Time to get the 'L' out!

[LaSqrrl]

Facebook just killed another Women's Liberation page (I did not follow it), upon the pressure placed by another page/group called 'Queer Librarian'.

The Women's Liberation Radio News page got targeted because they reported on Baltimore Pride, where a number of lesbians held WL signs. The WLRN page also reported that prior to the event, the Baltimore Transgender Alliance stated "terfs will be hung by their necks". This reporting of BTA by WLRN, incited the Queer Librarian page to gather ranks and report the WLRN page. (You will get the drift by looking at the screengrabs).

Lesbians are no longer welcome at Pride(!) and clearly, anyone that reports what is going on is targeted and banned.

Convenient there is no screen grab for the supposed comment from transgender alliance.

here you go.

Isn't there a campaign to ditch the "B" as well - given that B kind of relies on there being a binary and thus is also transphobic?

I really don't understand why the T can't go out on their own, rather than trying to co-opt any movement that involves women.

Pride is no longer a safe space for Lesbians, is it. Lesbians want to retain their identity and are being threatened as a result.

I've heard the drop the B thing is 4 chan shit stirring, but who the hell knows these days.

I attend Pride with my wife every year. I've always felt safe and celebrated and welcomed there.

I really don't think it's fair to say that because a specific group of radfem lesbians got told they couldn't display placards which at the very least are deeply goady towards one of the groups Pride is explicitly meant to be about celebrating, that means Pride doesn't like lesbians.

How on earth can they get away with threats like that ffs?

The world is going to hell in a handcart.

I've heard the drop the B thing is 4 chan shit stirring, but who the hell knows these days.

The place where I have heard this has been on trans activists Reddits. “Keep reminding people the drop the B thing is a 4chan thing, make that the known thing.”

Next time it pops up I’ll sceenshot it.

Why aren’t newspapers picking this up for what it is?

“Women threatened with hanging for protesting the demands of Male people to have sex and relationships with them”

“Lesbians fear hanging for speaking biological truths”

“Women threatened with murder”

Some accurate headlines for the press.

I've heard the drop the B thing is 4 chan shit stirring

Could well be, but I've not seen anyone denying it.

Here you go, the 3 relevant slogans: Dykes don't like dick, Violence against lesbians is an epidemic, Lesbian not Queer. Totes make sense that they would hold these banners there, right?

You're saying that refering to lesbians is goady? At a pride event for all LGBT people.

Baroquehavoc - no - the specific slogans which were described as 'goady' were:

Women are oppressed because of biology not identity, Woman is not a feeling, Change our society not your body.

Those aren't lesbian specific at all. They are references to specific bits of feminist ideology. Lesbians can be LibFems too. We don't get given added to some kind of hive mind when we hit puberty which means we fancy women, like cats and read Germaine Greer.

You're saying that refering to lesbians is goady? At a pride event for all LGBT people.

No, I'm saying those three slogans referring to lesbians are completely understandable at that event. I'm saying the other three slogans - which didn't refer to lesbianism in any way - were the questionable ones.

So the general rule for slogans at Pride events is that they must only be about the relevant sexuality (or identity in the case of T), and not about any other related topic. Were other groups with placards/banners monitored to check that their signs were compliant too, I wonder?

Well it's not a rule is it. But if you're waving a banner that doesn't directly relate to your LGBT experience, but does directly relate to somebody else's LGBT experience, you might expect that not to go down well when you all get together at the LGBT march.

I'll stress again though, no excuse for sinister reference to violence.

When lesbians are being hassled for not sleeping with someone who has a penis, and their groups are being attacked and shut down, then it is their experience. And they have the right to speak out about it.

I'm guessing that it does directly relate to their experience of being lesbian.

Meh, I stand by my sense that three of their slogans seem fair for them to say and three are at best ill-judged if the intent was not to specifically offend some of their fellow LGBT marchers. Not saying they can't say them, obviously they can, just one shouldn't be too surprised if offence is that actual result.

*I attend Pride with my wife every year. I've always felt safe and celebrated and welcomed there.

I really don't think it's fair to say that because a specific group of radfem lesbians got told they couldn't display placards which at the very least are deeply goady towards one of the groups Pride is explicitly meant to be about celebrating, that means Pride doesn't like lesbians.*

Yep me too @Whatzat298 - it's not about the Ls trying to oppress the Ts or vice versa. Pride by its very nature is inclusive of everybody.

Ah, straightsplaining what is and isn't appropriate at LGBT events, wonderful.

I'm not "straightsplaining"; it's not me who took offence at the slogans; it's LGBT people. I'm just saying why I think that's understandable.

Ah, straightsplaining what is and isn't appropriate at LGBT events, wonderful.

Coming from the person who says two biologically female homosexuals in a relationship with one another aren't allowed to call themselves lesbians.

Pride by its very nature is inclusive of everybody.

You know the more I see these vocal activists stir up this kind of ‘hang everyone who doesn’t believe what I do’ stuff the more I think the conspiracy theorists may be right. Or at least not entirely barking.

Is all this a ploy to strip women, lesbians/gay people/bisexuals of the rights they’ve fought so hard for? Kick the women out first, straight and lesbian, they’re the easy target. Then what?

In my idle moments of musing during running various bit of data I do wonder ...

@RatRolyPoly

Well it's not a rule is it. But if you're waving a banner that doesn't directly relate to your LGBT experience, but does directly relate to somebody else's LGBT experience, you might expect that not to go down well when you all get together at the LGBT march.

Lesbians are women who are attracted to women, right? How do they not get to comment on womanhood given it pertains to both their own personal experience as women but also as the marginalised category of lesbian?

Women get to have a say in that, Lesbians included.