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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Key things to say to a head of inclusion sponsor

105 replies

Thethingswedoforlove · 20/11/2022 04:30

Was out for dinner this evening with some friends. Turns out one of them (husband of my childhood friend) runs the dei network for a big U.K. firm. He is very senior there. They are a gay couple so they understand the perspective of facing discrimination etc. I asked whether the firm was linked to stonewall. Big yes. I said I thought they are toxic. And that I would like to separately talk to him to make him aware of how some women would definitely be feeling at his work but would be too scared to say openly. He called me a terf, said that the risks are overstated and that because he has a trans woman helping him lead the network that was already covered. I explained that she didn’t understand in the same way that I could explain as she isn’t a woman in the same way that I am a woman and he just totally dismissed me. His husband (my friend) was trying to broke the peace and suggest we had a conversation offline over lunch or something. I explained the legal risk I’m not following the equality act 2010 and that I would be happy to chat. I won’t follow it up but if he does, what can I possibly say to him? I said he is male and therefore doesn’t have a reason to get what I am trying to say and he asked me not to exclude him. Is it utterly pointless trying to chat to him?

OP posts:
frazzledali · 20/11/2022 06:04

Thethingswedoforlove · 20/11/2022 04:30

Was out for dinner this evening with some friends. Turns out one of them (husband of my childhood friend) runs the dei network for a big U.K. firm. He is very senior there. They are a gay couple so they understand the perspective of facing discrimination etc. I asked whether the firm was linked to stonewall. Big yes. I said I thought they are toxic. And that I would like to separately talk to him to make him aware of how some women would definitely be feeling at his work but would be too scared to say openly. He called me a terf, said that the risks are overstated and that because he has a trans woman helping him lead the network that was already covered. I explained that she didn’t understand in the same way that I could explain as she isn’t a woman in the same way that I am a woman and he just totally dismissed me. His husband (my friend) was trying to broke the peace and suggest we had a conversation offline over lunch or something. I explained the legal risk I’m not following the equality act 2010 and that I would be happy to chat. I won’t follow it up but if he does, what can I possibly say to him? I said he is male and therefore doesn’t have a reason to get what I am trying to say and he asked me not to exclude him. Is it utterly pointless trying to chat to him?

He sounds great. Such a relief to hear people like this are out there and not afraid to stand up to the tiny minds.

ShamedBySiri · 20/11/2022 06:02

As a gay couple I assume they are same sex attracted. What does he have to say about gay men being expected to include trans identified women in their dating pool?

PriOn1 · 20/11/2022 06:01

If he called you a terf, it doesn’t sound like he’s likely to listen to you. In addition, it sounds like you tried to engage on how women would be feeling and he immediately dismissed the idea that how women feel matters and moved onto the “risk being overstated” so very dismissive of women’s opinions and feelings in general, from the sound of it.

Have you spoken to your friend about it in the aftermath? I’d be interested to know what he thinks. He’s more likely perhaps, to listen, if he sees you as generally a reasonable person.

TastefulRainbowUnicorn · 20/11/2022 05:56

He called me a terf, said that the risks are overstated and that because he has a trans woman helping him lead the network that was already covered.

Wow. What a piece of shit he is. Just fucking wow. I definitely can’t advise you on what to say to him, just want to commend you for making the effort. What an awful, awful man.

Thethingswedoforlove · 20/11/2022 04:31

Typos: broker the peace and the risks of not following (I am trying to get firms to follow the equality act!)

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