Julie Bindel - "As older or more experienced feminists, we need to mentor young feminists"

[YouNoob]

I listened to the Spiked podcast where Andrew Doyle interviews Julie Bindel. (Abitofalark has a link on a thread she started if you want to listen to it).

Right at the end, in response to AD's question about feminism and the generational divide between (intersectional) feminists and feminists, JB says:

It's an ideological battle, not just a generational one between intersectional and proper feminism....I hope they learn, but in the meantime they are doing harm. As older or more experienced feminists we need to support young feminists because without our support they are going to be just completely destroyed by the bullies"

I am very interested in this as I have a few younger female relatives in the wider family who view feminism with the intersectionality prism.

How do I support them, if they are unwilling to listen to a different viewpoint? How do I engage them? Do I engage them? Or do I wait in the sidelines until they are ready?

For reference I'll just put the link here as well: this part of the discussion started at around 55mins 20 secs in, leading on from where Julie had been talking about women wanting to escape the sex trade and about prostitution going on all around her residential location and being ignored when Andrew Doyle suggested that her concerns and feminism were increasingly being seen as marginal...leading to discussion about her idea of feminism for women.
www.spiked-online.com/podcast-episode/the-misogyny-of-trans-activism/

I don't know how older feminists are going to mentor young ones as they get their ideas from the culture all around them, the law and pressure groups, the politicians, the media, schools and teaching, their peers, the popular culture, fashion and entertainment. Feminists don't go into schools or libraries they way certain other activists do and aren't promoted in drama or programmes say on the BBC, so much as certain other agendas are which take priority or even run counter to feminism for women.

I don't know if I count as young really. I first heard about GC feminism and the trans debate when I was in my late twenties. I think for most women there will be a gnawing sense of this all not really making sense. Especially when you have to argue positions that you know are bizarre - e.g. lesbians should be attracted to males who identify as female. I think it's about gently asking the right questions and letting people join the dots for themselves.

I managed to bring a friend of mine round to the GC position recently who started off calling JKR a terf and a bigot. I made out like I was innocently asking questions e.g. "are there any occasions where it would be unethical to give cross-sex hormones to children?", "is it fair to ban doping with testosterone but allow transwomen to compete with women?" etc. You can see the house of cards starting to fall before their eyes and the realisation kick in.

But I think it has to be done really gently, just putting pressure on the gaping holes in the logic. Trying to lecture someone will have the opposite effect I think.

I agree carlaCox I think we can only be patient. Listen to the young women in our lives. Not getting into arguments but being assertive in raising concerns - puberty blockers, male dominated porn etc. As we all know, what unites us (our sex and biology) is much greater than what divides us. Young women are drowning in an avalanche of demands to 'be kind' and to centre abusive gaslighting ideologies / male demands in every aspect of their lives. The cost to them is horrendous. I just hope that it's not too late when they look around and realise what is happening.

Oh and I forgot the question that really hit home: "is it likely that JKR, the lefty, philanthropist and brilliant children's author...is a horrible transphobic bigot? And if she was then why would she tweet about it, knowing that she'd get masses of abuse for it? What has she got to gain by doing that?"

mmm, that's a very good question especially since that generation grew up with JKR