Stephen Whittle (Press for Change) irresponsible use of 'likely' suicides follows Helen Belcher's (Trans Media Watch)

[R0wantrees]

In the Guardian today:
(extract)
"Prof Stephen Whittle, the founder of trans rights group Press for Change, warned that many trans people would “become depressed and dejected” if reform was delayed. He said: “I am sure there will be a flurry of attempts and suicides. But in the end we will pull ourselves together and continue the campaigning. We know we have Labour behind this one, so will simply do our best to get them elected.”

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/17/transgender-law-reform-has-overlooked-womens-rights-say-mps

Last week Helen Belcher (Trans Media Watch) ascribed causative link between suicide and suicide ideation to newspaper coverage with specific mention of the Times journalist Janice Turner:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3393577-Janice-Turner-accused-of-causing-trans-suicides

2013 Article describing formation of Press For Change and background to prominant trans-rights campaigners.
Christine Burns describes how Press For Change secured legislation:
(extract)
"Much of their campaigning remained on the quiet. The passage of the 2004 law to give trans people legal status was "remarkable," says Burns, because "the government was able to pass an entire act in parliament without anyone throwing a fit in the press"

www.theguardian.com/society/2013/jan/22/voices-from-trans-community-prejudice

Helen Belcher comment:
"In her Pressing Matters books, Christine Burns writes eloquently about all the work that a small group of trans campaigners did to achieve a legislative landmark. The Gender Recognition Act took at least 10 years of work as well as a series of court cases. It also took its toll. Most of the Press for Change team stepped back from front-line campaigning shortly after the Act was passed.

It’s been left to a new generation of campaigners to pick up the slack. I was one of a small number who formed the charity Trans Media Watch back in 2009, with the aim of improving the representation of trans and intersex people across the British media. What we found was largely ignorance. Senior executives would ask questions without any idea of their insensitivity. It took some thick skins to educate rather than retaliate."
challengingjourneys.wordpress.com/2018/10/01/free-speech-or-life-and-death/

Samaritans: www.samaritans.org/media-centre/media-guidelines-reporting-suicide/suicide-reporting-10-things-remember

If they stay true to the pattern of abusers, they'll probably directly attack, physically or verbally. It's a fact that a victim is in the most danger when she leaves and the abuser realises he is losing control. It's like that but on a much, much larger scale.

Yep.

That's what I thought as soon as I read the Whittle quote LangCleg

By the way - can anyone make head or tail out of what Shon Faye was on about in that tweet? Bringing out protective instincts in men and all that? WTF was that?

PFC's campaigning prior to the passing of GRA2004 was not behind the scenes. They had a website where everything was shared. TBF, in the 90s not many people were online but I believe it is archived. They shared details of campaigning to anyone who wrote in.

Quite frankly, the idea of Stephen Whittle going on " a narc rampage" is laughable to anyone familiar with his work or him as a person.

Timelady - inciting mumsnet to spread poison about Whittle is unlawful. You might want to have that post removed. Lest it cause you more trouble than anyone you're keen to cause trouble for.

Timelady - inciting mumsnet to spread poison about Whittle is unlawful. You might want to have that post removed. Lest it cause you more trouble than anyone you're keen to cause trouble for.

That sounds horribly like a threat, Catbox.

I simply want to give Whittle the belated credit for the campaigns they successfully fought - clearly they did enough to be awarded an OBE for "for services to Gender Issues" back in 2005.

If Whittle can't get their own kids' birthdays right how they gonna understand stats?

And then there's Whittle's involvement with the Yogyakarta Principles:

www.boell.de/en/2016/07/20/yogyakarta-principles-provide-guidance-and-are-constant-reference-point

Honestly, will you listen to yourself.

How can you say

Quite frankly, the idea of Stephen Whittle going on " a narc rampage" is laughable to anyone familiar with his work or him as a person.

Followed by a threat???!!!

Timelady - inciting mumsnet to spread poison about Whittle is unlawful. You might want to have that post removed. Lest it cause you more trouble than anyone you're keen to cause trouble for.

I must've misinterpreted, I can see you're listing Whittle's contributions to legal thinking. Hardly salacious or controversial, or done quietly seeing as they're all out there for anyone to read. It seemed that there was some incitement to go digging for personal information, which would of course be wrong, yes?

He's already pretty well known for his work, though I imagine he's too busy to fully embrace celeb status if you succeed in making a household name of him.

Whittle has been on MN before. I wonder if Whittle is still here in fact?

I'm sure catbox is whittle.

Yes.

Whittle talks about themself in the third person on here, and then says ta da, it's me really!

Timelady - inciting mumsnet to spread poison about Whittle is unlawful. You might want to have that post removed. Lest it cause you more trouble than anyone you're keen to cause trouble for.

You might want to stop with your fucking threats. You don’t scare us Whittle

So Catbox. Is Whittle not aware that saying certain people will kill themselves if you don't do what they want, is a direct violation of samaritan guidelines with regard to suicide ideation?

Haha I'm not but I do take it as a compliment :D

This suicide threat thing is getting out of hand now.

The wheels are well and truly coming off.

The TRAs need transgender people to commit suicide now. And for it to be very public. They need it. It's the only place they can go now.

Fucking grim.

Catbox

But what does Whittle think about everyone knowing they are riding a horse and cart over suicide guidelines?

Because everyone does know it. Everyone is documenting it. And everyone is telling the Samaritans.

If Whittle continues to do it, I will hold on him personally culpable.

I've emailed Samaritans about this, it's truly appalling

Whittle talks about themself in the third person on here, and then says ta da, it's me really!

That’s why happened in the Girl Guiding thread, wasn’t it. Didn’t Whittle suggest something to do with condoms on girl guide camp?

I can't speak for him. Statistically, suicide rates are higher in the trans population, it's been widely written about. Is you beef really with the Guardian? Rather than Whittle? I have not read the Samaritan guidelines so I can't speak on those either. But it does seem, from comments about 'narc rampages' and inferring Whittle has secretly done things (despite being already well known for his PFC and his academic work), that there's some sort of campaign here against him.

On a slight tangent, I am pleased to see our local MP, Maria Caulfield, taking this up. She was firmly in the TRA camp when I first wrote to her last year, so well done to all of us who have helped to campaign to open her eyes.

Well instead of automatically jumping to his defence, perhaps you ought to read about the guidelines that he is violating, before justifying him.

Statistically suicides are not higher in the trans population. They are high in marginalised populations. LGBT, disabled, autistic. If fact I believe autistic people are a far higher risk.