Royal Institution getting a pasting on Twitter

Really sorry to see the originals - and the comments ... had been removed.

The announcement response is pretty polarised between 'thankyou' and 'how could you?!'

Personally I think they could have acquired usable sex disaggregated data (yes I read Invisible Women 💞) by including a tick box question - male sex, female sex, identify as f, identify as m, non-binary female sex, non-binary male sex etc, then have the data sorted accordingly. Could have been a great opportunity.

The previous 2 - despite being hosted by respected female scientists - were so science-lite as to be embarrassing.
I did enjoy this exchange on the Twitter thread

a survey that would have benefitted women and #scicomm across the board.

Having completed it, I'm really not too sure about that.

Well, maybe we'll get some curious new readers . I would hope that people interested in the RI would generally be able to work out why a feminism board on a parenting website is likely to have a lot of members who understand the biological reality of being a woman. They may or may not realise that a fair few of us are also scientists.

Well funded ? Excuse me
So where do I claim my cash ?
I have been locked out of twitter 3 times in the last week, just for liking GC tweets. I haven't even posted anything

Bad mothers

Hide your bad mother head in shame.

Get back to kitchen.

And most off all never speak in public again

You have all been told. By a man

Toxic bunch of mothers 👋🙋‍♀️

The naughty Mummies are at it again. Tut tut ladies. Know your place

"This forum for mothers" . Just to underline the misogyny and (wafer) thin disguise for MRA

We went to a few lectures (for older children) and they were cringey for my son and his pals. Very baby basic and - although entertaining - not as 'educational' as they used to be.

Luckily there's an archive on the RIs YouTube site - so people can compare new and old.

Wonder what will happen when they've done all their "reflecting"?

The men seem to be coordinated now...

Dr Ben Britton
@BMatB
·
1h
The transphobic lobby is very nimble, well funded, and effective at disrupting places of learning. (The who the what? I think they have confused the sides here)

fear not - a man has come onto twitter to tell everyone what to do

Jesper Dramsch
@JesperDramsch
The Royal Institution has been the target of trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) and "gender critical" trolls on a survey that would have benefitted women and #scicomm across the board.

This forum for mothers is particularly toxic: mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3833516-Royal-Institution-getting-a-pasting-on-Twitter

We went to a few lectures (for older children) and they were cringey for my son and his pals. Very baby basic and - although entertaining - not as 'educational' as they used to be.

Also, loads of much younger children (brought by proud mums and dads 'she's very advanced for her age') who were either enthralled (and looked like they could take the lecture) or whining/asleep.

Rather than wasting time with this nonsense, why don't they work on restoring the Christmas Lectures to being a bit more rigorous. The previous 2 - despite being hosted by respected female scientists - were so science-lite as to be embarrassing.

Or am I being elitist ?

Oh and all the tweets crying about giving into hatred and bullying... give me a break.

I didn't see a single threat - more sarcasm and exasperation. No threats to cut funding (Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter anyone?) or picket the place or get the poor marketing sod fired. No dead rats were nailed to doorways or anyone threatened with a baseball bat, a punching, or a cardboard guillotine.

I have never met a woman who calls themself C**. I assume those who do on twitter aren't women.

Very interesting to see the responses to a TW stating "You have also discovered just how much people hate trans women Crying face"

People aren't rushing over to fawn and simper anymore. The tide is turning.

In case ansyoen hasnt posted it. The tweet has done and this is up

"We have just taken down a tweet and survey we posted yesterday. We’ve heard all your messages and we’re going to take this away to reflect."

Transphobia: the New Blasphemy...

(To Miriel)

Note, in my post below, I say „design“ their sytems, but in reality it can means „design and operate“ — because often, it is the erroneous way in which something is executed that causes the issue. If this is down to the way in which administrative discretion is being exercised, as it is here, it could also be challenged by way of judicial review. It’s shocking that things have come this far and it is indicative of the glaring absence of a women’s rights lobby... particularly obvious in contrast to the strength of the trans lobby.

I feel that prisons would be a good test case — I’ve just commented on the other Thread about The hammer wielding thief.

Thank you, fascinated. It's so frustrating.

Bing Bong — they are too scared to, because the State isn’t respecting the right of their service users to dignity, privacy, bodily integrity etc...all Convention rights.. by rendering the single sex exemptions too difficult to use by arms length bodies by, eg, muddying the waters in the official guidelines and by making public funding dependent on trans inclusion etc) or, in the case of emanations of the state such as the Police/NHS/DBS admin people — by failing themselves to invoke them.

BingBong. This is the nub of the issue.

Legally, you’re on a hiding to nothing trying to argue that trans shouldn’t be a thing at all. The precedent at ECHR level is strong, it’s based on the right to privacy/family life (among others) and it’s well established over a number of cases. However, that right isn’t absolute. Most rights can be restricted for the purposes of crime prevention/public order/safety etc or even just to balance against conflicting rights of others. It’s just that this wasn’t argued in eg the Nicot case because it wasn’t relevant on the facts and the French State had no reason to bring it up as it wouldn’t have helped their case on the facts. These carve outs are there, though, and they give governments the discretion to design their systems in such a way as to permit these interests to be protected. So the single sex exemptions, and exceptions to the right not to be “outed“ as trans (re the ability of eg Police/employers/authorities to inquire about previous names etc for specific purposes such as DBS checks, manhunts, references — as discussed on here frequently) absolutely could be justified in terms of international best practice. It’s just that the trans lobby are the only ones bringing cases at this level, and they obviously won’t bring up these carve outs.

I suspect there is also an imbalance in that there are perhaps fewer female born transpeople seeking entry to traditionally male spaces than vice versa. In the Guides example it is obvious why...the Scouts already accept girls so no issue. Prisons — for safety reasons I assume no transmen have ever sought access ? Masons, Golf Clubs, the CatholicnPriesthood — I am unclear but perhaps there just isn’t the same champing at the bit to get in (or they just know they’d be refused and the SS exemption upheld).

It’s another example of the lopsidedness of this in favour of natal males. Actually, the current operation of the system , with the systemic failure to invoke and enforce the single sex exemptions (eg in official guidelines/use in practice by the police etc) is vulnerable to a challenge on the basis that it constitutes discrimination against natal females.

Great post, Miriel. I think you're exactly right.

Perhaps they could reconsider the whole "are you watching this so you can help your kids with their homework" angle too.