Helen from Mermaids has started a Twitter thread smearing Kiri Tunks, Anne Ruzylo and Woman's Place UK

@SirVixofVixHall I'd guess:

The internet bringing people together and amplifying certain voices.

Rebellion against the increased gender divide/sexualisation of women in marketing.

A feeling of 'never again' after the persecution of gays.

Latest craze among young people after goth/emo etc.

Identity politics: trans people (at least transwomen) have taken on the ultimate victim role.

The disconnect between media/social media and what you hear from people irl really is odd. Other than a few right on teens and 20 somethings everyone I've spoken to about this offline thinks the whole thing is absurd. Even the ones who think it's terribly cruel to actually point out that people can't change sex don't believe that changing sex is actually possible or that gender is a thing, they just think it's unkind to say so to someone who believes themselves to have done so.

Their funding should have been cut as soon as the case where they were ordered to stop contact with the mother who'd been trying to trans her totally uninterested in gender crap child was concluded. Can you imagine if the RSPCC had been ordered to stay away from a family because a judge determined that their involvement was harming a child?

Duly noted datun, very astute!

This is why we neee a thread where we feature these types of baseless attacks and report them in large numbers.

I know Kiri and I know how she feels about this. I truly understand how trans people need rights and to be accepted as part of the human race. But I also feel if I was trans I would want to have rights that can not be abused by others and their actions sully my existence and cause others to distrust me and others who have gone through the same process.

Discussion should not be banned. It educates people.

Ferntwist is right, we need to start reporting every threat and attempt at intimidation made by TRAs to the police, particularly for the more prominent figures. They want to play the make yourself such a nuisance that the authorities humor you just to make you shut up game? Fine, there are more of us than there are of them so let's see how that works out.

Aside from the women H has lied about, my main concern are the venerable, young people who may believe the spite and lies, H is tweeting.

Mouthtrousersafrocknowandthen

I agree. Anne was an absolute delight. She knows. It's incredibly empowering even speaking to her.

ZERF

Paragraphs...

Haha yes! Paragraphs are key. They make the reader, read. Walls of text do the opposite.

And never, ever start a paragraph with 'I think'.

You automatically lose half your audience because it's an opinion not an assertion.

And, of course, loads of assertions are opinions. But announcing it upfront will lose half your audience, unless they already know you as credible.

The treatment of her is desperate mudslinging, but as it is so utterly wrong about her as an individual it's errant implausible nonsense. I am proud to have met Anne.

YY seconded.

Paragraphs...

Learnt a lot from your example datun!

Not rising to goady bait.

Calmly avoiding and ignoring name calling.

Respectful commenting on the other's views.

Anti-trans hate group. That's their full 'charge' against Kiri & WPUK.

If I had the money I'd fund any legal action for them - oh to be a millionaire! I'm guessing they're trying to avoid getting into any heated arguments & giving any credence to these slurs but TRAs are ramping up the rhetoric to ridiculous levels. You can sense the mania behind those rants. It's actually painful to watch.

I've heard Anne Ruzylo presenting at a meeting, and met her in the pub after another one, and she is a lovely and completely reasonable individual, I found her absolutely charming. We talked briefly about the encouragement of young people to change their bodies and I made the comment "we all hate our bodies" meaning how we are prone to worry about the wobbly bits etc. She looked at me with such empathy and care that spoke right to me, it was a look that held years of being comfortable in her own skin and she literally made me feel better about myself there and then, about all women, and it still resonates. I can't be supportive enough of Anne. The treatment of her is desperate mudslinging, but as it is so utterly wrong about her as an individual it's errant implausible nonsense. I am proud to have met Anne.

They're calling her 'anti-trans' and saying she was founder of 'anti-trans' organisation A Woman's Place.

That's potentially libellous, and I would say definitely damaging to reputation.

I think mn has extended my ability to debate to be honest.

I completely agree. Being forced to justify your argument requires not just skill, but an understanding of the argument you are making. And why.

It makes you examine your motives and your conviction. It stops knee-jerk reactions.

Being made to analyse why you think something. Which, I guess, is the very definition of critical thinking?

Watching other posters ask questions, drilling down into someone's assertion, is fascinating and a huge learning curve in how to debate.

Exposing the flaws in people's arguments is sometimes painful to watch, but always educational.

Does anyone know if Kiri is aware of the petitions and what Helen is saying about her?!

I think mn has extended my ability to debate to be honest.

A few years ago I thought in a different way about all sorts of things.

I think I was Anyfuckered once. But I took it on the chin and tried to understand.

It's not an echo chamber at all. There are some who don't seem to be able to discuss a different POV without being snidey and sarky, sometimes quite nasty, but that's why the report button exists.

It's very difficult to have deep seated views challenged and I think it's good to be challenged. It's good to read how others feel about things. I try to read pro trans things but there is a lot of nastiness, it's hard to see povs. Personal experience. Actually, Paris Lees sometimes writes in a way that lets me see their POV, feelings and experiences so I understand why they have their views.

There's a lot of personal experience in mn. Especially in relationships, which is where I have learnt the most about why we still need feminism.

I'm still zoflora exclusionary though.