The loss of feminist debating spaces on social media

[justicewomen]

I have now had 2 local feminist groups decide that any discussion about gender critical feminism or anything which could remotely be interpreted as being "unkind" to the transpeople who self identify in the opposite sex is banned.

The irony is I am probably a lot more accommodating and laissez faire that many people on here would regard as sensible (ie dont like all women shortlists so not bothered about them) and yet been made out to be a oppressor of poor minorities sadly by women who in other aspects I truly admire.

We can all be kind if we want to but that doesn't mean we have to put aside all rational thought! Well, I'm not going to. Fuck that

"Unkind", eh? Shall we make a list of the ways in which it's not only "unkind" to women and girls to take away our hard won spaces and rights, it's downright discriminatory?

I'll start with one close to my heart. The destruction of women's sports is already well underway. It means that two excellent young athletes in my family are almost certianly going to have their right to compete at elite level trashed.

I recently left a group which I’d been a member of for years. It started out with a rule about no discussion of trans issues at all, moved onto them including a trans woman as an admin for balance and then culminated in said admin calling women TERFs and booting people who pulled them up on using that term..
At that point I realise all was lost and gave it up as a bad job,

Ask them if it’s more important to be kind or rational. Ask them if they think that they would have the right to discuss any kind of women’s rights, if the suffragettes were more concerned about being kind to men, than fighting for women? Why is it more important to be kind to, (lets face it they’re not talking about transmen) men that declare themselves women, than women who may have serious concerns about sharing female only spaces with male bodied people? Where rape/abuse victims and religious minorities rank in their list of kindness?

I wonder if they can possibly believe that #nodebate eradicates the debate? It simply drives it underground. And that is far more dangerous to an ideology than anything else.

Can't those of you 'excluded' from the various groups, set up one yourselves?
I would...

Is it worth asking for a list of what is deemed to be "unkind"? And will the list apply to all topics?

I am conflicted between starting a group and using it as to kick to do more real world stuff and less social media, which, as everyone knows, is a complete thief of time

The people in those two groups have shit for brains, justice. They can fuck off with this "unkind" bullshit.

Can't those of you 'excluded' from the various groups, set up one yourselves?

How do you know whether or not there are such groups? And how do you know how many there are and how many women belong to them? See what I mean?

That's the problem with censorship: you can't stop people thinking, talking and finding like-minded others. And the further you drive people underground, the more determined you make them.

Of all the people in the world you would think feminists would recognize an appeal to kindness as internalized misogyny. I despair.

Set your own group up! 👊

moved onto them including a trans woman as an admin for balance and then culminated in said admin calling women TERFs and booting people

ah, the old 'Women's Equality Party Move'

This is precisely why I have become more resolute in my views: with TRAs, it's a demand for everything all of the time.

I used to think "meh. Old school transwomen in women's lavatories / changing rooms? No problem."

But now? Nope.

If you have a penis: you do not belong in women's private spaces.

I don't care how long your hair is, how much makeup you wear, what you like to wear, how you "identify", how much you think you "pass". Nope.

Men have such a sense of entitlement. That doesn't change after transitioning.

anyway feel little more cheerful now (and less alone) because I have you lot and read this great poem on twitter twitter.com/ColetteColfer/status/1073868270405591040

Ask them why they feel it's fine to be unkind to you.

Listen to Prof Rosa Freedman here, making it very clear that UK law defines sex as biological; ie: relating to chromosomes, gonads and genitalia [hear also about the protections for females as a sex class across the globe in international human rights law]:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYQL5PZ_tSU&t=66s

These women who are being 'kind' are consenting to the inclusion of males in their female spaces.

You can be as 'kind' as you like, but you cannot consent for me.