Update on Magdalen Berns

[TurboTeddy]

Just saw this and thought some people here would be interested. It's sad news but it sounds like Magdalen is being well supported.

Wholly inadequate for Magdalen, her family and friends and a heart felt thank you for your strength, courage and hard work in highlighting the issues of trans ideology and its impact on women's rights.

mobile.twitter.com/MagdalenBerns/status/1164200997599752192

Added most recent names

I don’t know if she’s tired of being told she’s an inspiration...but she is. Her clarity, her wit...everything. I’m praying.

Thanks, Magdalen. For everything that you are, and have been, to us.

Magdalen was who made me really get it. Thank you Magdalen. For making me into a feminist.

I loved PeachYoghurt's video tribute. It made me cry a bit.

I'm never giving up the fight.

"You touched so many hearts
Women and girls owe you
You are forever loved
We continue the fight
For ourselves and for you"

Same here. Wishing her peace. Thank you Magdalen for your wit and your bravery.

Thank you, you amazing woman x

@DrLouiseMoody
My name too please x

Such a woman-so much integrity, wit and sense about her. A feminist icon

@DrLouiseMoody please add my name too.

When I first read this thread I had a cry and a swear. Magdalen is a brilliant young woman.

@DrLouiseMoody I've sent you a message with my real name, my Twitter handle and permission to use my MN name too.

Thanks for your work ginge.

I'm also happy to add usernames if anonymity needs to be preserved.

If that is possible, please add me too if still possible, @DrLouiseMoody

twitter.com/bindelj/status/1167006471177035776
In a climate where trans activists threaten to kill women who run female-only shelters for rape victims, it's easy to be scared of being labeled transphobic. But inspired by Magdalen, I want to speak out even more in real life.

I agree TheChampagneGalop. I do speak out in real life, and forcefully. But that is very different from having my full name - which is a very easy identifier, as it is unique on th whole f*ing planet - internationally broadcast on social media.

@DrLouiseMoody I have dm'd you with my real name

It’s not the fear of being labelled transphobic. It’s the fear of losing our jobs, being reported to the police, being doxxed, having our families doxxed. Who’s going support us when we can’t support ourselves because we decided to be brave. We don’t all have the same options of being brave, I am afraid. Blame the people creating the culture of fear, not the women who are scared to speak out.

Exactly Pota2
Being labeled transphobic can have dangerous consequences. It's not fair to ask women to all post under our real names online.
But we can all do something, it adds up.

I am in the same position as deepwatersolo i have an unusual name, and I would be fairly easy to track down in real life.

I think I've added everyone that's dm'ed me and who has requested their usernames to be added - if you don't see yours please prod me as I'm becoming overwhelmed.

AS OF NOW WE HAVE FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY SEVEN SIGNATURES.

Understandably, I cannot reply to individual DM's (yes, I know I sound like the bloody Queen).

It’s not the fear of being labelled transphobic. It’s the fear of losing our jobs, being reported to the police, being doxxed, having our families doxxed. Who’s going support us when we can’t support ourselves because we decided to be brave. We don’t all have the same options of being brave, I am afraid. Blame the people creating the culture of fear, not the women who are scared to speak out.

Exactly this @Pota2. I feel cowardly and I'm ashamed of it but I can't risk losing my Twitter account again. I need it for work. I DO try to be a sister on there and support women and girls' rights, especially gay women, but there's so much I want to say but dare not. I know my account is watched like a hawk. We must all do what we can, where we can, how we can. But without putting our livelihoods at risk. Yes, that's dreadful I know. It's the new McCarthyism and it's very hard to get those outside social media platforms to realise what's going on. I just hope it eventually changes and this is a blip that passes. Taking its bloody time tho!

MissLawls yeah, I am also wishing the world would hurry up and wake up to what is going on. But the fact is that I am already on blocklists that my colleagues subscribe to just because I have followed certain accounts. People may remember Kathleen Stock’s blogpost about what happens to women in academia who even step slightly out of line. Liking the ‘wrong’ post on social media could trigger student complaints and disciplinary procedures. My union has expressly said that they don’t support women who hold gender critical views and that they have no problem with us being disciplined or fired. The head of my union even joins in to try to get women fired (Louise, incidentally). My bosses are only interested in keeping the students happy, at any cost. So hopefully people can see why I can’t say anything.

I'm already banned from Twitter so that ship has sailed but I still only signed in my RL "professional" name which is extremely common. I have a "personal" name which is very distinctive indeed and the same as my DC which is why I didn't use that.

We have already seen TRAs targeting GC womens' DC and doxxing them, and I'm not exposing my DC to people like that.

We are all standing up to be counted whether we use RL names or not, our voices are still raised and we will still be heard.

Can I add this?

Yes, LordProf, I think that is what we are discussing and saying it is not very fair to blame women for not speaking out, given the repercussions.

Yes there were some tweets following to that effect. Sorry I’m not keeping up with the convo!

I read yesterday about a young woman receiving a 20 year sentence in Iran for removing her headscarf in public. It makes you think doesn’t it?

Well yes. I do appreciate that for those in the public eye it can appear frustrating that people aren’t standing up and speaking. But as I said before, who will support me when I am brave and then lose my job and my career that I have worked so hard for? I am not a media personality, I am a relative nobody. Nobody is going to support me if I stand up for the cause. And what about all the women who have dependants- children, elderly relatives, disabled siblings? Who will support and feed and clothe those people when the main breadwinner is sacked from her job? Julie has said things like this before and my position remains that it is different for her than it is for me. It just is.

Then talk about it to your friends. One or two at first. Talk about it in terms of being concerned, about something not feeling right. Talk about it with people who can have no influence on your job prospects. But talk about it. I make a habit of bringing it into conversations with a lot of people, some complete strangers, that I meet. 'Did you see that article in the paper about the man who's been put in a women's prison? What do you reckon to that?' 'I just heard on the radio that a man has been allowed to join a women's rugby team, that doesn't seem right to me. What do you think?' Don't tell people what you think about the trans issue, just raise questions in terms of how self-ID might impact them and their children and then take it from there. You'll be surprised how many people are gender critical or can very quickly be talked down from just being nice and accepting.

Julie Bindel is right. We all have to take this on. Asking questions is the way to go.