Personal comment by Anke Dembowski
We are the Fondsfrauen, and that doesn’t mean we are against men or any other genders. We simply want to support women on their career paths, and we want to do that without harming others. Intentionally harming others, in my opinion, is unfeminine!
What personally concerns me greatly, however, is the increasingly loud media coverage of trans, intersex, and non-binary people, as well as the sometimes strange laws surrounding this issue. We’ve already seen where this can lead in Spain .There, an astonishing increase in the percentage of women in the military and police has been observed... but only because men simply declared themselves as women. Women did not fight so hard for women's rights to achieve this kind of result!
In the USA, which has historically been progressive in promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI for "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion"), signs of fatigue are now emerging in corporate diversity programs. Perhaps this is because the topic has led to some strange excesses.
Disadvantage for Women in Sports
I’m genuinely for diversity, because I’m convinced that diverse teams produce better outcomes. I’m also not perceived by others as conservative or prudish. Kugelstoß-Wettbewerb in den USA But when I read that a 13-year-old trans girl is allowed to participate in a shot-put competition in the USA, and five 13-year-old girls were excluded from the competition as a result, it doesn’t feel right to me. Why is a person who is perceived as a boy allowed to compete, while the athletes, who have also trained hard and long for the competition, are not?
And then there’s the Olympics: where boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting quickly defeated their opponents and won Olympic medals (and significant prize money along the way). Amazing performance! Yeah, glitter on it! By now, it’s become known that Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting both have both X and Y chromosomes, but what do chromosomes matter when their passports say they are women? I read somewhere that the average punch force of men who have gone through puberty is 162 percent higher than that of women. Considering the power of their punches, I feel sorry for the women who had to fight these boxers. Did the Olympic women even stand a chance? Imane Khelif is now suing her critics, including US billionaire Elon Musk and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. The world is supposed to be tolerant of LGBTQIA+ people, but if someone dares to say that a person looks like a man, they get sued! How does that relate to "The Emperor's New Clothes"?
Visit to Women’s Changing Rooms
But the issue is also affecting us beyond the Olympics. In a fitness club in Mittelfranken called "Lady’s First," a person with a penis insisted on gaining access because they felt like a woman. The owner denied them membership. Apparently, it is now considered presumptuous for a woman in "Lady’s First" not to want to change, shower, or apply lotion in the presence of people with male genitalia. It’s likely that this person, who feels like a woman, complained to higher authorities, as some time later, the fitness club owner received a letter from the anti-discrimination commissioner, Ferda Ataman. In it, Ataman suggests that the studio owner pay "appropriate compensation of 1,000 euros for the violation of personal rights" to the trans woman. Sorry, but this sounds like a money-grabbing scheme to me. Who likes to be reminded of those warning letter associations that collected large sums by looking for minor "offenses"?
And when in a Berlin McDonalds a trans woman who works there is even offered a separate room to change in, but insists on using the women's changing room, I find that simply disrespectful. Perhaps among her colleagues are shy women or Muslim women who might face problems at home if such occurrences become known?
Of course, a trans woman can demand respect and recognition, and everyone should live their daily lives in the way they feel most comfortable. But respect should also be shown to cisgender women and men. If a trans woman is not satisfied with a private room offered to her and insists on using the women’s changing room, I find that—pardon me—overstepping. The trans woman is now suing for compensation and said in an interview with the queer magazine “Siegessäule”:"Compensation is good and important, but an apology is more important." After all, McDonald's is a financially strong employer—maybe that plays a role, too.
The New German Self-Determination Law
The new Self-Determination Law, passed by the German Bundestag on April 12, 2024, brings further peculiarities, and we women need to be very vigilant that we don't lose the women's rights and safe spaces we fought for over a long time. Under the new law, people can now change their gender entry in the civil registry and their first name. A simple declaration to the registry office is sufficient. Hormonal status? Doesn't matter! Gender-affirming medical procedures? Totally irrelevant! Any bearded muscle-bound man can now be officially recognized as a woman simply by making a declaration to the registry office. The change of the gender entry and the new first name are not forwarded to other authorities. How are the courts and police supposed to keep up? Apparently, it’s not important... but I have to provide my personal information every time I stay at a hotel!
The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth (BMFSFJ) proudly states on its website that the gender entry "is essentially dependent only on the gender identity of the person applying." Even teenagers from 14 years old can freely determine their gender (with parental consent), and for children under 14, the legal guardian can make the declaration. For children from 5 years old, the child must also be consulted.
Oh, and I almost forgot: To keep things interesting, you can change your gender entry once a year. Almost apologetically, the BMFSFJ explains on its website: "After a change of the gender entry and first name, there is a one-year waiting period for another change, according to the draft law. This is intended to protect against rash decisions and to prove the seriousness of the desire to change." Hello, is there a hidden camera somewhere?
Solutions Must Be Found
If there are no reasonable solutions in competitive sports, fitness clubs, and other areas of life, things will likely backfire. At the very least, tolerance towards LGBTQIA+ individuals will not be fostered if conflict, lawsuits, and compensation claims hang over everything like a sword of Damocles, and if women’s safe spaces are simply invaded.
In competitive sports, I believe that a third category—besides men and women—would be best. If anyone can quickly decide before an important competition in which group they want to compete, there’s no need for separate men’s and women’s events at all.
In fitness clubs, saunas, etc., it should be possible for reasonable people to find practical solutions. How about "special days," lockable single changing rooms, or unisex shared rooms? Surely solutions can be found on a case-by-case basis that are fair to everyone and that don't lead to lawsuits and compensation claims for personal rights violations!
And in the workplace, professional qualifications and suitability should be the only factors that matter, not gender, age, or origin.
What do you think? Best regards, Anke Dembowski
Anke Dembowski is a financial journalist and author of various investment fund-related and other financial books. She is also a co-founder of the "Fondsfrauen" network.