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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Green Party Women coup

188 replies

GreenPartyWoman · 27/06/2021 16:27

The Green Party Women's party was co-chaired by a transwoman Kathryn Bristow (fae/fae) and a woman Emma Bateman. Emma has been suspended for alleged transphobia.

Kathryn has now taken over, calling themselves the Chair and removing the rights of women to organise and discuss women's matters on the Green Party forum. Kathryn has gone so far as to delete all previous posts.

Their statement:
"Over the last week I have tried to find a way to moderate this space in compliance with the Equality Act. Unfortunately I can't see a way of doing this that the 100 or so users of this space would be happy with and that wouldn't take a lot of my or someone else's time. While we have to look after the interests of 10,000’s Green Party members.
So sadly I have had to lock the ability of uses to post and comment on this space. I've also deleted all recent posts on the space by users, to ensure that we are complaint with the law in a way that makes no judgement on any one post.
I have to bring it up with the rest of the committee but my feeling is that is space will become a one way commutation tool from the committee to the membership.
More updates will be made soon.

Kathryn Bristow, Chair of Green Party Women"

I don't even know where to go with this, except that this seems to be almost like a totalitarian coup.

OP posts:
Bluowl · 30/06/2021 21:50

Best of luck Emma, the law is clearly on your side so it seems very odd you are still suspended. If you wanted to take legal action sure many would support a crowd funder. I would.

Manderleyagain · 30/06/2021 20:59

Thanks for posting. Good luck with whatever is going on behind the scenes. I hope the party can be reclaimed from the loons.

littlbrowndog · 30/06/2021 20:56

Am a natural Green Party voter

But they can fuck of to the far side of fuck and then a bit more

So,disappointing. Same in Scotland. Green. Party gone rancid 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😂

littlbrowndog · 30/06/2021 20:54

Emma 💪💪💪🙌🏽

TabbyStar · 30/06/2021 20:46

The complaint against me was brought by two green party women committee members, who have both done exactly what they said they were going to do, which was to take green party women in a new direction. I might suggest that direction is downhill, but I am sure others would have a different opinion (if there was anywhere left for members to voice that opinion, of course).

Grin at your turn of phrase, though obviously Angry at what's going on.

LadyBonnibel · 30/06/2021 18:52

Thanks for posting Emma! Great to hear you’re hanging in there. Watching for developments Flowers

Needmoresleep · 30/06/2021 18:51

Best wishes Emma. You have more patience, optimism and determination than me.

I can't see the GP regaining its (important) focus any time soon. If you and others give up and decide to form a single issue breakaway party, do let us know.

OldTurtleNewShell · 30/06/2021 18:19

Big lol at the idea that women wanting freedom of speech in a political party is totalitarian.
I guess we're redefining the meaning of that too 😆

letterem · 30/06/2021 18:17

Hi ,
I have just seen this thread from Facebook, and thought I would say thanks for the support from commenters.
I am still suspended from the green party, and the complaint against me for asking 'are trans women female?' is yet to be heard, and won't be heard until at least the end of July.

I know some people cannot understand why I, and other women , would stay in the green party and put up with this nonsense, but I am an environmentalist. Climate change is as real as sexual dimorphism, and it needs addressing urgently. There is no other party talking about climate change enough, and I absolutely refuse to let a bunch of arrogant misogynists and women who would sell their grandmothers for a pat on the head from any Tim, Dick or Harry (because they have so little idea of the true value of grandmothers), destroy the party.

The complaint against me was brought by two green party women committee members, who have both done exactly what they said they were going to do, which was to take green party women in a new direction. I might suggest that direction is downhill, but I am sure others would have a different opinion (if there was anywhere left for members to voice that opinion, of course).

I am prevented from using the members space, though it appears now there is little point in using it anyway, as green party women members have been barred from commenting or posting in their own space, but I (and many others) are entirely unsurprised at the recent turn of events.
To launch one young man with a penchant for silencing women into the sacred untouchable caste may be regarded as a misfortune. To do it twice looks like carelessness.

Anyhow, I just thought I would say that much to the disappointment of some , I am still Rowling,Rowling, Rowling (but not rolling over), however, it would be unwise for me to comment further on what is happening to green party women, as no doubt the likes of Dick Filth and his ilk are lurking here ready to report unruly green sisters at the drop of a bonnet.

Emma (still co-chair of green party women despite rumours to the contrary).

Lysistra65 · 30/06/2021 18:06

@PumpkinSpiceWoman

Riiiiiiight. So the transphobes setting up their own little space isn't equally totalitarian?
So women are censored from all their spaces by a male & you say women making an alternative space is 'totalitarian'? So basically women should not have their own space with freedom to talk about their own sex based issues without a male in control? 'Under his eye'. We are 52% of the population mate & we give birth to everyone. We will win back the Green Party, Labour & Liberal parties back. We are the majority.
NiceGerbil · 29/06/2021 23:45

Well no you don't have to join.

It's the same story all over the place.

Anything that gets noticed as female only has to be targeted, have the right sort of woman running it, and then dissenting voices removed.

Women all over the place are being told the best woman to run things is one of the better type, and the focus will be changed to things that proper women are interested in. And if you don't like it you can fuck off.

And it's widespread and the press etc say yay how progressive!

WarriorN · 29/06/2021 20:47

The thing is Gerbil, tautological semantics aside, I don't think you have to join the women's group?

