New blog from Rosa Freedman and Rosemary Auchmuty

[SusanBunch]

theconversation.com/what-would-changes-to-the-gender-recognition-act-mean-two-legal-views-103204

See above link. Rosa and Rosemary present a GC view and Alex Sharpe presents a TWAW view. A lot of Alex’s argument seems to be that women are overreacting by not wanting to be around male bodies. Very much ‘nothing here to see’ tone.

theconversation.com/what-would-changes-to-the-gender-recognition-act-mean-two-legal-views-103204

In relation to men who might take advantage of trans law reform in order to abuse women, there is nothing to stop them doing so now, except of course a raft of criminal laws which are more than adequate to the task.

“More than adequate to the task.”

I don’t know what I’m allowed to say about Alex Sharpe. Probably saying what I think would get me banned. I’m unsure what gender Alex Sharpe believes Alex Sharpe to be, but Alex Sharpe’s lack of care or concern for women is staggering, and Alex Sharpe is manifestly unqualified to comment on any issue regarding women’s safety. The whole screed is invalidated by that one line.

No, Alex Sharpe, the laws protecting women from male violence are not adequate to the task. If you were capable of experiencing guilt, you should experience it upon realising what dangerous, evil, callous lies you just wrote. But I suspect you are not.

Oh I agree, HomeStar. The words of someone fortunate enough not to be socialised as a woman and be subjected to harassment, assault and violence, only to sadly realise that it’s a part of female life and that nobody much gives a shit about it (especially not people like Alex and Alex’s mates).

From Sharpe's other writings it appears that they are not without personal agenda, and like Harrop, may be finding this debate a very useful outlet for their personal issues.

This all reminds me of my teen years, when I tried to tell the boys at school about men leaning out of their cars to scream abuse at me and they all stared at me like I'd grown a second head and told me it couldn't have happened like that. (It was a compliment, or I'd exaggerated it, or I'd made it up. Pick one.)

Same shit, different generation.

Pineapple yup, sounds familiar. Either disbelief (who would fancy YOU?) or dismissal (get a grip-it was a joke). Saw it all again with Christine Blasey Ford. It hammered it all home. Nobody genuinely cares about women getting harassed, abused and assaulted.

Really saddened that those that I thought were pro-women are immediately siding with Sharpe. One of the saddest was the statement that ‘oh we used ‘pregnant person’ instead of ‘woman’ because of the word count’. Really? There’s not enough words to include us now?

We had another thread about Alex recently. Alex thinks that people don't always have the right to know what sex their sex partner is if it invades the privacy of trans people.

Linking your earlier thread Susan

Blog Post by Prof Alex Sharpe
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3362685-Blog-Post-by-Prof-Alex-Sharpe

Thanks, Ereshkigal. Ah yes, the delusional beliefs of feminists that sexual autonomy should not have limits, eh?

I despise how Alex Sharpe conflates dangerous men with lesbians and suggests that we are equally at risk from males and females. Nope. Even if a female inmate had been convicted of having sex with a female pupil at school, that person would be highly unlikely to be a physical threat to me. The case Sharpe cited as evidence of female sex offenders had significant mitigating circumstances, which were addressed by the judge at sentencing.

I don’t know if I dislike Sharpe’s dismissal of women’s concern as much as I dislike the ‘feminist’ academics jumping on the bandwagon, saying GC feminists should grow up and stop worrying about what’s in someone’s pants.

With the vast majority of the men who have sexually harassed and assaulted me, i never saw what was in their pants. I didn’t need to- I knew they were men. These women simultaneously tweet about mansplaining and ‘cis white males’. Maybe I should tell them to stop focusing on what’s in people’s pants as well... I mean, it must work both ways...

In fact Alex believes that sexual autonomy should not be an absolute right and that the subjective experience of a complainant should not be attended to if it messes with the right of an alleged offender to self determination and privacy.

sorry, cross post.

Do feel free to comment on the blog post by the way. I just saw Alex on twitter gloating about how ‘all the comments are pro-me’. I mean, there’s only 5 comments on there- one which is from his colleague and one from that troll Girl From Mars, who spends their time doxxing feminists and stirring shit.

I mean, there’s only 5 comments on there- one which is from his colleague and one from that troll Girl From Mars, who spends their time doxxing feminists and stirring shit.

yes, everyone is totally pro-Alex!

I mean, it must work both ways...

I strongly suspect it won't.

