I've gone back and look at what you've highlighted and I think i can address it as an issue of style of change. Change in this country is generally made in the courts, both the legal courts and the court of public opinion. Centrists aren't always content to say 'things are fine right now', centrists are inclined to say 'are things fair right now?'

The Keira Bell case did do a lot of harm for trans-healthcare, but that's precisely because trans-healthcare did a lot of harm to Keira Bell. There are very valid arguments on both sides, which is why the court case flip-flopped. Society owes a duty of care to everyone and sometimes that includes a duty of care to ensure what they say they want is indeed what they want. That isn't a transphobic position, it's a medically and psychologically sensible position and it needed unpicking in the law courts.

Liz Truss should only speak about cheese and trade deals. The EHRC is a balancing organisation, it has to weigh the rights of one set of people up against another. That may feel like oppression - but I disagree. The BBC article was an opinion piece by lesbians, it didn't call trans-people rapists (I went and read it) - it called out a sub-section of trans-women who wanted to have sex with lesbians as problematic.... but the wider issue highlighted was 'if you don't have sex with trans-women you're a TERF'.

And that's really the point here and where the 'progressive left' (not the left) consistently shoots itself in the foot. If any dissent to anything at all, including whether you want to have sex with someone, or whether you think we should slow down rolling out life-changing medical procedures becomes 'transphobia'... then the word ceases to have all meaning and you lose the battle in the court of public opinion. Likewise, there were plenty of ways to challenge that hospital on their procedure regarding pronouns. I was an advocate for looked after children, I know how to handle a complaints process. A letter, a request for a meeting with a member of the management board, any good-faith attempt to resolve the issue would've been better than penning an op-ed saying how awful it was. I can't imagine the midwives who helped that man deliver his baby have become allies. Why not? Style.

Left-leaning liberals like me (I'l put a link to my political leanings at the end of this story) aren't going to support any movement which attempts to wrest control from someone else. We're not going to endorse any group with authoritarian leanings. That includes both TERFs and Trans-activists, the most vocal adherents of both positions have lost sight of the point of the conversation. it has become a zero sum pissing contest and both need to cut it out.

And yes, on Roe v. Wade my position is consistent. It's a bad law. I think women should have the right to a free abortion and that's why I'm not happy Roe was based on such shaky foundations. BUT, and this is where we disagree. I'm arguing that replacing Roe with better law is the answer. The situation created is because Roe was rushed through, the SCOTUS picked a side in the fight and it wasn't done democratically. It led to a 50 years arms race for the Supreme Court, which liberals ultimately lost. There are better arguments to be made under the 1st Amendment. The reason why that needs to happen is precisely so society doesn't become ideologically divided. If you just tell people 'Fuck off, my opinion on what's morally right is correct' then you aren't in a democracy. You're in an authoritarian state. You might believe it to be morally correct, but that is subjective. When you have a democratic process (however flawed) you stick to it, because it underpins how that society operates.

I can see the difference between right and wrong and I do so from the centre ground... because that's where the best balance is to be found. You may find that to be a hindrance and that's fine, in that case it is a necessary hindrance... because the utopia you'd attempt to mandate is someone else's dystopia - and as long as you're BOTH in society, both positions have to be given equal weighting and consideration. Once that has happened, society generally slides left. So, by all means continue to advocate for your own team under the banner of 'progressive left' - but don't presume it's liberal. There's nothing liberal about it. You're welcome to tell me to shut up, you're welcome to consider me to have an inability to tell right from wrong - that doesn't mean I agree. You will see there are other trans-people writing on my stories who don't agree with your position at all, they consider your position and the PR disaster it creates to be inherently bad for trans-people. Those are the trans-people I'll throw my weight behind for the time being.

I promised you a link.... https://medium.com/lucid-nightmare/the-penguin-political-compass-is-complicated-and-controversial-dc04f4267b96

You debate in good faith and I like that. I hope that link will explain further why we disagree. Keep fighting the good fight. :o)