Police called to National Theatre to deal with gender critical feminists sitting on chairs

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

twitter.com/DadRogd/status/1147181198231429124 has picture of the unfortunate police officer sent to investigate.

Earlier in his tweet thread he says:

National Theatre Green Room bar just refused to serve us. Their grounds? Allegedly, we are a political group with views a member of staff finds offensive. So they offend a dozen customers instead.

Problem is apparently with t-shirt worn by Anne Ruzylo sporting a dictionary definition of a lesbian. As someone else has pointed out the NT is in breach of the Equality Act, given that sexual orientation and sex are both protected characteristics. I wonder how this will play out.

Sorry went to bed after posting last night.

I find it odd that the journo wouldn't have spotted it was a fake account immediately but I can see how she might have ended up on the wrong page in the first place. It feels like Twitter are enacting some kind of fuckery with Anne's real account and it's visibility.

Regardless of how she got it wrong it's terrible journalism.

The article doesn’t need to be corrected, because by not approaching Ruzylo for comment correctly, and then Ruzylo being made aware by other people that someone attempted and failed deliberately or sloppily to contact her, she has now actually been approached for comment. In a round about way.

That’s how the Guardian/Observer rolls these days: leave a lie up long enough and hope the truth can be bent towards it.

Impersonating someone else is a violation of Twitter's terms and conditions so can be reported. You do it from the profile page (click on the little dots top to the left of the follow button), rather than reporting individual tweets.

Let's not get side-lined here - the real story we should be concentrating on is the blatant lesbophobia on display here.
I know what you mean, Time but I think the National Theatre's response and the Guardian coverage are now part of the story.

If this had happened to any other protected group I'm pretty sure we'd have seen the NT issuing a grovelling apology, making a public donation to a charity of Anne Ruzylo's choosing, initiating disciplinary procedures with the staff involved and hauling all workers in for extra training. And The Guardian would still be tearing them a new arsehole this morning.

That the NT appear to think they can brazen it out and that the Guardian assign the story to an arts rather than a political correspondent - and that they don't seem to be in a tearing hurry to correct what I am going to call her rookie mistakes - are all very, very telling.

I do hope the journalist follows up.

The NT lied to her and used her to spread a false story.

That’s a much better story.

PR 101 - a member of bar staff acts like a complete arse, you apologise, offer free drinks to those offended and say you will run some training for idiot staff (or sack their arse).

Otherwise - you risk women not using your bar. I’m taking about all women - this is a sex thing, not a sexuality thing. That’s ok by you? All your fabulous trans friends will flock and spend lots of money? Think again.

Leaving aside the Twitter issue I'm just shocked that the NTs spokesperson could have it so wrong?
I'm assuming that the staff involved have misrepresented the incident.
I'm not willing to let this one drop.

Nope. The people I know that mostly have the time and money to regularly visit there are..... lesbians and gay men. Interesting huh?

Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence.

I think it's incredibly unlikely that the Observer reporter would have chosen to sabotage her own story by doing something that makes her look utterly inept. She would have been working under pressure - she probably didn't start on the story until about 10am and would have been expected to complete it by mid-to-late afternoon in time for the print edition. She may have been working on other stories at the same time. I would guess that she typed Anne Ruzylo's name into Twitter and then clicked on the account that appeared. I agree that it's very obvious indeed that what comes up is a fake account but I still think it's more likely that, under pressure, she didn't look at it properly and just tweeted the wrong one. The result is a very shoddy piece of journalism but I find it hard to believe it was deliberate. Possibly the worst line in it is the one that reads: "Other witnesses in the bar have described their behaviour as disruptive." She doesn't say who those witnesses are or whether she spoke to them directly. That immediately opens the question of the source.

I hope that the Observer apologises to Anne and the others and issues a corrected version of the article. I don't see how they can refuse to do so.

I also agree that this whole sorry business sheds a much-needed light on how Twitter is effectively silencing feminists on its platform. So not entirely a bad thing.

Not sure if this is exactly the right place, but just to make people aware: TRAs are planning a big protest against A Woman's Place on July 10th.

The theme of the WPUK meeting is Why female sport matters, and why we must protect it. So effectively the TRAs are protesting against women's sports.