If so, there's a few significant reasons I can think of as to why an individual such as KB would firstly join the group and secondly run for chair. And then oust the Co-Chair. And then close the forum.

Those are choices they didn't have to take.

NiceGerbil · 29/06/2021 20:25

'So you endorse "GC" women banning normal women from their space?'

This is fascinating.

So many ideas involved that I don't know if the poster even realised they were stating.

'Gender critical' when used in this way means

Knowing the difference between male and female humans and understanding what those things mean for the different sexes. From sex organs and reproductive function to average differences in strength and size to propensity to violence, sex offending, and onto the sex roles applied sand enforced all over the world, sometimes/ often with massive detriment.

That it is something 99.99999% of the world knows and understands.

99.99999% of the world's population is gender critical. AKA knows that humans come in two sexes and what that means.

Ok.

So next.

Normal women. Normal women are those who don't think that male and female sexes exist etc what I just said.

So.

99.99999% of the world's female people are not 'normal women'.

Normal women are those who think sex is irrelevant in the world.

My 99.9999% is a guess obviously. Think about the world. The mainstream religions. The patriarchal regimes. The wars. The rape. The death in childbirth. The child marriages. Abortion laws. 'Honour' crime. Laws restricting how women dress. Laws that mean prison or potentially execution for homosexuality. And on and on.

I think it's going to be 99.99999%ish. Of not just women but everyone.

OK.

So women who understand that sex makes a massive difference. Are not normal.

Those who think it's irrelevant. Are normal.

Got that thanks.

Next up.

Normal women (those who don't think that sex is relevant and therefore presumably don't think the massive and varied oppression of adult and juvenile female humans around the world is anything to do with them being female) are right to shut down any groups or conversations etc that they are able to. Because those vagina people all over the world, that's 4 billion give or take. Are not normal. The 99.99999% of those vagina people who know that sex matters and is a massive thing in their lives usually to huge detriment.

Ok got that.

And then. There are trans groups to fight for trans things. I haven't seen anyone saying that is not ok. Well not among women anyway. Women understand that trans people and homosexual people and bi people and also homeless people and black people and people who don't have English as a first language and yes even men and boys around issues that affect them, can and should have places to discuss their issues, and organise to work for change if needed. It's good. I'm all for it.

I've never heard a woman get angry about movember, groups for widowed men, testticular Cancer surgery support groups, gay gyms, those raising suicide rates or knife crime.

It's really good that men are getting together around the issues that matter to them. Due to their sex and the position in society that comes from that.

Do you think those things are bad too?

If not. Why not? Interested to hear.

Trans issues are not the same as women's issues.

You say that trans issues should be the focus in women's groups and also in trans groups. And that's the right thing as any women who want to talk about things to do with our biology etc are not 'normal'.

I hear what you're saying.

But it seems. Well. Is that what you really think? That pretty much all of the 4 billion vagina juveniles and adults are not 'normal' and have no reason to want or need or even think of having groups to talk about their wide ranging oppression etc?

CuriousaboutSamphire · 29/06/2021 20:01

@PumpkinSpiceWoman

So you endorse "GC" women banning normal women from their space?
What does that mean?

Women have been told they cannot use an online space. It wasn't a GC or 'normal" woman who told them to stop posting.

Logic...

Keepemguessing · 29/06/2021 19:53

@PumpkinSpiceWoman

So you endorse "GC" women banning normal women from their space?
Are you saying that gender critical views are abnormal?
NiceGerbil · 29/06/2021 19:45

If they were banned how come this has happened?

TheWeeDonkey · 29/06/2021 18:43

@PumpkinSpiceWoman

So you endorse "GC" women banning normal women from their space?
Huh?

Can you rephrase that in words that make sense?

Waitwhat23 · 29/06/2021 18:40

@PumpkinSpiceWoman

So you endorse "GC" women banning normal women from their space?
What does this even mean?

And 'normal'? Really? Away from the bubble of Twitter, university safe spaces etc, the general public, on the whole, have very 'GC' views. They may not currently know about the issues but all the sunlight is helping and people are starting to question the authoritarian hold gender ideologists have enjoyed so far. The current fall of Stonewall is a perfect example of this. The tide is turning.

Needmoresleep · 29/06/2021 18:34

Ehhh?

I thought it was GC women who had been banished from the GP Forum.

It would be the ultimate DARVO for KB and allies to play victim, surely?

PumpkinSpiceWoman · 29/06/2021 18:28

So you endorse "GC" women banning normal women from their space?

TabbyStar · 29/06/2021 17:59

I don't think there is a book club now, another thing that's gone with the new committee. Maybe waiting for Invisible Non-men to come out....

thatdinothing · 29/06/2021 17:04

I loved the fact that the first book the GP womens book club read after KB's appointment was Invisible Women.

Black humour.

Needmoresleep · 29/06/2021 16:31

I get the feeling that KB is primarily interested in engaging trans and queer women. A pity as many women are likely to feel that they are invisible, even unwanted, within the GP.

Exclusionary, rather than inclusive.

It also feels as if the GP is primarily interested in Young Greens rather than older people.

Equality seems to mean ensuring that some people are more equal than others.

Congressdingo · 29/06/2021 15:19

@PumpkinSpiceWoman

Riiiiiiight. So the transphobes setting up their own little space isn't equally totalitarian?
Linky please?, gotta be better than here where we still have to walk on eggshells last we say one wrong word and are deleted.
TabbyStar · 29/06/2021 13:10

It's in the GP membership site VolumniaBrown