Public terfing: "out and proud" or anon?

Thanks for your reply IAmWonko. I was aware of the cowardly attack on Maria MacLachlan. As far as I can see the other uploads are violent threats online but the fact of what happened to Maria MacLachlan would make most think before public pronouncements.

I'm personally very much not brave. I hate the feeling of fear and just having this anger and frustration.

I have a business that operates mainly from a Facebook page. I'm easily linked to it via my personal page. The most I've done is share the petition (via the a woman's place UK) and hit like on a few gender critical friends' posts. My business is how I pay my rent each month. I can't risk it.

This is such a serious issue - but everyone's situation and personal circumstances are different and not everyone can take the same level of risk. The important thing is that we all do what we can. Even if this is only raising the subject to one new person it all counts.

I have made the decision to be publicly 'out' not because I'm braver than anyone else but because my own personal circumstances make it possible. However, I have been pleasantly surprised that the backlash has been relatively mild. Yes, I get a few insults but nothing serious.

I have just finished writing this report showing how women are being silenced by fear, shame and rejection. This is an age-old sexist hate tactic and people need to know.

fairplayforwomen.com/misogyny_hate_silencing/

Among friends/family, could not give a shite, if someone doesn't like my opinion, that's for them to deal with. Almost everyone I know couldn't give a crap about this anyway, and I include a large number of gay/lesbian and even transexuals among my friends. I do feel like the people who are threatening to beat people up are mostly teenagers and the whole issue is generally an ivory towers airy-fairy liberal thing, and that is not really my category of people. I mean, I'm liberal as they come, but I have nothing to do with academia or the middle classes.

I am not in the UK. If I was, I don't know if I could be out at work as I'm a teacher. Is it that bad there, really?

I don't really do social media, no fb/twitter/insta, so it doesn't affect me much.

I am on a bit of an adrenaline high, having just emailed the Chairwoman of our company about a Women's programme that is open to Self ID women. She is going to pass on my concern to the organisers. She didn't comment on my POV but neither did she scream TERF or BIGOT at me and send me for Inclusion training.

I have 6 DC, 2 businesses and a career (that requires professional registration) I would like to return to later in life. I’m terrified they could somehow damage my income and leave me in a dangerous situation financially with so many children. I’m genuinely too frightened.

I was asked to leave a feminist group for providing deep and detailed biological information about the differences in sex beyond genitalia.
Having the group turn on me scared me beyond belief.

I do talk to friends and family I trust about gender critical views and I do also have a roll of stickers in my bag but apart from that I’m afraid I am too chicken to make a public and social media stand with the brave people. I just hope I don’t live to regret it.

I don't think anything will happen to me.

As in threats etc.

Right. Really naive question here. What do you think the worst that could happen will would be? Naive but genuine.

The LBC programme earlier got me wondering whether I really object to TERF or not. I probably prefer TERF to cis and prefer to reclaim terf as a positive word

I don't mind TERF either. I don't see it as a slur - if being a TERF means on the side of biology and common bloody sense, I'm fine being one.

I was on the tv on Sunday Politics, standing next to Posy Parker so i'm out!

I've been interviewed by the Southampton Echo - hopefully they will publish. My real photo is on Twitter. I am really ok with holding my ground on this one. The law needs to protect women and children and I feel obliged to speak up. Men are pretty robust, they can take a bit of criticism.

twitter.com/JaneRobacockle

The LBC programme earlier got me wondering whether I really object to TERF or not.
I probably prefer TERF to cis and prefer to reclaim terf as a positive word rather than let the TRAs have woman.

I am out on FB and twitter but don't have many friends/followers on either. I also live in an area of Scotland without many transexuals.
Also on twitter I mainly write supportive stuff to fellow gender critical folk rather than being a goady fucker to the TRAs. I have no interest in hearing what Lily Madison and Lily's groupies say.
If someone argues with something I say on twitter I'll post 1 resoponse but not get in to long drawn out battles that become circular. Twitter is rubbish for debates with the word count anyway.

I'm not out. I've considered it more recently since a. things feel pretty desperate and b. someone really important to me whom I enormously respect surprised me by expressing carefully measured gender critical views in public; and I thought her social circle would never tolerate it (some of them did not, it was very tough for her). I'm pretty sure lots of my friends would disagree with me but I am seriously thinking hard about how to come out, and wondering whether I would more regret doign it or not doing it.

I have a TIM in the family whom I suspect of being the sort who some would consider "truscum" and I'm plucking up the courage to ask her views.

I provided FB with proof of ID and they changed my account name without so much as a by your leave.

I don't understand that. Do you mean they put your real name on the account, without your permission?

I made a couple of mildly terfy facebook posts because a long-time friend shared a post from Amnesty International Ireland were complaining about a Finnish girl who was refused a gender recognition document unless she'd had surgery. Amnesty said she was being forced to have sterilisation. I mildly said that I was surprised they knew all about one transgender person in Finland, but weren't doing anything about women being silenced by transactivists just across the Irish Sea. Two friends have, I know, demoted me to Acquaintance as a result.

I'm in a sticky position as well because my daughters' gay half-brother is into drag - which is something I find fucking insulting to women - and any time I've said so I've had to listen to a lecture about compassion.

I've started dipping my toe in the water with an old twitter account which I've rendered (I hope) anonymous.

I do find it shocking that we're afraid to voice our opinion on something that attacks our very being, that 'woman' has become all about the identity of a few men.

Same for me. I used the same name on FB as I had used for ten years on the internet. No problem for five years and then suddenly the MRAs started reporting everything I posted. I provided FB with proof of ID and they changed my account name without so much as a by your leave.

A few years ago I had a FB account in a made up name and after I'd had a very minor disagreement with a MIT on a mutual friend's page my account was suspended until I provided ID verification - which of course I couldn't do even if I wanted to. And I wouldn't on principle anyway! Who do they think they are?! A bunch of hip dudebros who force women to take down pictures of breast feeding their babies while allowing rape videos....

I've always been very careful about online content attached to my real name - pseudonyms all the way for me, they're safer. In my view, getting the message out there is more important than putting my actual name to it.

If you're setting up a fake profile, I would definitely do it as a man.

Not least because this is seen by many as a niche "feminist" problem. And for a lot of people Feminist is a dirty word.

Look at some of the comments on the DM re the Man Friday swimmers.
Lots of - "Well, what's the problem if we're all equal"

If men (real or fake!) come out and say "This is wrong" I am sure it will get more attention. Because, as we all know, men get listened to much more readily.

I have an unusual name, and a DD at uni... nuff said?