Channel 4's Genderquake Debate is heavily criticised/ boycotted(?) by prominent transgender activists & allies .

[R0wantrees]

Transgender campaigners and organisations have released an open letter to Channel 4 criticising Genderquake, a season of programmes touted as an exploration of the gender debate, as "counterproductive".
Signees are particularly concerned about Genderquake: The Debate, a studio discussion hosted by Cathy Newman that promises to look at what gender means in 2018. It will discuss topics including: 'what defines our gender identity', 'how that affects our rights', 'should it be easier to change gender' and 'does gender matter'.

The letter, published by indy100 in full below, argues that the debate will give legitimacy to transphobia, prejudice and the notion that trans identities are up for discussion. This concern is presumably stoked by the presence of Australian-born academic and writer Germaine Greer on the panel, who has previously said transgender women "can't be women". continues...

"The letter is published in full below and has been signed by dozens of prominent transgender and non-binary activists and campaigners - and allies - alike, including Fox Fisher, Owl, Stephanie Hirst, Juno Roche, Travis Alabanza, Kate Llewellyn, Jack Monroe and India Willoughby."

www.indy100.com/article/genderquake-the-debate-transphobia-channel-4-open-letter-campaigners-germaine-greer-8341481

I still don't know if my blood pressure can take it...might just faux watch via Twitter and here...

Tbf, both Caitlyn Jenner and Monroe Bergdoff do engage in debate. They don't plop and block like many others.

When I read the Stonewall report from which the often quoted suicide stats were taken from it was just pages and pages of qualitative statements about how it feels to be bullied in school. It was very emotive with literally zero explanation about the methodology but my overall impression was that all LGBT teens were being treated appallingly. If anything it was an indictment of macho hetero-sexual lad culture. Why has Stonewall spun this report to just focus on trans kids?

I would be interested to read about how the mental health and suicide rates for trans kids compares to gay, lesbian and bisexual kids. I can imagine it is pretty awful to be out in school. Despite being told constantly how nobody is homophobic at all anymore I just don't feel that this is true. Why isn't Stonewall standing up for all the queer kids?

10 pm, Channel 4. Am going to set the recorder in case I nod off.

Say what you like about Germaine, she's got guts.

I'm surprised GG is going to be on this- I saw her speak a few months ago and she said she wasn't interested in trans issues anymore when asked.

So I wonder if she's coming back fighting or whether we may be disappointed with her stance tonight.

She's happy to piss off women as much as anyone else.

Are there going to be other GC women on it too?

Plenty in the audience. ManFriday are there, Posie Parker is there, Karen Ingala-Smith is there. There might be another GC panel member (don’t know yet). Given the TRAs sound like they’re boycotting we might have a more GC than TRA audience.

This quote stood out for me too

A recent study conducted by Stonewall and YouGov show that two in five (41%) trans people and three in ten (31%) non binary people have experienced a hate crime or incident directly related to their gender identity in the last 12 months.

I wonder how many women would say they had experienced a hate crime or incident (what exactly counts as an incident for this study?)
directly related to their sex over a year.
It's this idea that trans people are the ultimate victims that really gets my goat. I it's like they don't even see or care what women are dealing with everyday.

This is sounding increasingly promising. I love hearing GG. Even when I disagree with her I love hearing her speak. Many of the TRAs don't have that degree of intellectual curiosity and tolerance. If you don't parrot their exact line you are bad and evil and shouldn't be listened to by anyone ever. Bonkers

Can anyone confirm if the genderquake stuff is available on the channel 4 catch up service?

More oxygen to the debate! Yes.

Great to know those names are there Sweary hope they get the opportunity to get some comments in.

Surely if it's only GG on the panel it's not balanced? Hope she doesn't go off piste, she's very unpredictable.

Do you remember that YouTube video of a women walking through New York in jeans and a t-shirt? Loads of copies and spoofs. I suspect a higher proportion of women experienced a ‘hate crime’ due to their sex/gender in the last WEEK than the figures quoted there.

I’m practically vibrating with excitement. It’s always a treat to hear GG speak, but on this topic? In a debate?

Has anyone in that list got a proper job? No wonder they can faff about on social media all day

We’ll try Baby - it depends on timings, but we are primed.

This is the problem with not having misogyny as a hate crime. Personally I think there needs to a roll back in what is considered hate crime, i.e. I support incitements to violence and threats being deemed such, but language that isn't inciting violence or threats or criminality, but that people can just find offensive, I think generally speaking is wrong to be deemed as hate speech.

But what we need more than anything is a level ground, and at the moment we cannot advocate for feminism in the way that trans people can advocate for themselves, for eg we can't make the case for spaces and rights based on hate crime, we don't get access to committees to discuss our representation in the media/suchlike. I think the fact misogyny isn't a hate crime speaks to how accepted it is, and that needs to change.

Is 'transphobia' a hate crime?

Were they using a legal definition of a hate crime?

I suspect trans people do experience a lot of verbal abuse, from men. Is that a hate crime?

Go for it Sweary, best of luck!

Ash Shankar is also on the panel. Not holding my breath for much balance...

Also Kenny Jones. WTF is Kenny Jones?

Who are they DJ? Google hasn't helped me.

So is that only one actual female on the panel so far?
Or is Kenny a natal female (the only kind of female I know, but being cautious)

Kenny Jones is a drummer and Ash Shankar is a senior editor at Novaro Media. She's very much cool chick brocalist likes calling women terf. Doesn't really believe in women's structural oppression which is weird for a socialist IMO. Think she's drunk the pomo Kool Aid.....

I had a twitter convo with Ash and she has no clue what she is talking about. She is just extremely snarky and nowt else to offer. Where did you find that she and Kenny had been added to the panel?

Kenny Jones is the drummer for The Who so yeah I'm sure he's got a lot of really interesting arguments to make...