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

I'd like to thank Stephen for providing me with my final quote for Q22 in the GRA consultation, submitted today. In effect:

If it's just a small admin matter as we've been assured, then why would a delay result in suicides - clearly someone's lying... and it's not the women's groups.

Seemed a good point to end on.

This from someone who has very assertively campaigned over many years on behalf of a supposedly vulnerable community?

Stephen Whittle's campaigning focus has been the law, to change it along with policies and society.
Stephen Whittle has been very successful.

Its never been about safeguarding. He has demonstrated that he clearly doesn't understand what this is or how it works.

Its all about rights. His and those he works with.

'Professor Michele Moore is an expert in Inclusive Education and Disability Studies. She leads human rights projects across the world to support children, their families and those who work with them. She is the Co-Editor of the ground-breaking book Transgender Children and Young People, Born in Your Own Body from Cambridge Scholars. Michele will be discussing ideas from the book – the implications of self-declaration of gender for children and young people, including disabled children'

And just a reminder - using the code transgender20 will still get you 20% off the book.

It's not only not about safeguarding - we've seen recently that merely mentioning it to TRAs has them accusing GC women of being emotive and manipulative.

The truth - the shocking truth - is not only that none of them cares a jot about safeguarding, but that that amongst their number are individuals who want to dismantle it entirely.

Stephen Whittle (Press for Change) and very influential TRA on this thread yesterday said:

In the end we will pull ourselves together and continue the campaigning – as we have always done. We know we have Labour behind this one, so will simply do our best to get them elected. As I tell the community “we have always lost more battles than we have won, but we only ever need to win the big one”.

I hope that clarifies matters.

Please read this important document detailing the key issues in the 2004 debate:
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1049289194370002945.html

For the first time in my life, I'm relieved that Labour currently haven't got a chance of getting elected.

I hate even thinking it, but it's true.

This is a disastrous political mice. All the tories have to do is a bit of dog whistle 'loony left want more Karen Whites', and labour lose votes from many women, many religious communities and people with very traditional views of gender roles.

Absolute idiots.

Mice????

Move!

For the first time in my life, I'm relieved that Labour currently haven't got a chance of getting elected. I hate even thinking it, but it's true.

Yep.

This is a disastrous political mice. All the tories have to do is a bit of dog whistle 'loony left want more Karen Whites', and labour lose votes from many women, many religious communities and people with very traditional views of gender roles.

Yes, this was highlighted as the potential issue on FWR many months ago.

The Conservative MPs who have challenged the issue have also been to the right of the Conservative and mostly 'Brexiteers'.

It is though worth stressing the roles that Maria Miller and Penny Mordant have played:
interview with Janice Turner in 2017:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/2993425-Maria-Miller-interviewed-by-Janice-Turner-full-text

The focus must be on those individuals, organisations and charities which have lobbied all political parties, public services and influential media outlets so successfuly.

Its a cross party issue.

Oh, my, Rowan, that document on the 2004 GRA discussions is an eye-opener.