I love JK Rowling poster removed by Network Rail for being 'political' after 'transphobic' complaint

[stumbledin]

A poster outside Edinburgh Waverley Station which reads "I love JK Rowling" has been removed by Network Rail for being too "political."

The poster was erected outside the train station by Kellie-Jay Keen, who describes herself as a campaigner against gender recognition laws.

Kellie said that the billboard was a celebration of JK Rowling standing up for women - who Kellie believes are 'victims' of a "culture war".

In a tweet, one local complained to Network Rail saying "You're literally making Edinburgh look an unwelcoming and transphobic city.

"Congratulations. The city has a high population of students and a majority of them are trans allies. Seems unlike our public transport."

Blah Blah

www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/love-jk-rowling-poster-removed-18686005

Maybe women should contact Network Rail and say their actions make it look like women are not safe or welcome in Edinburgh. Why are they giving in to sexist bullying?

@Beamur

Apollo 440 I think it's slander if verbal but libel if written.

But it's only slander or libel if it's actually untrue.

So yes, slanderous or libellous in this instance as she has never published anything transphobic

@stumbledin

I think most people dont know what the Fair Cop thread is about so aren't following!

I think there are 2 other threads but as you say I think this silencing of women - again - deserves its own thread!

Is it about anything in particular? It seems to have covered a lot of ground.

@Beamur

Apollo 440 I think it's slander if verbal but libel if written.

Not in Scotland. We don't differentiate and both (if untrue) come under the umbrella of defamation.

I've just read lots of the comments and I ❤️Jo March, whichever one of us she is

Sorry, to clarify, the comments under the Times article up thread

Fairfax Aikman
I didn't know that. Thanks for the clarification.
Given there's already been one apology wrought for calling JKR transphobic, we'll see where this latest debacle goes.

@zanahoria

Publicity when it went up

Publicity when it came down

And Posie can ask for her money back

Woman is a genius

Exactly. The more publicity the more sunshine. No one would of thought anything of the poster in question but some people will be interested in finding out WHY it was taken down. Keep pulling Posie 👏👏👏

What a joke.

I hope all these bratty 18-30yos stop enjoying her books, films, theme parks. If you have that much disdain for someone you shouldn't like their work.

There's less vitriol toward Epstein than there is to her. It's sickening. I hope she takes them to the cleaners for defamation.

The JK Rowling website is down due to technical problems (according to JKRs official Facebook). I wonder if it has been hacked.

@WinterIsGone

Someone in The Times comments suggested transport secretary Grant Shapps should be asked a question about this in the House of Commons, as he is responsible for Network Rail.

OK, back to the e-mails then

It's like a full time job😁

I'd like to bet Stand Up For Women are getting lots of new members and funds (fingers crossed)

PopperUppleton
I singled out Jo Marsh from The Times comments section the other day. I really appreciate the time she takes to write her numerous responses. A real antidote to Disgusted of Manchester. And the other "commenters" too, who are all helping to shine a light.

Will say, it lasted longer than I thought it would!

Go Posie

Jo March. 👏👏👏

Is that not from a name from a book ?

Little women ?

Was that letter from yesterday? I have today’s Times and its not there.

If this poster was promoting trans causes and had rainbows and mermaids etc. would they have taken it down?
No they wouldn't.
So Network Rail is pretending to be impartial but they have made a political decision to favour one side of the debate.

Yeh Jo March is in Little Women - one of my first fictional crushes, along with Emma Peel, Lady Penelope and George Kirrin.

Part of a Spectator article:

A Network Rail source has told the Times the ad was deemed ‘likely to cause offence' because of Rowling’s belief that women are a sex class with legal rights rather than a gender identity that can be opted into. The left-wing author — you know, proper left-wing: wants to change more than just pronouns — has been routinely assailed for stating a view that until recently was almost universally accepted, and in the process has been hung out to dry by middling actors who would be teaching drama at their local comp right now if it weren’t for her.

