I think this is an important read for feminists, transgender individuals and politicians, as well as ordinary folk trying to get their heads around trans issues. It highlights some of the dark underpinnings of the hard trans movement, it’s influences on politicians and the nasty forces that have shut down debate and cancelled those who have concerns on the impact of self identified gender on women’s equality and safe spaces. The standing ovation for Beth in Holyrood in December is worth a watch.

It's completely understandable that this has stirred everything up.

If it helps, I think the 'most dangerous time' is usually the immediate aftermath.

But there's always emotional support here, and yes, if Victim Support aren't able to help themselves they also signpost to other sources.

I expect that a certain amount of lingering alertness is something that survivors often carry. But perhaps worth reassuring yourself of what you've built, all the distance you've covered since then, and who there is around you to support and help and protect you. That includes family, friends, the police, other services, women here. Take heart.

I hadn’t considered victim support no. Thank you, I’ll look into them.

I would report if I knew that the system would help but I know so many survivors who have been burned from reporting. I also know that often the most dangerous time for a survivor is after they leave. I have also built a life without this hanging over me and I’m scared it will ruin the solace I have created for myself.

Much to think about.

I'm wondering if Victim Support has a way of having someone support you if you choose to take that route.

@thecaseofthepurplecushion

I don't want to make you feel pressured to report the abuse, it is 100% your choice. I just want to say that a close friend reported her rape 10 years later (I gave a statement to the police) and although nothing came of it in terms of charging him, I know it really helped her achieve the closure she needed to move on. I have never reported mine though because I have never wanted to, so I would never judge what individual women need to do.

I would never try to force someone to do anything they didn't want to, but it'd you are thinking off wether to give a police statement or not here's my thoughts

I know you don't want to....But...maybe look at this as the universes way of saying this isn't going away so you might as well deal with it.

I spent decades lying awake at night going over everything. Then one day got up got dressed and walked into the police station. I'm not sure what was so different about that day, but I'd just had enough.

Through no fault of your own this has come crashing back into your life. So as the saying goes "there's no time like the present". Maybe consider that if you are ever thinking about getting it officially on the record to the Police it might as well be now. You even have a perfectly good reason to the inevitable question of why report now? To which your answer is because I've got no bloody choice I've been outed.

Id use the anger and the stress and worry this has brought to the surface and go talk to the police and give a statement. Then it's done, and what will be will be. Then you can start married life knowingyou've done what you can about the traumatic bit in your youth.

Boiled x

💐

Have you considered Victim Support, purple? They ought to be able to suggest options for you.

www.victimsupport.org.uk/

Police can’t help as I didn’t report the abuse at the time. I have now been put in a position where I may have to go through the lengthly reporting process (which may not come to anything), and retraumatise myself because this guy has decided to name me. MN knows how horrible the process is to report.

I never wanted this. It took me so long to rebuild my life. I really hope the voices of people here can convince him to take me out but I am losing hope.

Yes, tunnocks.

There is a wealth of information available via women here, who have long memories, that we are largely happy to share. But that depends on trusting the person disseminating it.

I tell you what is frustrating - the other author of this piece is Glinner who was also abused online and also got a great deal of support, and continues to get emotional and financial support, from the women on here.

it is not unreasonable to redact the name of a person who possible is impacted by your article, Rev

you are assuming none of us have noticed the lacks in the article. I know there is more, and darker stuff about this sorry affair and I expect many of us are reading this also do. If you want leads or corroboration you should realise that MN is where women with info about the nasty stuff at Holyrood all land up.

you two both need the help of the women hereGlinner, frankly, you owe us. Take her details out the article, it would be the compassionate thing to do ans on here compassion is currency.

I would like to say a big thank you to Rev Campbell for an interesting and thoroughly researched article. It’s hugely important to be shining a light on these issues.

Yep. The Scottish Greens are the DUP of the Scottish Parliament, but instead of a billion for Northern Ireland they got backing for their batshit rainbow washing reforms plus a ragbag of generally useless "green" initiatives.

