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Original poster

We’re Still Here Conference 8th September: A report from the inside

408 replies

TheHarpySings · 18/10/2018 20:28

Hi all

First off, I’m a regular poster, have been here for years under various usernames, it I’m posting here on a name change as I don’t want this traced to me.

On 8th September there was a conference held in London a Bloomsbury Baptist Church which was called We’re Still Here, which featured a variety of panels and workshops and was attended by many prominent people in the pro-GRA reform camp.

I decided to attend to find out what was being said as it was clear that they did not want anyone to attend that wasn’t a TRA or an ally.

What follows are my notes from the day. But first a few notes on attendance:

There were probably 80-100 people in attendance. Overwhelmingly white. Mainly older transwomen. A couple of transmen. Some Mermaids delegates. Some fellow travellers/ allies. And me.

Okay. So here’s my notes

  1. Health Panel: Chair was Dr Ben Vincent of GIRES.

Part of the discussion on this panel was around GPs reluctance to prescribe “bridging hormones”. GPs are reluctant/afraid to prescribe them for liability reasons. Apparently a brand of T-Gel was withdrawn and GPs are reluctant to switch brands.

There was then a bit of chatter about whether a person’s sex was relevant for healthcare stats.

Then there was discussion about trans children. Dr Vincent was very scathing about GIDS-said there was disgusting and unethical practices. BV spoke about dispelling the myths about desistance and the myths of ROGD- BV called this “concern trolling, malicious and ethically bankrupt”. BV would like a review of the whole system.

Then Dr Vincent said that they’d received a review copy of “Born in your own body” edited by Heather Brunskell-Evans and Michele Moore. BV is reviewing it for some Royal College and said “I will tear it a new arsehole”

Also (and they didn't want this tweeted) BV is also planning a book called Terf Wars which will be a “rigorous takedown of terf arguments” which is getting serialised as articled in some peer reviewed journal- I’m sorry but I couldn’t catch which one.

Dr Stuart Lorimer, of the Tavistock and Portman who was also a panellist- said that ROGD is “evidence free”.

There was a great deal of discussion as to the health risks for transwomen taking certain brands of hormones- one person said they knew three other people who’d died taking them, and they’d nearly died as well.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
14
StarSpangledAnna · 26/02/2019 11:39

I know the thread has moved on but watching that video of Dawn Butler it was quite startling how she seems to have conflated two radically different issues i.e. transphobia and the whether the GRA should be reformed.

These are clearly separate issues and it feels disingenuous to lump the two together and portray a child getting bullied at school for being trans (obviously sad and emotive) as being a direct result of women questioning the impact of reforms to the GRA.

I don't know whether this is a deliberate conflation or whether there is just a lack of thought about the issues and lack of engagement with non-transphobic gender critical women.

R0wantrees · 26/02/2019 12:33

I don't know whether this is a deliberate conflation or whether there is just a lack of thought about the issues and lack of engagement with non-transphobic gender critical women.

Its a key issue with regards Dawn Butler and as the current shadow minister for Women & Equalities a very important one.

StarSpangledAnna · 26/02/2019 13:48

I didn't realise she was shadow women and equalities minister, that's even more worrying.

StarSpangledAnna · 26/02/2019 14:32

Thank you for all that information, I'll have a read.

DoctoressPlague · 26/02/2019 14:48

StarSpangledAnna If you missed the Self-identification of Gender debate in November, you can read the Hansard transcript here hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2018-11-21/debates/BE06C5D4-E549-4F94-87B1-9B77F32EA155/Self-IdentificationOfGender .

It includes contributions by Dawn Butler and Layla Moran among others. It's a disturbing read as it shows how little thought is given to safeguarding around this issue.

littlbrowndog · 18/09/2019 11:15

Just bumping

TheProdigalKittensReturn · 18/09/2019 11:17

I couldn't find the recent thread where a newbie was asking for resources so yeah, bump bump, hopefully she'll see it.

MoleSmokes · 19/09/2019 02:27

Thanks for the bump, good reminder!

I have "printed" the OP report by *TheHarpySings" and uploaded it anonymously so anyone can use this link to download it anonymously - it is instructive to see what was in the pipeline a year ago and what has come to pass!

Download PDF file here:
s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=05373295377853420059

That link will be active for 100 days.

If it has died by the time someone finds this post, reply to this thread and include my username with the @ sign and I will upload it again - or maybe someone else will if I am not around.

Angryresister · 19/09/2019 09:36

Thank you for reminding us about this chilling report. I still don't understand why so many women and even lesbians have fallen victim to this propaganda.

NonnyMouse1337 · 19/09/2019 11:37

I can't seem to download / open the tinyupload file. :(

MoleSmokes · 23/09/2019 23:56

I've just tried NonnyMouse1337 and was working OK. It's a rather primitive webpage - if it is not obvious it is the green text that is the download link.

To download file click the link below:
2018-09-08 We?re Still Here Conference 8th September- A report from the inside - Mumsnet.pdf

The bit that starts "2018-09-08".

(They ask people not to hot link so I haven't.)

R0wantrees · 28/03/2020 20:46

"Mermaids
Trustees annual report
for the year ended March 31st 2019
(extract)
"Events attendance: In 2017/18 we attended nearly 150 events, and had expected to attend more in 2018/19 following the appointment of an events manager. There have been significant changes in the external environment that have impacted approach to managing our services, particularly in consideration to the level of risk at events. Following the increasingly hostile transphobic social and media onslaught that we are currently experiencing, this has altered our approach to how we safeguarding young people. Thus, instead of targeting more events for our service users, our policy is to make our events safer for the young people.

