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

[TheHarpySings]

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 Apparently a brand of T-Gel was withdrawn and GPs are reluctant to switch brands.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.

Tweet from @LogicalMarcus:

twitter.com/LogicalMarcus/status/1053578226134630401

Here's the Wiki article:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_abuse_of_psychiatry_in_the_Soviet_Union

Yes, Dawn Butler, we see you. We see you characterising political opposition to the transactivist agenda - be it grounded in material reality, safeguarding of vulnerable groups or feminist theory - as evidence of mental illness. We see you. We notice that this tactic was last used to imprison people in the Soviet Union.

We. See. You.

Psychopathological mechanisms of dissent. Remember this tactic, women. It won't be the last time that's it's used on you.

And mention the names of the people who were warned and who had issued the concerns out of hand.

I think this would be breaching a few things as certainly the head I questioned was parroting what the LEA had stated and they'd simply been following the training they had from the No Outsiders programme (teaching the EA) and had been trained by the author. So following the trail and challenging people higher up is probably more worthwhile.

twitter.com/holliver/status/1053573261626429440

Christ. This gets worse every day. Every day is a new horror.

Was this meeting filmed?

If not why not?

The only section filmed was Butler’s speech.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What do we do? How do we even begin to deal with this when the press and politicians aren’t listening?
Out of interest Lang how did you approach your GP about it? Most GPs I know are generally unhappy about the idea of prescribing so called budging hormones because it’s outside product license and outside our competence (and the effects are unknown) but we’re wary of the GMC who have to,d us we should do it in the interest of our patients (countering all previous advice). If I’m honest, I’m too scared to be openly GC at work other than with closest colleagues because I fear what would happen if if someone decided to report me for it.

I did not realise the full magnitude of what is going on. I fear I still don't.

I take it your invite got lost in the post, Debbie?

Poppyred85 - with regards to the consultation, I pointed out that this was to demedicalise adults while the same activists push to medicalise children earlier. I showed them stuff about Webberley and GenderCare. I should add - they are more than happy as a practice to share care with an NHS GIDS clinic or Tavi & Port. Just not with private or semi-private entities due to concerns over affirmative protocols.

Just re-read it all, to get my head around the tactics we'll be seeing coming up.

This "gaining trust" business through targeting "moderate" (read "naive") feminists and women's and children's organisations genuinely makes my skin crawl.

Could it sound any more like an abuser's charter? Yuk.

Harpy I raise my glass to you.

Huge red flags popping up everywhere when reading this.

Frightening. I feel useless tbh - not sure where to go with this - awaiting the results of the consultation with baited breath.

Hoping that the papers will run this story.

Late to this thread, taken an age to read it all.
More than shocked, don't know where we go from here.
Will be amazed if any TA actually keep a straight face when "helping" women's causes.
And most of us will see through the building, but what can we do?

In general I am late to this whole thing, I heard about self id about a year ago, and the first thing through my mind was CSE and how easy it would be with self id.
So why for gods sake don't other people immediately think the same.
In the wake of Rotherham, and now Huddersfield and all the other places that have yet to go to court. Why is safeguarding just brushed aside.
I am sickened by this whole saga and can see when this battle is done, assuming we are the winners there will be yet more battles.
I can only say, write emails to people in power right now,. Keep those emails, or letters and make it known that you are keeping them to hold to account all these useless hotspots who are just waving through anything and everything so long as stunning and brave ask for it.

Building = bullshit
Hotspots =tosspots

The explicit commitment to strategically sue any sex based protection of the EA2010 out of existence should be widely publicized.“, particularly as Stonewall also wants to end these protections.

Politicians need to be forced to go on record regarding their position to sex based protections and efforts to abolish them by lawfare. There is no middle ground here.

Completely agree.

Wish I had this link in my list of links that H.T asked if they could keep from my meeting. The Transgender Trend was top of list and FWFP leaflets was appreciated.

They never heard of mermaid and was 😮 especially as I mentioned about the recent NAS situation.

Senco of course was in this meeting I had

Stonewall involvement is only in regards to G&L posters ie various family set up etc, what was noted that missing from those displays is any representation towards any disabilities. Seems stonewall believe gay & lesbians don’t have this issue.

Anyway Transgender stuff is going to come about at some point but parents will be informed first and given opportunity to express any concerns. I will be attending!

Really did appreciate H.T gave me time and listening. Especially as I had got wrong end of stick about an event, gone in guns blazing underneath my polite front. (I apologised for my twattishness). They know my own personal feelings so respect the fact that they didn’t just agree because I said but they are going to research themselves, children will always be main priorities above all else.

My post wasn’t dig at gay/lesbians. It was towards Stonewall.

The take home message is that GC people need to be involved in your community. Become a school governor,join the committee run playgroup, join the parish council, and your workplace equality groups. Be vocal in your union, volunteer at the local Scouts/youth groips and join the parish council. Because that's where we man the barricades.

Thank you for this OP. James Morton was on the radio the other day stating the Equality Act meant woman's rights would not be affected by self-id. How disingenuous. Luckily Dr Stock was on and able to challenge but next time the question must be to be Morton - 'will you oppose any legal challenges to single sex exemptions?'

I'd love to see any of this lot do an interview with The Times.

They won't for a very obvious reason.

I’m already heavily involved in the PTA in my children’s school. I’ve already had a discussion about gender neutral toilets with them (at the request of several parents) and I’m gearing up to have a discussion about any teaching they do about gender.

I’ve already had a discussion about gender neutral toilets

No schools should be introducing these. All children over the age of 8 should have separate toilets for boys and girls. Last item in this document.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/719398/Gender-separation-guidance.pdf

That formed part of my discussion with them oldcrone. Thanks to Mumsnet.

Nonosense

Will there be an open discussion planned with all parents beforehand about any potential changes?

They have promised me that they will consult fully with parents, but at the moment there are no plans to install gender neutral toilets thankfully. Not sure I believe they will but it was the best I could get from them. I think they are terrified of me given past dealings with them over mistakes they made regarding my son so they know full well that I will take things as far as they need to go if they don’t.

I spoke to them as the council installed gender neutral toilets in two neighbouring schools without consultation over the summer and the outcry was so huge that I believe the rollout has been halted.