وصف حالة
These two cases concern content decisions made by Meta, on Facebook and Instagram, which the Oversight Board intends to address together.
In the first case, a Facebook user in the United States posted a video of a woman confronting a transgender woman for using the women’s bathroom. The post refers to the person being confronted as a man and asks why it is permitted for them to use a women’s bathroom.
In the second case, an Instagram account posted a video of a transgender girl winning a female sports competition in the United States, with some spectators vocally disapproving of the result. The post refers to the athlete as a boy, questioning whether they are female.
Both posts were shared in 2024 and received thousands of views and reactions. They were reported for Hate Speech and Bullying and Harassment multiple times, but Meta left both posts up on Facebook and Instagram, respectively. After appealing to Meta against the company’s decisions, two of the users who reported the content then appealed to the Oversight Board.
Following the Board’s selection of these cases, Meta considered both posts under its Hate Speech and Bullying and Harassment policies and concluded that neither violated its Community Standards. Both posts remained up. Meta’s Hate Speech Community Standard prohibits direct attacks targeting a person or group of people on the basis of protected characteristics, including sex, gender identity and sexual orientation, with “exclusion or segregation in the form of calls for action, statements of intent, aspirational or conditional statements, or statements advocating or supporting [exclusion].” The Hate Speech policy does not include misgendering as a form of prohibited “attack.” Misgendering means referring to a person using a word, especially a pronoun or the way in which they are addressed, that does not reflect their gender identity. Meta informed the Board that neither post violated its Hate Speech policy, adding that even if the post in the first case could constitute a call for exclusion, it would still be kept up under the newsworthiness allowance, given “transgender people’s access to bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity is the subject of considerable political debate in the United States.”
Meta’s Bullying and Harassment Community Standard prohibits “cognizable attacks and calls for exclusion” targeted at a private minor, private adult (if reported by the targeted person) or an involuntary public figure who is a minor (including statements advocating or supporting exclusion of a person). The public-facing language of the Bullying and Harassment policy does not consider misgendering a person to be a cognizable attack or call for exclusion. Meta informed the Board that the content in the first case did not violate the Bullying and Harassment policy as there was “no explicit call for exclusion present in the post and because the post was not self-reported by the person depicted in the video.” The company stated that although the second post targeted a minor who Meta considers to be an involuntary public figure, it did not contain a “cognizable attack or call for exclusion” so did not violate this Community Standard. Meta explained that the company allows “more discussion and debate around public figures in part because – as here – these conversations are often part of social and political debates and the subject of news reporting.”
In their statement to the Board, the user who appealed the post in the first case explained that Meta allowed what in their view is a transphobic post to stay on its platform. The user who appealed the post in the second case said that the post attacks and harasses the athlete with language that in their view violates Meta’s Community Standards.
The Board selected these cases to assess whether Meta’s approach to moderating discussions around gender identity respects users’ freedom of expression and the rights of transgender and non-binary people. The cases fall within the Board’s Hate Speech Against Marginalized Groups and Gender strategic priorities.
The Board would appreciate public comments that address:
- The impacts of Meta’s Hate Speech and Bullying and Harassment policies on freedom of expression around gender identity issues, and the rights of transgender people, including minors.
- Technical challenges in enforcing bullying and harassment policies at scale, the effectiveness of self-reporting requirements and their impacts on people targeted by bullying or harassment, and comparisons to alternative enforcement approaches.
- The sociopolitical context in the United States concerning freedom of expression and the rights of transgender people, especially for access to single-sex spaces and participation in sporting events.
As part of its decisions, the Board can issue policy recommendations to Meta. While recommendations are not binding, Meta must respond to them within 60 days. As such, the Board welcomes public comments proposing recommendations that are relevant to these cases.
تعليقات
Ever notice that gender identity cannot be described without reference to sexist and misogynist stereotypes ? Nuf said !
Women’s Declaration International (WDI) is a global, nonpartisan group of volunteer women dedicated to protecting women’s sex-based rights. WDI USA is its U.S. chapter.
The Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights (the Declaration) was created to lobby nations to protect women and girls on the basis of sex rather than “gender” or “gender identity,” based on well-established principles of international law.
Article 1 of the Declaration reaffirms that the rights of women and girls are based on the category of sex. The inclusion of “gender identity” in a legal definition of sex necessarily replaces sex with “gender identity,” a claimed feeling based on sex-based stereotypes that harm women and girls. The conflict is unavoidable: Either sex is immutable and biologically based, or it is changeable and based entirely on a subjective feeling. If a man can be a woman, the sex category “woman” cannot be protected in law from historic and ongoing discrimination.