Some robust GC comments on there now

twitter.com/RadFemPirate/status/1018870284147884032?s=19

And as soon as this raft of criminal laws has ended male violence against women, Alex, indeed, no other measures will be needed.

The confident display of the total absence of logical thought in adults with a large platform gets to me every time.

Ffs- Alex Sharpe: ‘women, you’re worrying over nothing- you will still have your protections’. In same paragraph: ‘I want those protections repealed’.

Alex Sharpe is not and has never been a feminist and has shown absolutely zero concern for women’s rights or any understanding whatsoever ever of the fear that many natal women have of male bodies. Absolutely none. For any woman (academic or otherwise) jumping on AS’s bandwagon to show how inclusive you are: you are excluding the experiences, rights and realities of natal women in doing so. Women do not fear male-bodied people because they are hateful or prejudiced or in bed with the right wing. They fear them because they have been oppressed by them forever, because they have been beaten by them, raped by them, exluded from public life by them, told they are worthless by them. Do not compare it to racism- it’s nothing like it. Oh yes, it is. It’s the same as if white people self-declared as black and tried to trample on every little provision ever granted to give black people some parity.

I am sure Alex has had significant struggles. However, growing up and being socialised as a woman will not have been one of them. Alex did not transition until mid-40s. Exactly what kind of insight into the plight of women who have been raped, harassed, beaten does that give? Evidently none whatsoever. Alex wants even the crappy shitty protection that now allows a rape crisis centre (but only if brave enough to face the cries of transphobia) to exclude males, to be repealed.

Ffs- Alex Sharpe: ‘women, you’re worrying over nothing- you will still have your protections’. In same paragraph: ‘I want those protections repealed’.

As ever. The slippery inconsistent nature of transactivist arguments and the complete disregard and disrespect for women is really quite something.

It doesn't take long for the male ally in the comments to start banging on about "man hating" and misandry" even though he claims he used to be more on feminists' side but us nasty ladies have put him off with our refusal to compromise so now he thinks we should lose our rights to men.

Oh dear. If only we had kept quiet and done as we were told. That’s why I want to bang my head against a wall when I see women retweeting Sharpe and saying ‘ffs grow up and stop worrying about genitals’ and then 10 minutes later they tweet something about Kavanaugh and predatory men. Can they not see the two are connected? Alex Sharpe doesn’t give a shit about violence towards women. Alex will be happy if you retweet the blog post with some sycophantic comments, but don’t ever expect anything in in return. Because, after all, trans women are the most oppressed group in the world. After white males of course.

The female trans ally in the comments actually attacks MN because she thinks we don't pay enough attention to #metoo and spend all our time talking about trans issues.

As you say, there is a clear connection. And that is at the heart of this debate.

Such cognitive dissonance. On one hand- me too= we are fed up with male sexual violence, which is endemic. We must eradicate it. Simultaneously- any man who says he is a woman, is one, and should be allowed into female spaces and should be allowed to stand on AWS. Women who want single sex spaces are right-wing bigots.

How can you logically argue both positions? On one hand noting all the constant sexual harassment and violence and female underrepresentation and on the other saying that males have a crate blanche to enter female spaces.

I have noticed that a lot of the women doing this simply block and ignore any dissent or challenge. I suspect it’s because it is obvious to them that their position is illogical. Many of them are highly educated and intelligent and it must be tiring to be wilfully blind to the mismatch between their positions on #metoo and TWAW.

*Carte blanche- not crate...

In the other article from the "pro" lawyer:

"Better policy would focus less on trans and more on those prisoners (cis and trans) who have a history of sexual offending. The fox metaphor is also unhelpful because it is used deliberately to misgender trans women. However, there are clearly vixens in female prisons and other prisoners need to be protected from them. This can be done in one of two ways. First, though this is hardly ever mentioned in such debates, female prisoners (cis and trans) who pose a significant enough danger to other prisoners (cis and trans) might be segregated in a separate prison unit.

Second, prisoners (cis and trans) identified as dangerous can be allocated/transferred to a male prison"

OK I mean the whole thing is highly biased but the suggestion that

women do it too
so trans women should not be singled out but risk assessed like any other women
and then put in segregation
or put in a MENS PRISON?????????

WTAF have I misunderstood that?
This person wants violent / sex offending cunty people locked in prison with men?

"The female trans ally in the comments actually attacks MN because she thinks we don't pay enough attention to #metoo and spend all our time talking about trans issues. "

Well we used to talk about all sorts of stuff before this blew up! It's been an increasing conversation on here for years though.