Network Rail tells the Times:

“
‘The poster in question is against our code of acceptance for advertising in our stations owing to its political nature. We do not allow advertising that is likely to support or promote one viewpoint over another.’
The company’s code of acceptance for station advertising excludes material that is ‘of a political nature calling for the support of a particular viewpoint, policy or action or attacking a member or policies of any legislative, central or local government authority’. If ‘I ❤ JK Rowling’ is ‘of a political nature calling for the support of a particular viewpoint’, one wonders what Network Rail would make of someone displaying LGBT Pride banners across the nation’s rail estate. All these banners carry the branding of the same company: Network Rail. You might not consider promoting Pride as political but, if it’s not, under what bizarre standard is expressing admiration for a Scottish children’s author?

Network Rail’s double standards are lamentable and speak to a cowardly corporate culture that is as progressive as its market research tells it to be. What is far more baleful is a view of politics in which victory comes not by besting your opponents in debate but by preventing a debate from taking place at all. Whether the issue is gender, race, religion or some other as yet unheard of but soon to be immutable characteristic plucked from the sharing-sized Skittles bag of identity politics, the impulse to cleanse the public square of ‘offensive’ ideas is intellectual authoritarianism swaddled in the garb of progress and equality.

A feminist might ask exactly how either of those values is advanced by preventing one woman from expressing solidarity with another woman under attack for speaking about women’s rights. A feminist might well ask that, but she ought to know that this fixation with women and their rights is very problematic in these enlightened times.

.... We are shouting ourselves hoarse trying to shut one another up.

@PopperUppleton

I've just read lots of the comments and I ❤️Jo March, whichever one of us she is

Ooh, I wonder if she is here! I do hope so. She's like a ninja, that woman.

Setting people straight all over the shop.

@Floisme

Yeh Jo March is in Little Women - one of my first fictional crushes, along with Emma Peel, Lady Penelope and George Kirrin.

👍😁

@nevertrustaherdofcows

Part of a Spectator article:

A Network Rail source has told the Times the ad was deemed ‘likely to cause offence' because of Rowling’s belief that women are a sex class with legal rights rather than a gender identity that can be opted into. The left-wing author — you know, proper left-wing: wants to change more than just pronouns — has been routinely assailed for stating a view that until recently was almost universally accepted, and in the process has been hung out to dry by middling actors who would be teaching drama at their local comp right now if it weren’t for her.

Network Rail tells the Times:

“
‘The poster in question is against our code of acceptance for advertising in our stations owing to its political nature. We do not allow advertising that is likely to support or promote one viewpoint over another.’
The company’s code of acceptance for station advertising excludes material that is ‘of a political nature calling for the support of a particular viewpoint, policy or action or attacking a member or policies of any legislative, central or local government authority’. If ‘I ❤ JK Rowling’ is ‘of a political nature calling for the support of a particular viewpoint’, one wonders what Network Rail would make of someone displaying LGBT Pride banners across the nation’s rail estate. All these banners carry the branding of the same company: Network Rail. You might not consider promoting Pride as political but, if it’s not, under what bizarre standard is expressing admiration for a Scottish children’s author?

Network Rail’s double standards are lamentable and speak to a cowardly corporate culture that is as progressive as its market research tells it to be. What is far more baleful is a view of politics in which victory comes not by besting your opponents in debate but by preventing a debate from taking place at all. Whether the issue is gender, race, religion or some other as yet unheard of but soon to be immutable characteristic plucked from the sharing-sized Skittles bag of identity politics, the impulse to cleanse the public square of ‘offensive’ ideas is intellectual authoritarianism swaddled in the garb of progress and equality.

A feminist might ask exactly how either of those values is advanced by preventing one woman from expressing solidarity with another woman under attack for speaking about women’s rights. A feminist might well ask that, but she ought to know that this fixation with women and their rights is very problematic in these enlightened times.

.... We are shouting ourselves hoarse trying to shut one another up.

The spectator is doing a sterling job on this. I honestly don't know how anyone can argue with anything they say. The clarity is so crystal.

I suppose it's the determination to quash debate that is allowing people not to disagree with anything at all. Simply stamp on it.

Fortunately, it will not prevail.

So they took the poster down?
Fucksake. 🤯

Put up TO be taken down!

It's all more sunlight.

I've used the contact form for Network Rail to put in a complaint.