Peter Tatchall - talk me down?

[whatnow41]

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!!

I think emailing the person who wrote the list might be a good idea. I’d generously give them the benefit of the doubt and explain your reasoning. I’m sure it’s incompetence rather than maliciousness.

they probably copied it from somewhere
can you google the exact text and see what comes up?

A polite email expressing surprise, concern and assuring them that they must not know this person's history.
Gather written/ screen shotted evidence to prov8de if yiur colleague asks.

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.

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.

I used to respect Tatchell. He was v brave in Russian protests . I was shocked to find out about the chapter in the PIE book.

Have you got a suggestion for a replacement? People love an easy answer.

Did he also write a praiseworthy obituary or letter about somebody who was a leading light in PIE?

You could maybe send them information about Ellen Broidy.

thevelvetchronicle.com/a-chat-with-pride-founder-ellen-broidy-protest-life-lessons-and-historical-revisionism/

@EsmaCannonball

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.

archive.li/Xb6K0

Ellen B would be a good alternative. My employer decided to do LGBT+ history with an example of asexuals. They chose Florence Nightingale. A Victorian woman not being married is a Different Thing to the modern concept. I was so cross.

why do employers think they have the right to tell employers who to celebrate? I can see the point in schools but employees are not children.

Stonewall recommends a LGBT+ network. The + includes allies. The employer gets points in their annual review from Stonewall for having a network, celebrating LGBT+ history week, putting a transwoman on the IWD event, celebrating IDAHOBIT & etc.

I sent my feedback but didn't get a reply. Spoke to some others though who had no idea about his history so happy I raised awareness at least!

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......

Corruption. Cronyism. The networks go all the way to the top. Remember Cyril Smith?

It has never gone away. It is just the modus operandi that changes.

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.

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.

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!

What did they say about him? Roughly.

There's no doubt that he's a massive figure around gay rights in the UK.

I think his views on the age of consent many not be known, so you were right to point this out.

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

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).

@OldTurtleNewShell

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).

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.