WPUK and Lyra McKee

[Tartie]

Namechanger...

WPUK are currently under attack for posting about Lyra McKee as part of their "Women Icons" series. Lyra is the journalist that was shot dead a few days ago. She was gay and supported trans rights. Thus, a lot of people are angry with WPUK for doing this.

I must admit, I'm on the fence here. I think it's nice for WPUK to post a tribute, but I also think that it may be too soon...

Oops

That should be a lot of people would argue tyat that they are trans allies

Sorry

That...for goodness sake!

You can believe in equal rights for trans people, while also wanting sex-based protections to remain.

Those protections are not to protect girls from trans women - but from men pretending to be TW, who would abuse self-ID to access female spaces (see Canada).

With self-ID, on what basis can you prevent those men from accessing those spaces?

Some friends of Lyra’s objected to the tribute, one thanked them, many strangers joined the pile on (one simply tweeted “every single tweet us about trans rights - cool!”).

Lyra’s partner said she was a staunch LBTQIA ally.

The comparison with the DUP is telling.

The DUP - who blocked equal marriage in Northern Ireland - pay tribute without controversy.

WPUK - campaigning for women's rights - generate huge controversy.

The reaction to WPUK is not normal. In politics we pay tribute to our political opponents like the DUP did for Lyra McKee. We must maintain those basic decencies.

I saw the WPUK tweet and thought it was a lovely tribute. I didn't know anything about Lyra McKee's views on self ID or trans politics. I'm not sure what difference it makes now I know a bit more. I still think her murder is an outrage and a tragedy. I still think that she was a talented writer (from the few things I've read). I still think it was good to see WPUK commemorating her. What difference does it make whether she shared WPUK views or not?

All I see are bullies thinking they've found an achilles heel.

And also staunch 'allies' who are personally connected to 'the cause' without having thought things through.

Trying to go in for the bite, for the attack. Because that's what they thrive off. Attack and shut down is the modus operandi - no discussion, no nuance, no debate.

And sadly using Lyra's killing as a focus.

And then the fury of finding not the achilles heel they were seeking to attack, but instead a calm, rational approach and response from WPUK, standing by their position.

It must be incredibly infuriating to be met by women who say 'no', calmly, and who don't bow down to your demands, whilst still respecting all women, including those who disagree with them.

Women who, on the whole, reject tribalism (in the main, WPUK, I'm looking at you for a couple of things historically, but because I personally don't do purity politics, I understand that division and still stand by your purpose)

I understand, TRAs, your fury at women speaking out.

If I was in my 20s still, fresh-faced, unaware of the many sexist structures in life because they don't apply to me yet, with trans friends, and rainbow affirmations, I'd be one of you.

(Awaits posters who are 50+ telling me I don't speak for them. That's fine - you don't speak for me either! it's just an opinion on a web forum!)

Beautifully put Pombear

Linda Riley is now berating WPUK as well... can anyone link to something offensive WP tweeted or published? I’ve looked all over and can’t see anything.

The tribute was fine. However, WPUK must know that they're a controversial organization. For that reason, they need to be a bit more sensitive with stuff like this,

They'd get into a hall of mirrors very quickly if they thought like that.

They're sticking to their rationale and their entirely logical stance. The tribute was respectful. It's fine.

2BthatUnnototiced

Well in my view (and many others on this thread), they didn’t post anything offensive at all. They posted a tribute to Lyra McKee, the murdered journalist.

twitter.com/womans_place_uk/status/1120054321910095872?s=21

A trans activist who knew Lyra said they were not entitled to do this as they were a transphobic organisation. So far as we know, they have not sent a similar tweet to Arlene Foster, despite the fact that the DUP has prevented equal marriage legislation being passed in N Ireland.

Standing up for women and girls is only 'controversial' if you're a misogynist. These so called 'friends' of Lyra need to stop using her death as an excuse to erode sex based rights. Whatever she thought about 'trans rights' in life, she had no more right to disregard the safety of women and girls than anyone else.

Sorry - just heard this on news. Family and friends have issued a statement saying Lyra was a peaceful person who passionately believed in inclusiveness and was not hostile to anyone. I am interpreting this as a delicate way of distancing themselves from those saying she would have opposed WPUK.

I believe Lyra McKee's funeral is today so

Off topic I know, but I just wanted to say how stuck I was by the imagery of “the slow cooling python” stifling free debate. Fantastic description, donquixotedelamancha

Italics fail there...

Oh FFS - slow COILING python. Teach me to post without having had a coffee.

They can't even let other women pay tribute to murdered woman without posting about trans rights. Because nothing and I mean, nothing, is more important

This. They have to make everything about them.

Really baffled at how WP UK is "controversial", just shows how effective the smear campaign has been. Do any of those sheep ever think for themselves?

RIP Lyra. Such a senseless and wasteful death.

The anti WPUK brigade are showing themselves up. This isn’t about them. This isn’t about trans rights. By making a controversy out of Lyra’s death they are the ones sullying her memory, damaging her legacy. Now when I see her picture I no longer firstly thing of her, I think of them.

These people will overreach themselves. They have literally no idea of how badly they come across, how against normal modes of behaviour they are operating. They are so far up their own echo chambers they have lost all proportionality.

It is good and normal for people to pay tribute to those who die, even if they do not agreee with each other on everything. It’s civilised.

And if they hadnt posted there would have been bowls of ‘transphobe’ so there we are. Politics on 2019.

Howls not bowls

"They have literally no idea how badly they come across, how against normal modes of behaviour they are operating"

Some of them are clearly mentally unwell, it often goes with the territory. And/or not neurotypical in other ways. I've been thinking of how so much good work has been done over the years by disability campaigners to destigmatise mental illness, special educational needs and ASD, and to raise awareness. But for some young people it seems like a pick and mix from which they can label themselves. It's hard to know how much of it is self-diagnosed too so unfortunately it makes me sceptical when someone running for a student union post declares themselves "queer and disabled". The disabled bit is something like "borderline personality disorder" and "queer" just means blue hair. And it cheapens the struggle genuinely disabled people have.

But there are definitely some who are not mentally healthy or in a position to be influencing public policy or the rights of women and girls. And I don't understand why they are in positions of influence at all.

The TRAs have recently gone after John Boyne who wrote about a character with a sibling who is trans. Boyne deleted his apology to Glinner and then left Twitter completely. TRA mission accomplished.

They then went after James Charles for talking about his sexuality in terms of men, women and trans men. He made a grovelling apology that of course trans men are men. TRA mission accomplished.

They then went after WPUK for posting a tribute to a journalist. WPUK did not cave.

That's what is so utterly infuriating to them. They can get men to grovel, but women are proving much trickier. Women's Place simply do not know their place according to the TRAs.

Agree, Pachyderm.

That's what is so utterly infuriating to them. They can get men to grovel, but women are proving much trickier.

We are, aren't we.

I posteda reply in support of Lyra and WPUK to the tweet of the TRA who claims to have been her friend, and the TRAs started bombarding me. I just mutes the whole conversation. The TRAs aren't doing this out of respect for Lyra at all. They are using her, undoing all her good work on a massive range of issues (the TRAs seem to be extrapolating massively, in my view) and reducing her to a single-issue campaigner.