Great piece by academic Kathleen Stock (mentions MN)

[Ereshkigal]

medium.com/@kathleenstock/when-bindels-speak-b305625a7521

So so good.

I repeat my advice to get an old fashioned kid's paddling pool and lie out in the garden, with your bump emerging from the water like Mount Fuji.

I think I might. Although so immobile with spd I may be harpooned before I get out....

Kathleen Stock is one of the speakers at the next WPUK meeting (Brighton)

Twitter

How can Fox be alumni? Don't they mean alumnus/a or are they identifying as plural now?

Fox are so special that they are plural...

Thinly veiled message: please sack Kathleen Stock and publicly denounce her. Anything less will be seen as being complicit in hate and violence and I won’t be happy until all these women are driven out of their jobs.

Sort of what happened to Becca Reilly-Cooper too. You need nerves of steel for this.

Michael Biggs
Associate Professor in Sociology and Fellow of St Cross College writes:
'Free speech at Oxford:
Do women have the right to meet to discuss legislation?'
users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/FreeSpeechOxford.pdf

"A [WPUK} meeting was held [in Oxford] on 25 April 2018 to discuss proposed changes to the law on gender recognition. The proposed legislation will eliminate sex-segregated spaces and activities, from women’s refuges to competitive sports. In a democracy, people have the right to meet to discuss—and indeed oppose—legislative changes. This should be incontrovertible. I am appalled that a small number of students at Oxford used extreme measures to stop this meeting from being held....
(concludes)
I have entered this debate not because I am a feminist but because freedom of speech is one of the highest values of a democratic society, and the basic foundation of university life.
Transgender activism poses a grave threat to freedom of speech. I think of the young MPhil student who had to disguise herself to attend this meeting because she feared the reaction of fellow students. This is the generation that we have educated."

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3257819-Michael-Biggs-Sociology-Dept-Oxford-Free-speech-at-Oxford-Do-women-have-the-right-to-meet-to-discuss-legislation

Transgender advocates and lobbyists have declared women's right anti-trans, ergo any advocating for or discussion of women's rights is transphobic.

See how that works?

So is this the basis on which women are reported / shadow banned etc on Twitter?

It's good that Kathleen Stock is fairly senior (Reader). She's in a far stronger position than a newish lecturer on a fixed term contract would be. And I see she has a recent book out with OUP - counts for a lot in the humanities ime.

She's in a far stronger position than a newish lecturer on a fixed term contract would be.

From Kathleen Stock's, 'Anonymised responses from other academics to my articles on sex, gender, and philosophy'

latest comment:
“I am a fellow academic without secure employment, so I’m sure you can understand my keeping a low profile. I’ve already had trans students (with whom I get on very well, as an aside – I see no conflict between being critical of the gender essentialism/self-ID nonsense and being supportive of transsexuals) express concerns that I even follow people they recognise as gender critical, so I am well aware of the current state of the debate.

My partner (also an academic) and I discussed this morning what other successful minority single issues transcend the current political left/right divide in the anglosphere, and we came up with a shortlist of three only: US/UK trans activism, esp. in regard of self-ID, US gun rights, and the US pro-life argument. All three also share the support of well-funded pressure groups, as well as majority opposition (an estimated 75% of the general population oppose self-ID, ~80% of the US population allegedly support tighter gun control, and likewise c. 67% of the US population apparently support abortion rights).

With my own sense that these issues are somehow ‘texturally’ connected at the back of my mind, I asked him what else unifies these issues (he is a US national, and arguably has a better intuitive understanding of the US-based movements). He thought for three seconds, and then said “toxic masculinity”, with quiet shock in his voice. For context, I should add that he does not generally take an uncritically feminist stance, but can best be described as a man who arrives consistently, but sometimes grudgingly, at a feminist position in discussions, based on reasoning.

The three are rarely discussed in this light, although their reconfiguration suggests that they are connected by, as my partner put it, a particular expression of male sexuality.

I have no idea what to do or where to go with my concerns in this matter, as I have financial responsibilities and insecure working conditions. I genuinely cannot afford to chip away at my employability at this point in my career. I am unlikely to be quite so shy when I eventually have a secure position, however. And, as you are undoubtedly aware, there are many more of my disposition who keep a low profile for similar reasons.”

medium.com/@kathleenstock/anonymised-responses-from-other-academics-to-my-articles-on-sex-gender-and-philosophy-f1cc0db04554

Wow, that's an interesting response - not so much the direct respondents position, unfortunately predictable, but the partner's analysis.

It resonates with points made by Camille Paglia

www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=I8BRdwgPChQ

recent thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3291763-Lessons-from-history-Transgender-Mania

Kathleen Stock:
'Full text of interview with Brighton Argus
These are the full answers from my interview with the Brighton Argus here.

