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Original poster

Monroe Bergdorf on the Women’s March

223 replies

bambambini · 21/01/2018 10:13

Aibu to be pissed off that Women are being told not to bang on about female reproduction rights in regards to the Women’s March today? Monroe has a huge following, has been vocal in interviews, articles, TV, radio etc. They recently were featured in Woman’s Hour’s celebration of women.

Monroe Bergdorf on the Women’s March
OP posts:
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9
LyraPotter · 21/01/2018 14:56

It made me so happy to see her there, she's a huge inspiration to me ❤️

ladyballs · 21/01/2018 14:57

Munroe can fuck right off.

Datun · 21/01/2018 14:59

It made me so happy to see her there, she's a huge inspiration to me ❤️

Which is a surprise to no-one.

Is Paris Lees an inspiration to you as well?

QueenLaBeefah · 21/01/2018 15:03

What is there to find inspirational? I'm at a loss.

catgirl1976 · 21/01/2018 15:05

I've just put some make up and a dress on as I'm off out Lyra. Feel free to be inspired by my brave, amazing act.

Fekko · 21/01/2018 15:09

You’re an inspiration. So brave.

Eyes all tearing up now...

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 21/01/2018 15:10

Honest question. Why is Munroe an inspiration for you Lyra?

Wha are the qualities that make you admire Munroe?

unplugmefromthematrix · 21/01/2018 15:12

And this is why we need to so carefully consider (refute) any further changes to the law - because with a GRC this TIM is a 'woman' and can be seen (by some) to legitmately speak for (control) women because he is a woman. And so he is now women's problem to deal with - and no one gives a shit about women's problems.. and we should shut up about womens problems anyway becasue the really important women's issues are transwomens issues.. fuck I so hope this opens more people's eyes.

Imagine having to share facilties (a toilet block, a prison, a rape counselling centre, a political party, a workplace) with this person. It is bad enough when women are misogynistic but this is a whole other level. A trojan horse of abuse and oppression.

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 21/01/2018 15:14

Sorry, monroe.

ThatWasNotLove · 21/01/2018 15:16

I'm not an inspiration to you today Lyra, I'm in jeans, thermals (grey, not people no I'm afraid), no nail varnish, no makeup, haven't brushed my hair, big warm boots and a thick, warm, black coat. Must be a man today.

But..I also have blood coming out of my vagina.

I guess that's man-blood then.

But tomorrow I'll put some makeup on and a dress and be all inspirational again. Well, apart from the menstruation part.

ThatWasNotLove · 21/01/2018 15:17

*not pink - phone writing it's own thing today!

CoolCarrie · 21/01/2018 15:23

Great points MrsTerry
Compassion and care work both ways, as you have pointed out, and
this Monroe is lacking, in more ways than one. what gives him the right to tell anyone the terms they have to adhere to on this march today, or any other? Why doesn’t he have his own march, instead of high jacking this one?

LyraPotter · 21/01/2018 15:25

@Chardonnaysprettysister

I think that the way she discusses race and feminism is incredibly powerful. She took on the tokenism of companies like L'Oreal - who champion diversity when they can make money from it but not when it actually requires them to engage in difficult questions about white supremacy and the true meaning of equality. She lost work and faced truly vicious and frightening abuse for that, but she never wavered and I just thought that was amazing. We are never going to have true equality when people are so frightened of taking about endemic racism and she really put her reputation and livelihood on the line to force that conversation into the open. Not many feminists (and very few white feminists indeed) are willing to take that kind of risk.

She has also done an enormous amount for championing diversity in the beauty industry. I don't have an uncomplicated relationship with companies whose purpose is to sell the idea of beauty, and I would be a lot happier with the whole concept if it was properly inclusive of women of colour, transwomen, fat women, old women, disabled women etc instead of only catering to the young, thin, cisgendered and white. Munroe has been a massive champion of diversity in the beauty industry and I think that's really important.

I also hugely admire the passion and eloquence with which she campaigns and persuades. She has such incisive views and can cut through layers of veiled fear and hatred to expose the foundations of prejudice and discrimination. All women, including cisgendered women, benefit from the work she does even if they don't acknowledge it.

