TRAs planning a protest against A Woman's Place meeting on July 10th

[NotTerfNorCis]

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

Details of their protest are below. Protesters are advised not to be violent, to carry offensive banners, or to try and physically stop the meeting from going ahead. 'This is a response, not an attack.'

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.

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

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

2. THIS IS A NON VIOLENT PROTEST.

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

3. BRING BANNERS THAT WOULDN'T UPSET YOUR MOTHER

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

4. BRING A GUITAR

Singing is fun.

5. DO YOU DO CIRCUS THINGS? BRING CIRCUS THINGS

Every protest needs a juggler.

How do they know where it is btw? I haven't received confirmation yet (I don't think)

sadly no as i work and its a long way to travel, though i am very good at circus stuff, i can juggle and do deablo, i used to be able to ride a unicycle though i doubt i still could. Protesting as always is a long persons game on the whole, but i hope it is peaceful and fun, and they express their views. As i hope you do with yours.

ooh there havent been any protests at any of the ones ive been to so far, but interesting that they want men to be able to join in womens sports. How bizarre. I thought even most pro-trans people would be able to see a problem with segregting sport according to inner spiritual feelings about femininity

How do they know where it is btw? I haven't received confirmation yet (I don't think)

They don't. Presumably one of them has a ticket so they can find out on the day.

TRAs have complained in the past that finding out the venue at the last minute made it hard to organise protests.

It didn’t seem to occur to them that if they didn’t sabotage venues so often, it wouldn’t be necessary to announce them at the last minute.

i hope it is peaceful and fun, and they express their views. As i hope you do with yours.

If every discussion could take place around this sentiment then this whole thing could probably have been sorted out years ago. Sadly though, given that the protesters don't actually seem to know which groups are holding the meeting, and since one attendee has already replied to the "ground rules" poster saying they're happy to "get in someone's face", I'll not hold my breath.

I don’t dislike transgender people but I cannot fucking stand jugglers
Fingers crossed no one brings any bongos. Or a didgeridoo

Or God forbid - mimes

Can we please all chip in for a big box of circus stuff to leave outside the meeting

I'm sure everyone has a red nose somewhere at home they'd be pleased to donate

TRAs have complained in the past that finding out the venue at the last minute made it hard to organise protests.

How inconvenient. We should really think about their needs more.

i don't even want to think what the protesters might mime

Maybe they can use interpretive dance to finally give us a definition of what a woman is. It's a tiny detail I know, but just in case it comes up in the future for like, legislative purposes or something.

When are some of the protests going to become wholly original and perform 'greatest hits from the Ring Cycle' or such?

Some of us took screenshots BBC.

Oops wrong thread!

Peaceful protest with music and circus skills is a way of gaslighting the public. "Oh, see how nice and friendly these people are. How could anyone have anything against them? Anything they're protesting must be really awful."

As long as its peaceful, obviously fine. Odd that they have to be specifically warned against violence though, is that usual, for people organising a protest?

Also I do wonder if its because the media might be interested too..if they are, the media might like to ask some questions as to why the details of the location cannot be released until a few mins before, stuff like that. Maybe ask the peaceful protesters if they know the reasons why? They just might.

Maybe they can use interpretive dance to finally give us a definition of what a woman is

They could mime the ‘shared eye roll when a man does something douchy’ that a poster here said made them a woman

Yep, or maybe the "putting on their comfy trousers when they get home" that another poster offered as an example of being female.

The protest outside the Bath meeting was quite amusing. A boy was reading out a long pompous statement as we arrived. There were about half a dozen protesters, all very young. They were all wearing masks. When asked why the masks we were told that people like us dox and try to harm TRAs. I asked them whether in fact the masks were to make sure their mums didn't see them and one of the protesters giggled.

They were ridiculous rather than threatening. However their presence and arguments suceeded in making the security guards (two male, one female) firmly gender critical.

It's very hard to convince third parties that a bunch of women going to a meeting in a church hall are the equivalent of the Nazis.

I agree about juggling - it's been done to death and back again. Why don't they do some mixed sex sport instead, weightlifting say, or boxing? What better way to show the world how silly we're being?

Peaceful protest with music and circus skills is a way of gaslighting the public. "Oh, see how nice and friendly these people are. How could anyone have anything against them? Anything they're protesting must be really awful."

Absolutely.

More hiding in plain sight. Certain individuals cleverly used this tactic raising millions for charity and became national treasures.

The Newcastle meeting had protesters shrieking chanting so loudly it was extremely intimidating despite being across the road. And also a shame as a couple of protesters talked to a member of the meeting at length about their views - which were really interesting and I wish they'd come inside to discuss- only to be drowned out by the gleeful and excitable shrieking chanting.

Yep I’ll donate for some juggling balls / baked goodies! Great idea.

Should be a really good event (the speakers, not the jugglers, I mean).

let's hope that more than 9 people turn up for this one

Maths as good as your spelling, bespin?

The protesters at Oxford were terrified of engaging with us. If we asked questions or tried to engage, or offered them evil TERFy biscuits they looked like they might run away in fright. I actually felt rather sorry for the majority of them.

The protesters at Oxford were terrified of engaging with us. If we asked questions or tried to engage, or offered them evil TERFy biscuits they looked like they might run away in fright. I actually felt rather sorry for the majority of them.

Michael Biggs Associate Professor in Sociology and Fellow of St Cross College wrote after the Oxford WPUK meeting & protests:

users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/FreeSpeechOxford.pdf

"A meeting was held on 25 April 2018 to discuss proposed changes to the law on gender recognition. The proposed legislation will eliminate sex-segregated spaces and activities, from women’s refuges to competitive sports. In a democracy, people have the right to meet to discuss—and indeed oppose—legislative changes. This should be incontrovertible. I am appalled that a small number of students at Oxford used extreme measures to stop this meeting from being held....
(concludes)
I have entered this debate not because I am a feminist but because freedom of speech is one of the highest values of a democratic society, and the basic foundation of university life.
Transgender activism poses a grave threat to freedom of speech. I think of the young MPhil student who had to disguise herself to attend this meeting because she feared the reaction of fellow students. This is the generation that we have educated."

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3257819-Michael-Biggs-Sociology-Dept-Oxford-Free-speech-at-Oxford-Do-women-have-the-right-to-meet-to-discuss-legislation

Reading protest was a bit shouty but they couldn't think of anything catchy to shout other than 'shame on you'. water off a ducks back to me. But the stalking of Rosa Freeman on campus was a bit creepy.

I have ticket for Weds but work is full on this week and now not sure if I can go . I would have iced some biscuits with the woman=adult human female design on them.