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What's a good response to someone saying "just change your gender"? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

15 comments fedilink hide all child comments

In my country it has been made easier to change the gender in your passport. I think it's a good step forward. But since this has officially been decided, multiple times people used the sentence above for any gender related issue, with derogatory attitude. For example when talking about quota of women at work or pay gaps. When I just look at them, because I'm missing a good response, they add something like "now it's easy, everyone can change it just as they like". I don't know how to concisely respond to this. There are multiple things wrong - as if discrimination would disappear by "changing" gender and the obvious dissent about it being a progressive step that everyone can decide for themselves now what the gender entry in their ID is. What would be a good short response in a situation like this?

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

How about innocently asking "how would that help?"

In the case of quota, they are necessary because of women not being promoted to higher positions as frequently as men. This has nothing to do with your gender in your ID card.

In the case of pay gap, most of it is explained by jobs most often held by women being payed worse. This doesn't get better by changing your gender.

With just asking "how would that help?", you put the other person in a position to explain their argument, and maybe they reflect a little.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

This.

One of the best ways to confront a bigot is by pretending to be completely naive of their intentions, and getting them to dig their own hole by repeatedly asking them to explain what they mean.