I was there last night. I'm really glad I was. Despite a four hour demonstration outside the venue (back and front) with Trans activists shouting the whole time and a police presence. Entering the building to that made me feel exactly how I used to feel when returning home to my abusive ex.
The venue (impressive finding one to take us at such short notice) was pretty full. I found the evening a mostly really interesting and thought provoking one. The speakers were knowledgeable, clear and concise and at points some of the discussion was bang on and really moving.
The bullying that Kathleen Stock has received for example has been truly appalling. I bumped into a colleague at the event (ex academic) who supported Kathleen on a Women in Academia forum online and has had loads of abuse herself from within the female academic community.
Hearing the debate from another side via Gill Smith de-transitioning from becoming a trans man about the issues lesbians face and their lack of support almost pushing them to define as trans is also in part a funding trend too. I felt really sorry for her to have been placed inb this position but she spoke strongly and was angry about the lack of support she'd had from the LGBT community and that all the help she's received has been from the Women's movement and the females in her family.
So the forum itself was good. The issues really were the following -
as mentioned by the poster above, the loud shouting woman who interrupted absolutely everyone during the two hours with irrelevant and inflammatory comments. I had the misfortune to sit two seats down from her so it was hard to hear at points. She went outside at one point and had a row with the protestors.
She came with writer Julie Burchill who herself stayed shtum. I told the woman to belt up in the end after her comment about self identifying as black which as also mentioned above made the one black woman in the room get up to leave. Julie Burchill and co also left then too but sat in the bar afterwards.
The Q and A section was where it all got messy. All the questions were taken from people on the floor and then answered after. The first two questions from women who were critical I.e you're not being clear about where trans 'women' are women or not. When in fact it had been pretty clear about this.
A women from the Quakers (FMH) spoke and apologised for venue cancellation. She said they would have a further discussion about this. Too little too late I'd say. She identified as a lesbian and also former member of Stonewall. Stonewall came in for some flak for their trans agenda in recent years.
There was a fair amount of shouting and disagreement. One man got up to speak (only a couple of men present), more of a statement than a question and an academic on the floor who discussed her experience of raising trans issues in the sector and the academic response.
A rep from WPUK came up to say that the activists were still demonstrating and if people didn't feel comfortable leaving by the front or back doors then there was an alternative exit. Also that the hotel staff had had a difficult night, people had cancelled their dinners and room bookings so could we support them by using the bar to try to recoup some lost income..I wonder whether they'd accept another booking. They seemed stressed about the event.
I'm really glad I went. It felt like a mostly safe space to discuss GRA issues and the erosion of women's rights and supportive on the whole when I for one have felt hitherto underpowered to speak my feelings about what's been happening.
Well done Women's Place for making this happen!