Details of their protest here. Protesters are advised not to be violent, to carry offensive banners, or to try and physically stop the meeting from going ahead.

www.facebook.com/events/2255386031382613/

Women's place UK are a transphobic hate group that work towards the rolling back of trans rights. Their meetings are recruitment drives where they peddle transphobia and their endless justifications for transphobia.

This is happening in our town. Where we live. We need to show them that we won't let hatred towards our trans brothers, sisters and everyone else stand without a response. A fun, musical, party response.

The protest itself will not be taking place at the National Gallery. That is only the meeting place due to it being a large area next to several decent transport routes. Women's Place UK don't release the venue until several hours before the event, so we will move there as soon as we know the location.

Cis allies are encouraged to attend. Allies are needed. Trans people cannot do this alone.

Some ground rules.

1. DO NOT ENGAGE WITH ANY ATTENDEES OR WOMEN'S PLACE UK MEMBERS/SPEAKERS DIRECTLY.

Stay away if you cannot keep it together. Do not directly engage, even if you are baited. If anyone does bait you and you cannot ignore them, walk away.

1. WE ARE NOT ATTEMPTING TO STOP OR INVADE THE MEETING.

This is not the goal. This is a response, not an attack.

1. THIS IS A NON VIOLENT PROTEST.

If anyone is suspected of having any violent intentions, you will be asked to leave.

1. BRING BANNERS THAT WOULDN'T UPSET YOUR MOTHER

We want this to be a family friendly protest. Please avoid swears on your banners.

1. BRING A GUITAR

Singing is fun.

1. DO YOU DO CIRCUS THINGS? BRING CIRCUS THINGS

Every protest needs a juggler.

Has this thread been linked? Replying to Julie Bindel on twitter.

Shows several films of what was going on.

twitter.com/ana_iamhuman/status/1147626173192646656?s=21

Shows quite clearly how sedate the group were and how a man in the group was served. And how the police felt it stupid but ultimately felt they couldn't tell the NT it was a waste of time.

I too am a cockup theorist most of the time. I still think it's very telling that they left their arts correspondent to cover it. Homophobia at the National Theatre in Pride week: That's a big story and their heavyweight reporters should have been fighting to write it.

Usual liars on the Bindel thread.
99% of lesbians are ok with being told to accept penised lesbians apparently.
If that was even remotely true why are lesbians who say no viewed as public enemy no 1?
If it is such a tiny minority why all the effort to target/shame us?

NotTerfNorCis

I think that deserves it's own thread.

Ok barelove, I'll start one.

Also, reverse the situation.
Imagine what would have happened if it was a lesbian staff member who complained and called the police against a group of transwmen (with maybe t-shirts saying "lesbians can a penises" or equaly homophobic)

Jones and his mates would currently be working themselves up into a frenzy. There would be calls for the staff member to be sacked. The tales of transphobia would be endless.
Stonewall would had made a statement, probably would have reached Kahn and other

I’m not swallowing cockpit theory. If she is a proper journalist she would not have made such a rookie error. Journalists work to deadlines - it’s their bloody job - get the facts right and work to deadline. At least it was in the old days...

Ah that's where Posie went wrong, they had no jugglers.

Well if she has any professional pride whatsoever I'm sure she'll be badgering her editor right now to issue a correction. So we'll see.

Does anyone know if Anne (or others) is going to bring a case for discrimination?

We need a legal precedent that “lesbians are allowed to exist in public.”

I’d donate to a crowdfunder. Solidarity to my lesbian sisters 💚💜

All Anne’s shirt said was “Lesbians are women who love other women.” How on earth did someone take offence at that?? Even if your interpretation of “woman” encompasses people with penises, does not that sentence still work for you?

Well if she has any professional pride whatsoever I'm sure she'll be badgering her editor right now to issue a correction. So we'll see.

Vanessa Thorpe has tweeted the following this morning:

"@sargesalute if this is the real you this time and you were at the incident on Friday - or know someone else who was there and would speak - please do send your comment and I will ask the editors to add it to the story or suggest they follow it up with a new account. Thanks"

It doesn't reflect well on her that she hasn't bothered to find out Anne's email or even to contact her on Facebook. She is a very experienced journalist (if you search for her on the Guardian site, she has more than 2,000 articles), but she seems to be neglecting the basics.

Have they also got a legal case against the Guardian then on the basis of being called disruptive?

How on earth did journalists manage to contact anyone before Twitter?