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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Lighthouse 'radical' bookshop Edinburgh makes a statement on 'no platform'

167 replies

Laterthanyouthink · 17/02/2019 09:38

www.lighthousebookshop.com/2019/02/16/to-platform-or-not-to-platform-where-we-stand.html

I cannot get my head around this at all, a bookshop should be the last place to find censorship

OP posts:
Bowlofbabelfish · 18/02/2019 09:04

Am nearby. Am an old grumpy TERF woman. What books can I request?

Perhaps a dictionary, so they can look up reactionary and radical.

Also a biology textbook. Higher level is more than enough....

Bowlofbabelfish · 18/02/2019 09:03

No platforming isn’t censorship. It’s got nothing to do with censorship confused

Of course it is. It’s saying ‘ I refuse to talk about this and I refuse to let YOU or anyone else talk about it either.’ It is, literally, censorship.

I’d love to hear them explain why biological truth is ‘reactionary’ when it is in fact radical. Radical as in from the Latin for ‘root.’

They’ve never been a particularly welcoming place. There are plenty of good bookshops in Edinburgh where one can poke around a real variety of books without being judged on how woke one is.

Juells · 18/02/2019 08:33

Who can tell these days?

I puzzled over it for a minute before coming to that conclusion, because of some of the flying-in-the-face-of-reason posts that sometimes appear in this section Grin But the Hmm carried it.

donquixotedelamancha · 18/02/2019 08:30

I assumed that LilaJude was joking.

I hope so. I'll be quite happy to own my irony fail.

Who can tell these days?

Juells · 18/02/2019 08:26

No platforming is a type of censoring.

I assumed that LilaJude was joking. Sounds like you think the post was actually serious?

donquixotedelamancha · 18/02/2019 08:24

No platforming isn’t censorship. It’s got nothing to do with censorship

Censorship: the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.

No platforming: the action or practice of preventing someone holding views regarded as unacceptable or offensive from contributing to a public debate or meeting.

No platforming is a type of censoring. That doesn't mean it's always unjustified, but it's dysingenuous to claim you are an inclusive space which promotes debate when you won't allow mention of biological reality.

LilaJude · 18/02/2019 07:52

No platforming isn’t censorship. It’s got nothing to do with censorship Confused

Coyoacan · 18/02/2019 04:00

So if we see an shop that proclaims itself to be feminist, we know that it is actually totally anti-women and pro-men. They must have thought 1984 was a handbook

esk1mo · 18/02/2019 01:28

i live near to this bookshop and have always been put off by their books on display, so i have never entered!

IDoN0tCare · 18/02/2019 01:10

I’m so looking forward to them closing down, when more and more people waken up to this misogynistic movement and realise which businesses, newspapers and politicians were willing to permit in this widespread abuse of women. That’s ok, Lighthouse, we, the gender critical women are happy to shop elsewhere.

BlahXXBlah · 18/02/2019 00:49

What a lot of pompous nonsense. Doesn't sound very welcoming or inclusive at all, and not at all feminist, more femenist. I take it the profit margin is not a concern. Maybe they are trying to drum up publicity?

Now DeadHead Comics next door, that's much more my cup of tea.

morningtoncrescent62 · 17/02/2019 20:40

Am nearby. Am an old grumpy TERF woman. What books can I request?

The collected works of Germaine Greer, Sheila Jeffreys and Julie Bindel. And maybe ask them if they have any copies of the Transgender Trend Resource Pack.

Cismyfatarse1 · 17/02/2019 20:33

Am nearby. Am an old grumpy TERF woman. What books can I request?

Bowlofbabelfish · 17/02/2019 19:59

It is not “shutting down the debate” if we refuse to discuss

It is though. Refusing to discuss is, really, very much ‘shutting down the debate.’ It’s pretty much the definition of it.

I’ll have a copy of ‘the trial’ with my copy of 1984...

jay55 · 17/02/2019 19:57

How can they be a feminist bookshop and reject the gender critical?
I'm genuinely lost.

GregoryPeckingDuck · 17/02/2019 19:56

Why not just rename the shop ‘were stupid but we don’t want to admit it. You ideas are scary. Stop. I’ll tell mummy on you!’

donquixotedelamancha · 17/02/2019 19:51

Or maybe they have a copy of 1984?

I think they read it and decided doublethink was a brilliant idea:

we always strive to platform a wide and diverse range of voices

people and organisations who share such views....have absolutely no place in the bookshop or at any of our events

we believe that we rise together, or not at all

we have been successful in maintaining a space that is welcoming, accessible and thought-provoking to visit

It is not “shutting down the debate” if we refuse to discuss

Laterthanyouthink · 17/02/2019 13:40

Brilliant - I had a look at their twitter but it wouldn't show your tweet until I clicked Show as it might be offensive!

OP posts:
thewitchofwentworth · 17/02/2019 13:35

Or maybe they have a copy of 1984?

I asked them on twitter if they sell it. I suspect the response will be to block me.

Lemoncakestrudel · 17/02/2019 13:07

Radical in that they are radically trying to undermine reality?

SpartacusAutisticusAHF · 17/02/2019 11:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OldCrone · 17/02/2019 11:58

Their thinking does seem a bit muddled (and reading their word salad is like wading through treacle).

We have this:
As an explicitly feminist bookshop, at a time when there are fundamental disagreements in the movement, we feel it is important to re-state clearly that ours is an inclusive, intersectional feminism, and that we thus reject all politics that marginalize or target any woman, including trans women.

In our view, trans-exclusive rights campaigns, whether they call themselves feminist or use the term “gender-critical”, are reactionary rather than radical, and knowingly cause harm to women.

They give no explanation or justification for calling gender critical feminism 'reactionary' (perhaps because there isn't one) or how they think gender-critical feminism 'harms women'. Their so-called 'intersectional feminism' intersects with some men, but not with all women - transwomen are included, but gender-critical feminists are not. Since gender ideologues target some women (who they deride as TERFs), how can they claim to 'reject all politics that marginalize or target any woman'?

I'd also like to know what their definition of 'feminism' is. It doesn't seem to be one that I recognise. Feminism fights against gender stereotyping. Gender ideology worships it. How can they simultaneously be pro-feminism and pro-genderism?

Bowlofbabelfish · 17/02/2019 11:50

They’re down on west Nicholson street. Not too far from the Pleasance.

Always been very very tediously woke. ;)

BetsyM00 · 17/02/2019 11:21

Lighthouse bookshop joined with Sisters Uncut to protest the forwomen.scot public meeting in Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago.

I note with some cynicism that Juno Dawson will be visiting the bookshop on the 28th Feb. Perhaps they, and SU, are wondering why no-one is protesting their events in retaliation?

I hope they have a lovely meeting. I'm planning on washing my hair that night.

donquixotedelamancha · 17/02/2019 10:53

When did anarchist come to mean authoritarian socialist?

While we are on the subject, why does tolerance now mean adherence to a very narrow set of social policies and refusal to discuss alternatives?

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