Conway Hall no-platforms Rad Fem Event

[Nyac]

The group formerly known as women is not allowed to organise politically. The law disallows it.

conwayhall.org.uk/statement-regarding-radfem-2012

"Statement Regarding RadFem 2012
In consultation with the organisers of RadFem 2012 and our legal advisors, Conway Hall has decided not to allow the booking in July 2012 to proceed. This is because it does not conform to our Terms and Conditions for hiring rooms at Conway Hall. In addition, we are not satisfied it conforms with the Equality Act (2010), or reflects our ethos regarding issues of discrimination.

We had sought assurances that the organisers would allow access to all, in order to enable the event to proceed at the venue. We also expressed concern that particular speakers would need to be made aware that whilst welcoming progressive thinking and debate, Conway Hall seeks to uphold inclusivity in respect of both legal obligations and as a principle."

It would be great if it could be held in a public space as I like the right to the city movement which is all about people taking back the public space, for discussion and free association and speech.

However the idea that public space should be open to all means that it couldn't be a women only space and to make it so goes against the right to the city movement/ideology.

It's a really passive aggressive statement from Conway Hall too, especially this bit:

"In response to Sheila Jeffreys? online Guardian article in their ?Comment is free? section, dated 29th May 2012, we would like it to be known that Conway Hall has in the past made clear that speakers / attendees at events for other hirers will not be permitted where we have felt that these individuals have expressed and may express (on our premises) views which conflict with our ethos, principles, and culture; the reference to David Irving was simply one of the examples given."

Yes likening a radical feminist who has fought for women's rights for over forty years, to a holocaust denier is no big deal. Who can tell the difference in positions?

Oh yeah- silly idea

"ethos, principles and culture" = the status quo, I assume. Viva la revolution, when equalists will finally have their day. Assuming it's happened doesn't mean we're actually there yet.

What was Sheila going to speak about?

All they've done there is repeat the calumny, not excuse it. Disgusting.

"This particular campaign persuaded Conway Hall, the conference venue, to ban me from speaking on the grounds that I "foster hatred" and "actively discriminate". On being asked to account for this, Conway Hall appeared to compare me to "David Irving the holocaust denier". The proffered evidence consists of quotes from me arguing that transgender surgery should be considered a human rights violation ? hardly evidence of hate speech"

It seems that Sheila Jefreys said she thought they were making a comparison between her and Irving.

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/29/transgenderism-hate-speech

I have just read it, no hate speech there, just a reasonable questioning of why the transgender community want to close down all research or reasoned debate.

It has not been announced what Sheila Jeffreys was going to talk about. She speaks and writes on a wide range of issues. She's said herself that she rarely speaks about transgenderism.

As far as I know there wasn't going to be anything about trans in the programme.

Whatever she was going to talk about, does it matter? I had never heard of 'the cotton ceiling' until these threads. It makes me feel sick. It's the kind of thing you'll find groups of men discussing all over the internet - how to get into women's pants.

We need a march. Like the abortion one in the US - lots of women with tape over their mouths.

Tape over our mouths and placards with the subjects we are not allowed to discuss because men have decided that we don't have the right to meet and talk to each other.

Except the transactivists would probably threaten us with violence.

Quite honestly I'm shocked by the lengths people will go to to get radical feminists to Shut The Fuck Up. Feminists, who don't identity as radical, need to examine their position, their allies and their consciences very carefully.

Feminists don't always agree with each other and that is fine. We try to stand together against VAW and male dominance though. I am deeply disturbed by self-identifying feminists choosing to stand with men against their sisters.

I hope this isn't some kind of watershed in UK feminism - I think it has the potential to be one. Very concerning.

Perhaps radical feminists need to call on the liberal feminists (I mean that in the original sense of the term - liberal feminism appears to have been effaced by the backlash).

I know that some transpeople are extremely fucked off by having their struggle co-opted as a means by which to prevent women meeting together and get radical feminists to shut the fuck up. They think this is an issue of male dominance and exerting of male privilege by transpeople that has been lapped up by patriarchy.