Article 4 reaffirms women’s rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression, including the right to hold and express opinions about “gender identity.” This is consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Article 7 of the Declaration reaffirms the rights of women and girls to the same opportunities as men and boys to participate actively in sports and physical education, consistent with Article 10 (g) of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and with the original intentions of Title IX Education Amendments of 1972.
As Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics at UCLA and consultant to the IOC medical commission has noted, “We separate men and women into categories because we want women to be able to win some competitions. There is a 10% to 12% difference between male and female athletic performance.” Significant differences in the average bone density, heart size, lung volume, hemoglobin levels, and musculoskeletal development of men and women, among other physical differences, result in men being able to generate higher speed and power during physical activity. Even after two years of testosterone suppression, males retain physical advantage over females, especially when it comes to speed and upper body strength.
Article 8 of the Declaration, reaffirming the need for the elimination of violence against women, asserts that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women as a sex are forced into a subordinate position compared with men as a sex,” and that single-sex provisions should include those that “promote the physical safety, privacy and dignity of women and girls.”
Allowing males, including school boys, into designated female-only spaces such as public restrooms, changing rooms, showers, spas, and so forth, has disastrous consequences for the safety, privacy, and dignity of women and girls, including voyeurism, exhibitionism, filming women while using facilities, sexual assault, and rape.
As to the rights of “transgender people,” nobody is “transgender.” The men and boys who call themselves “transgender” claim to be what they are not, and thereby demand access to women’s public bathrooms and women’s and girls’ sports; they are, however, men and boys, based on objectively verifiable and immutable reproductive biology. Men and boys have the protection of all of the laws and policies of the federal, state, and local governments – as men. Humans cannot change sex. Women and girls, along with all other citizens, should have the right to reject the lie that some men are women, without being censored. “Hate speech” policies that prevent people from referring to a man as a man are dangerously anti-democratic. Free speech must not be curtailed because a man’s feelings might be hurt by being called a man. If we cannot tolerate hurt feelings, we cannot tolerate democracy.
Thank you for solicitation of public comments that address:
“The impacts of Meta’s Hate Speech and Bullying and Harassment policies on freedom of expression around gender identity issues, and the rights of transgender people, including minors.
“Technical challenges in enforcing bullying and harassment policies at-scale, the effectiveness of self-reporting requirements and their impacts on people targeted by bullying or harassment, and comparisons to alternative enforcement approaches.
“The sociopolitical context in the United States concerning freedom of expression and the rights of transgender people, especially for access to single-sex spaces and participation in sporting events.”
My submission, as a signatory to the Women’s Declaration International (WDI) Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights, is as follows:
Free speech must not be curtailed because a man’s feelings might be hurt by being called a man. If we cannot tolerate hurt feelings, we cannot tolerate democracy. Below is detailed explanatory information in support of this point.
Women’s Declaration International (WDI) is a global, nonpartisan group of volunteer women dedicated to protecting women’s sex-based rights. WDI USA is its U.S. chapter.
The Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights (the Declaration) was created to lobby nations to protect women and girls on the basis of sex rather than “gender” or “gender identity,” based on well-established principles of international law.
Article 1 of the Declaration reaffirms that the rights of women and girls are based on the category of sex. The inclusion of “gender identity” in a legal definition of sex necessarily replaces sex with “gender identity,” a claimed feeling based on sex-based stereotypes that harm women and girls. The conflict is unavoidable: Either sex is immutable and biologically based, or it is changeable and based entirely on a subjective feeling. If a man can be a woman, the sex category “woman” cannot be protected in law from historic and ongoing discrimination.
Article 4 reaffirms women’s rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression, including the right to hold and express opinions about “gender identity.” This is consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Article 7 of the Declaration reaffirms the rights of women and girls to the same opportunities as men and boys to participate actively in sports and physical education, consistent with Article 10 (g) of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and with the original intentions of Title IX Education Amendments of 1972.
As Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics at UCLA and consultant to the IOC medical commission has noted, “We separate men and women into categories because we want women to be able to win some competitions. There is a 10% to 12% difference between male and female athletic performance.” Significant differences in the average bone density, heart size, lung volume, hemoglobin levels, and musculoskeletal development of men and women, among other physical differences, result in men being able to generate higher speed and power during physical activity. Even after two years of testosterone suppression, males retain physical advantage over females, especially when it comes to speed and upper body strength.
Article 8 of the Declaration, reaffirming the need for the elimination of violence against women, asserts that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women as a sex are forced into a subordinate position compared with men as a sex,” and that single-sex provisions should include those that “promote the physical safety, privacy and dignity of women and girls.”
