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Contrapoints released her newest video yesterday. As someone who has found a number of her past videos to be well done and interesting (they're generally better the further back you go), this one was disappointing. Some random thoughts:
Contrapoints made a name for herself through actually engaging with the "alt-right" and by being willing to make real arguments in response to conservatives; now it seems like she's totally bought into some of the worst argumentation styles of the woke left. Most annoying to me is the frequency with which Natalie begs the question by referring to "trans rights" as if they're some unobjectionable, neutral thing that only "bigots" could oppose. Interestingly, the only time she actually concretely discusses a supposed "trans right" (males competing in women's sports), she agrees that there is a debate to be had here. Of course, no mention of kids transitioning, males in women's prisons, etc. Just "trans rights" in the abstract. The one thing Contrapoints is clear about is that not acknowledging that "trans women are women" is at the least "transphobic" (if not a violation of "trans rights" in some hard to define way), which is interesting. What does it mean to be "transphobic"? Could one not be "transphobic" and still refuse to acknowledge that "trans women are women"? Because I would like to say that I'm not "transphobic" on the basis that I don't think trans people should be denied rights that we accord to others, or that they should be forcibly prevented from dressing like women, or even (if over 18) allowed to surgically alter themselves to match their desired gender identity (perhaps with some reasonable safeguards).
I think she makes some good arguments about the fact that there are always limits to debate. She talks about how LGBTQ activists essentially "cancelled" an old anti-gay activist Anita Bryant, with the implication that most people nowadays would agree with that cancellation. Of course, I would simply say that there are meaningful differences between gay activism and trans activism (e.g., gay people were fighting against laws that criminalized consensual behavior between adults; trans people often are fighting to allow children to mutilate themselves). Nonetheless, I do take her point: Arguing against "cancellation" or "illiberal" tactics in the abstract is kind of pointless, because almost no one is a true free speech absolutist here. If, say, someone was going around and gathering a following by literally advocating for the murder of Jews, I think a lot of us would agree that public shaming (at the least) would be appropriate. That means that one must always have some object-level discussion about what people are being cancelled for before one can reasonably argue that any given cancellation is unacceptable. It's hardly a groundbreaking observation, but it's true nonetheless that there must be a line somewhere that would make "cancel culture" type tactics acceptable; we're all just debating where that line is.
Finally, I was surprised to see how much more aggressive Rowling has gotten in her anti-trans rhetoric. Not that I necessarily disagree with her, but it looks like I can no longer say that she's being unfairly smeared as an enemy of the trans movement.
Anyways, I would be curious on others thoughts here (assuming anyone is willing to watch a nearly two hour video by someone most would consider an ideological opponent.
I personally think it would be more helpful to break things down along two axes. The first axis is how one thinks society should deal with trans people, and the second would be one's "trans metaphysics" or how they answer the question of what trans people are, and whether there are any important differences between trans people and cis people.
Obviously, in some people those two would be connected questions. If one thinks that trangenderism is a fetish that children are being brainwashed into to mutilate and sterilize themselves, then one might have a different attitude towards trans acceptance than if one thinks that medical transition is the least bad option for a group of sick people who would commit suicide at an unacceptably high rate otherwise.
I think I'd reserve "transphobic" for people who are illiberal on the social axis, but I think many trans advocates take a wider view, and consider a trans metaphysics that doesn't allow for "transwomen are women" to be a true statement to be transphobic as well.
Here's a transcript of Veronica Ivy on Trevor Noah:
The two can no longer be separated, because TRAs are now using the metaphysics to push for more things on the political front. The silliness around women's sports and prisons imo only makes sense once the metaphysical belief of TWAW is set. So to ignore it helps no one but the people pushing that.
Theoretically we had them separated in the beginning, when TWAW was less likely to be believed literally (and people didn't demand that) and people just wanted to be kind to gender dysphoric people. But that position clearly didn't hold. It collapsed into TWAW and metaphysical transness (probably because otherwise we're essentially maintaining that this sexual minority is mentally ill and needs to be medically gatekept- which is dangerous territory politically) and then that metaphysical transness is assumed and used as we can see from Contrapoints' videos to demand more concessions or smear any obstacle as transphobic.
So I'm not sure why anyone would try to build on this unstable foundation again. Fool me one time..
I do think it's only a tiny minority of trans people claiming to be "biological men/women" of their identified gender. "Biological" as a modifier for sex and gender is one that fell by the wayside years ago - but I think words like "gametic" or "chromosomal" are much more specific while emphasizing the point being discussed.
Veronica Ivy might be viewed as an "honorary" woman, the same way adoptive parents are "honorary" parents despite their lack of biological connection to the children they're raising. But with current technology, "honorary" women lack many of the feature of cis women, such as the ability to produce large, immobile gametes or XX chromosomes. Maybe that technological barrier will be overcome some day, who knows?
Does it matter?
Like, we continually have to run around playing this exhausting game: when activists overreach and push for (and perhaps get) things that are liable to piss off a reasonable normie then we need constantly be reminded that Ordinary Transpeople don't think or act like this and deserve respect. But then activists also hold moral authority to speak for the community of normie trans (especially the Suicidal Trans Child), who you will be accused of attacking whenever you make any critique of their more absurd positions.
JKR never attacked Ordinary Transpeople. She made a specific point about policy. By your argument that should have worked out fine, yet JKR is a "'transphobe" and here we are.
And, of course, when they dogpile you people like Natalie Wynn who claim to be the reasonable types will be nowhere to be seen or they will be carrying water for the crazies and their tactics with the standard "it's not ideal but in this political context..."
We're dealing with what we're dealing with. Activists don't get to have their cake and eat it too.
If Veronica Ivy was just an honorary woman why didn't Trevor Noah correct her?
What would we do if someone with an honorary degree decided he was going to teach a full class of undergrads cause "it says right here I'm a doctor." Do you think Noah would find it as hard to laugh that one off?
The shadow cast by the metaphysical stuff is long, even if someone like Noah may not say "okay, it's true in the strongest sense".
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