebody else might say . . .
We might not agree with her but politeness means we might at least use a reality reference in a conversation.
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But the problem here goes beyond who was or wasn’t “nice”.

The problem here is if as you say, this is a “tempest in a teapot” this shoild not be initiating POLICE action.

And it shouldn’t be initiating police involvement.
 
I wouldn’t characterize protecting trans people’s safety as trivial nonsense.
 
John24 said:
I wouldn’t characterize protecting trans people’s safety as trivial nonsense.
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Accidentally calling someone by the wrong pronoun is a threat to safety. That’s an absurd thing to say.

If you weren’t aware, violent crime has gone up in England and Wales. Tying up scare police resources is, in fact, a real threat to safety unlike ‘misgendering’, which the complainant did too. Sending officers from one end of the country to another is also a waste of police resources and time when they could be patrolling the streets in territory they’re actually responsible for.
 
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ATraveller said:
Accidentally calling someone by the wrong pronoun is a threat to safety. That’s an absurd thing to say.
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Which is why I didn’t say it. Purposefully calling someone the wrong pronoun stokes anti-trans sentiment which results in violence.
 
If calling a woman a man or calling a man a woman is illegal, aren’t trans people guilty of the same thing?
 
JimG said:
If calling a woman a man or calling a man a woman is illegal, aren’t trans people guilty of the same thing?
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Technically, it is calling a biological man, “a man,” that is illegal, in this case at least.

Go figure.
 
John24 said:
Purposefully calling someone the wrong pronoun stokes anti-trans sentiment which results in violence.
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Why would it necessarily “stoke” violence, or even be expected to?

If someone came to me and purposefully called me by a woman’s name, is it reasonable for me to be “stoked into” responding with violence?

Would there, likewise, be an expectation that misgendering a straight heterosexual carries with it the potential for violence? So we ought, to be consistent, begin to fine and jail people for misgendering non-trans individuals, as well?

Why not, if we are truly interested in justice for all?

Seems like this is setting a bizarre precedent.

Wouldn’t normal people shrug it off and go their way? What good does it do society to create a culture of perpetual affront and outrage at simple words and gestures?
 
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