Someone else asked for my views on Paris Lee and unfortunately I don't really know anything about her so I have some learning to do. I read on another thread here that she is anti-abortion - if so I would never support her (but I'm reserving judgment until I know more because that might have just been made up!)

Rhodiolia · 21/01/2018 15:28

I am saddened that the women's' march applauded this :(

Datun · 21/01/2018 15:32

Bergdorf's views on racism are completely irrelevant to their views on feminism.

Bergdorf can legitimately talk about racism. Because they are a POC.

They can talk about trans, because they are trans. They have skin in the game. Their credentials are indisputable.

They can't represent women in feminism. Because they are not a woman.

They can talk about how people react to them because they are trans, but not how people react because they are female.

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 21/01/2018 15:32

That's fair.

I might disagree with you, esp. with the use of "cis" and the benefits of Monroe's work, but that's your opinion and it's of course that's fine.

SumThucker · 21/01/2018 15:33

Cisgendered women

Aaah, sling it Angry

Plumes · 21/01/2018 15:34

Just another man telling women what they can and can't talk about.

How new.

How refreshing.

Datun · 21/01/2018 15:35

You really couldn't make it up.

Telling women that the sole reason for their oppression by men should not be mentioned at a woman's march because it doesn't apply to men, is absolutely fucking laughable.

OlennasWimple · 21/01/2018 15:49

And after all that, Bergdoff isn't even at the London march today Hmm

unplugmefromthematrix · 21/01/2018 15:52

lyra surely other women have challenged notions of race and beauty? Are you inspired by any female women?! Or are you are more drawn to Bergdorf than any other?

Equally becasue of their trans/male/minority/curiosity/ clickbait status, Bergdorf gets a platform and exposure that most women can only dream off - and validation for doing what females would be and have been vilified for.

Is it some sort of validation to you that a man wants to be a woman? Are you flattered that he wants to (apparently) be like you? It is that a man wanting to be a woman somehow seems like it might raise the cache of women? "Ooh yay women aren't so awful if a man wants to be like us - what an ally" - except that clearly Bergdorf wants to be nothing like female women that have to contend with their female biology throughout their lives and wants to shut these women up.

Have you really no other 'role models' that would serve your needs (and women's needs) better?

And I don't think it is eloquent to mis-use words and appropriate and twist language to serve their own cause and to further exclude and oppress the billions of women they claim to identify with.

Lime19 · 21/01/2018 15:56

You know what I never really considered myself as a feminist UNTIL all this bullshit started coming up. Transwomen are not women. That is a fact! I am a woman, they do not speak on my behalf. If you want to label me a TERF than so be it.

Sorry what the hell is a Cisgendered woman? I'm confused here?

These men and women as far as I'm concerned. You can't mingle between the two things. It's biologically impossible! If I wear jeans and forget to veet my tash, does that make me a man?! NO!

Plumes · 21/01/2018 15:58

And after all that, Bergdoff isn't even at the London march today

Just hijacking it to boost their profile.

LyraPotter · 21/01/2018 16:06

@unplugmefromthematrix

Of course she's not the only woman who inspires me, but she is the subject of this thread and I was asked what it was about her that I particularly admired, not anyone else.

It's very insulting that you think I only want equality to benefit men, and also very odd since TERFs are very much on the side of men over women when they choose to oppress transwomen. Insisting that gender is a binary only benefits the patriarchy, and it's a crying shame that so many women will ally themselves with oppression rather than accept transwomen.

I loved seeing the march today. I loved seeing women standing up for each other and supporting each other and grinding away at the many hierarchies that oppress us with such a beautiful show of solidarity. United we stand. If in the face of something so powerful and inspiring you can only feel bitter that your narrow view of gender and feminism isn't the only one, I feel very sorry for you.

BigChocFrenzy · 21/01/2018 16:12

Feminists are NOT oppressing men by talking about reproductive issues that affect our health and our daily lives
issues that are a major reason why women still don't have equality

Feminists are NOT oppressing men by refusing to pretend they are women
by keeping them out of the few spaces that are reserved for women, to keep us safer.

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