Jean Hatchet, new blog post

[SugarPlumFairy99]

jeanhatchet.blogspot.com/2019/01/why-i-wont-be-standing-up-for-women.html

This blog post from Jean is eye-opening. Working alongside anti-abortion, hard right groups undermines decades of feminism.

Shame on Posie. I agree with Jean, I will also be sitting down for women.

[Bittermints]

I'm on the fence here. I read it too. I totally understand Jean's point of view and I have huge respect for her. But on the other hand, Posie has been extremely successful in getting attention for the issue she is concerned about, and it's an important issue. If she can do something to change the way the media reports this and lawmakers feel about this in the US and ideally Canada too, it would make a big difference.

[Bittermints]

I would also add that this is gold dust for TRAs and MRAs. They are actively looking for ways to stop women acting together.

[NotTerfNorCis]

That Emily person said dividing feminists is a big part of their strategy.

[Beerflavourednipples]

I would also add that this is gold dust for TRAs and MRAs. They are actively looking for ways to stop women acting together.

Yes, infighting amongst the T*RFs, what a gift!

But then again, Jean shouldnt do things she doesn't want to do.

This always happens though, with any movement.

[Sarahconnor1]

That Emily person said dividing feminists is a big part of their strategy

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3487089-Trans-activist-shares-their-activism-tactics

1. "Beyond that, there are a number of tools at your disposal. First, you recognize that their sense of identity is unity-focused, so your goal should be to sow distrust among the in-group to factionalize and divide."

[Oxytocindeficient]

Fully understand what Jean is saying, I have limits to how far towards the right I’m willing to go as well. I’d hope Posie would respect her decision and that they could work together at other times.

It’s all well and good being idealistic, but even Nelson Mandela worked with those who had previously been advocates of apartheid. Just be careful, we have to work together as much as possible, even if we disagree on some things.

[ElonMask]

Personally am a big fan of Posie and pleased she is not scared of criticising "Islamic" attitudes. Why women fall over themselves to defend it and welcome it into the UK is beyond me. I will probably get deleted for even saying that.

[RiverTam]

yes, but Tommy Robinson is simply an out and out racist. Plenty of people have concerns about Islamic attitudes to women without supporting that idiot.

[Oxytocindeficient]

Yeah come on, Tommy Robinson is not someone any of us should want to align ourselves with.

[happydappy2]

I think Jean does amazing work but I also think Posie is admirable in raising awareness. The worlds big enough for both of them & I disagree with the comment ‘shame on Posie.’

[Qcng]

Fair enough, I mean the AWA are always accusing GC feminists of being lead by or being part of or funded by the religious far right, and I can see them using these alliances to "prove" it.

On the other hand I monumentally disagree with the stubborn and counter productive notion that even when you agree completely with a certain group of people about one issue and strongly disagree with that same group of ppl on a different issue that means when it comes to standing and fighting for/against the one issue you all agree with, you refuse to join forces for the cause.

I couldn't give a shit if another GC feminist had pro-life views or whatever while campaigning in one specific area.

It's not as though Jean was expected to join campaigns against abortion or keeping unhappy marriages together, the trip was specifically about Twitter and its silencing of women, nothing else.

I think JH's actions were counter productive but whatever, it's not like I was invited or do anything about Twitter's misogyny myself!

[ElonMask]

Islam is not a race, but Robinson could be said to hate Islam for sure. Posies point would be that there are not any acceptable voices critical of Islam or the Islamisation of bits of Europe or the UK.

[RiverTam]

maybe she (and you) have never heard of Maryam Namazie, then Elon. She's quite well know.

[OvaHere]

I think Jean made the right choice for herself and she explains her reasons very well.

I've never understood Posie to be a radfem and I don't think she claims to be. Certain issues are going to unite women of all stripes regardless of differences we have in other areas.

I guess we (individually) have to be mindful of this and I feel it should be possible to share common ground but also not align ourselves with things we don't agree with.

What I won't do is allow ideological disagreements to splinter resolve and give MRAs/TRAs the opportunity to sow discord.

[Qcng]

She probably means acceptable British/European voices.

[ElonMask]

No, I hadn't heard of her, will now go and rectify that. However, the point still stands that whereas she is acceptable to you, she is totally unacceptable to many others and has been called exactly the same thing as Tommy Robinson.

[terryleather]

I would also add that this is gold dust for TRAs and MRAs. They are actively looking for ways to stop women acting together.

Agreed.

I don't agree with the over all position of many of the groups JH has mentioned in that blog, they sound dreadful, and I do understand that it can be seen as "aligning" with them but I'm unsure what we're supposed to do when so many on the left don't seem to give a fuck about women and the assault on our rights either.

What JH has achieved is amazing and she is enormously worthy of admiration but tbh I'm not interested in in fighting and the washing of dirty linen in public. JH can do what she's comfortable doing and so can everyone else, as is their right.

I'm firmly behind Posie's Day Of Action because she actually seems to be making a difference on this issue with the general public.

[SugarPlumFairy99]

I don't think aligning with groups that want to remove women's rights so you can stop another group coming for our rights is the way to go.

The enemy of my enemy is not always our friend.

[GrinitchSpinach]

I haven't seen Posie's comments about Robinson yet so will have to look at what she said, but re: Heritage Foundation, the extremely frustrating situation in the US right now is that there is literally NO leftist group/organization/forum remotely open to listening to women's concerns. Leftist women I know are terrified to speak out; in some ways it feels like the US is a few years behind the UK in terms of women organizing on this issue.

While the Heritage Foundation promotes many policies I oppose or even find repugnantand certainly wants to use transgenderism as a wedge against the leftthe fact remains that they are one of the only organizations giving women's rights campaigners any platform at all right now.

Hands Across the Aisle panel "Biology Isn't Bigotry: Why Sex Matters in the Age of Gender Identity" in which Heritage hosted a lesbian radical feminist activist, a midwife radfem activist, and a rape survivor who lost her job for objecting to self-ID in changing rooms at her workplace, as well as a conservative woman who worked on the NC bathroom bill:

[RiverTam]

Elon I do actually applaud Posie for what she has achieved, but I don't have to agree with her on everything, and I very much disagree with her stance on Tommy Robinson.

She can be very effective and she gets things done, but she is also divisive.

[GrinitchSpinach]

I don't think aligning with groups that want to remove women's rights so you can stop another group coming for our rights is the way to go.

The enemy of my enemy is not always our friend.

I don't think anyone is declaring any permanent alliances. I think the American radfems (and the conservatives equally) fully expect to turn around and fight each other hard on other issues. They are coming together with a very narrow focus here on preventing/rolling back the legal interpretation of "sex" to mean "gender identity."

[Freespeecher]

Suppose it's an illiustration of how individuals agreeing on one topic doesn't mean they'll agree on everything. Maybe they'll both be better off doing their own thing their own way.

This bit did come across as wanting things both ways though:

" I was left out of all decision making. I deliberately absconded from meetings."

How can you complain at being left out of decision making if you abscond from meetings? Though, overall, she was obviously out of place and has done the right thing by splitting from a group where she obviously recognised she didn't fit.

[OrchidInTheSun]

I wish there weren't washing of dirty laundry in public. It's unnecessary

[Lumene]

I’m sorry but anyone claiming Tommy Robinson’s work as positive has totally lost it.

[happydappy2]

Dr Haddocks LOVING splashing this all over twitter......