...to think that if Comic Relief are going to do a "Woman Wednesday" blog about "inspirational female figures", it should have an inspirational female figure in it?

[ArcheryAnnie]

Comic Relief are doing a new weekly blog, about inspirational women.

"Women Wednesday’s is our new weekly column for Gender Justice month here at Comic Relief, where we will be giving the spotlight to one inspirational female figure per week. We focus on women who have created change and spearheaded movements for other women, and stood up against discrimination against gender and sexuality."

Fantastic, right? They've got links to all kinds of amazing women, working in very challenging conditions across the world, who are helping to create a better world for everyone, not just themselves. What a brilliant blog theme! What brilliant, inspirational woman are we all going to learn about today, I wonder?

Well. Here's who they picked as their "inspirational female figure": www.comicrelief.com/news/women-wednesdays-heres-why-lili-elbe-our-inspirational-figure-week

Women deserve better, Comic Relief. You've really screwed up on this one.

So wrong. Should have been any number of inspirational women. Not trans women. I've commented on Twitter.

I mean I'm not bringing intersex into this right now

Except that's exactly what you did, Rat, and then you carried on doing it.

You know perfectly well that many intersex individuals and groups have asked to be left out of trans issues, and yet you drag them into it anyway.

Your "oops" Don't mean to derail!" act, followed by lots and lots of derailing, is (to borrow Datun's words) both tedious and deceitful.

We see you.

Poor Lili. Sad story. I feel sorry for them but I fail to see how they actually made the world a better place though? I think of women like Marie Curie or Golda Meir or the suffragettes when I think of inspirational women.

Living with gender dysphoria must be awful though.

This choice of inspirational woman is a very disturbing one. The appropriation of organs from two women being the biggest part.

Lili had the ovaries of one woman implanted first in 1931 then the womb implant operation in 1933. Who were the women whose organs were used? What happened to them? What was their story? Why are they not mentioned?

What exactly is Lili supposed to have done to improve the lives of women? What lasting difference did they make to our lives?

It is rather like chosing Lolo Ferrari as the first inspirational woman.

So shocked at this - it's like the Emperor's New Clothes. What is going on?

The list of inspiring of women is so inspiring and heart warming, what are Comic Relief thinking?

The surgeon Warnekros was a Nazi party member who treated very rich patients before the Nazis came to power then later did involuntary sterilisations for the Nazis. The Nazis did all kinds of depraved experimental procedures on concentration camp prisoners with no chance of success, just to see what would happen...

I got a response to my complaint....

"Thank you for your email.

Comic Relief works with a range of groups to promote our vision of a just world free from poverty. We have been funding programmes tackling gender-based violence and supporting women and girl’s empowerment since we began in 1985. It is also our firm belief that every individual has the right to be who they are and to define their identity."

@CaveMum brilliant tip about the wish list, thank you.

BTW does the total lack of news coverage strike anyone else as strange?

I don’t get how they can believe those two things at the same time.

It is also our firm belief that every individual has the right to be who they are and to define their identity.

How do I define myself when people insist the words don’t mean anything?

You know perfectly well that many intersex individuals and groups have asked to be left out of trans issues, and yet you drag them into it anyway.

Oh, Annie... Did you miss the bit where Lili was intersex? According to "Intersex in the UK" she was, anyway.

But according to you and your thread she shouldn't be recognised as a woman, NOT because she's trans but because she's intersex.

So who exactly was it who brought intersex into this? Because I'm pretty sure you started a thread about how a potentially intersex woman shouldn't be recognised as a woman because . You brought intersex RIGHT into it by falling to do even a cursory Google on the woman you were slating.

oiiuk.org/1369/the-trouble-with-the-danish-girl/#

I thought it wasn't really conclusive if lili was or wasn't.

Isn't the argument that sex is a spectrum - so lilo would be intersex with a female gender. So not technically a woman then?

I thought it wasn't really conclusive if lili was or wasn't.

I thought it wasn't either, but Intersex in the UK (linked above) are categorically stating it.

Isn't the argument that sex is a spectrum - so lili would be intersex with a female gender. So not technically a woman then?

Not technically a woman?? So you really are all for womanhood being only for the genetically pure? I can sort of get my head around being trans exclusionary, but I really can't see any reasonable human being genuinely proposing to exclude intersex people from things like this.

Would you really exclude intersex women? Really??

YANBU. Very wrong of Comic Relief.

I shudder to think where the uterus came from for Lilli Elbe’s failed transplant.

Ypu can't argue that it's a Spectrum - not a neat little box for men and women - then say it's cut and dried.

Intersex in the UK - I don't know who they are or what access they have to lilis medical records. Maybe they have have looked at available evidence - diaries, articles, photos ets and made the conclusion. Who knows.

But the point is - what has lili done us/anyone?

I am inspired by women who have done something for others, who have made a change for the good of people/women/children. Lili does not fit into this category and should not have been on the shortlist.

So she is a woman, but you object because you don't think she's inspirational?

Would you really exclude intersex women? Really?? Yes Rat, I would!

Last night I said not, but your continued bluster has changed my mind. Congratulations. Like many others insisting that TWAW you have made another bigot Do you feel better now?

Or could you just possibly see that yet again you have argued yourself round in circles and are now staring at the back of your own head?

And I bet you thought that was a slam dunk, didn't you?

Well again - show us the evidence. Not supposition, reportage, wishful thinking. You can't, as, as far as I can see, there isn't any real evidence that Lili was intersex. We an all reconsider our issues when / if there is any evidence.

Meanwhile CR used Lili Elbe as an example of a TRANS WOMAN - they don't claim s/he was intersex. So you really are setting up a straw man! We can see it, really, we can!

RatRolyPoly - there are several references to doctor's reports that she had external make genetalia AND internal female organs, i.e. ovaries. Female sex organs can be a bit harder to spot like that.

But no one would have known about any internal female body parts without surgery.

I thought it wasn't really conclusive if lili was or wasn't

Absolutely fekko

Even a cursery search shows that, it's probably something that will never be know for definite

Though its interesting that lili is being seen as interex by some, and a transwoman by others

If lili was a woman she wouldn't want a woman internal organs transplanted into them. Remember this wasn't for the purpose of being able to carry a baby - but for some rather grim goal of becoming a woman.

It's absolutely something we'll brevet know for sure, that's a given.

Curious, once again I have not the foggiest what you're getting so excited about. I am genuinely sorry about that.

And, well, if you think your point of view is now in the realms of "bigot" I'm afraid to say that is 100% on you.

And i agree with others

Whether you believe Lili was a woman or not, faced with an abundance of truly inspirational women i don't understand why she was picked

Marsha P Johnson has been claimed to be the transwoman who started the stonewall riots...although i dont belive either of those things Marsha would have made more sense to me as a inspirational transwomen

And comic relief did say female...

"Comic Relief works with a range of groups to promote our vision of a just world free from poverty. We have been funding programmes tackling gender-based violence and supporting women and girl’s empowerment since we began in 1985. It is also our firm belief that every individual has the right to be who they are and to define their identity."

Interesting. So they must also believe that Rachel Dolezal is perfectly within her rights to define herself as black and that she should be treated as if she is. Not sure that's such a popular opinion.

Imagine if they featured her as the first person in a series of inspirational people for Black History month....

Thought i ought to say something about the actual OP...

Could someone post the best email address to contact Comic Relief? Sorry if it’s been posted upthread but I can’t find it. I’m not on Twitter.
Thank you!
Really disappointed at this move by them.