Now the term FGM is cissexist? WTAF?

[NormaStanleyFletcher]

elegantgatheringofwhitesnows.com/?p=2069

By the very brilliant Louise Pennington.

How can they try to erase the lived experience of violence against women by banning a discriptive term for what is actually happening?

"It is not “cissexist” to talk about the biological reality of women’s bodies and the damage done to them within a capitalist-patriarchy. Frankly, even the suggestion that it is “cissexist” demonstrates a fundamental inability to actually understand the reality of lives of women and girls in our world."

Yes. Not to be confused with the Cambridge Union which is also a student union but posher and less inclined to angry open letters.

It's been suggested it was a vendetta of CUSU's members who are active in women's union. It seems also to have a great deal to do with Sarah Brown, who is a Cambridge city councillor, so it wasn't just students.

But, I do think CUSU might have felt this way on their own. I think, from looking at their website, they might well feel that someone who criticises the word 'cis' is someone who should not be allowed to speak.

I don't think that's good, but I accept they're entitled to write open letters (it'd be absurd not to).

What I do not think is ok, is the way I have heard this represented: either 'evil transphobe woman threatens us all,' or 'Cambridge [town? university? students, many of whom probably don't know this is happening?] has no-platformed a feminist who spoke out on trans issues'.

Neither is true.

She spoke about internet abuse, which is important and which she obviously knows a lot about. She wasn't trying to speak out on trans issues, and she wasn't no-platformed. It wasn't even a university event!

I'm sorry if this isn't terribly coherent - I just feel that, once again, what is happening is that groups of women are being pitted against one another.

Ah, didn't know about the Sarah Brown connection.

I had to look her up, too.

In the light of that Twitter exchange it does sound like the whole thing may have been a vendetta.
As for the Twitter exchange itself, either CCP is being (understandably) excessively prickly or the student is being disingenuous, but either way, it just goes to show what a nightmare Twitter is as a place to discuss feminism.

Thanks for the links. I'm not sure what I make of this whole thing. It's like an idea which sounds reasonable when applied to an individual is being tested to destruction.