Allowing males, including school boys, into designated female-only spaces such as public restrooms, changing rooms, showers, spas, and so forth, has disastrous consequences for the safety, privacy, and dignity of women and girls, including voyeurism, exhibitionism, filming women while using facilities, sexual assault, and rape.
As to the rights of “transgender people,” nobody is “transgender.” The men and boys who call themselves “transgender” claim to be what they are not, and thereby demand access to women’s public bathrooms and women’s and girls’ sports; they are, however, men and boys, based on objectively verifiable and immutable reproductive biology. Men and boys have the protection of all of the laws and policies of the federal, state, and local governments – as men. Humans cannot change sex. Women and girls, along with all other citizens, should have the right to reject the lie that some men are women, without being censored. “Hate speech” policies that prevent people from referring to a man as a man are dangerously anti-democratic.
Thank you for your consideration.
Susan Scheid
Understood. Here's the revised response with your preferences reflected:
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**Response to the Oversight Board on Meta’s Content Moderation and Gender Identity Discussions**
In considering Meta’s approach to moderating content related to gender identity, it is essential to recognize the importance of balancing several fundamental rights: freedom of expression, the rights and dignity of individuals, and the legitimate concerns about women’s safety and fairness in sports.
**1. Prioritizing Women’s Safety:**
The first case brings to light the serious concern of ensuring women’s safety and privacy in single-sex spaces, such as bathrooms. Many women, particularly those who have experienced violence or assault, may feel vulnerable or unsafe when asked to share these private spaces with biological males, regardless of their gender identification. Women's right to safety and dignity in these spaces should not be overlooked. Meta must recognize this concern as valid and essential when moderating content related to these debates, allowing for women to express these safety concerns without being labeled as engaging in hate speech.
**2. Ensuring Fairness in Sports Competitions:**
The second case raises questions about fairness in women’s sports, where biological differences between males and females create a competitive divide. Women’s sports were established to provide equal opportunities based on physical ability, and allowing biological males to compete in women’s categories can undermine these principles of fairness. Meta should allow room for legitimate discussions on these issues, provided that such conversations remain respectful and rooted in concerns for competitive fairness. Silencing these debates risks ignoring the reality that biological differences play a role in sports performance, which directly impacts female athletes’ opportunities and achievements.
**3. Balancing Rights and Addressing Harassment:**
While it is crucial to address safety and fairness concerns, this must be done in a manner that does not endorse harassment or personal attacks. Meta should be clear in distinguishing between legitimate discussions around biological realities and women’s rights, and direct, harmful attacks on individuals. It is important to ensure that content moderation policies protect individuals from abusive language and harassment, while allowing thoughtful debate on these critical issues.
**Recommendations:**
- Meta should refine its policies to ensure that discussions about women’s safety and fairness in sports are not mischaracterized as hate speech or harassment, provided they are conducted in a respectful and fact-based manner.
- Meta should create clearer guidelines to facilitate conversations about these sensitive topics, ensuring that all perspectives are allowed while also protecting individuals from targeted harassment.
- The platform should ensure robust monitoring for abusive content, while maintaining a space for open discussion on topics that concern women’s safety, dignity, and fairness in sports.
In conclusion, Meta must foster a space where difficult but important conversations about biological differences, women’s rights, and competitive fairness can occur, without compromising the dignity and safety of all individuals.
Dear Oversight Board
I write in support of Meta's current approach to moderation of discussions about gender identity.
The fundamental issue is that the perceived rights of transgender people, in particular those of transgender women, are often in direct conflict with the rights of women AFAB. Open discussion of the way transgender issues affect women AFAB may therefore be declared 'transphobic' by the transgender community and its supporters, despite the fact that this discussion is essential to our understanding.
Gender Identity is one of the critically important social issues of our time. It directly affects the rights of women AFAB, including our fundamental identity as a sex class. Women and men of all genders and sexes need a digital space, a platform where we can discuss this issue and its effects on our rights and our emotions openly and honestly. Facebook is an important venue for these discussions.
I want to be brief and I don't know what information will assist your consideration of the issue. Perhaps explaining how these two cases impact the rights of women AFAB?
As regards the first case: women AFAB are easily able to distinguish the vast majority of male bodies from female bodies on sight, regardless of clothing and makeup, in the same way that men easily know what a woman AFAB is -- our survival as a species relies on us being able to identify the sexes. It's important to remember that many women cannot be in the same enclosed space as a man, some for religious reasons, others because of trauma or simple fear of male violence: research has shown that more women are assaulted in unisex facilities. Statistics show that transgender women commit sex offences at the male rate (far higher than the female rate). We cannot distinguish a male predator wearing a dress from a harmless transgender woman wearing a dress. Allowing male bodies to enter what should be safe spaces for women excludes women from those spaces. Women's activities are restricted, our rights are affected. Women need to be able to discuss this. Discussing our ability to identify a male body and the impact of male bodies in what should be female spaces should not be automatically classed as Hate Speech, Bullying or Harassment.
