It's an AIBU but it belongs here - Stonewall

[Doyoumind]

I know some will say this doesn't belong on this board but I believe it is a response to certain GC groups.

Stonewall is trending with #IfirstknewIwaslgbtq, saying that people don't believe it is possible at age 12. The cynic in me says they are going at this angle in response to those who say children can't know they are trans. Of course I believe people can know they are gay by 12. I can even accept people know they are trans by 12. Being gay at 12 may have a huge impact on you socially but being trans at 12 and starting on a medical pathway is something entirely different and it is dishonest to conflate the two.

[yourhairiswinterfire]

I think Arabella meant that they don't think that person really works for EL, not that the account didn't exist? That's how I read it.

[yourhairiswinterfire]

Ah, x post.

[Thingybob]

I'm with Arabella, it's unlikely that Exist Loudly has ever had any staff.

[needaMNnamegenerator]

Well she must have some people collaborating with her if she has any intention of delivering all these workshops, Christmas parties and things:

gaytimes.co.uk/life/tanya-compas-launches-exist-loudly-fund-for-black-lgbtq-youth/

[needaMNnamegenerator]

I hope they don't work for her, but then why doesn't she set the record straight?

[needaMNnamegenerator]

Here's an event Tanya did in July 2019 under the "Exist Loudly" name at Camden Roundhouse in London. I doubt she put it on all by herself; someone involved could easily see themself as her staff.

In her bio she's described as a "self-proclaimed unapologetic baby girl/person, committed to existing loudly and passionate about working with young queer Black people."

Baby girl is BDSM/fetish stuff, isn't it? I think it means she's into "age play" where she pretends to be a baby/child while having sex, isn't it?

Having a MAP working for her is looking more likely tbh

[Thingybob]

NeedaMN, your screenshots show that she did a workshop that lasted an hour and a half, there is no suggestion that she organised the festival.

[needaMNnamegenerator]

Where did I say she organised the festival?!

My point is she's been doing a load of stuff under the Exist Loudly banner for a while and she doesn't need to have staff working for her on PAYE for someone to consider themself "staff" or Exist Loudly. They may have just helped her out a few times, or something like that.

[Thingybob]

Ok my point was just that I wouldn't expect someone doing a short workshop to need any assistance.

[GrolliffetheDragon]

The organisation I work for has done surveys of young people in the past - 11-25 I think? We had huge discussions about safeguarding, particularly for the 11 and 12 year olds and again for under 16s and under 18s.

While the project covered 11-25, we still broke down the age groups within that iyswim. Tbh we mainly ended up focussing on the 16-25 year olds, which was a shame as it meant the younger people didn't have their voices heard as strongly.

[FindTheTruth]

@yourhairiswinterfire

I think garden is right, it was because of Allison Bailey bringing up the safeguarding issue by lumping in 12 year olds with 23 year olds.

They (Exist Loudly, their group) told Allison to fuck off so not the kind of people I'd like my child contacting, tbh.

The massive massive irony with #IfirstknewIwaslgbtq is that it all started in objection to Allison Bailey's tweet saying A 12 year old is a child. Stop putting children in with adults and labelling them LGBTQ+. Let children grow up without adult agendas. What you’re doing is a safeguarding red flag'.

The Exist Loudly founder has said herself in interviews that she didn't know she was LGTBQ at an early age (Which is fine and normal and the same for lots of people) so Allison was pointing out something that would equally have applied to the Exist Loudly founder when she was a child - safeguarding and letting children grow up without adult agendas, ...