Feminism: chat
Peter Tatchall - talk me down?
whatnow41 · 17/06/2021 11:05
Too niche for AIBU I think, but AIBU? Company wide email today celebrating important figures in LGBT history and progressing LGBT rights. He's included.
Now he has done a lot to progress LGBT rights, but I find his inclusion so offensive because of his known links and support of pedophilia. Do I point this out to the straight well meaning person who put this email together? I'm part of the company LGBT network and honestly don't know how others feel about this. Just feel angry that this guy is being celebrated along when other more deserving people are missed out (only so many you can mention, so why him?)
Using all my strength not to hit reply all with a brief synopsis of everything else he is known for!!
FOJN · 17/06/2021 11:45
images.app.goo.gl/NVy1K4G2KGhYAnWK9
This is a link to an image of the letter Tatchall sent to the Guardian (?) in 1997. He also wrote an article in 2018, the Guardian again, I think, arguing for the age of consent to be lowered to 14.
Perhaps you could send them this information with a question about whether he is a good example for inclusion in their list and mention the optics involved in endorsing a person who doesn't think adult/child sexual relationships are always abusive. Perhaps you could offer an alternative inclusion to replace Tatchall.
EsmaCannonball · 17/06/2021 11:55
There's a really disturbing article where he interviews a teenage runaway abuse victim who works as a male prostitute. He praises the boy for things like maturity and sophistication and, in the context of other things that Tatchell has written about children and consent, the whole thing comes off as having an agenda. Unfortunately I can't remember where I saw it.
NonnyMouse1337 · 17/06/2021 12:34
You could maybe send them information about Ellen Broidy.
thevelvetchronicle.com/a-chat-with-pride-founder-ellen-broidy-protest-life-lessons-and-historical-revisionism/
LangClegsInSpace · 17/06/2021 12:54
@EsmaCannonball
archive.li/Xb6K0
Letsgetreadytocrumble · 17/06/2021 19:38
I honestly do not get how Peter Tatchell is still doing the rounds with any credibility. He is clearly dodgy as fuck! The letter in the Guardian, the interview with 'Lee', the video where he 'clarifies' what he said in that Guardian letter, the sex education lesson suggestions 'teaching' children how to masturbate......
IvyTwines2 · 17/06/2021 20:00
Tatchell was an important figure, and to omit him from the story of gay rights would be historically wrong. However, the idea of 'celebrating' is another matter. It's not something I'm personally comfortable with generally - things like naming streets after people and so on - because there are skeletons in so many famous people's closets, especially in their treatment of women or younger people, racist and classist attitudes and so on.
Cailleach1 · 17/06/2021 21:28
Hmm. It is not like in a closet of a bygone era. The teaching material sexualising children is current.
-So, PIE was the Paedophile Information Exchange. That was in the past.
-Then there was more 'discussion' about how empowering for who? sexual activity with minors can be. Just raising the point, like.
-And now there is the sexualising materials for children.
Seems like a theme, rather than a skeleton.
NiceGerbil · 18/06/2021 02:58
I think that people can be recognised for good they've done, as long as their less palatable views/ actions are covered as well.
This good/ bad is not for me.
He was an extremely major actor around gay rights in the UK. And extremely contraversial.
He got brain damage from being beaten by Mugabe's security after he approached him and said he was carrying out a citizen's arrest for human rights violations.
I don't think he should be 'cancelled' nor presented as a wonderful person.
I'm surprised at his inclusion tbh. Work type things usually err on the side of bland. He was massively contraversial back in the day due to his tactics- outing. Lots of gay people thought it was an appalling thing to do.
You will probably get more traction if you say the LGBTQI+ community were uncomfortable with him tbh.
Anyway have s read.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OutRage!
EmbarrassingAdmissions · 18/06/2021 07:46
There are lots of threads on MN. This is one of the ones I've never forgotten - be wary of following the links as they may well make you angry:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3419275-Paedophile-Apologist-Book-including-chapter-by-Peter-Tatchell
OldTurtleNewShell · 18/06/2021 08:16
I see someone posted the archive link upthread. This is the direct one: www.petertatchell.net/lgbt_rights/age_of_consent/im-14-im-gay-i-want-a-boyfriend/
Interestingly, I see he's added an explanatory 'note' to it since the first time I read it (in the last couple of years).
whatnow41 · 18/06/2021 09:16
@OldTurtleNewShell
Interestingly, I see he's added an explanatory 'note' to it since the first time I read it (in the last couple of years).
After reading the explanatory notes, I then started to read the article but had to turn away quite quickly. I can't read further, it's just too disturbing. It makes me feel incredibly sad that all of this is in plain sight.
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