Ben Hunte is back and gunning for Kemi Badenoch

[Imnobody4]

After his transfer out of his LGBT+++++ role in BBC he's now left them completely to work for Vice.
Unfortunately it's the same shoddy journalism
'Exclusive: The UK’s equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, mocked LGBTQ rights, questioned same-sex marriage, and called trans women “men” in an audio recording obtained by VICE World News.'
t.co/1hAX0Bttu1


twitter.com/BenInLDN/status/1438801429796372480?s=19

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I read that article and none of the direct quotes were in any way objectionable.

[Imnobody4]

Response from Conservatives for Women
twitter.com/CforWomenUK/status/1438872653524348930?s=19

www.conservativesforwomen.org/if-we-collectively-give-in-to-gender-ideology-we-bow-to-power-and-succumb-to-bullies

I think he'll find that Kemi like Liz Truss is made from stronger stuff than he thinks.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I really think this might backfire on Ben, I certainly think more favourably of her now!

Will be interesting to see if she bothers to respond to this, and if she does whether it will be the traditional grovelling apology.

[highame]

Kemi Baddenoch is a superstar, Ben Hunte is a halfwit

[Tibtom]

Glad to hear Kemi talking sense. I hope she keeps it up.

[Jaysmith71]

That response from CfW covers it very well.

But ....but .........but THEY'RE TORIES!!!!

Yes. Hasn't it come to a pretty piece. Now do you want to suggest that the quality of the argument is measured by the status of the advocate?

[Eyesofdisarray]

LGB alliance campaigns against transgender people does it?
I hope they're listening...
Ben Hunte sou do like he makes it up as he goes along

[Eyesofdisarray]

Arrggh
*sounds like he

[Jaysmith71]

LGB alliance campaigns against transgender people in the same way the Cats Protection League campaigns against dogs.

("Transphobe compares T's to dogs!" - B.Hunt)

[Passmeamenuatthetottenham]

Imagine going from the BBC to... Vice. How embarrassing for him.

[IDanielRadcliffe]

I haven’t read the article as I don’t want to give them clicks. Does it say who recorded her? Is that legal?

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

This might be able to bring down a female politician on the left but not a Tory.
A Labour woman would be made to go all grovelly and it would never be enough, whereas Kemi can just go ‘yes, and?’

[Tibtom]

It didn't work out too badly for Liz Truss did it?

[Freespeecher]

I hope Kemi just asks him for evidence to back up his assertions (haven't read his piece but Guido Fawkes says there's no evidence beyond what Hunte claims the transcript says).

[Imnobody4]

It's appearing in lots of papers now.
Angela Rayner has stuck her oar in in her usual style.

A gov spokesperson has said quite sensibly.
They said: “The minister for equalities is working hard to deliver for LGBT people, whether that is modernising the process of applying for a gender recognition certificate, driving forward LGBT rights in the workplace or banning conversion therapy.

“This 2018 comment has been taken out of context, with the minister making a clear point about striking the balance for equality and fairness when there are multiple and often competing demands between different groups. It should not be used to misrepresent her views.”

[CharlieParley]

This is desperate stuff. For those who don't want to give them clicks, here are the things she is alleged to have said:

“It’s no longer about minority rights in terms of race any more or nationality,” Badenoch says in the recording, “it’s now, you know like, it’s not even about sexuality now, it’s now like the whole transgender movement, where, OK well we’ve got gay marriage, and civil partnerships, so what are transsexuals looking for?”

The phrase transsexual, like transvestite and transgenderism, is often considered outdated and offensive by many trans people.

“Even when, you know, so, people hear about, you know like the whole bathroom thing,” Badenoch continues, “it’s actually more of an American thing but they have a similar problem, that, right so now it’s not just about being free to marry who you want, you now want to have men using women’s bathrooms.”

Labour called the comments “disgusting” and questioned whether Badenoch should be in her post.

Misgendering trans women may go against UK equality laws. An employment tribunal ruling in 2019 concluded that, "Calling a trans woman a man is likely to be profoundly distressing. It may be unlawful harassment." An employment tribunal appeal in 2021 backed this up, ruling "the Claimant [cannot] go about indiscriminately “misgendering” trans persons with impunity".

In the recording, the minister also appears to mock gay marriage, and the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, which was spearheaded by several of her predecessors as equalities minister.

1. The first quote is a fair enough question. The GRA was brought in allow post-operative homosexual transsexuals to enter a same-sex marriage and to sort out pension age disparities.

1. The term is neither outraged nor offensive. It has a specific meaning that transgender does not, and the latter term does not carry the same meaning. Transsexuals are certainly not finding the word offensive.

1. That's what it boils down to. Ed Davey certainly seems to agree that there should be men in all women's spaces.

1. Of course they would, but what is disgusting? I'd love to know.

1. This is a misrepresentation of the law. Misgendering is not unlawful harassment outside of narrow and specific circumstances. The ruling itself is all about behaviour at work and/or towards colleagues. That does not apply here, especially because the comments are not referring to individuals. No matter what BH thinks, in this context we are entitled to call men men with impunity.

1. Interesting to note that they claim she mocked gay marriage but curiously do not quote her. I wonder why that is...

All in all, bottom drawer stuff. The spin is much worse than the actual comments. As usual.

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

A gov spokesperson has said quite sensibly.
They said: “The minister for equalities is working hard to deliver for LGBT people, whether that is modernising the process of applying for a gender recognition certificate, driving forward LGBT rights in the workplace or banning conversion therapy.

“This 2018 comment has been taken out of context, with the minister making a clear point about striking the balance for equality and fairness when there are multiple and often competing demands between different groups. It should not be used to misrepresent her views.”

Impressive response.

[Abhannmor]

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel

This might be able to bring down a female politician on the left but not a Tory.
A Labour woman would be made to go all grovelly and it would never be enough, whereas Kemi can just go ‘yes, and?’

Exactly. Because a leftwing woman gets no support from her own party. Whereas the Tories, well the more offensive you are the more they dig in . Circle the wagons.

[Needmoresleep]

I am glad Ben Hunte has left the BBC. There was no sense that he was prepared to offer the balance that is required of our national broadcaster. It was amazing he lasted so long…or perhaps not.

[DdraigGoch]

Funny how half of the claims in the article aren't even backed up by quotes. Never mind that there's no transcript, nor a recording.

[merrymouse]

This won’t make any Conservatives vote Labour, but it might make some labour and Lib Dem voters consider the Tories.

[merrymouse]

AR’s tweets are particularly disturbing given real threats to female MPs who have dared to step out of line.

[MissTheobald]

The phrase transsexual, like transvestite and transgenderism, is often considered outdated and offensive by many trans people.

Hang on, what? Is "transgenderism" offensive? I thought that was the term you were supposed to use.

[Enough4me]

Can the weird trans mixed up language go out-of-date when for many it has never been 'in-date'?

I still think that many people would assume that transwomen are women who are transexual (women wanting to be men) and don't realise they are men in drag or men simply declaring that they are women for that moment in time (e.g. caught in a woman's loos looking at girls - oh, I'm a woman!!).

If I misgender a man in a changing room as I cannot see that he feels like a woman, but I can clearly see a penis - am I being 'out-of-date'?