Influx of Trolls/ Transphobic Posts on These Boards

[terfing]

Over the past week, there's been an influx of new users posting transphobic threads and comments. I suspect that they are doing this, taking a screenshot, and then posting it on Twitter etc to show how "anti-trans" we all are... They seem to come out at night when moderation is slower and so their threads stand for longer.

Is there much we can do about this? It's clear that they're trying to close the discussion down and paint us as transphobic. Maybe we could ask for new posters to not be allowed to start new threads here at night?

And screenshotted. Ta muchly.

I’m all for. 30 day wait.

You have to see the humour in it though. If we were really all as transphobic as we’re meant to be, the trolls wouldn’t have to make shit up and post it.

go outside for a bit. look at a tree

This is very good advice

ex

Yes, how dare us women stand up for ourselves and our daughteare.

Ha ha - I missed both the deleted post and the detentions thread (now deleted).

exWife - you'll be pleased to hear I was walking the dog, with my husband, looking at glorious trees

*daughters, sorry.

Agree with the 30 day ban as well. When I first joined I waited about a month before posting as I wanted to be sure I understood how all the dynamics of posting worked. Didn't do me any harm and I think I learned a ton.

R0wan, you make a good point, but I maybe if MN explain the 30 day ban for the exact reasons it's being put into place...

'we have had to implement this policy because we had some random people signing up to MN in order to post transphobic comments and then run away , and we do not accept that in FC.'

Would that work? As it would show how MN is doing their bit to police transphobia?

and a little to go at the end of that last sentence.

I agree in principle that applying a similar rule as they have for posting in the sex topic is a good idea, my concern would be that it's "Mumsnet" as a whole that's being painted as a wretched hive of villainy, so they'll just post their transphobic screen grab attempts in chat/aibu and just continue that way. With the added "bonus" of risking the MNers who avoid FWR for their own reasons getting annoyed...

If you can be bothered it may be worth posting in the thread over on site stuff instead/as well

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/3228096-request-posters-should-need-to-have-been-registered-for-30-days-before-being-able-to-post-on-fwr

Email I recieved from MN implied that would be how they would judge support or not for the idea.

I was told when I reported that these trolls who have no posting history and start a goady thread on trans do not violate the talk guidelines.

I can only conclude that MN is committed to proving that they allow free speech by misogynists, trolls, and trans advocates.

I was told when I reported that these trolls who have no posting history and start a goady thread on trans do not violate the talk guidelines

Keep reporting. That's not the experience I have had today.

I am done with reporting.
I have done my very best for days to convince the mods that they are playing into the hands of the trolls and misogynists. They have made it quite clear that they have a different standard for misogynists than they do for Feminists.

I've just posted on the site stuff thread that a way to ID new members in the username would be a better option. It could work either by number of days registered or number of posts. Money Saving Expert does something similar. It means everyone can see a new account clearly. It would allow new members to post but identify that they are not part of the established community yet.

I've only been here a couple months. But as a newcomer I would like to disagree with these proposals. Being able to post was very instrumental in making me feel part of this community- its easy on the net just to drift off but if you start to engage with people in an interactive way-which posting yourself facilitates- you get intimate quicker. I came here for the feminist threads-if I had to interact especially post on the rest of the site in which I have no interest I wouldn't still be here. And I do love MN. Finally some of the funniest and funnest threads are the ones where people interact with, insult and conspicuously ignore MRA/TRAs. I love seeing seasoned sealion slayers in full battle gear. Spectacular! You have to be pretty naive to take screen shots at face value. Is'nt most of this screenshotting on twitter? Most people pay no attention to twitter. If they do who would attend to TRAs such obvious batshit fools. Please don't make MN a safe space! The TRAs give themselves away.

Ive always reported stuff tht I felt broke the guidelines and had no problems with the mods. Just report, don’t give them anything to feed off and move on.

I think 30 days is short sighted and a terrible idea sorry.

Copying from the site stuff thread:

What if new members are dealing with a situation that's urgent e.g. women coming here for advice because:

• her job is under threat and she's facing disciplinary for gender critical views
• her daughter has just announced she's trans
• her husband is a TIM and she needs some emotional support, now, not in a month
• she's just found out her sin is buying hormones off the internet and his school is supporting this - what can she say to the school?
• her daughter's school is planning a session on trans based on materials from Mermaids - how can she object?
• a transman has started feeling regret and is thinking of detransitioning and wants to discuss it here as everyone she knows won't understand.

This subject is not just an intellectual argument, it's an issue that's women people in real life, who need the support of other women.

There are other ways to solve this that don't involve self censorship - which is what this is.

All good points, grandplans. I guess we just need to recognise goady posts and not respond or respond in the way that they any us to.

The real problem is the perception that when one women does or says something, all women are responsible. If only women had NAWALT.

Sorry typing at speed!

This is meamt to say;

This subject is not just an intellectual argument, it's an issue that's affecting people - especially women - in real life, who need the support of other women.

Grandplans
Good points, however the rest of the forum is available for support and advice threads, and posters will always put a shout out to the knowledgeable feminists to join a support thread outside of fwr. Very few of the active fwr posters restrict themselves to only the fwr boards.

It's the fwr regular posters who are the resource in this situation.

But we are also the bullseye target for trolls, and wherever we talk to each other becomes a place they set their sights on.

I know some of us are burning out with the constant poking from people who hate us. Already most of us are in secret groups elsewhere to have a breather from trolling and sealioning. Something needs to be done to give a modicum of protection to the women behind the usernames so that we can continue to be there at all to provide the type of support that you describe.

I don't agree with the 30 day thing

I think that the troll posts should stand. Then people would see what we are up against.

Wasn't there a new poster here 2 or 3 months ago who was desperately seeking emergency advice and help accessing services for women suffering domestic abuse?

How badly hurt would they have been if there was 30-day rule in place and they couldn't get that advice?

I've done a u turn on the 30 day idea.

There was a poster on the MRA bees and teas thread who had joined due to reading that thread and posted how clever, informative and witty she found the site to be. (Acknowledgements to Truscum/Teascum for tea)

I'd not want to inhibit the posting by new lurkers for the sake of the trolls.

Also, if we are criticising the whole 'blocked' echo chamber approach the TRAs take as being anti debate, shouldn't we welcome the challenge of a twatty post and successfully challenge it while enjoying a derailment involving lots of tea

yeah AssignedPuuurfectAtBirth, I'm often a bit sad about the deletion of troll threads. Makes us look a bit paranoid I think.

Another reason not to limit new posters. I see Stephen Whittle is back from his trip to India and posting again.

While I have found the thread very frustrating for reasons that it would break talk guidelines to go into here, if a prominent academic who had input into the yogyakarta principles wants to come and talk with us, I don't think any restrictions should be in place to prevent them.

I think the point is, I'm not interested in being kept 'safe' from opposing opinions. This isn't my 'safe space'. Any one should be free to come here and talk.

I like it because it's moderated, but not too heavily moderated.