Justine stands up for FWR in The Times

[SwearyG]

Justine is quoted in The Times today saying that TRAs are pressuring advertisers to withdraw from the site but they’re willing to take the hit to keep the discussion open. It’s very heartening after the threads of the last few days re FWR being hidden and the worries about this space being censored.

to @JustineMumsnet - thank you.

Thank you Justine & MNHQ.
Thank you for standing up to the activists and giving women a place to talk. I believe this is really positive publicity for you and your advertisers will be well supported by your members.

I know Jeffrey wasn't anything to do with trans (I was there in real time that night). But it did result in an armed police team turning up on Justine's doorstep - IIRC it was her nanny that bore the brunt of it, not her, but it must still have been distressing for her. And if I were in her shoes, I would have weighed up "Do I want to put myself potentially in a similar vulnerable position by taking on the TRAs?" with the knowledge of what that can actually mean.

To come back out and say (metaphorically) fuck it, I'm going to do it anyway, is ruddy marvellous. And I don't know why you are so het up on painting it as a purely business decision GYMMC, without appearing to appreciate the personal implications of it

To come back out and say (metaphorically) fuck it, I'm going to do it anyway, is ruddy marvellous

I agree. I think it is a personally brave decision, and I commend her for it.

@JustineMumsnet
would you mind giving me a PM in the morning? It's important

It IS a personally brave decision. While Justine is fairly confident her employer isn’t going to haul her over hot coals for it () it’s still putting her name out there which opens her to some serious personal abuse. There are some quite unhinged people in the TRA camp - witness the physical assault committed at speakers corner for example.

I don’t think personal attacks in the sense of ‘look at the state of this bloke in a frock’ are very helpful. At the same time it is both possible and I think neccesssary to call out and criticise those who have put themselves in the public eye and are pushing a harmful agenda. Or pushing TRA ideology rather than do the job they were elected to do, for example. That’s a very different thing from abusing a private individual.

The current MNHQ moderation is fine. Anything that’s deemed a personal attack has always been able to be moderated. We don’t need to suddenly all be nicey nicey and be silenced. We just stick to the guidelines that were always there.

And if it makes MNHQ money then im ok with that - because it will be a concrete way of showing business where their core market lies. Which in turn will embolden other companies and organisations to resist pile on type pressure.

Thank you Justine.

Yes, I'd like to thank Justine again (specially since my Spartacus thread may have come across as arsey - it wasn't meant to be, it was prompted by some specific deletions which seemed to row back a bit on the principle of free speech).

But yes, for a woman who has already been on the receiving end of a "swatting" attack to say "you know what, I'm going to knowingly run that risk again in defence of free speech" is amazing.

Justine, you have ovaries of steel!

Actually, I'd also like to thank Justine for reading my Spartacus thread so carefully and engaging properly with what people said. Not many CEOs of big businesses do that - most have a pre-prepared "party line" that they trot out while issuing a "non-apology" apology. Justine is absolutely to be saluted for the amount of careful thought, listening and respectful response she's prepared to make.