To be fair, the Scottish Parliament was set up to require this sort of deal making, but the defacto 2 issue independence/union split has messed everything up.

That plus Labour and Libdems also being convinced this is the way to win hearts and minds.

Scottish politics doesn't seem to have much of a talent pool to draw from tbh.

Very good questions. That so many politicians are intertwined with such seedy groups with power to influence policy making.

@FactsAreNotMean the fact is, I didn't consent to be in the article. Those tweets (and the twitter) were deleted last year. I had no idea about the crowdfunder or it's whereabouts.

There is personal, private information about me online where I did not want it, containing two of the most traumatic moments of my life: a highly abusive relationship, and a really terrible miscarriage. As the person that holds those experiences and trauma, it is up to me if they end up in an article. Not him, me. Because it's my life, and I'm not a pawn or to be used.

The politicians have fallen for it.

I believe that the snp in particular have done deals with the Scottish greens or something.

Why are these people all in such positions that they are some kind of politician whisperers who are taken seriously when well established women from all over the world are reduced to "hysterics" and "hateful"?

Personally I think some of it is about power play. Abusers love power.

Validation.

We all know how much money is in the charity sector for this; political head pats means it keeps flowing.

I know many lefties in education who lambast the tories while profiting from the self run business they set up under the tories that provides training to schools (which the LA used to do).

There's also a steady flow of similar types in the RSE and charity sector.

They need the government and it sounds like they particularly have had gov funding for trans related things for some time in Scotland.

That isn't how anything online works though; you only have to see how often threads are lifted from here. Once it's online it's out there, and it's out there for anyone to see, copy and use. And based on what both sides are saying (on here) it is perfectly possible that RSC did try to contact purple.

But ignoring that, I am not seeing how anonymising it at this point would make a meaningful difference. It may make purple feel less vulnerable, but unless the entire section was removed it would not actually reduce the risk as anyone remotely inclined to could link the names. Any risk reduction would be an illusion.

@OneMorePlant as someone who was once in that world, tbh there wasn't really any money! Just very very very loud voices.

Those are all really good questions and I think it would be great that after 8 pages we could finally discus this.

Why are these people all in such positions that they are some kind of politician whisperers who are taken seriously when well established women from all over the world are reduced to "hysterics" and "hateful"?

Surely there is money behind this? From where?

His personal history as an abusive man is incredibly relevant in this context, and it's hard to give that history without proof

Using a survivor to provide 'proof' without their full and free consent is creating further trauma. It may even put that person at risk. It's unacceptable.

I do get that but I also get how it's re traumatising to know your image etc is there for all to peer at.

This is horrible and I can actually see both sides. I understand the fear this has caused. But we've all seen how the TRAs behave - you definitely need "receipts" when dealing with anything related to them and the screenshots which have been included in the article are a very important part of the history; Beth is a man who has personally abused women in the worst way possible and yet has been instrumental in securing a law change which will make it incredibly easy for abusive men to gain access to vulnerable women.

His personal history as an abusive man is incredibly relevant in this context, and it's hard to give that history without proof. And RSC is right, just removing the name wouldn't help because those who are twisted enough to want to harrass purplecushion would just google key phrases and find her name anyway, and removing the name wouldn't make it anon from Beth, who obviously knows who it is.

Has any information been given which Beth wouldn't have already known?

They truly don't get it. And i am so sick of all the live action proof of this that these men are happy to show us over the past few days if the objective they want enhances them or their standing in some way.I

The article writer @RevStuartCampbell if he refuses to change his article is no better than that Arsehole man Beth he writes about, that man with the decapitate Terfs sign and fucking Lloyd Russell moyles.

They really don't. There are literal photos in that article of my abuser holding weapons and he still won't anon me?! If Beth has the gall to post it on a very public social media account then I am terrified of what Beth may be capable of now.

Unfortunately this behaviour by Wings over Scotland just solidifies the idea of men being tone deaf to actual women's issues. The threats by these people are potentially really fucking dangerous and I'm so fucking angry that this still hasn't been rectified.

Men just don't get it.