I think this country is pretty good at spotting extremism and opposing it.

For example:
AFF have opposed facism for decades, the much vaunted rise of the extreme right has supposed to have been happening for years and have always been squished.

I think groups have opposed an ideology that is oppressive and fueled by suspicion and mistrust and have campaigned against it, that's what happens in the UK.

I really wish you would stop calling trans women men. I get you, you don't think they're women, but by insisting on calling them men and going on about this weird theory that they're doing it to undermine the sisterhood, you deny their reality too. That's rather ignorant and offensive.

Trans women aren't just men in a dress.

Personally I was relieved to see when reading the #radfem2012 hashtag and many of the blogs on there, that the radfems who are transphobic are in the minority.

Actually the men I was referring to were the men at Conway Hall who made the decision that women can't meet and talk to each other.

I don't think transpeople are trans in order to undermine the sisterhood.

So there is no need to imply that I am ignorant and offensive. You have implied such things about me before - although always in that sneaky way that isn't an outright personal attack. I won't be reporting because I think it is best to let such things stand and I think you have a good enough understanding of the MNHQ rules to be just on the right side of them. Non?

I think transactivits and feminists who stand with them need to take a long hard look at themselves though.

Calling people you don't know, transphobic, just sounds bigoted TBH (It seems to a new fashion to throw this word around with gay abandon).

What is the definition of a transphobe anyway? Is it simply someone who doesn't accept that MTF transpeople are the same as biological women?

Is it someone who thinks that biological women have the right to their identity?

BTW it is the feminists, who choose to stand with the patriarchy and men, against radical feminists right to meet and discuss their politics, who are undermining the sisterhood.

This has the potential to be a dangerous moment for feminism.

Forgot to say - I very rarely refer to MTF transpeople using the word 'male'. I nearly always call them 'people'.

When they exert male dominance and male privilege, I think it is important to label such actions in the correct political terms.

No doubt something you consider transphobic .

WW and I wish you would stop calling them women

Why is the onus on women to redefine what women are, to include people with penises?! It's insanity

Why aren't trans people concentrating on lobbying to have more awareness amongst men, so they don't get victimised and attacked by men. I tell you why, because women are an easier Target

Women are roughly 50% of the population and look how long and hard they have to fight for equality. Look at the giant steps that have been made by trans gender MEN in a very relatively short time

And denying someone's reality IS offensive, it is NOT ignorant..

And it works both ways

On a personal level, I have no issue with what a person or a group of people want to wear, or act or what they believe they are, what they want to call themselves, if they want to be operated on to change their bodies, I will refer to a person who is in my life however they want to be referred to

But, taking it to a political level when it is so damaging to MY identity and women's identity is not acceptable

And YES I do understand why they think it is important to do that

I guess the reason why trans have taken their politics to radical feminism is because medicine, law and government have been so quick to enact all trans demands. As has been said they haven't had to fight at all.

So with the law on their side, trans political activism consists of (recent examples):

Picketing a fundraising event for a rape crisis shelter
Closing down a radical feminist event
Going after a feminist conference that will be having female only workshops for sexual abuse survivors
We could also probably include the cotton ceiling event - how to get into lesbian's knickers.

Going forward, there will be the annual protest of Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, where there have been trans threats to set fire to it, and where last year on trans claimed to have patrolled the perimeter with a knife tied to a stick.

In their rush to organise as pro-trans they've overlooked that their actions are anti-woman and misogynist. Weirdly enough the only feminists who have noticed this are radical feminist. As Beachcomber points out, their "feminist" supporters need to be examining their consciences very carefully right now.

Oh nice Nyac, anti women no less. Perhaps if some women were less anti trance then those who consider themselves oppressed by WOMEN woud not have any cause to take actio. Or then again the pankursts might have decided that men were just misguided and not taken any politicly based action at all.;

Of course it is anti women to do things such as picket a fundraising event for a rape crisis centre. How could it not be so?

Hey dittany. Nice to see you posting as dittany - I missed seeing that name.