Don't you just hate it when journalists explain to us what gender is?

It's Trans Day of Visibility.

So I'd like to say to all my trans friends (and I have a few) that it's great you're visible - this day and every day. You're fantastic people and I'm privileged to know you and, in some cases, having been able to share in your journey.

It's such a shame then that The Guardian, of all newspapers, chooses to use Trans Visibility Day to come up with something like this: Don't you just love it when a man explains to you what it means to be a woman? Not only does it fail to understand gender - it's far more than "a feeling" - it perpetuates all the lazy assertions and stereotypes, as if somehow Mumsnet contributors have some kind of supreme expertise on issues of gender and sex. Moreover, publishing this on today of all days is as responsible as running an article by David Irving on Holocaust Memorial Day.

There is inevitably some truth in Hadley Freeman's observation that "I surely speak for all of us ladies when I say I love nothing more than when a man explains to me, at some length, what a woman now is." Perhaps that might give her some insight into how trans and non-binary people feel when either men or women tell them what gender is, often going so far as effectively denying their existence. Just as she will argue that her gender identity isn't up for discussion, neither should that of either myself (as someone who identifies as non-binary) or transgender people (isn't it curious that Freeman's objections don't extend to trans men, who have been all but erased in this "debate"?).  Some of us, who much prefer scientifically-led expertise on gender over the feelings and opinions of journalists, don't care to be lectured to by ill-informed and defensive people - whatever their sex or gender.

Two decades ago we were challenging popular misconceptions of homosexuality - the toxic Section 28 "debate", naturally characterised by the "understandable fears" of the 1999 equivalent of Mumsnet. The safety line was wheeled out then as an excuse to preserve the status quo, just as it is now. Then, as now, such "safety concerns" had little or no basis in evidential fact. Then, as now, they were used as a smokescreen for intolerance. In 20 years a great deal has changed, and while homophobia remains a very real presence there can be little denying social attitudes have shifted considerably. The next challenge is that of gender.

It's great to see transgender people being far more visible - but with that comes the inevitable reaction from those who fear what they do not understand. As something actually worth reading in yesterday's Guardian made clear: "Trans visibility is greater than ever - but that's a double-edged sword." To say I admire the courage it takes for my trans friends simply to be who they are against this backdrop is an understatement. On this day - and all days - they deserve better than this kind of dismissal from a supposedly liberal and inclusive media outlet.

So, to my trans friends - keep on keeping on! Stay visible. Stay vocal. Be yourselves! You're fabulous!

And to everyone else - if you want to be informed about what changes to the Gender Recognition Act actually mean, I'd recommend reading this excellent twitter thread from LGBT+ Lib Dems. On Trans Visibility Day, it's infinitely more helpful addition to the discussion than Hadley Freeman's Guardian contribution.