As regards the second case: 'female sports' exists because history shows that males and females have fundamental differences in sporting ability. Current research has proven testosterone conveys irreversible physiological and anatomical sporting advantage to any male who reaches puberty (exposure to testosterone and the development of those advantages begins several years before puberty is said to occur). Allowing transgender women and girls to compete in female events puts the female competitors at significant disadvantage and/or physical injury. Transgender competitors deserve the chance to compete and win, but against their peers.
Regardless of whether or not they win the competition, transgender women and girls competing in female sports are taking places from women AFAB, and the knock-on effect is considerable. These women lose the chance to excel at something they love, which is a tragedy for those women and others who would see them as role models. Women and girls are losing prize money, sponsorship and college scholarships to transgender women and girls. Women should have the right to discuss this, to collate and share information demonstrating the impact on women's sports. To do so is not 'transphobic', it's not hatred of transgender people: it is women establishing the impact of this on our rights, for ourselves and for our future.
Targeting someone for telling the truth was and is the actual harassment. There is not much more to be said in this case.
Should the people who reported the two posts be punished for harassment? I think so, yes. However, I do not know if it is Facebook's job to do that.
Facebook is in the news, because it is so notoriously and openly not the free speech platform. That is why X is doing so much better, you get more truth there.
I'm not here to solve your financial woes for you, though. You will have to figure it out all on your own.
The only person misgendering here is trans misgendering himself. He's a biological male (with XY male sex chromosomes in every cell of his body) All this gender identity garbage is a load of rubbish. There is no way a biological male can actually know what if feelis like to be a biological female(except socially) because he is no a biological female. Your gender is your biological sex and whether you are a feminised male or a masculinized female does not change that. And before anyone tells me sex and gender are not the same thing then please explain to me why a person would take cross sex hormones, having sex reassignment surgeries and having masculinizing and feminising surgeries to look like the opposite sex if it has nothing to do with sex? It's absolutely delusional...as delusional as if I went around identifying as a cat and meowing..it still does not make me a cat. A delusional person who will self terminate if you don’t believe their delusions needs serious psychological help and no one should be blackmailed to deny their own reality just to affirm and appease them. We don't do it with any other mental disorders or delusions. Being easily offended is not a sign of maturity. You know whats really funny when you think about it? Race is actually something more on a spectrum than gender, but the way its treated in society you wouldn't think so. I'm always open to truth, but will always close down lies. We do not determine what we are. I could only identify as a mother after the reality of my children was real. I can't identify as a caterpillar because I am not one. Reality isn't subjective and matters not what I "feel". The very idea of womanhood being a feeling is insulting. It's better to be closed minded than let my brains fall out upon the ground. We've known that gender and sex are one and the same for a long time now. It's the very reason why the roles we're expected to play solely based on our biological sex are called "gender roles" to begin with When people say "gender is a social construct" or the like, they're confusing gender roles and norms with gender itself. People are just desperate to label themselves in order to fulfill an undeveloped personality or, in other words, create a group in which they belong because they don’t belong in a real society and just can’t cope with that fact.
PS: The people who think gender and sex are different are the same people who think men can get pregnant.
I'm not sure if a real human being will read this but if you're someone somewhere reading this. Please don't let this people brainwash World's (our) chidren.
Women’s Declaration International (WDI) is a global, nonpartisan group of volunteer women dedicated to protecting women’s sex-based rights. WDI USA is its U.S. chapter.
The Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights (the Declaration) was created to lobby nations to protect women and girls on the basis of sex rather than “gender” or “gender identity,” based on well-established principles of international law.
Article 1 of the Declaration reaffirms that the rights of women and girls are based on the category of sex. The inclusion of “gender identity” in a legal definition of sex necessarily replaces sex with “gender identity,” a claimed feeling based on sex-based stereotypes that harm women and girls. The conflict is unavoidable: Either sex is immutable and biologically based, or it is changeable and based entirely on a subjective feeling. If a man can be a woman, the sex category “woman” cannot be protected in law from historic and ongoing discrimination.
Article 4 reaffirms women’s rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression, including the right to hold and express opinions about “gender identity.” This is consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Article 7 of the Declaration reaffirms the rights of women and girls to the same opportunities as men and boys to participate actively in sports and physical education, consistent with Article 10 (g) of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and with the original intentions of Title IX Education Amendments of 1972.
As Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics at UCLA and consultant to the IOC medical commission has noted, “We separate men and women into categories because we want women to be able to win some competitions. There is a 10% to 12% difference between male and female athletic performance.” Significant differences in the average bone density, heart size, lung volume, hemoglobin levels, and musculoskeletal development of men and women, among other physical differences, result in men being able to generate higher speed and power during physical activity. Even after two years of testosterone suppression, males retain physical advantage over females, especially when it comes to speed and upper body strength.
Article 8 of the Declaration, reaffirming the need for the elimination of violence against women, asserts that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women as a sex are forced into a subordinate position compared with men as a sex,” and that single-sex provisions should include those that “promote the physical safety, privacy and dignity of women and girls.”
Allowing males, including school boys, into designated female-only spaces such as public restrooms, changing rooms, showers, spas, and so forth, has disastrous consequences for the safety, privacy, and dignity of women and girls, including voyeurism, exhibitionism, filming women while using facilities, sexual assault, and rape.
As to the rights of “transgender people,” nobody is “transgender.” The men and boys who call themselves “transgender” claim to be what they are not, and thereby demand access to women’s public bathrooms and women’s and girls’ sports; they are, however, men and boys, based on objectively verifiable and immutable reproductive biology. Men and boys have the protection of all of the laws and policies of the federal, state, and local governments – as men. Humans cannot change sex. Women and girls, along with all other citizens, should have the right to reject the lie that some men are women, without being censored. “Hate speech” policies that prevent people from referring to a man as a man are dangerously anti-democratic. Free speech must not be curtailed because a man’s feelings might be hurt by being called a man. If we cannot tolerate hurt feelings, we cannot tolerate democracy.
Thank you for your support!
Opinions and speech should not be censored. Women speaking about their rights should not be censored. How can we describe the problems that affect us without using clear language? Gender identity is not something universally agreed upon. As a woman I reject gender as regressive and constricting. There is no right way to look or behave as a woman, but to be a woman you must be female. We should be able to reject gender norms and critique the reinforcement of them, whilst acknowledging the difference between the sexes. Everyone should be free to live their life how they want, free from discrimination and harassment. This does not give you the right to identify as you please, or into another protected category. These are my beliefs, and I should be free to express them, providing I do not use offensive or degrading language. I do not consider the word male to describe males, however they identify, as offensive. Unless I can say Valentina Petrillo is male, I cannot critique the situation that female Paralympic athlete are losing places to a male. I urge the Board to consider the principles of free speech, freedom of expression, and the human right of women to resist oppression and discrimination.
Please do not silence women, who should be able to express their opinions on situations that affect them.
Men can never become women. It is not bullying or harassment to say this.
It is bullying, harassment and abuse for men to expect vulnerable women-those who have experienced sexual assault, are in prison to be forced to accept men who “feel” they are women to accept them.
Do not be complicit with men who want to use female only spaces- particularly when the women and young girls/children are undressing or changing clothes. This is harassment- when men are not wanted in these spaces.
Allow women the freedom to express their opinions on this subject, or set womens lives back hundreds of years.
When Meta allows its users to disrespect the preferred gender of others, you take away the right of that person to express themselves. The impacts of this are profound in society including the perception of Meta's support for deadnaming. People have a right to choose what they respond to, including name and gender of their choice.
The technical challenges in enforcing bullying lie in your misperception that technology can address human issues. Humans are vastly more complex than any technology in existence. There is no replacement for empathetic human arbitration.
The sociopolitical context is that it violates our constitutional rights to designate public spaces or programs as single-sex.
WDI USA's comment:
Women’s Declaration International (WDI) is a global, nonpartisan group of volunteer women dedicated to protecting women’s sex-based rights. WDI USA is its U.S. chapter.
The Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights (the Declaration) was created to lobby nations to protect women and girls on the basis of sex rather than “gender” or “gender identity,” based on well-established principles of international law.
Article 1 of the Declaration reaffirms that the rights of women and girls are based on the category of sex. The inclusion of “gender identity” in a legal definition of sex necessarily replaces sex with “gender identity,” a claimed feeling based on sex-based stereotypes that harm women and girls. The conflict is unavoidable: Either sex is immutable and biologically based, or it is changeable and based entirely on a subjective feeling. If a man can be a woman, the sex category “woman” cannot be protected in law from historic and ongoing discrimination.
Article 4 reaffirms women’s rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression, including the right to hold and express opinions about “gender identity.” This is consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Article 7 of the Declaration reaffirms the rights of women and girls to the same opportunities as men and boys to participate actively in sports and physical education, consistent with Article 10 (g) of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and with the original intentions of Title IX Education Amendments of 1972.
As Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics at UCLA and consultant to the IOC medical commission has noted, “We separate men and women into categories because we want women to be able to win some competitions. There is a 10% to 12% difference between male and female athletic performance.” Significant differences in the average bone density, heart size, lung volume, hemoglobin levels, and musculoskeletal development of men and women, among other physical differences, result in men being able to generate higher speed and power during physical activity. Even after two years of testosterone suppression, males retain physical advantage over females, especially when it comes to speed and upper body strength.
Article 8 of the Declaration, reaffirming the need for the elimination of violence against women, asserts that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women as a sex are forced into a subordinate position compared with men as a sex,” and that single-sex provisions should include those that “promote the physical safety, privacy and dignity of women and girls.”
Allowing males, including school boys, into designated female-only spaces such as public restrooms, changing rooms, showers, spas, and so forth, has disastrous consequences for the safety, privacy, and dignity of women and girls, including voyeurism, exhibitionism, filming women while using facilities, sexual assault, and rape.
As to the rights of “transgender people,” nobody is “transgender.” The men and boys who call themselves “transgender” claim to be what they are not, and thereby demand access to women’s public bathrooms and women’s and girls’ sports; they are, however, men and boys, based on objectively verifiable and immutable reproductive biology. Men and boys have the protection of all of the laws and policies of the federal, state, and local governments – as men. Humans cannot change sex. Women and girls, along with all other citizens, should have the right to reject the lie that some men are women, without being censored. “Hate speech” policies that prevent people from referring to a man as a man are dangerously anti-democratic. Free speech must not be curtailed because a man’s feelings might be hurt by being called a man. If we cannot tolerate hurt feelings, we cannot tolerate democracy.
Thank you for your support!
In solidarity,
The WDI USA Board
Elizabeth Chesak
Karla Mantilla
Lorraine Nowlin
Irene Lawrence
Lauren Levey
Katherine Kinney
It’s important that women are able to correctly identify males, no matter how they identify. This is important for our safety and dignity, besides which it is not accurate calling a male, no matter how they identify, a women. It will also be difficult for women to advocate for our own category if we’re not permitted to accurately assess which places males are being included.
Women’s Declaration International (WDI) is a global, nonpartisan group of volunteer women dedicated to protecting women’s sex-based rights. WDI USA is its U.S. chapter.
The Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights (the Declaration), which I support, was created to lobby nations to protect women and girls on the basis of sex rather than “gender” or “gender identity,” based on well-established principles of international law.
Article 1 of the Declaration reaffirms that the rights of women and girls are based on the category of sex. The inclusion of “gender identity” in a legal definition of sex necessarily replaces sex with “gender identity,” a claimed feeling based on sex-based stereotypes that harm women and girls. The conflict is unavoidable: Either sex is immutable and biologically based, or it is changeable and based entirely on a subjective feeling. If a man can be a woman, the sex category “woman” cannot be protected in law from historic and ongoing discrimination.
Article 4 reaffirms women’s rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression, including the right to hold and express opinions about “gender identity.” This is consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Article 7 of the Declaration reaffirms the rights of women and girls to the same opportunities as men and boys to participate actively in sports and physical education, consistent with Article 10 (g) of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and with the original intentions of Title IX Education Amendments of 1972.
As Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics at UCLA and consultant to the IOC medical commission has noted, “We separate men and women into categories because we want women to be able to win some competitions. There is a 10% to 12% difference between male and female athletic performance.” Significant differences in the average bone density, heart size, lung volume, hemoglobin levels, and musculoskeletal development of men and women, among other physical differences, result in men being able to generate higher speed and power during physical activity. Even after two years of testosterone suppression, males retain physical advantage over females, especially when it comes to speed and upper body strength.
Article 8 of the Declaration, reaffirming the need for the elimination of violence against women, asserts that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women as a sex are forced into a subordinate position compared with men as a sex,” and that single-sex provisions should include those that “promote the physical safety, privacy and dignity of women and girls.”
Allowing males, including school boys, into designated female-only spaces such as public restrooms, changing rooms, showers, spas, and so forth, has disastrous consequences for the safety, privacy, and dignity of women and girls, including voyeurism, exhibitionism, filming women while using facilities, sexual assault, and rape.
As to the rights of “transgender people,” nobody is “transgender.” The men and boys who call themselves “transgender” claim to be what they are not, and thereby demand access to women’s public bathrooms and women’s and girls’ sports; they are, however, men and boys, based on objectively verifiable and immutable reproductive biology. Men and boys have the protection of all of the laws and policies of the federal, state, and local governments – as men.
Humans cannot change sex. Women and girls, along with all other citizens, should have the right to reject the lie that some men are women, without being censored. “Hate speech” policies that prevent people from referring to a man as a man are dangerously anti-democratic.
