AIBU about Hadley Freeman?

[NoSquirrels]

She’s a bit of a crush of mine.

I’ve always loved her writing. But this week she wrote this about 80s movies which is so good.

www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/27/1980s-favourite-film-decade-top-gun-stand-by-me-hadley-freeman

She’s been all over the anti-Semitism protests and other issues.
And now she has articulated what I’ve been trying politely to say for ages about the Self ID issue.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/31/man-explains-what-means-be-woman?CMP=ShareiOSAppOther

Please have a read! Then if she’s convinced you sign the petition.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118

If she hasn’t feel free just to ignore or talk about 80s movies here, or general women-journalists-who-rock, or your own inappropriate crushes.

I am glad to see more journalists willing to stick their heads up above the parapet and challenge transideology.

And for all of my criticism of The Guardian, I admire them for publishing this piece. If they continue to review their editorial policy on transideology and TRAs, I just might review my views about them.

Love Hadley. Love that she doesn't report on fashion in a sycophantic manner and love today's article. I felt a fizzing of rage as I nodded along with her description of the type of 'right on' man who yells TERF at women who don't blindly toe the 'trans women are real women' line.

And I can only imagine the amount of shit she must take on social media for her stance!

I like Hadley Freeman's writing. For me, she gets the tone right and always comes across as thoughtful and reflective.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/2880973-Hadley-Freeman-Identity-is-the-issue-of-our-age-so-why-can-t-we-talk-more-honestly-about-trans-women?pg=1

she read this thread?!

Always loved Hadley. Thank you for the link to the petition. Duly signed.

Gender is a feeling and biology is a physical fact, and the reason women-only spaces exist is not to protect some special inner feminine essence, but because there are significant physical differences between male-born bodies and female-born ones, and the latter have long been at a disadvantage.

Great stuff. Go Hadley!

Looks as if the penny is dropping at The Guardian that their stance on self-id just might not be on the right side of history after all.

YaBasic - "Did you buy this one?!!"

No, that one has passed me by up to now.

Bore - "Gender is a feeling and biology is a physical fact"

That quote from her is what I mean when I say I'm not sure what's radical about talking about women's bodies.

What is radical about biology as a physical fact?

I have noticed that I've started correcting people or forms who ask me to state my gender, and instead say that my sex is woman or female.

I'm not arsing about with gender now. It's getting to be as meaningless as terf and feminazi to me. I'm insisting on defining myself by sex now if I'm asked, and radical as this apparently is, I don't feel I'm 'reducing myself' to my genitals while I'm doing it.

I find the similarities with the anti-semitism debate in the Labour party at the moment is interesting.

Some (not all) of the white/male/left-wing of the Labour party just can't begin to get their heads around the idea that in some ways (not all ways obvs) women and Jewish people face discrimination/barriers.

For them, women and Jews are not under-privileged enough to warrant any attention. In the heads of these people there is a hierarchy of suffering, trans beat women, and Muslims beat Jews and therefore women and Jews need to STFU.

I don't agree with every article she writes but I do respect her talent and her bravery in tackling trans issues in The Guardian.
But I thought this article was great. I think the only people claiming it's anti-trans haven't actually read it and assume she's saying 'transwomen are men and aren't allowed to talk about this' when actually she's targeting men like Owen Jones. I notice someone tagged him under the article on Twitter. It will be interesting to see his response

Couldn't agree more Hygge

I'm having to be careful at work (NHS) but will respond if asked and am just waiting to be referred to as 'cis', which can only be a matter of time...

Yes, when I read the piece by Hadley on antisemitism, I found I was thinking a lot about the issues around self id. A line in it could transfer directly (not had time to find it yet!)

Oh I love Hadley too! Brilliant columnist - so much better than Ms Moran!

Ooh, if you've got a link to her writing on that, that'd be great. [lazy]

There is understandable concern about being on the wrong side of history. But I’ll tell you what has never put anyone on the right side of history: shouting women down

Didn't OJ tweet or write about being on the wrong side of history?

Anyone who has a Ferris pic on their Twitter bio is a decent person IMO.

Do you mean this helmet?

Included her twitter as she added more.

twitter.com/hadleyfreeman/status/978704378164121606?s=21

Bloody hell it's about time Guardian!

A good article and I am sure I am not alone in thinking this turning tide is thanks to Amy's ingenuity and bravery.

Proud to be a mumsnetter

Just a quick plea that anyone who has signed the petition and started thinking about this perhaps share Hadley’s article & the petition with someone else - particularly a man, actually. Because I think there’s loads of men out there who have never even considered this “women’s issue” but would nonetheless say they were a feminist, and they need to start standing with us too.

Political petition broadcast over.

I’ve just realised there’s another Hadley book I’ve not read & am gonna go buy it in support.

I like her very much :)

It must have been elsewhere I felt there was a link to the self id and antisemitism issues. It was a little along the lines of Orwellian or silencing.

It's a great article.

I've had a bit of a girl crush on her since she slapped down F4J I'm pretty sure she'll ride the backlash she's getting for writing this.

I love Hadley, her articles and Felicity Cloake are really the only reason to read the Guardian these days.

I've already signed and hope this helps push the petition over the 10k mark.

I'm not on twitter but is it worth tweeting her the link?

Ah tacky, that article - and the twitter thread is brilliant. Such a cool-headed and coherent analysis.