One disturbing example was the We Are Still Here transgender Conference in September 2018, at which our CEO spoke alongside one of our young teens. Despite working with the organisers to maximise security for the event, an individual with transphobic motivations still managed to infiltrate the conference and share their negative views of it on social media. Fortunately, the young person was not identified publicly, but this was the watershed moment that demanded we increase our security and vetting procedures across the board. Improving safety involves additional resource in terms of time, money and administration - which we have unashamedly committed ourselves to doing - but this means that some 2018 numbers were lower than originally anticipated, and in the period for 2018/19 we attended 131 events across the UK. Having put these security processes in place, we are back on track in 2019 to meet our targets for the next year.

Due to increasing demand for our events by young people and the additional resource that is required to keep them safe, we are currently recruiting an additional two part-time Events Assistants to support our Volunteer and Events Manager. Even our recruitment process has had to respond to increased risk factors, as we are aware that Mermaids is being targeted by transphobes who wish to infiltrate
our staffing ranks with malicious intent. " (continues)

apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends75/0001160575_AC_20190331_E_C.PDF

Mermaids Trustees do not appear to understand Safeguarding

AnyOldSpartabix · 28/03/2020 22:37

Following the increasingly hostile transphobic social and media onslaught

It continues to astonish me that all these transactivist groups witness the rise in negativity, specifically from women, regarding transactivism, but never seem to wonder why there isn’t a similar rise in women’s negativity over gay people, or other minority groups.

It’s almost as if there might be a factor in play that women believe might affect them! Hmm

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 29/03/2020 08:48

Rampant paranoia. These Events Assistants sound like bouncers.

LangClegTheBeardedVulture · 29/03/2020 14:05

Hmmm. Who do we think was the bigger threat to the trans teenager at We’re Still Here?

Was it the OP, who apparently showed up, listened quietly and reported what was said, and did not name, identify, misgender or disparage the child who attended?

Or was it the people who advocate for extreme pornography like Jane Fae; the quack doctors who want to profit from that child’s mental health issues, like Harrop and Weatherby, the dozens of fetishists who want to erode the boundaries of women and remove their legal rights to object to it? The people who want to take away the right to know what sex a person is before you commit to sexual intercourse? The child’s mother, who seemed to have no issue bringing their vulnerable kid along to an event full of people who neither understand nor care about actual safeguarding? What about Susie Green, massive fan of the chemical and actual castration of children?

ScrimpshawTheSecond · 29/03/2020 15:12

Mermaids steps up efforts to maintain secrecy and opacity.

If it's all so heart warmingly positive, supportive and healthy, why so covert?

R0wantrees · 29/03/2020 16:04

Susie Green CEO Mermaids does not appear to understand the Safeguarding responsibilities of organisations working with vulnerable children at this time of heightened distress & uncertainty.

NHS GIDS response: 'COVID-19 update: How we are working and how to contact us'
"We know that this is a really challenging and difficult time for young people attending GIDS or on the waiting list, as well as for your families. (continues)

Creative ways to stay busy in the home: some ideas for parents
Try and have some structure in the day, with time to talk to friends, take some exercise as well as keep up with homework.

Think of something new and different that could be done each day e.g. tidying rooms, helping with any chores, garden work or DIY, starting any creative projects together, researching new topics on the internet, arts and crafts, board games, cooking. If children or young people are off from school they are likely to be given home packs so parents might help children and young people to structure their time around this.

Regular meal times and bedtime routines might be even more important in times of uncertainty than they are normally.

Useful places for mental health support for parents and young people
www.kooth.com

www.samaritans.org

www.youngminds.org.uk

www.childline.org.uk
gids.nhs.uk/news-events/2020-03-27/covid-19-update-how-we-are-working-and-how-contact-us

We’re Still Here Conference 8th September: A report from the inside
Dances · 17/06/2020 07:31

I'm bumping this as it's such a good read and so many lovely familiar names...

EarlofEggMcMuffin · 17/06/2020 08:45

Thanks Dances, I hadn't read this before .

I just looked at that video of Munroe Bergdof not answering the question about an 11year old at a drag club (!) having money thrown at him (!) by adult males (!).

If you know anything about attachment, and the pathology of parenting, you'll know that sometimes a child's behaviour reflects less than healthy parenting. Not the child's own inherent preferences.

I am not saying that gay/trans children are made by their parents.

I am saying that anyone who works anywhere around children MUST (if they are to be anyway a safe person around the child) concern themselves with how unhealthy relationships in the child's life, may open the child up to being exploited.

If you dont consider that, you are unsafe around children.

MagMurphy · 29/01/2021 12:41

Thank you. This is a brilliant thread. I cannot understand how these people are getting away with this. Nor understand how weak our young women are. This is a generalisation, but they need to understand the history of their liberation and protect it.

Erikrie · 04/06/2021 16:49

Thanks for posting this op. This is very enlightening.

FlyPassed · 04/06/2021 18:09

Bump for anyone new to this business since the OP

MrsOvertonsWindow · 04/06/2021 18:31

This was such a revealing thread. Thanks for bumping it again - it's well worth a read.

RightsHoardingStegasaurus · 27/10/2021 08:54

I can see this was only revived in June, but after the Nolan podcast, I think it's worth bringing back again.

This was one of the first wtf things I saw when I first started lurking here, and I think it would be helpful to the new posters and lurkers

Swipe left for the next trending thread