...to be baffled, sad and angry that Paris Lees is speaking at the Women's March tomorrow?

[ArcheryAnnie]

So, Paris Lees has been invited to address the "Time's Up" rally opposite Downing Street tomorrow, organised by the Women's March London. The "Time's Up" initiative "provides advice and support to women across all industries who have experienced sexual harassment or abuse at work."

But wait! Paris Lees is in favour of street harrassment of women, and writes articles in places like Vice, making sure lots of men know that catcalls are cool and sexy, and making sure lots of women know they have been "infantilised", and aren't nearly as brave as cool, sexy Paris, if they don't like it.

www.vice.com/sv/article/zn7b79/enjoying-catcalls-paris-lees-column

AIBU to be absolutely baffled, as well as sad and angry, that Paris Lees has been asked to speak for women at an event opposing sexual harrassment?

This is kind of my problem with the debate around street attention. It’s part of a culture that infantilises women and teaches them to be constantly afraid. I wasn’t brought up that way and I don’t feel frightened when some spunky dude comes and talks to me. I hate this idea that all men are rapists-in-waiting and that all women are victims-in-waiting. It’s patronising and doesn’t help anyone.

He wasn’t brought up that way because he was brought up as a fucking man! And that’s how he still thinks!!!

And i’m Deliberately keeping male pronouns because Paris lees deliberately thinks like a man.

Ffs. Depressing as hell.

The event organisers should be fucking ashamed. Was there no WOMAN they could have asked to speak?

However, the Time’s Up rally in London on Sunday will not focus solely on sexual harassment and abuse. According to the event organisers, protesters will be marching against a wide range of issues including gender-based violence, sexual harassment and abuse; Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, transphobia, homophobia and ableism; the gender pay gap; underfunding for domestic violence services; menstrual poverty and climate change denial.

Other speakers at the rally will include Women’s Equality Party leader Sophie Walker, comedian Ava Vidal and Marchu Girma of Women for Refugee Women.

So given the above, it is not surprising a transwoman has been invited to speak - if transphobia is also on the remit - such a person would be talking on transwomen's behalf, not mine, about their own experience
which won't be mine. Same as a muslim speaking about islamophobia would not be representing me personally.
Nonetheless it still should not be Paris Lees.

HangingRoundInABofAlorsStance

I don't disagree with anything in your post.

Perhaps Lees won't dare try anything on that will piss off women. Let's hope not.

It makes no sense at all to ask Paris Lees to speak out against sexual harassment. I have never understood why Paris gets invited to speak at feminist events, since Paris seems pretty anti feminist in the views expressed.

Where was the 'trans thread' warning. It's so much easier to ignore the repetitive echo chamber when we know.

I feel tricked.

Oh, and I don't care who speaks. Are there going to be marchers saying cunt a lot and dressing up like vaginas?

YANBU. The women’s march has been completely hijacked by the trans movement. Some of them have banned pink pussy hats for being transphobic. There’s a trans dominatrix speaking at one in Canada. Janet Mock, the transwoman who described women as ‘fish’ spoke at one last year. They don’t represent me.

Not at all surprised a sex obsessed misogynyist male like Lees has been invited to speak. How he represents women, I do not know. But this is becoming the new normal. Women aren’t allowed anything for themselves any more.

Can't have a women's march without a male dominance display, eh?

Nope. There is literally nothing that’s for women these days that transwomen haven’t invaded. Nothing.

That certainly is a wide range of issues. So wide as to render a march a little... dare one say, pointless? Not to say they're not all worthy causes and all that, but you might as well just go there with a banner saying "Down with this sort of thing" and let it all mean whatever you want it to.

Are there going to be marchers saying cunt a lot and dressing up like vaginas?

Let's hope so. Thanks for the suggestion.