Free speech must not be curtailed because a man’s feelings might be hurt by being called a man. If we cannot tolerate hurt feelings, we cannot tolerate democracy.
I agree with the analysis made by Women’s Declaration International (WDI) is a global, nonpartisan group of volunteer women dedicated to protecting women’s sex-based rights. WDI USA is its U.S. chapter.
The Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights (the Declaration) was created to lobby nations to protect women and girls on the basis of sex rather than “gender” or “gender identity,” based on well-established principles of international law.
Here are the Articles of this organization which illuminate why I stand for women and girls' rights to be safe, private and protected in vulnerable places like bathrooms and in sports competition.
Article 1 of the Declaration reaffirms that the rights of women and girls are based on the category of sex. The inclusion of “gender identity” in a legal definition of sex necessarily replaces sex with “gender identity,” a claimed feeling based on sex-based stereotypes that harm women and girls. The conflict is unavoidable: Either sex is immutable and biologically based, or it is changeable and based entirely on a subjective feeling. If a man can be a woman, the sex category “woman” cannot be protected in law from historic and ongoing discrimination.
Article 4 reaffirms women’s rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression, including the right to hold and express opinions about “gender identity.” This is consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Article 7 of the Declaration reaffirms the rights of women and girls to the same opportunities as men and boys to participate actively in sports and physical education, consistent with Article 10 (g) of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and with the original intentions of Title IX Education Amendments of 1972.
As Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics at UCLA and consultant to the IOC medical commission has noted, “We separate men and women into categories because we want women to be able to win some competitions. There is a 10% to 12% difference between male and female athletic performance.” Significant differences in the average bone density, heart size, lung volume, hemoglobin levels, and musculoskeletal development of men and women, among other physical differences, result in men being able to generate higher speed and power during physical activity. Even after two years of testosterone suppression, males retain physical advantage over females, especially when it comes to speed and upper body strength.
Article 8 of the Declaration, reaffirming the need for the elimination of violence against women, asserts that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women as a sex are forced into a subordinate position compared with men as a sex,” and that single-sex provisions should include those that “promote the physical safety, privacy and dignity of women and girls.”
Allowing males, including school boys, into designated female-only spaces such as public restrooms, changing rooms, showers, spas, and so forth, has disastrous consequences for the safety, privacy, and dignity of women and girls, including voyeurism, exhibitionism, filming women while using facilities, sexual assault, and rape.
As to the rights of “transgender people,” the word “transgender” is a misnomer. No one "trans"cends their biological sex. The men and boys who call themselves “transgender” do not "trans"cend their biological sex and are therefore are claiming to be what they are not. On the basis of a falsehood they demand access to women’s public bathrooms and women’s and girls’ sports; they are, however, men and boys, based on objectively verifiable and immutable reproductive biology. Men and boys have the protection of all of the laws and policies of the federal, state, and local governments – as men. Humans cannot change sex. Women and girls, along with all other citizens, should have the right to reject the lie that some men are women, without being censored. “Hate speech” policies that prevent people from referring to a man as a man are dangerously anti-democratic. Free speech must not be curtailed because a man’s feelings might be hurt by being called a man. If we cannot tolerate hurt feelings, we cannot tolerate democracy.
Included below also is a comment made via another source.
Specifically my comment here in addition to the other is to address requests made on this submission web page, the technological challenges and sociopolitical context.
The challenges are obvious based on the number of users. But with the enormous technological abilities, there are a wide variety of ways to mitigate any “speech” by providing some of the specific reporting already in use but enhanced with additional controls for hiding, commenting, and maybe even voting from BOTH sides AND THE MIDDLE with a form of the previous likes and dislikes. I am sure folks as smart as you can figure out something that best approximates the first amendment ideal.
As to sociopolitical, it is a little disingenuous to give any credence to a comment of simply “transphobic”, just an excuse to avoid or degrade any intelligent conversation. The GLBT and especially “transgender” ideologies are greatly in flux not only in the US but across the world. And especially with respect to minors and supposed “treatment” there is starting a reversal of previous ideological coercive methodologies that skip important milestones and determinations in favor of activist tendencies, but also in MANY cases, fear of reprisal.
In fact, even approval of same gender licensed relationships has slipped recently. Possibly due to, or along with, the reversal of the previous arguments that made the SCOTUS Obergefell “decision” even possible, the separating of children, the fruit of REAL sexual relationships, from marriage, which is the foundation of families. Today, there are same gender couples attempting to argue that they are “owed” children due to their new status and demanding societal approval, promotion, accompaniment, acquiescence, and even funding of the creation of that fruit for their inherently sterile relationships. Thus nullifying the original argument, the decision, and the licensing of their relationships. I am wondering if the “creation of the fruit” for them will even more commodify and demean children, women, mothers, plus the organizational staff needed to assist in these artificial endeavors.
