To think a poster in Waverley Station in Edinburgh which says I ♡ J K Rowling is not promoting a political viewpoint?

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jk-rowling-edinburgh-rail-station-advert-in-support-of-author-removed-m9ptsc872 Sorry, don't have a subscription so can't give a share token.

Network Rail removed a poster at Waverley Station in Edinburgh last night following a complaint from a transactivist that it was a dogwhistle to transphobes. Here is a picture so you can judge for yourselves. JKR lives in Edinburgh and wrote the Harry Potter novels there. She is one of the best-known writers in the world. Her recently expressed views on women's rights and safeguarding of children from unevidenced medical treatment are not transphobic and not in any way illegal or hate speech.

Where does this stop? Network Rail Scotland currently has a rainbow logo on Twitter. Isn't that a political viewpoint too, using this new approach where words don't mean what the dictionary says, but whatever an activist wants to believe they mean?

This is the thread on Twitter. twitter.com/NetworkRailSCOT/status/1288571565630783488?s=20

Their hypocrisy and misogyny is rancid.

But it’s all sunlight.

TRAs getting it removed gives it far more airtime than if they had ignored it. Not the smartest move.

Streisand effect.

Yes, Posie Parker is a genius at this. She knew this would happen, I'm sure.

I think we all know it was absolutely intended as a political statement (and one I agree with!). The words themselves may not be if taken out of context, but the poster was undoubtably intended to make a statement.

But it’s not offensive, there’s no hate speech, so they shouldn’t have removed it. But TRAs do enjoy an opportunity to shout down women.

Note the logo... I assume the station ‘does’ Pride?

Whose poster was it?

I wondered whether the political angle was a reference to her donations in the insured campaigns rather than her position on women’s rights. Wholly disagree with its removal in either case, but wasn’t sure What was being considered “political” in the statement

"dogwhistle to transphobes"

🤣

Please... Have these idiots heard themselves? It's beyond pathetic now. Did they actually read what JK wrote in her essay?

Network Rail can do one as well. Hypocrites, with their rainbow logo. If that's not political, what is?

We're living in such weird dystopian times.

I think it was inevitable this would happen and I think that it's a good thing because it sheds light on the whole situation. The sooner TRAs are outed as being intolerant hate groups rather than lovely misunderstood vulnerable people, the better.

The poster was paid for by 'Posie Parker', the name used by Kellie-Jay Minshull. She has previously paid for a billboard with the dictionary definition of woman to be put up near the Labour Party conference. That got taken down as well, for the same reasons. We're living in the upside down.

Where does this stop? ..where words don't mean what the dictionary says, but whatever an activist wants to believe they mean?

I think alot of people are asking that question. Where does this stop? Freedom of speech is facing an existential threat from people whose authoritarian zeal to enforce the Newspeak dictionary grows clearer every day.

Why have so many organisations still got the pride/extended pride flag on their logos? The whooooooollllll looooooong month is finished already.

I assume posie knew that would happen, it's all publicity. All good.

The trouble is "I ♡ J K Rowling" implies love for her, her work and her views. If the poster went up on the tube in London saying "I ♡ Wiley" I would expect that to be taken down too, it would imply a love of his music but also his views on Jews.

#cancelculture

But unlike Wiley, JKR hasn't said anything offensive. Unless you're so far down the rabbit hole that saying women have different experiences to men, based on their female bodies, is offensive.

Don’t they allow political material in Network Rail, then?

If the Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dem’s, SNP, Greens etc wanted to pay for having a poster there, would it be allowed?

I expect so, I’m which case there are no grounds for NR removing this poster.

So we need stickers that say ‘warning - contains a point of view’?

How do Network Rail get away with being Stonewall Diversity Champions then ? Stonewall are actively campaigning to damage women by campaigning for the removal of the single sex exemption from the Equality Act which means an end to such things as women’s changing rooms, medical wards, sports.

This is a) highly political and b) extremely hostile to women. How do you square that Network Rail? Or did you not think about it in your haste to sign up for woke cookies ?

That is unbelievable! Everything is transphobic. I've had enough.

Of course it's a political,statement.

Fan ones tend to reference Harry Potter, and to be at Kings Cross not other statistics no.

Once something, even an ordinary definition, is taken as a campaigninf slogan it ceases to be a neutral statement. Even if it was one previously, and might be in other contexts. That's pretty basic stuff, and railing against it often comes across badly.

railing against it often comes across badly

I tell you what comes across badly. The zealotry of those who want to impose a niche lobby agenda top down and demand the authority to cancel anyone who disagrees.

railing against it - nice pun shame about the hyperbole

@SerenityNowwwww

So we need stickers that say ‘warning - contains a point of view’?

I love that! Might get some printed!

You know what, MoggyP, when the basic definition of woman is suddenly transphobic it is a joke. I don't care if I 'come across badly'. Anyone who complains about it 'comes across badly' imo. All this fuss in case a few openly woman-hating MRAs, most of whom aren't even trans, might be offended. Well I'm offended. No, I'm disgusted. It's gone far too far.

Bumping for the evening crowd.

I find this utterly demoralising. When I first read JKR's essay I honestly thought everyone would read it and finally get it. We're now, what, a month and a half later and nothing has changed. Yes it's gotten news coverage but the 'Independent' calls Posie Parker a "prominent opponent of transgender rights" in the first para of its article and uses 'ciswomen' in the second. It's clear to me from talking to people who haven't been following this that most haven't read JKR's article and just accept the 'JKR wrote a transphobic essay' line. This is obviously the case with Network Rail, which must've been unaware of the background when they put up the poster and are only now taking it down on the say-so of complainants.