Pride in Surrey takes on PCC

I can't stand Stonewall in its current incarnation but must mention that they actually do seem to fund, or certainly manage referrals to, a specialist trans refuge in London. Which is fantastic and just the work they should be doing.

yes I'm sure Stonewall can stretch to sorting that out.

No, no, no. Stonewall doesn't do things to benefit LGBT people any more they are focussed on correcting what others think.

All those staff and all that money are needed because so many people don't seem to understand that Stonewall is right and they are doubleplusungood.

Police & Crime Commissioners are the big elected bosses, and I'm not saying I'm a fan of the system but that's how it is.

Excuse the wiki quote but I'm tired. Anyway,

Police and crime commissioners are also responsible for the appointment, suspension and dismissal of the Chief Constable, although the 2011 Policing Protocol Order states that the PCC "must not fetter the operational independence of the police force and the Chief Constable who leads it"

So a PCC can't interfere with armed police operations, say, to take out a bunch of drug dealing freemasons; but s/he could 'lose confidence' in a captured Chief Constable and that would be curtains.

https://twitter.com/lisaa_townsend/status/1445697910050410513?s=21

A woman on Twitter the other day said something about a man telling her he went for late night walks by a canal, to clear his head, and how she could never expect to do safely.

God that is so badly written - Head of Communications, you say, really?

The meeting did not go well.
Well I'm sure Lisa thought it was a delight to meet Surrey Pride after revised threats of re-education "by force".

It's not "from the offset", it's "from the off", or "from the beginning". Offsetting is not that.

"however these refuges would be for both trans women and trans men" says you. A women's refuge spoke up for Lisa directly in response to the pile on after her Mail on Sunday interview.

"We asked her if she would be prepared to take our advice on her use of language"
Did she say no? Does that make you sad?

"stated that she had run her words
past a police officer who had assured her that her language was appropriate"
I strongly suspect she consulted with a colleague rather than 'run' her words past anyone.

"to lobby for Lisa Townsends removal
from office"
Do they know how elections work?

"At Pride in Surrey, our core mission is to Celebrate, Educate and Connect the LGBTQI+ community. Connect with
us now to educate those who feel that the equality act doesn't apply to them and let us celebrate when we
achieve our aim of removing those involved in hate speech from positions of power."

Lots of 'educate' and 'celebrate' - which is unsurprising as Ireland is a Patron Educate and Celebrate (alongside Peter Tachell, just saying) that org that goes into schools to tell kids that love has no age.

Maybe I'm being picky about the language, but given their last statement was a veiled threat and this is to form an 'action' group you wonder what sort of action they will take when they don't get what they want.

It's been around for a while now but this interpretation of the redesigned "inclusive" Pride flag is amusing and spot on:

twitter.com/LouiseWluddite/status/1400866710983426049

I voted for Lisa just before I moved up north from Surrey. I had emailed her and the other PCC candidates about my concerns around women’s prisons, refuges, etc.

She said she had been inundated with women contacting her about these issues and she felt it was an incredibly important issue because Surrey women had told her it was important to them.

One candidate never replied at all and the other said he was on the fence about crimes committed by transwomen being recorded as being committed by women.

So, for the first time in my life, I voted for the Conservative candidate. I really hope Lisa can hold her nerve.

“From the offset, Ms Townsend asserted that we would not change her mind and she fully believed that "male bodied people" are not women and that the use of women's refuges should be for people who were born women.*
Ms Townsend went on to assert that she "believes in sex, not gender“

They don't realise how utterly pathetic and sinister they come across to anyone not off their tits on Kool Aid, do they?

''This woman won't stop acknowledging reality, so we're going to get her dealt with.''

And these people are supposed to be actual grown ups. God fucking help us

I mean how is this a controversial view? It's just not. It's reality.

Och these wee grifters just need to be told to do one

By the adults

It's proper through the looking glass stuff.

Let us celebrate when we achieve our aim of removing those involved in hate speech from positions of power.

FFS the last line of that is so sinister. They are really showing their true colours here. 'Hate speech' of course being anyone who doesn't agree with them.

What the hell happened to Pride?

From what I can see if the published stuff on the Chief Constable Gavin Stephenson, there's nothing suggesting he's been captured by the woo.

And Lisa Townsend is of course his boss, not the other way round.

*Who

Why the hell do these people think they are?

The Surrey police officers involved and Surrey Pride know damn well how to apply for 3rd space funding but they can't be arsed, and they've blocked most if not all of the female experts who would give them copious free advice and references.

What does it mean "educate those who think the equalities act doesn't apply to them"? Single sex exemption is lawful under the equalities act.

I love the bit about 'finding the budget for refuges for trans people'
So, that's what women did, right? we needed refuges and so we went to the police and said, 'right, you're going to find the budget for us, yes?'

If they are honestly trying to say 'the use of women's refuges should be for people who were born women' is a 'controversial' view, then I think Pride in Surrey needs to get out of their bubble and talk to people.

Controversial views? Is it, though?

I saw Lisa has been doing something today about Canal Watch - there's a massive problem with men indecently exposing themselves to women and girls on a canal in Surrey. You know, actual violence.

Lol Lisa said no

They can’t belive a woman said no to them and to their drama