From that 'article';

Nichi Hodgson, author of Bound to You, Men's Health sex columnist and director of the Ethical Porn Partnership, says there’s a certain kind of middle-class woman that finds catcalls particularly galling: “There’s a sense of being sullied if an uncouth or lower-class kind of man – a white van man, for example – heckles. But if it's a Roger Sterling type who can just about pull it off with a certain retro-sexist panache, the offence isn't experienced the same.”

So objecting to the harassment culture is frigid snobbery in Paris' worldview?

Okay then

Battleax

It's a very male misconception, in my experience.

It's not harassment if the person is good looking.

Which, unsurprisingly, entirely misses the point.

It's not harrassment if you welcome the advance.

Which could be based on looks, charm, humour. Any number of differentials.

What's really cynical about this is it assumes that a good looking man can't harass. Which is patently, manipulatively, absolute bollocks.

That being good looking gives you a pass for being a cunt.

It's so male centric to place such pivotal importance on what someone looks like.

Part and parcel of the harassers' come back of I wouldn't rape you, you're too ugly.

Absolutely clueless.

Yes, and it reeks to high heaven of autogynophilia.

And at the same time it's all put across with such masculine aggression. Paris says so. Paris is right. Paris is a woman. Argue if you dare.

Her latest tweet talks about trans women and women of colour... oh and other women. So as a white female, I'm last on the list am I? This march sounds utter crap. It should be about Times Up campaign. Not about trans issues.

I hate hate hate that men/trans women are allowed to speak on behalf of women. It's not on. It's almost laughable it's so bad.

I hope in 50 years time we look back at this period in time as a mistake. And things go back to normal. I'm starting to think I'm living in a nightmare! It's all about the monorities. You cannot say anything anymore without someone being offended. Paris does not speak on my behalf.

It will hit before 50 years time, it will hit when all these kids that Mermaids are pumping full of puberty blockers want kids. And realise what the NHS [if it still exists] did to them.

It will hit when a man gets cancer that would have picked up at a screening if only he hasn't signed up as a woman at the GP's. It won't hit when a woman gets cervical cancer because they weren't called for a smear because they signed up as a man...no, that will be completely glossed over.

I also feel as if I’m living in some sort of nightmare parallel universe in all this.

I was sexually assaulted by a brad Pitt lookalike whilst on holiday. Norwegian man yes gorgeous but I think on drugs or something followed me into the sea and groped me and would not stop. It was awful the fact he was good looking neither here nor there. Put me unfairly off Brad Pitt though.

YANBU. That article is disgusting but unsurprising- Paris is looking for confirmation that he looks female and men cat calling him gives him that. I feel sorry for anyone who feels that way as their self-esteem/self-worth must be shot.

such a person would be talking on transwomen's behalf, not mine, about their own experience
which won't be mine

In the current madness, many trans activists would regard your perfectly reasonable statement as “transphobic” because they infer from it that you don’t believe that “Transwomen are women #NoDebate”

It’s bonkers and bollocks

Ugh, bold fail. My post was in response to @HangingRoundInABoAlors

paris lee thinks like a man. and shows aggression like a man too (the head butt!)

REading this thread I feel like what the hell is wrong with being transphobic. is it better or worse than being pro-harrassment?

such a person would be talking on transwomen's behalf, not mine, about their own experience
which won't be mine

There is an insidious extra layer to this.

A transwoman, such as Paris, would very much struggle to talk specifically about trans issues.

Because it 'us and thems' them.

They can't talk about their issues without naming women as the problem. Because they already have every human right they are entitled to. What they want is women's rights.

So they have to keep up the fiction they are women, so the only people they are othering is some women.

Some nebulous group of dreadful, witchy, not-to-be-borne, bigoted fascists.

Not, 'just about any woman who might have the slightest problem'.

Which would end up being most women.

A divide and conquer technique.

A phobia is an irrational or extreme fear or aversion to something.

I am petrified of spiders. I'm not scared of transwomen I just don't believe they are "real women" with "real women" experiences or feelings. Whilst they still have a penis they are male and being male and being a woman ARE mutually exclusive even if you don't want them to be.