Brendan O'Neill "Terfs aren't Bigoted" Spiked

[OtepotiLilliane42]

Just read this article, and am wondering if I should email a copy to NZ Wellington lawyer Steph Dyhrberg as a polite reminder as to who is actually using hate speech in the transgender debate.

www.spiked-online.com/2019/01/28/it-isnt-terfs-who-are-bigoted-its-their-persecutors/

Yep

Excellent article. Thank you, Brendan, for giving me a voice.

Excellent article. Very well written and researched.

Good piece. Sane people can see which side is meeting peacefully and which side is punching people, calling in bomb threats, looming in balaclavas and brandishing baseball bats...

Bigotry means something quite specific. In the words of the Oxford English Dictionary, bigotry is ‘intolerance towards those who hold different opinions from oneself’.

Pay attention TRAs!

Good piece. Sane people can see which side is meeting peacefully and which side is punching people, calling in bomb threats, looming in balaclavas and brandishing baseball bats...

And yet, we had a TRA on here today explaining away their brandishing of a baseball bat with smirking excuses and what did MNHQ do? They deleted the thread despite many requests not to do so.

Ta Brendan
Nice

nauticant I missed that: did anyone get a screenshot?

it's OK. but this:

Everyone should be free to say ‘there are two genders’

don't kid yourself that Brendan Fraser is gender critical. he just believes that only men can be masculine and only women can be feminine.

I've always thought this about the word 'fascist' too which TRA's like to use a lot (along with Nazi).

I mean, wiki describes fascism as ...characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society...

If that's not the TRA line, I don't know what is.

AncientLights, this thread led to the TRA in question coming on to MN and doing an AMA thread. The AMA thread was deleted.

Bernard whether he's gender critical or not, he's right about the definition of bigot.

I'd never looked up the definition of the word before and was genuinely surprised that it didn't just mean "intolerant right winger". I've been brought up and lived my life in a comfortable bubble of being on the "good" side i.e. left leaning but this whole issue has shown me that I was wrong to think that way. I'm not sure there are good or bad guys, just opinions and policy.

Fairenuff I'm also surprised how wide ranging the definition of "fascist" is. Again, I assumed it meant something right wing. The left v right / good v bad dichotomy is quite a concerning way to frame the world.

#nodebate is a distillation of bigotry.

I guess the point I’m making is don’t expect Brendan to be campaigning for better funding for DV refuges or any thing. I agree he’s right here, but his interests and mine only overlap in certain very specific areas

I agree with most of what he says in the article but he can’t resist a dig at same-sex marriage. These aren’t the same issue.

Same-sex marriage takes nothing away from traditional marriages.

Husbands and wives are no less married for the existence of husband and husband or wife and wife marriages.

Marriage is a legal institution. If the definition of marriage is extended to same sex couples then they are indeed married.

Sex is a matter of biology, not law. Changing the law can’t change the underlying biology.

It doesn’t matter that Linehan himself is a frequently oafish public commentator who says needlessly offensive things to trans people and who doesn’t understand the crisis of free speech

bit harsh

Spiked definitely have it right on this one issue and are coming from a free speech angle which is well and good. but Spiked are consistently misogynistic and minimising on other women’s issues, like around rape culture, sexual harassment:

www.spiked-online.com/2017/11/02/the-myth-of-the-sexual-violence-spectrum/

Oh, if you're relying on Spiked! to make yourselves feel okay, that just shows how badly you're doing. Do you really want to ally yourselves with the lobby that insists that climate change isn't happening?

Then again, what am I saying? Many of you have been happy to ally yourselves with the religious right.

Also, odd the way "some people" are allowed to use the term Tango Echo Romeo Foxtrot (Sierra) and others are not.

Lols at this person plopping on threads telling us what to do
You in charge of the internet now ?

someone's having a tough day

Quite agree Little Brown Dog

Definite lol

Also, odd the way "some people" are allowed to use the term Tango Echo Romeo Foxtrot (Sierra) and others are not.

Everyone is allowed to use 'TERF' on MN - it's how you use it that matters.

www.mumsnet.com/info/netiquette

www.mumsnet.com/info/trans-rights-moderation-policy

MNHQ put the 'moderate' into moderation- 'context is everything '.

Oh, if you're relying on Spiked! to make yourselves feel okay, that just shows how badly you're doing. Do you really want to ally yourselves with the lobby that insists that climate change isn't happening?

Can you provide a list of who we are allowed to agree with on a specific topic? Thanks.

if you're relying on Spiked! to make yourselves feel okay

Don't worry, I don't think any of us is doing that.