Aimee Challenor's resignation

[TriptychTwins]

Apparently Aimee's resigned. Unfortunately the link isn't working so I can't post it here, but I have it on good authority that it's genuine.

Let's hope so.

Thanks for sharing that. I concur wholeheartedly - other than I don't mind using preferred pronouns.

What a mess. I hope Aimee gets appropriate independent and unbiased support.

I'm in a different political party and the way that youth is thrust forward beyond their maturity and experience causes me a great deal of frustration.

I'm in a different political party and the way that youth is thrust forward beyond their maturity and experience causes me a great deal of frustration.

Lisa Muggeridge has made a number of videos which deserve a wider audience & consideration that are relevent:
www.youtube.com/channel/UC9c2nFwyCdfgBG8BhFys3-A/videos

Comments at: idgeofreason.wordpress.com/about/

Thanks. Have watched a few. Seems the tide is finally turning with recent press articles having said that.

Has brought up some personal issues for me this case. I was coached in gymnastics as a pre-teen by a man who was later convicted of sexual offences towards young girls. He was probably in his 40s at the time. We all knew how much he 'loved' the youngest girl in our group - about two years younger than me - and showered her with attention, had her for sleep overs at his house even. Totally groomed her and her parents.

And yet he wasn't convicted until much later after he was caught with photos taken up the skirts of pupils in a school where he taught.

I don't know why I'm sharing this other than there are parallels.

Gymnastics seems to be a particularly favored target for pedophiles.

Full disclosure, I have very little sympathy for either Challenor or Madigan. That being said, these people are being set up to fail. If a young person is thrust into the limelight with no media training or coaching on their party's policies and talking points then the chances of them making a complete fool of themselves sooner or later are approaching 100%.

The power dynamics are really screwed. Young girls, in skin tight revealing outfits and sadistic older men pushing them beyond their pain limits and required to touch them. It's an absolute paedophile's dream.

Yep. If I had a daughter I'm not sure how happy I'd be about her getting involved, for those reasons and more.

For anyone who's never read it and is interested in the aesthetics focused sports where girls tend to be steered if they're athletic and the issues with them I'd highly recommend this book.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Girls_in_Pretty_Boxes

Hopefully safeguarding is better now AAK. I was a gymnast until 1990ish. Safeguarding consisted of the other coaches beating this guy up once rumours started circulating.

That was said with a face. Hopefully...

Full disclosure, I have very little sympathy

I have sympathy but not to the extent of excusing any harm they do.

I have sympathy but not to the extent of excusing any harm they do.

Sympathy, understanding and this^^

Hopefully safeguarding is better now AAK.

current important thread collates wide ranging failings and threats to Safeguarding frameworks:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/a3301266-Safeguarding-girls-and-protecting-women-post-Jimmy-Saville-metoo

I know this isn't the point of the thread ...but can we just go back to the tweet where Aimee called Graham Linehan a gammon for a moment? Aimee wrote that they nearly tweeted 'so I hear you're a transphobe now GLinner' to Graham but decided not to because 'it would probably go over his head.'

So... Does Aimee think Graham Linehan doesn't know his own work and won't recognise it when it's paraphrased back at him?
They really are that incredibly immature youth that thinks only they have ever been clever and that everyone else in the world (especially anyone older than them) is just a mindless zombie from the olden days who doesn't 'get it' because they've always been old. And nobody else can understand them because they are so speshul and clever - and everyone else is, like, so pedestrian.
Not exactly political leader material.

You can tweet Father Ted lines at him, Aimee, he'll get it. He just won't care. Never mistake not caring for not understanding - they are two entirely separate things.

or maybe they had no idea Graham Linehan wrote Father Ted, because they weren't even born at the time, and so made a rather funny gaffe. I really really hope that's the case. It would be hilarious.

Caroline Lucus has tweeted that she's arranging to meet Womans Place UK!

That'll have the TWAW mob spitting feathers!

or maybe they had no idea Graham Linehan wrote Father Ted, because they weren't even born at the time, and so made a rather funny gaffe

I think that's pretty likely. Otherwise why would Aimee think the allusion would go over Linehan's head? Obviously Linehan would recognise an allusion to his own work, and let's face it, that particular line, "I hear you're a racist now, Father" is one of the lines most often quoted from the series.

That's grand work by Debbie Hayton making the argument that there is not universal agreement about self ID amongst trans sexuals.

