Lesbians on chairs AGAIN, this time drinking coffee

[MrsSnippyPants]

At Bradford Pride today, confronted by police in a coffee shop

twitter.com/LesleySemmens/status/1134779247925649409

Lots of Twitter threads about it

I'm fucking furious on behalf of my lesbian sisters.

But as the police say in 1984, ‘if you don’t know what law you have broken, how can you say you are innocent?’

Yes, Orchid. Chillingly apt here.

You'd think a police officer would understand the Equality Act.

But of course. It's West Yorkshire Police, isn't it? Leading the charge into full totalitarian 1984-ism.

Outrageous!

Glad to read that some young lesbians wanted to be photographed with the banner. It will take continued enormous effort, but I do believe the tide is beginning to turn.

I'm lost for words.

It amazes me that the press isn't picking up and hammering the various police forces doing these things. As many have pointed out, real, often nasty crimes are going unsolved and often not even responded to by the police, but this sort of nonsense - which makes them look ridiculous and should merit merely the response to the complainants 'Don't be silly...' - simply encourages the TRAs to do it even more.

"Hebden Bridge must be fucking terrifying."

Indeed!

My female partner and I were in a Cafe Nero elsewhere this afternoon, also drinking coffee and sharing a toasted teacake. Can I recommend these tasty comestibles to FWR regulars visiting either Nero or Costa, in which both are excellent?

This was a 'Lesbians drinking coffee' public service announcement.

Let's be clear.

A call-taker directed the city centre police to a venue where a suspected 'hate group" was gathering. They went to the venue. They asked questions. They walked away, satisfied that the call was a hoax.

It's just like the incident outside the Green Party Conference where 5 officers and a horse attended a hoax call about anti-protesters protesters giving out hate material (3 women handing out leaflets about the GRA to those who wanted them).

Every hoax call where the caller indicates a danger to the public or a group, has to be investigated.

Oh OK...I'll delete my post sheepishly then...

Perhaps they should be tracing and prosecuting the hoax callers.

On reflection, it's still surveillance isn't it, and interference with a democratic right to gather together and talk about political issues which effect you directly. People who don't like women standing up for themselves reporting said women as 'hateful,' antisocial etc.

Yeah. Still WTF.

Perhaps they should be tracing and prosecuting the hoax callers

I think it would be more productive to ask the police forces concerned about how they propose to deal with hoax calls that result in the police harassing a protected characteristic (sexual orientation).

Can you imagine the furore in the press and social media if gay men were being harassed by the police because of hoax calls? LGBT would go ballistic and the police would respond swiftly.

Rather than focus on a handful of incidents, feminists need to meet with the police at the highest levels about the bigger picture of hoax calls designed to persecute lesbians at meetings and at Pride.

Gay men go straight to the top - why don't lesbians?

PS Her name is Julia Cooke and she is the Deputy Chief Constable of Cheshire (a lesbian)

Can you imagine the furore in the press and social media if gay men were being harassed by the police because of hoax calls? LGBT would go ballistic and the police would respond swiftly.

Rather than focus on a handful of incidents, feminists need to meet with the police at the highest levels about the bigger picture of hoax calls designed to persecute lesbians at meetings and at Pride.
Gay men go straight to the top - why don't lesbians?

Yes, totally agree.

Sexual orientation is better protected in law than transgender identity. Incitement to homophobic hatred exists as a specific crime, although would only apply to threatening materials or content.

But as I understand it abusive messages commenting on groups of lesbians at Pride, say, and encouraging physical violence to those women would come under this legal offence.

Good thinking theOtherPamAyres. Rather than being on the back foot over TRAs carrying out harassment by proxy, it might be better to use what they're doing to remind the Police of how the law actually stands.

But as I understand it abusive messages commenting on groups of lesbians at Pride, say, and encouraging physical violence to those women would come under this legal offence.

Correct. You've described a homophobic hate crime.

At Manchester Pride last year, the compere to the evening entertainment, referring to the lesbian protesters exclaimed:
"They should be dragged off by their saggy tits".

There was a lot of reaction on Social media - so much so that he resigned some positions in the Manchester Village - and a lot of calls for the mayor to comment.

But no-one reported him to the police for inciting violence against a protected characteristic Jeez. I found that so friggin' frustrating.

Gay men have no trouble contacting their mason friends mates in police LGBT networks, and Lord Brian Paddick. Lesbians seem to just take it on the chin and concentrate on getting short bursts of publicity on social media.

We've got to do better:
Hold the police to account for a system failure to filter out homophobic hoax calls
and
report incidents of hostility and hatred at Pride

Or we could just go on sayng that the police hate lesbians and take any oportunity to harass them, which the public do not believe.

Would this fall under the Fair Cop campaign then do you think?

Would this fall under the Fair Cop campaign then do you think?

No. Faircop are campaigning to get the College of Policing to change its guidelines on hate crime and doing something or other about Harry's interview by Humberside Police. (Sorry, I'm a bit vague. I'm not convinced that faircop are on the right track).

This is about a concerted TRA hate incident /crime to harass lesbians at Pride with hoax calls to the police. At the very least, the police should be made aware that the hoax calls are homophobic and designed to cause stress and alarm. If they don't know, they can't do anything.

Just popping in to say that me and my mini wichbitch designed and made that 'lesbians don't have penises' banner at Bradford Pride today. Couldn't attend due to geography and other commitments but can still feel proud. Am I allowed an mn For services to sisters?

You most certainly are *WitchBitch' and mini too. Splendid banner. Obviously ruffled some feather boas. twirl away.