AIBU to tell you that First Direct closed bank account of gender critical blogger

[Snorkers]

https://twitter.com/WingsScotland/status/1673371351942307840

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1673371351942307840.html

Who's next? What other beliefs are no longer allowed to partake in society?

What a lot of hysterical drama.

What if the banks, essential for modern life, suddenly start closing the accounts of people who have views they disagree with? It's like Gilead!

Actually we have a small number of banks closing a handful of accounts, just as they have always been able to do.

Except now their narcissistic victims go to social media to lie about the reason and whip up a storm amongst a particular demographic.

You are all just looking for anything that supports your world view.

Why ignore the banks saying 'erm no actually it is nothing to do with their ideology' - because banks are liars while Nigel Farage et al are not?

A bank closing the account of someone who doesn't agree that men can be women, yes, nothing to see here. Situation totally normal.

"There were other somewhat chilling incidents last year when Visa and MasterCard came close to closing down pornhub and onlyfans. In agree that allowing the financial-services industry this degree of gatekeeping is alarming."

No, they suspended card payments for advertising on Pornhub because they were sued in the US by someone claiming they were facilitating the distribution of child porn.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/hospital-says-patient-could-not-26506744

No gaslighting, no rapes, no bank accounts are closed, no surrogacy, nope it's all hysteria

"A bank closing the account of someone who doesn't agree that men can be women, yes, nothing to see here. Situation totally normal."

We'll have they closed the accounts of the thousands of people who think the same?

Because until they do you're just guessing and have no idea why they closed his account.

Mmmm, wrong. Businesses are bound by the equality act; they can’t deny services on discriminatory grounds (eg because of race, sex, belief).

@FedgeHund but what has that got to do with a bank closing someone's account?

Almost all humans living on planet earth know that a man cannot be a woman, but in the UK and other western so-called democracies in 2023, people are afraid to say so out loud for fear of the consequences.

Wrong again. Belief is a protected characteristic. This is now so well known, I think this poster must be a porky pie teller

"Mmmm, wrong. Businesses are bound by the equality act; they can’t deny services on discriminatory grounds (eg because of race, sex, belief)."

You can't discriminate against 'religion and belief' but that doesn't apply to any of the cases here.

Being a bigot isn't a protected characteristic.

And the banks have publicly stated that they didn't close any accounts due to disagreeing with ideology anyway.

Being a bigot isn't a protected characteristic.

What's the legal definition of 'being a bigot'?

"Almost all humans living on planet earth know that a man cannot be a woman, but in the UK and other western so-called democracies in 2023, people are afraid to say so out loud for fear of the consequences."

Start a thread about that then. Banks close accounts every day. But they close the account of someone with the same world view as you and you're going full conspiracy theorist.

Google the case of Forstater. Ninnies who think like you just got made to cough up 100 grand 😊

I'm not fucking google. Look it up. But the Christian group putting up posters about converting gays would definitely be there wouldn't they?

No intelligent debate is possible with this.

"Google the case of Forstater. Ninnies who think like you just got made to cough up 100 grand 😊"

Good job the banks didn't close the accounts due to their ideology then.

I'm not fucking google. Look it up

I don't think there is one, is my point.

But religious belief IS a protected characteristic under the equality act. I don't know where putting up posters about converting gay people stands legally.

I'd hope the Forstater verdict will give all businesses pause about how they're handling GC issues.

"No intelligent debate is possible with this."

You're not interested in debate. Your mind is made up and nothing will change it. Banks are closing the accounts of anyone who is gender critical.

I'd be more inclined to listen if the thread wasn't full of demonstrable lies and guesswork.

Please show your evidence that Wings has posted hate filled misogynistic rants, or similarly vitriolic posts about the gay community. I have been following his blog since about 2012 and his Twitter for almost as long, and have seen nothing of the sort.

It's not bigoted to not believe that male people can be women.

I would not give him the internet traffic. I also followed and contributed to his crowdfunding from 2012 until just shortly after the police seized his computer - 2015? 2016? can't recall precisely.

Immediately after the English police seizing of his computer, I (and many, many others) noticed an abrupt change in tone towards Independence, women and gay people. I stopped following him at that point. We noticed a complete lack of tolerance of anyone making any comments that questioned/queried his (new found) worldview. It got to the stage it was obvious the only comments 'permitted' were from the sort of people who were unquestioningly devoted to him, i.e. easily-led/duped by his 'charisma' lol.

There is a large tranche of Scottish people who genuinely believe he is now nothing more than a useful idiot for the English establishment. Oddly, that was not their (or my) view prior to the seizing of his computer and him being questioned.

I can only state what I've observed as someone with an interest in politics and political commentators for 40+ years.

You’re right. Intelligent debate has been shit down for years by shouts of “transphobe” and getting people cancelled both off social media and their careers.

The tide is turning though as people realise that all the things people have been warning about, men in women’s prisons, children being brainwashed then subsequently regretting embracing what is now seen as irreversible medication and:or surgery, the presentation of kids claiming to be everything under the Sun (and probably the Sun). The facade is crumbling. Courts are finding in favour of actual women, sports governing bodies are saying there’s no room for men (no matter how they think of themselves) in women’s sport.

The only way forward no is for GIs to claim anything that backs up the insanity of their position is false, is lies, even in the face of evidence. But then they never really grasped that concept did they?

Not wrong, as mentioned on the other thread about this, a "belief" has to meet certain criteria to be covered under the equality act and even then there are caveats and exeptions.

That article is so full of non committal language and half explanations, plus with it being that rag the mail (let’s not forget they think giving Boris Johnson a platform is a good thing) I think we can safely take this with half a tonne of salt. Plus, it’s Farage, he can go fuck himself.