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?

Stonewall actually are a GRA reform group

So it’s because of who paid for it rather than what it said? What if a group of Harry Potter fans wanted to pay for it instead?

I got the same email back as you @dragoncheeselady.

must be doing a stock response to all the women complaining SheWhoMustNotBeHeard

I bet if I started a "Women who love Harry Potter and particularly its creator JK Rowling" group and put up a variant on I

I did get this as an extra bit though:

"I’ve forwarded your Freedom of Information (FOI) request to our FOI team, who will be in touch within 20 working days."

Well done, dragoncheese.

Glinner's blog post with another letter to Andrew Haines, by a friend:

grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/happy-birthday-jk-rowling?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR13ZoFHlCEF9X9F3FU1PQQ3wusaWuxjPDf8iR669v1shPnTiJHA-78C0cI

Dear Andrew,

I was dismayed to see a poster with a simple, iconic message of appreciation of a much-loved children’s author and philanthropist, JK Rowling, removed as ‘political’.

Have you lost all sense of proportion?

I am aware that she is being demonised in the most appalling terms by what boils down to a flat-earth cult that demands no one mention biological sex, but why on Earth a national rail operator should heed anti-scientific, bizarre nonsense is beyond me.

JK Rowling is a Scotswoman and a national treasure, a person of great integrity with so many charitable activities and popular love behind her. She may have stated the obvious, inserting some much-needed common sense into the public debate, but every demographic in the general public agree with her, according to the latest YouGov poll.

It is her detractors, and your organisation’s decision, that is deeply, and controversially political.

I urge you to rethink and reinstate the message of support. In these troubled times, JK Rowling does so much more for the UK’s image abroad than our own government does. She really doesn’t deserve this appalling treatment.

yours etc

oops, sorry, I see that the Glinner post was already posted.
My bad for falling asleep and only reading the last page.

This poster was paid for by a gender recognition reform group, which clearly violates our policy.

Oh good God.

Gender critical women are the absolute OPPOSITE. We are trying to maintain the current law. We are against reform of the gender recognition act.

It is Stonewall who is clamouring for the reform!!

They are fucking idiots.

People really need to ask are you aware that we are trying to maintain the current law on gender recognition, and how it relates to equality law, not change it???

Are you aware that Stonewall wants to change the law in terms of women's rights.

*Dear Ms Higham,

Thank you for contacting our chief executive, Andrew Haines, about the removal of the J K Rowling poster at Edinburgh Waverley station. I’m responding as part of Andrew’s correspondence team and I’m sorry for the concern this has caused you.

This poster was put up in error by one of our advertising partners and was not referred to us for our consideration beforehand.

Our advertising code clearly sets out that we won’t display anything calling for the support of a political viewpoint, policy or action, or that promotes one viewpoint over another. This poster was paid for by a gender recognition reform group, which clearly violates our policy.

We’re reviewing our advertising approval processes with our partners to make sure our policies are applied consistently and fairly in the future.*

This is my response from Jack Giddings - at least it was prompt but most definitely they realise they have made an absolute cock-up - see last para

I think they're following Action Aid...we didn't know anything about it

Have to say I quite like Glinner's letter just going how can you be so stupid. Particularly if it is true they responded to one tweet.

Oh for the days when one woman tweets once and national organisations scurry round and take note!

Basically Network Rail, you have been played for fools and it's very telling how quickly anti-women complaints get acted upon.

This is what I wrote back to Jack at Network Rail:

"Thank you for your prompt email.

I think you have your facts a little mixed up. The group paying for the ad are not a “gender recognition reform group”. Quite the opposite, in fact. They are a gender critical group who are campaigning to maintain the current law around the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) and are against reform of the GRA.

Stonewall, on the other hand, are very politically motivated to reform the GRA. They would be the gender recognition reform group, as described by you.

It’s wonderful that your company is striving to be inclusive and diverse. I hope that includes your female work force too. I would advise Andrew Haines and the decision-makers to review their policies so that one groups wants does not have a negative impact on another groups needs."

I went on a bit of a rant but cut it right back. 😁

Ugh at my grammar

@SheWhoMustNotBeHeard will send a similar response

So awesome that they did this!

Have sent an email drawing their attention to some inconsistencies in the application of their Inclusion and Diversity policies. Oh dear oh dear oh dear.

This poster was paid for by a gender recognition reform group, which clearly violates our policy
This makes no sense. How could anyone viewing the poster know who had paid for it to be displayed ? If the aim of the policy is meant to ban political messages or not promote point of view over another (or something like that) Surely he content itself is what matters not who paid for it

Not RTFT yet. Would it help to refer the railway people to how other political advertising is regulated. Since the railway people seem to have deemed this poster as such? Although, arguably you could dispute that description but let’s accept the premise, for the sake of trying to understand their arguments here...

(I’m assuming this poster IS accepted by everyone to be advertising because of its medium of paid for, public display nature so forgive me if I have misunderstood that- the message on the poster isn’t straightforwardly ‘political‘ or ‘advertising’ though and you could argue that it could be personal communication or art, or self-expression? It certainly is not on the face of it, presenting a political idea in its text.

Essentially though, in democracies, regulators do not tend to work on the basis of who is allowed to make any kind of statement in public (or advert) but on a basis of once it has been said, whether what was said is in any way objectionable by the standards applicable to all communications in that category (say, non-broadcast political adverts like billboards)

You don’t need to read into the rules on political advertising to see that any authority controlling communications should be first considering what is being communicated as a matter of being democratic.

Considering first (as the rail people seem to be doing) who is speaking as the benchmark for then being allowed to speak is profoundly anti-democratic, it’s authoritarian. It’s bloody scary. Well nice try anyway. Women will not submit. Posie has played a blinder here and as so often, she’s created a situation which reveals clearly where women really stand.

Anyone interested in reading a very short guide to political advertising regulation, see here: commonslibrary.parliament.uk/insights/who-regulates-political-advertising/

This poster was paid for by a gender recognition reform group, which clearly violates our policy

Oh dear, so all that Stonewall stuff you paid for 'clearly violates' your policy, being that they are a gender recognition reform group, by their own admission.

Bit awks, eh?

Got overexcited on my bolding there, but there are no democratic arguments for taking this poster down on basis of bellends complaining.

Also, not to derail but Posie deserves an actual medal for her services to women’s rights (and all-round political genius).

www.gov.uk/honours/nominate-someone-in-the-uk

I’m serious. People are given them for a lot less! Quick explainer here:

www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/amp/30641853

Let’s start nominating our Sheroes. We can all send emails