Finally, as a general but primary rule, the first amendment IDEAL MUST be upheld, including both religious exercise and assembly, by public AND private entities, until such an amendment is adjusted.
Thank you for your consideration.
Other comment posted separately:
There are several aspects to the subject of communications in regard to sexually confused individuals. Of course, specific and direct bullying, especially that confirmed generally or by a truly diverse board/group which includes a population prorated number of conservatives, should be removed or have specific viewing approvals required.
Just about everything else should be permitted under freedom of speech rules specifically addressed by the first amendment of the constitution, and especially that of religious exercise.
The “lives endangered” excuses by the GLBT-biased activists have been repeatedly debunked especially those involving the “dead son/daughter” disingenuous assertion.
Above all the rights and protections of biological women need to be upheld and promoted, though yes, physical and (carefully) mental protections for confused individuals should be “considered”, but care taken to, again, not interfere with those of women.
Again, censorship is WRONG typically, and any speech considered “wrong” is balanced primarily by more speech, not by exclusion. Digital technologies off a multitude of ways of “controlling” what might be considered offensive speech making outright censorship unnecessary.
Please, carefully, consider how you proceed, deferring to the first amendment, which is first for a reason.
Thank you.
I am reaching out as a long time Meta user.
Plain and simple:
- Suppressing beliefs and speech is never right. Meta learned this with suppressing ‘misinformation’ about Covid at the hands of the Biden administration
- As a female, I whole heartedly disagree that trans individuals should be allowed in women’s spaces, especially with sports.
- If you suppress videos/posts relating to biological women expressing frustration and anger over a violation of these spaces, you are saying biological women don’t matter as much as trans men…we need to accept our place in society lower than men. Once again.
- I understand it is very hard to feel you are in the wrong body but women do not need to adjust to make the solution
Women’s Declaration International (WDI) is a global, nonpartisan group of volunteer women dedicated to protecting women’s sex-based rights. WDI USA is its U.S. chapter.
The Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights (the Declaration) was created to lobby nations to protect women and girls on the basis of sex rather than “gender” or “gender identity,” based on well-established principles of international law.
Article 1 of the Declaration reaffirms that the rights of women and girls are based on the category of sex. The inclusion of “gender identity” in a legal definition of sex necessarily replaces sex with “gender identity,” a claimed feeling based on sex-based stereotypes that harm women and girls. The conflict is unavoidable: Either sex is immutable and biologically based, or it is changeable and based entirely on a subjective feeling. If a man can be a woman, the sex category “woman” cannot be protected in law from historic and ongoing discrimination.
Article 4 reaffirms women’s rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression, including the right to hold and express opinions about “gender identity.” This is consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Article 7 of the Declaration reaffirms the rights of women and girls to the same opportunities as men and boys to participate actively in sports and physical education, consistent with Article 10 (g) of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and with the original intentions of Title IX Education Amendments of 1972.
As Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics at UCLA and consultant to the IOC medical commission has noted, “We separate men and women into categories because we want women to be able to win some competitions. There is a 10% to 12% difference between male and female athletic performance.” Significant differences in the average bone density, heart size, lung volume, hemoglobin levels, and musculoskeletal development of men and women, among other physical differences, result in men being able to generate higher speed and power during physical activity. Even after two years of testosterone suppression, males retain physical advantage over females, especially when it comes to speed and upper body strength.
Article 8 of the Declaration, reaffirming the need for the elimination of violence against women, asserts that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women as a sex are forced into a subordinate position compared with men as a sex,” and that single-sex provisions should include those that “promote the physical safety, privacy and dignity of women and girls.”
Allowing males, including school boys, into designated female-only spaces such as public restrooms, changing rooms, showers, spas, and so forth, has disastrous consequences for the safety, privacy, and dignity of women and girls, including voyeurism, exhibitionism, filming women while using facilities, sexual assault, and rape.
As to the rights of “transgender people,” nobody is “transgender.” The men and boys who call themselves “transgender” claim to be what they are not, and thereby demand access to women’s public bathrooms and women’s and girls’ sports; they are, however, men and boys, based on objectively verifiable and immutable reproductive biology. Men and boys have the protection of all of the laws and policies of the federal, state, and local governments – as men. Humans cannot change sex. Women and girls, along with all other citizens, should have the right to reject the lie that some men are women, without being censored. “Hate speech” policies that prevent people from referring to a man as a man are dangerously anti-democratic. Free speech must not be curtailed because a man’s feelings might be hurt by being called a man. If we cannot tolerate hurt feelings, we cannot tolerate democracy.