How trans activism centres men at the expense of women. When it comes to addressing the more ingrained manifestations of gender in relation to sex β expectations of who owes what to whom, regardless of who is literally wearing the trousers β the average right-side-of-history gender identitarian gets a bit stuck.
Gender as a meaningless system of differentiation they can cope with; gender as a social hierarchy that imposes different moral codes on male and female people tends to be more of a struggle. He is the Subject; he is the Absolute. She is the Other. It is not simply that he is different to her, or that differences can be exaggerated in particular ways. He is more real. His feelings and perceptions shape what is understood as reality. Because patriarchy operates through a system of double standards, most of the accommodating women do for men is taken for granted.
This is a longstanding feminist observation. She will tend to be in trouble when she does not give enough, or to the right people, in the right way, or in the right spirit. And, if she errs on this score, or asks for something of the same support or attention on her own behalf, there is a risk of misogynist resentment, punishment, and indignation.
I think this is correct. It is, as Beauvoir suggested, integral to how patriarchy functions full stop. This expectation is in fact highly visible in legal cases where women have sought to preserve the integrity of female-only spaces. In asserting their own boundaries, and the right to describe the world as they perceive it, these women are violating the most fundamental gender norms.
Rather than applaud the woman who exposes this patriarchal double standard, the gender identitarian will accuse her of not having been kind or empathetic enough. Peggie was suspended after having complained about having to share a changing room with Dr Beth Upton, a biological male who claims to be a woman.