And since its come from someone who is trans, its more difficult for the TRA lobby to scream transphobia.

Will be interesting to see the reaction though.

Caroline Lucus has tweeted that she's arranging to meet Womans Place UK!

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall for that one!

Top work from Debbie Hayton, too, it can't be easy to insert yourself into that quagmire.

Twitter thread in full

Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas (3 days ago)
Unless we’re prepared to listen to each other, we’ll never make progress towards the future I believe is possible.

My piece calling for a constructive respectful debate about gender:
Link to her Guardian Article

Debbie Hayton @debbiehayton
Hi @CarolineLucas. I am trans and I despair with the state of the debate. Lack of confidence is driving fear. Women and trans need to talk and we need to be honest with each other. You might like to read this piece I wrote.
Link to her Quillette article

Caroline Lucas
Thanks for sharing this – raises some really interesting points that I agree need to be part of an honest dialogue. 100% with you on the damage being done & how fearful people feel. Let me know if it would be useful to speak more.

Debbie Hayton
Thank you. I'd be pleased to DM if you could follow back.

For a wider perspective you might like to have a look at the recent feature in @TheEconomist. It's part of their Open Future project.
Link to economist project

Joani Walsh @joaniwalshi
DH, would you consider handing over any opportunity you are so exceptionally afforded by Caroline to those most affected by the damage her party has done? You are doing great work but it is not you who will be at the greatest risk with the changes she wants imposed.

Debbie Hayton
Hi @joaniwalshi. I am doing what I can to bring some light to the debate. I am only one voice, though, I was keen to point @CarolineLucas* at all the essays in @TheEconomist* series and not just my own work.

I hope that Caroline talks to women and transsexuals.

Leya @Indy_Leya
Yup we shouldn't be fighting over space, I hope that @CarolineLucas is willing to speak to both trans people & women who take issue with the trans activism that asserts innate gender while also denying sex & vilifying us. The Green party should be open to both our perspectives.

Caroline Lucas
Completely agree and am already doing that. Am in contact with Women’s Place & hope to meet next week

Jenny Randles @ jenny_randles
Very pleased that you are taking this step. I appreciate any politician doing that. Listen to Debbie and to Women's Place. We are on the same page here about self ID. And please read the Hansard transcript of the passing of the GRA in 2004 and see who it was written for and why.

Fwiw, from what I've been told by a politician who I won't name, this seems to be a common concern that the quality of debate over this is awful.

Sophie Walker has broken ranks on this as has Lucas now.

I am now looking for other politicians of other parties to start stepping up over this. If everyone does at the same time, the culture of fear and intimidation that "no debate" has fostered can be broken.

I'm looking at you Labour and Lib Dems.

Nows the time to start talking.

I think that's pretty likely. Otherwise why would Aimee think the allusion would go over Linehan's head?

But ... but ... Father Ted is what Graham Linehan is known for. It's the reason he has this platform to speak from! It's in his twitter bio! no one - no one can be that dense. Surely? Not if they're (sort of) interacting with him, anyway.

I can't begin to fathom what Aimee was thinking - but to choose a Father Ted quote, of all things, to quote at Graham Linehan and it not be because he wrote it ... that just can't have happened. The coincidence is just too strong (and hilarious!)

also from Caroline Lucus twitter thread, Dr Adrian Harrop comments.

relevent threads:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3354331-Dr-Adrian-Harrop-thread-the-third-yes-hes-still-a-turd

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3244781-dr-adrian-harrop-who-the-funk-does-he-think-he-is

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3248676-dr-adrian-harrop-dr-misogyny-is-pursuing-another-woman

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3245071-To-be-disgusted-that-Dr-Christian-Jessen-considers-some-kinds-of-child-rape-to-be-morally-excusable-on-cultural-grounds

Seeing some tweets implying Aimee has quit the party.

stormed off in a huff becasue the Green Party is too transphobic and Womens Place UK is "a far right organisation". Not because lived in a house and employed a convicted rapist.

Glad AC is gone. Hopefully will shut up, get off twitter and re-evaluate life as an adult.

this includes a few of Aimee's tweets this afternoon

twitter.com/gcgaymale/status/1036656358085586946

That's a load of rubbish, the past few conferences have been packed with social justice policy motions, oftentimes being heard before environment policy ones!

It's annoyed me that lately, the GP has put these sorts of policy ahead of what really matters.