Anti-FGM campaigner Hibo Wardere comes under attack

@sceptcaltank I am using “gender critical feminist” or “ GC feminist” because it’s an accepted neutral term. The issue isn’t the label, it’s the views. I am more than happy to use any neutral term acceptable to posters here which describes the position of feminists who do not think trans men are men.

And good for you for donating a large sum to the orchid project. After this thread and despite all the argy bargy, that's really kind.

I did my best to do that, I always do, because even while I don't agree, I at least want to understand what's going on.

If you do that you will see as I did that the vast amount of criticism references trans women. Trans women are women. Some girls have penises etc.

There are a few who suggest things like women and trans men. One suggests she use cis women. These two suggestions don't actually work with the definitions of these terms that I understand them to mean. But anyway.

The vast vast majority of criticism is that using the terms girls/ women, and associating them with female biology (the bits that are cut), denies that trans women are women.

This is in line with what happens in general. Anything which connects the words woman/girl (and increasingly female) with any part of our sexual or reproductive biology is attacked massively.

This is not seen nearly so much with things which connect the words boy/men (male) with male sexual or reproductive biology.

In this case, logically the groups who you could say are excluded are trans men and boys. (And non binary females I assume. Agender females as well. Etc). This is what you have been saying.

If you look at the Twitter thread though that is not what the vast majority of criticism is about.

It would be really interesting if you looked at it and said what you think about that.

You are an individual with your own views- I for one don't see you as a sort of faceless aspect of a homogenous group (that I tend to disagree with).

Trans women aren’t affected by FGM, so including them specifically is pointless.

'Almost all the signal boosting of the ill-advised transgender people who have commented to or about Wardere comes from GC feminists complaining about it.'

And that's bad why?

More people will hear about her work.
More people will think wow these people criticising are areseholes.

I don't get the comment at all.

To repeatedly apply that label to women as it is now the slur label du jour.

It has become the replacement for the t**f word.

Everyone has to be labelled. A disallowed "thinking" associated with the label set out. "GC feminists are "transphobic". Its sad to be "GC feminist" as you are "obsessed".

Labelling theory is a theory in sociology which ascribes labelling of people to control and identification of deviant behaviour.

In context of argumentation and debate, labelling a debater or position is often (whether consciously or unconsciously) used as a "red herring" to divert or dismiss the argument, instead of valid argumentation. Often in the form of ad hominem association fallacy aiming at accrediting or discrediting the argument or the debater by associating them with an emotionally charged label.

I'm at a loss to understand why detractors of Hibo Wardare's vital and inspirational work are being afforded any sort of attention.

You're quite right, of course R0. I guess sometimes my outrage has to have a more confrontational outlet.

It's either that or drink!

So on your wise advice, and for the time being, 🥂cheers.

May I just point out that I bumped this thread to sing the praises give a product review of a t-shirt and to let people know she was going to rerun the campaign in the future?

I didn't really expect the thread to go down this track.

But why would you include transwomen when it's transmen who would have been at risk as a child of FGM, given that it only is inflicted on vulva & clitorises?

Why were Transwomen even brought into this?

Far better to 'signal boost' and discuss Hibo Wardere's work.

Fillia podcast
#116 Hibo Wardere: One Woman's Fight Against FGM

"As a six-year-old child in Somalia, Hibo Wardere was subject to the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia. FGM is a violation of a girl’s human rights that enforces sex inequality and it is estimated that more than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone the practice.

While the FGM is concentrated in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, FGM isn't just a problem overseas: the issue is a global one. In the UK performing FGM has been illegal since 1985, and in 2003 (2005 in Scotland) it became an offence to arrange FGM outside the country for British citizens or residents. The prevalence of FGM in England and Wale is estimated to be around 137,000 women and girls.

Hibo introduces her memoir detailing her life in Somalia and the UK and sheds light on this practice, that's still being carried out in the 21st century."

December, 2020

filia.org.uk/latest-news/2020/11/27/hibo-wardere-one-womans-fight-against-fgm

Almost all the signal boosting of the ill-advised transgender people who have commented to or about Wardere comes from GC feminists complaining about it.

I'm at a loss to understand why detractors of Hibo Wardare's vital and inspirational work are being afforded any sort of attention.

I suppose when they chase mentions of her around the internet in order to school any women they find talking about her on her unacceptable "phobias" of people that have nothing to do with her work and don't come to mind when she is working, then we are going to be forced to comment on just how weird this behaviour is.

I'm at a loss to understand why detractors of Hibo Wardare's vital and inspirational work are being afforded any sort of attention.

A Woman's Place is breaking ground (Norwich 25th February 2019) Hibo Wardere

As ever, it was all about the transwomen!

She never ever thought about transmen, and it had to be pointed out to her that they existed!

That was the one who said Hibo should call it violence against "cis women and girls".

People pointed out that transboys had clitorises too and her proposed wording would exclude them, and she said, oh good point.

Got it.

I'm not on Twitter, but a quick search showed me this tweet, which is what I thought everyone was talking about.

Nora Imlau
@planet_eltern
·
19 Feb
The problem is not that she's centering women in her work and words. The problem is that she excludes trans women from it. 'I'm a woman. Get over it.' is what trans women say too. If everyone accepted that trans women are women just like cis women, no one would take issue.

February 6th 2021 event held to mark the International Day of zero tolerance for female genital mutilation

UN
"Together, we can eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030. Doing so will have a positive ripple effect on the health, education and economic advancement of girls and women."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres

'Ending Female Genital Mutilation by 2030'
(extract)
"Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights, the health and the integrity of girls and women.

Girls who undergo female genital mutilation face short-term complications such as severe pain, shock, excessive bleeding, infections, and difficulty in passing urine, as well as long-term consequences for their sexual and reproductive health and mental health.

Although primarily concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, female genital mutilation is a universal problem and is also practiced in some countries in Asia and Latin America. Female genital mutilation continues to persist amongst immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively and disproportionately affected girls and women, resulting in a shadow pandemic disrupting SDG target 5.3 on the elimination of all harmful practices including, female genital mutilation. UNFPA estimates additional 2 million girls projected to be at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation by 2030. In response to this disruption, the United Nations, through its UNFPA-UNICEF joint programme, has been adapting interventions that ensure the integration of female genital mutilation in humanitarian and post-crisis response.

To promote the elimination of female genital mutilation, coordinated and systematic efforts are needed, and they must engage whole communities and focus on human rights, gender equality, sexual education and attention to the needs of women and girls who suffer from its consequences." (continues)
www.un.org/en/observances/female-genital-mutilation-day

DadJoke may want to rethink- note he was prepared to donate if she changed her language.

Thank you for that @R0wantrees
I bought 'Cut' as a way of supporting Hibo as well. It's next on my list of books to read.

Hibo Wardere is an Orchid Project fellow

www.orchidproject.org/about-us/

February 6th 2021 event held to mark the International Day of zero tolerance for female genital mutilation

with Saiba Salam
Dawn French
Hibo Wardere
RosieNixon
Julia Lalla- Maharajh (founder of the Orchid Project )

"This is about women and girls. We are mothers, sisters, daughter and we are that for our whole world. We've learned how small our world is and this is our job to reach out to hold the hands of those little under five-year-old girls who may not have their own voice."