For posterity - start of Women's Liberation 50th anniversary conference, transcript

Thank you Pombear

I’ve heard Prof. Todd say that her HoD is supportive of her, if somewhat uncertain about the politics. Although after this event, no one could remain unsure about the political lines drawn - a faction of opinion opposed to academic freedom and lawful free speech.

And I know that emails or written notes/cards to her HoD about this are noted, and appreciated.

One of the redacted names is Selina Todd's head of department, another is one of her PhD students.
Thanks GCAcademic

Thanks @pombear

One of the redacted names is Selina Todd's head of department, another is one of her PhD students.

Maybe a thank you card to the head of department would be appropriate.

I too noticed how small that conference seemed and was amazed. I suspect the organisers are a bit inexperienced and naive.

conference programme there seemed to be other names redacted.

That's part of the overall stupidity and mixed message - nobody knows if they were absent because they refused to appear at something to which Selina had been invited or because she had been no-platformed.

However, I have no doubt that those with a particular agenda were always going to withdraw on the eve of the conference and disrupt it. It seems that none of those who withdrew for their cause (ie, opposed to Selina) notified the organisers but announced their decisions via 3rd parties on social media the afternoon before.

One of the redacted names is Selina Todd's head of department, another is one of her PhD students.

Yes sorry I forgot to say 'thank you' Pombear

In that pic of the conference programme there seemed to be other names redacted. Does anyone know who they are and what their story is?

And huge thanks to pombear and everyone else for making this so accessible.

Ugh, what a mess.

The organisers could be forgiven for being concerned at the possibility of all their hard work going down the drain as their speakers were decimated (were they tho? How many?), but that, in itself, IS the issue.

Hearing women.

Picking up the phone to say to Selina, 'um, sorry about this but...' should have started the deafening alarm bells, the klaxons, the instant recognition. All of it.

After 50 years, you'd think it would.

if I were a young writer with a new book to promote

What serendipity that disrupting a landmark anniversary conference can serve the agenda of those with a book to promote.

Very young. And privileged enough to never have to accept or deal with the consequences of what happened.

Yes I have to say that if I were a young writer with a new book to promote, and crafting a piece that would inevitably find its way onto social and mainstream media, then I really think I would have taken a little more care.

If libfem types want to campaign for the right of men to invade women’s spaces and remove our hard won rights, that’s their prerogative- but they should bloody well stop calling themselves feminists of ANY description.
They certainly have no right to represent women at a feminist conference, and they should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
The pathetic giving in to bullying is ironic too. They’re supposed to be celebrating the history of the women’s movement - which includes suffragettes who suffered prison and force feeding for their beliefs. I bet Emmeline Pankhurst wouldn’t have caved in to TRA threats of violence!

Fucking hell, I've just worked out who this undergraduate is who seemingly welded so much power and got as far as "umbrella term."

How offensive is that? How can she not see that this is offensive?

I do note that the organisers were not impressed that her withdrawal was last minute and over social media. I don't think this will actually work out well for her either.

It is indeed sad. This is what happens when political space comes to be occupied by people who are cowardly (in the case of the organisers) or (in the case of the Feminist Fightback crew) vacuous and privileged. The whole debacle sharply illustrated how inadequate the frameworks, language and activism of today’s feminist movement are in comparison with 50 years ago. Academia has a lot to answer for in this regard. It is not geared up to support consolidating gains and moving forwards in incremental steps. It rewards thinking and outcomes that are novel and more dramatic, irrespective of whether they have a positive effect on society.

Thank you for this.

You would have thought that, given the context, the organisers would have been a bit feistier.

Yes it is sad although, like many sad things, it's funny too.
Courage came calling for WL50 on Friday, but no-one was home.

That is one of the saddest things I have ever read. The organisers failed to actually, you know, take a lead and organise. I stand in awe of JB: I could never have done that and kept going. I would be so angry I would have started crying.

That they needed to turn off their twitter and livestream says it all. Why make others erase us when we can do it to ourselves. Praise be for the brave women.

So depressing - and thank you pombear for recording it for posterity.

This is what Sheila Rowbotham stated the conference would achieve in her recent Guardian article:
The conference aims to bring older and younger women together and handing on memories is the purpose – in the hope that remembering can strengthen creativity for present times The irony.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/23/in-1970-driven-by-chaos-and-energy-we-felt-like-pioneers-in-female-protest

Disaster

They couldn’t seem to decide whether they had asked Selina, or whether she had asked them, if she could speak.
I couldn’t take her seriously, getting irate that people didn’t understand ‘we didn’t say she couldn’t speak, we merely asked her if she wouldn’t and her male colleague would instead’
Rightio

Yes it is Helen Rogers.
Thanks pombear.

The historian is Dr Helen Rogers. She is on twitter as @helenrogers19c. She keeps up with how many academics are out as GC, and is very knowledgeable about the situation in universities, re free speech and feminism.

I think the marvellous Historian at the back might be Dr Helen Rogers from Liverpool John Moore University?

twitter.com/helenrogers19c