James Kirkup 'Labour and Tories finally see the truth about the gender debate'

[R0wantrees]

You might not have noticed that yesterday the Government announced possible changes to the Gender Recognition Act. That’s what ministers wanted: the announcement was carefully made late in the day and was partly obscured by an earlier promise to ban “conversion therapy” that tries to stop gay people being gay.

Why did the Government bury its transgender announcement? The approach was very different last autumn when the Prime Minister herself fronted a prominent media drive which Tory spinners said showed that the Conservatives were inclining towards a system of “self-identified” gender. Yesterday, by contrast, ministers released a deliberately neutral set of consultation questions and kicked decisions on reform into early 2019 by saying the consultation will be open until late October. Conservatives who once rushed to embrace the reforms sought by some transgender lobbying groups are now — behind all their nice words — moving much more cautiously.

So what changed between the autumn of 2017 and this week? There are two factors, one public, one largely private. The public change was brought about by women. Quite a lot of them worry about a system that allows male-born people to take on the legal status of women (transwomen) and thus access spaces and services that the law reserves for women. Especially when some of those transwomen retain male genitalia.

For all that some people suggest it’s somehow prurient or distasteful to talk about penises in this debate, there is, as Nick Robinson put it in some excellent interviews on the Today Programme yesterday, no way to avoid this. The simple fact is that people with penises, whatever word we use to describe those people, are biologically different to people without penises, and that difference matters to many women in a way that cannot be dismissed as bigotry... (continues)

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

I fucking love you, James.

Before - note everybody: before - you get into the open and backroom politicking, you say:

The public change was brought about by women

And you emphasise that:

Unlike the charities that lobby for transgender rights, the women’s groups — Woman’s Place UK, Fair Play for Womenand ManFriday — have no corporate or public sector funding, and not much money at all.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. Ordinary women have to risk everything - job, reputation, personal safety - to point out the bleedin' obvious injustice being done to them and only when they have, by themselves, started to get some public awareness, do any of the great and good speak up.

I know you see this, James, and I thank you for it.

That is a really good article.

Thank you James, I was feeling a bit despondent today so it's good to know there is support in government even if it's currently covert (although it does beg the question what are these people elected for if they don't speak up).

The point about Amber Rudd was well made. How a sitting Home Secretary can make no comment on a bomb threat made in her own constituency is ridiculous.

Thanks James...as usual shining a light through the fug of mainstream media.

I'm not sure whether James Kirkup likes but I would very much like to buy him a drink!

Adding my thanks

Brilliant article and so much needed -thx James

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.

PS would you ring MN and tell them they have become part of the same problem in aggressively silencing women who are trying to publicly debate the issue on MN. They are making women ill and afraid through their aggressive pro-Trans moderation akin to bullying by proxy at the behest of TRAs.

Even though it would only take a few hundred angry women to switch votes to topple her, Rudd hasn’t yet responded to campaigners’ requests to speak about what the police call a “serious” incident. I find it hard to think of other circumstance in which a former Home Secretary would stay silent about a bomb threat made against a public meeting in their constituency.)

Exactly - the silence from her and other politicians is deafening and amounts to bystander bullying of women - a pile-on where they join forces with the bullies to harm and frighten women, because of their lack of action and intervention. Where is the moral and ethical leadership?

We are seeing balls where we don't want them to be and not seeing them where we need them to be seen.

Thank you James and everything Lang said especially
Before - note everybody: before - you get into the open and backroom politicking, you say:
The public change was brought about by women

Hoo-fucking-rah

Thanks for the link Rowan

It's a national scandal that there have been bomb threats to women's meetings and still we are told we are bigotted and 'weaponising' words that describe our biology

Thank you James, from the bottom of my heart. You are one of the few journalists who not only undertand the seriousness of this issue, but are willing to write repeatedly about it. I know you (and get that you know) don't get as much abuse for it as a woman journalist, but I appreciate very much that there are good 'uns like you still prepared to speak up for injustice.

ROwan do you have a share token for the article?

womanformallyknownaswoman

I think that the pressures that Mumsnet have been under may well come to light.

And I would like to buy you a drink too. I honestly can't gush too much about how grateful I am for your articles, so I will stop before I make a fine show of myself

WichBitch
I don't know if Spectator articles have share tokens... will have a look.

this is James Kirkup's twitter link, it may be accessible from here:
twitter.com/jameskirkup/status/1014510439055659008

We are seeing balls where we don't want them to be and not seeing them where we need them to be seen.

In-fucking-deed.

Thank you so much, James

Thanks for another great article James. I've subscribed to the Spectator on the back of your work (hope your editor appreciates you as much as we do, if only for the extra ££ GC feminists can bring)

If you register (for free) you can read three articles a week Witch

I've had a look and they don't seem to have share tokens that I'm aware of.

A bit frustrating because it's a great article but I don't wish to do James or The Spectator a disservice by posting it. I think it's also against T&Cs to do that with paywall stuff so would probably be deleted.

You can register for free and get access for 3 articles a month

P.S. Can anyone on twitter advise that Katie person of this fact as they are currently moaning that that Spectator is not for 'poor people' - it's on Jame's twitter thread

Thank you James!!!! And Rowan for sharing!

Have signed up to read it thanks ROwan.

What a brilliant article, the tide is most definitely turning wimmin, definitely. The cultists must be seething.

Wonder how this is going to play out re MN's silencing and word policing policies?

I've just registered to get the free 3 articles a week. I don't know how many articles a week James writes but there is a free month trial subscription offer if you fancy working your way through his back catalogue.

Totally agree Ova.

R0wantrees
I think that the pressures that Mumsnet have been under may well come to light.

I hope they do come clean and get transparent - I made a long post on Prachet's 1000 comment-jewels crown about where I think the pressure may have been coming from - did you see it? I don't want to repeat myself if you have.

Times were better back when it was the FEMALE suffragettes making bomb threats, that's for sure!

Hallefuckinglujah

Woman - We are seeing balls where we don't want them to be and not seeing them where we need them to be seen.

This is one of the best two liners I have ever seen on this subject. Sums it up perfectly! 😀

Amber Rudd is a disgrace, as is the lack of media coverage of the threat made.