1. Why does there need to be a discussion around proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act? The proposed move to self-identification within the legal gender reassignment process needs to be discussed, party because of the problem of sex-segregated spaces, where females get undressed or sleep. These spaces were originally designed to protect the dignity, privacy, and safety of female women and girls. Organisations such as Youth Hostelling Scotland, Topshop, Caledonian Sleeper, Girl Guiding UK, and some women’s prisons, are already allowing into these spaces trans women who say they are women. Many trans women retain male genitalia and a sexual attraction towards females. If gender reassignment proceeds by ‘self-ID’ then in practice, this will make transitioning much easier, and will eventually mean more trans women in female-only spaces, unless the law excludes them. It also means that it will be increasingly hard for women-only spaces to keep out any males, whether trans women or not, because in practice people might not be able to tell the difference by appearance. This puts women at risk from predatory males who want to take advantage of the loophole. Meanwhile, the existing Equalities Act is confusing for people and does not help sort out the issues. I think all this should be discussed openly, listening to all people affected, including females....' (continues)

medium.com/@kathleenstock/full-text-of-interview-with-brighton-argus-45a23acfe92e

There have been some quite extra-ordinary Twitter attacks on Kathleen Stock and also on the Brighton Argos for publishing the interview with her.

Including from the founder of an international ant-bullying charity!

Yes Rowan. It's worrying on so many levels. Personal smearing and attack, and desperate attempts to prevent free speech and publication.

Local newspapers, which are usually good at reporting issues fairly and accurately, are under enough financial pressure already. It may be very hard for the Brighton Argus to withstand this sort of attack and not cave in.

I think all of the personal attacks, attempts at censorship and smearing demonstrate a serious issue and also makes clear who is involved and how they view things.

Letter Published in MorningStar

"Other women, including ordinary women concerned for their rights, as well as those active within the trade union movement and other political campaigns, are also now anxious and fearful that they will be subjected to such attacks when engaging in any political activity, meetings, or protests.

We are sure that, whatever your view regarding the issues around the Gender Recognition Act, you will agree that it is unacceptable for women to be made scared to engage in political life.

We, the undersigned, publicly and unequivocally condemn the use of violence or tactics of intimidation on this issue."

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3296684-Len-McCluskey

James Kirkup has picked up on the letter in a Spectator blog post today.

(extract)
"Now, I’m a dedicated centrist and I happen to agree with every word of that letter. I know paid-up Tories who would too.

But the contents of that letter are not the story here. The story is in the signatories, who include Len McCluskey of the Unite union, as well as several other senior trade unionists. (Lindsey German, a founder of Stop the War and a close friend of Jeremy Corbyn is there too; Andrew Murray, another very senior Corbynista signed a similar letter earlier this year. In short, a very significant and, in Labour terms, powerful group of unionists and activists has raised some quite serious concerns about the violent intimidation of women in the gender debate.

In a previous job as a political reporter, I’d probably have summarised that letter something like this:

Transgender activists who use threats of violence to frighten feminist critics are bringing the Labour movement into disrepute, Britain’s top trade union leader has said. Len McCluskey of the Unite union has joined several other close allies of Jeremy Corbyn to warn that “trans rights activists” using threats and intimidation have left many women “too frightened” to engage in political debate..." (continues)

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/07/labour-and-tories-finally-see-the-truth-about-the-gender-debate/

Very disappointing to see Dr Stock being bullied by the CEO of anti-bullying charity, Liam Hackett.

This charity earns >£300k per year.
It promotes trans to children. For example,
twitter.com/DitchtheLabel/status/986153822392373248

Hackett has previously taken to twitter to express his outrage at the NHS not letting men into the room where women were preparing to undergo mammograms (and therefore were presumably in hospital gowns).

Hackett has previously taken to twitter to express his outrage at the NHS not letting men into the room where women were preparing to undergo mammograms (and therefore were presumably in hospital gowns).

I saw the original tweet about this and found it really bizarre... it was difficult not to read it as bullying the breast screening department and hospital using Twitter power

It made the press:
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/men-ban-breast-screening-clinic-waiting-area-hospital-brighton-anger-a8243666.html

Rowan - thanks for highlighting the Morning Star letter and James Kirkup blog.

The reality is beginning to be exposed and this inevitably leads to increasingly desperate attempts to silence any reasonable discussion.

There's so much going on and in so many places, and you're doing a fantastic job at helping us all keep in the loop.

Twitter

What an absolute plonker.

How can he not see that a room full of anxious women about to undertake an often painful procedure, which requires half nudity, is not a suitable place for him to be.

MEMEMEME...

(extract from the Independent article above)
"Mr Hackett, who waited for Ms Jones outside in the corridor, said: “It just seems very strange. I can’t begin to imagine to think what it would be like to have to go on your own. Pain and fear are ever-present in healthcare, the NHS should consider the patients,”

He urged the hospital on to “immediately review and revoke” the “dated, sexist & disgusting” policy, which he said had caused “offence, upset and embarrassment”, in a post on Twitter... (continues)

A spokeswoman for the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS said it was “not a case of men not being allowed into the breast centre, but very specifically one interior waiting room.”

“Men are welcome in the outside area but women have to take their tops off, just put one layer back on and walk through that small waiting room to go through for their scan,” she told The Independent.

“In feedback, patients said it makes them feel uncomfortable when there are men in that waiting room, so we instigated the policy to protect the women who are using that facility. It is to make them feel safe secure and dignified and that they are treated in a place where there interests are put first.”

I have to say when I followed this at the time, I felt very

I went for a breast screen recently and the letter specifically stated that it would be an all woman team (and they don't half wo/manhandle you!).

If a man was there having a tantrum because he wasn't allowed in, I think I would have threatened to spank him. It's stressful enough without - what did the post up say - 'toxic masculinity?'.

All very egocentric behaviour.