Support those speaking out

[MrsSnippyPants]

Alison is getting braver all the time.

twitter.com/AlisonMoyet/status/1244648784153411585?s=20

[Cuntysnark]

Go Alison!

[R0wantrees]

Alison Moyet twitter comment:
"When I cane to Brighton, socialising with other women was a long held ambition. I had mostly been isolated from women since school, working in a Male environment.I was not a part of the internet & did not know women’s issues countered left wing. I grew up in a socialist family.

I met a personal ambition. I went to a woman’s meeting where all I encountered was love and care and no word of hate anywhere to any group of minority. It was a Labour conference week.

On our way in I was pelted and shoved and abused and scared. It was nothing like I had ever seen. Throughout the meeting which was without predjudice, the windows were kicked. We were screamed at. Leaving I was hit. I was confused. I was afraid.

I have loved all manner of people my whole life. I have never discriminated. I have seen my sex abused. I wanted to join my sisters without hate. I wanted to join our proletariat. Please listen to women. We grow you all."

& solidarity.

[Floisme]

Alison

[TinselAngel]

Apologies if I'm being thick, is she talking about the WPUK meeting in Brighton last year?

[R0wantrees]

is she talking about the WPUK meeting in Brighton last year
Yes.
It was frightening for many there.

"Emily Ward attended the WPUK unofficial Labour Party fringe meeting in Brighton in September 2019.
(extract)
"I had my fish and chips on Brighton pier and arrived at the venue just before the start time of 7pm. The access to the building was impeded by an angry mob. I call them a “mob” because they seemed intent on causing trouble. People coming into the meeting—many old enough to be the protestors’ mothers and grandmothers; many who fought for rights the protestors currently enjoy—were screamed at and taunted. Several were doused with water. We were hurried inside under police escort. The constables did not push the protestors back, instead instructing us to “get inside quickly” (implied: before you get hurt).

Inside, we were ushered into a large basement meeting room. One woman said she felt we were going into a bunker. But it did not feel safe. The protestors had positioned themselves outside along the room’s street-level windows, shouting, pounding and kicking at the glass. The noise was deafening and I feared the windows would shatter and we would be sprayed with glass. Why the police allowed this level of harassment to go on and on is a subject for citizens of the UK to take up with their government. But I will say I felt afraid for the safety of everyone in that room.

Despite the intimidation, the meeting went on. Three intelligent, thoughtful women spoke. There was no hate speech. There was no transphobia. On the contrary, the right of trans people to be free from violence and deserving of all human rights protections under the law was explicitly and repeatedly affirmed. Questions and concerns were respectfully communicated. WPUK public meetings are videotaped and posted on their YouTube channel. They’re a great resource for anyone seeking to understand the issues and what’s at stake. There was a Q&A, and the meeting concluded.

Leaving the venue, the protestors were even more inflamed, perhaps because they had not succeeded in closing down the meeting. ”WPUK IS A HATE GROUP!” “POLICE PROTECT THE TRANSPHOBES!” “TRANS WOMEN ARE REAL WOMEN!” “TRANS MEN ARE REAL MEN!” There was so much rage coming at us. It was strange; surreal. As a person who has spent my life advocating for marginalized groups, it made no sense. As a lesbian, it made no sense. As a woman who has resisted the policing of gender since a very small child, it made no sense.

But beneath the rage I heard something else: desperation, and people in pain, and loneliness. I feel for the pain of people who do not fit in. I did not fit in. The policing of gender is real and damaging, shaming all but the most determined into conformity. Part of me wants to embrace these kids because I know they’re suffering. But another part of me is scared to death of them, because they blame us for their pain, and because they are so sure of themselves, and so entitled. They are unable to think from the perspective of others, and in that failure they have become abusive, and dangerous, like men who beat their wives because they will not say the words they want to hear.

For those of us who have worked to end men’s violence against women, the speech and actions of transgender activists are chillingly familiar. We recognize the hatred of women when we see it." (continues)


womansplaceuk.org/2019/11/19/what-happened-at-brighton-wpuklab19/

[ScrimpshawTheSecond]

[StarintheMorning]

I was there, even outside, down the road, the noise was terrifying, and had my partner not been with me I wouldn’t have gone in. I hate putting that down here, in black and white, that I needed the support of a man to attend a meeting.
It was dreadful inside with the windows being kicked at constantly. I was convinced that they would be through the windows before the end of the evening.
I wish I’d seen Alison there though, it was a wonderful meeting, but being able to shake Alisons hand would have been the icing on the cake.
And that’s from someone who had already met and come over all fan girly with Doc Stock! 😂

[R0wantrees]

StarintheMorning
It took a lot of courage to go.

Its possible to get a slight sense of the impact in the room from the speeches.
Dani Ahrens

Onjali Rauf


Kay Green

[LadyQuarantinaPluckington]

I still can't quite get my head around anyone justifying intimidating and protesting against these women meeting and speaking. In a modern, western, liberal democracy. People who would class themselves as 'progressive' and 'loving'.

It's through the looking glass stuff.

[ScrimpshawTheSecond]

It is, LadyQuarantina. It's madness. Women must not be allowed to meet and talk. Horrendous. I doubt I would have had the courage to attend that meeting.

[aliasundercover]

I hate putting that down here, in black and white, that I needed the support of a man to attend a meeting

Don't be hard on yourself. You needed support to attend the meeting - well we all need support sometimes. On this occasion it happened to be a man who gave that support.

[StarintheMorning]

R0wantrees and aliasundercover thank you both. Your comments mean a lot to me.

[MrsSnippyPants]

Sadly the thread is now deleted, but Jack Appleby has screen grabbed it in case anyone didn’t see it.

[boatyardblues]

Alison is magnificent. If you’re reading Alison, thank you.

[PositiveVibez]

I have removed all SM apart from that s board at the moment.

I hope you are reading this Alison and know you are supported 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[Oncewasblueandyellowtwo]

I didn't want to start a new tread but this is relevant to this thread and i think it's important.
There is a certain group of people who have used sm and the internet as as a tool to gain a foothold.
Now that a lot of people are in lock down, working from home, have been laid off, have had hours cut,any number of reasons, a lot more people will be online more often.
And most people like a "cause" that pops up on their timeline, especially if it doesn't cost them anything and it doesn't take too much time out of their other sm,activities, work etc.
A lot of these activists seem to spend a lot of their time on social media, what will happen when they have a much wider and more captive audience.

Thisisnotadrill