Graham Norton “as if there are trans armies coming over the hills”

[Lifeaintalwaysempty]

like Graham Norton, this disappointed me in the Times today. I find it so patronising with regards those who have a stake in the debate on protecting sex based rights, and worryingly he is justifying the TRA aggression on the basis that this is how you get progress???

He’s basically made it sound like the debate is so unreasonable- a tiny minority want their are having to get aggressive to fight for their rights.
Instead of- a tiny incredibly vocal and influential minority backed by a huge organisation are being extremely aggressive in enforcing an ideology across society that forces women to give up their sex based rights and even the definition of what they actually are as human beings, whilst also completing silencing any form of dissent or even debate.
He didn’t need to say this, he has let women down badly.

He's acknowledging that there is 'some aggression', but that's ok because it's not a lot and it's what is needed to gain rights?

I wonder how much 'aggression' he would tolerate for others rights?

@Biscuitsanddoombar

I've actually met a lot of gay men who have the upmost respect for women. The fact that he is gay has nowt to do with it.

Amazing that he’s got this far in public life and yet doesn’t have a clue what the issues actually are.

Just another celebrity terrified of being cancelled, then.

It is quite amazing to hear that a bloke thinks aggression is appropriate in anyway here. I doubt he has thought about who that aggression is focused on before making that remark. It comes off as him being ok that it is against women and children. And that most of it is perpetuated by males. As usual.

But it’s ok Graham... it is just an extremist vanguard agitating for changes that cause harm to women and children.

What a goose.

Can you imagine what it must be like to be male, and to have the endless luxury of being so bloody unaware of reality for the other half of the human race?

The luxury of being so unaffected by it that it makes no sense to you?

To have so little respect for the inferior half of the species that you can just handwave away when they say there's a problem and tell them they're all silly, because as someone with a penis and no skin whatsoever in the game you obviously just know better?

He does need to read and speak to women before he opens his trap.

It doesn't matter how many "trans" people there are. There could be zero trans people and the policies being proposed would be harmful to women.

The issue is the number of male people, and their behaviour towards female people, and how the policies remove the existing legal and social safeguarding against that behaviour.

If "gay rights" had required women giving up single-sex spaces there would have been the same pushback from women and feminists. Whose "rights" this is allegedly in the name of is irrelevant.

It is astonishing that was published this week. The week when an extremist vanguard who believe obviously fake facts stormed the US Capitol.

There are none so blind as those who will not see.

It is quite amazing to hear that a bloke thinks aggression is appropriate in anyway here.

What's interesting is that Norton will think of himself as a 'good guy' but will also excuse and encourage (?) violence against women and girls.

It does feel as if there is an army coming for 'trans rights'. Probably most of whom are not trans, have never doubted the gender they are and were born with, but think it is the correct or 'right on' thing to do.

Without regard for the safety of women in certain places and situations.

I suppose it’s a product of lazy uncritical thinking on the part of the journo, too. They chat about all manner of things, writer shoehorns in the trans stuff, is pleased they’ve ticked off the edgy issue of the day and thinks no more about it. Onto the next bit of the conversation.

I think gay celebrities get 'leaned on' a huge amount to fly the trans flag.

Also in my experiance, the 'its only a tiny number of people' arguement is heavly used by people who dont believe any of the nonesense, but for whatever reason must tow the line.

Tried reading the whole thing, it was impossible. An embarrassingly arse-kissing piece mostly plugging his gin. So guess my previous assessment would be right! 😂

@StrippedFridge

It is astonishing that was published this week. The week when an extremist vanguard who believe obviously fake facts stormed the US Capitol.

There are none so blind as those who will not see.

Excellent point.

[quote Fieldofyellowflowers]@Biscuitsanddoombar

I've actually met a lot of gay men who have the upmost respect for women. The fact that he is gay has nowt to do with it.[/quote]
While lots of gay men do have respect for women, there is a very perceptible misogynist contingent who not only do not respect women, but don't see the point of us at all. My male gay friends say that this is definitely a thing in the gay community.

It's just a tiny number of people for whom we're being forced to undergo huge societal shift in the language we use to describe ourselves, provision of single sex spaces, access to sports and our approach to medical treatment. Graham needs to have a little think about the wider effects of pandering to this tiny group.

@dyslek

I think gay celebrities get 'leaned on' a huge amount to fly the trans flag.

Also in my experiance, the 'its only a tiny number of people' arguement is heavly used by people who dont believe any of the nonesense, but for whatever reason must tow the line.

Norton is wealthy, has an established career behind him and is well used to talking to the media.

The idea that he is pressured to say anything is laughable. He said that a little bit of aggression is needed against women and girls because he believes it.

"That's how you shift things to the middle ground" - of forcing people to agree that grown men are "girls"?!

I wonder also if he’s aware that “the middle ground” is not what TRAs want.

I read one of his novels. The misogyny was tangible, such as looking down on older women collecting their pension in the post office to disdain at what style of coat the protagonist wore.

The idea that he is pressured to say anything is laughable. He said that a little bit of aggression is needed against women and girls because he believes it.

I agree. I wonder if he would be shocked at the concept tho. As I believe it's entirely possible that he's completely oblivious to the sexism and unfairness of what he is actually thinking. It's so normalised, he never questions it.

It’s funny how it’s only a tiny number but they are already rising to the ranks woman’s officer in the Green Party and are in women’s Olympic teams and are getting the talking head spots on morning tv and included in high profile women’s prizes and shortlists.

A tiny number of well connected, confident, assertive, high achieving, high profile people who seem unencumbered by issues like daycare pickup times or mat leave or menopause symptoms or being talked over in meetings or called difficult when they are assertive...

His manager/agent possibly has a word. His eye will be on his audience and public profile. If this was a few months ago he would be all ‘BLM’.

He is wealthy and has an established career forsure but any career in that business can be over in a day if you piss off powerful people.

Someone like Norton will view his celebrity status as almost a matter of life and death, pritty much everything he valuse in his life depends on it. (which makes him very pathetic but thats another issue)

Im not justifying him, infact it makes it worse that he almost certainly knows its total bullshit. But I do think gay celebrities are pressurised to be vocal supporters by their agents for fear of being suspected of GC thought, and that would be game over for someone like Norton.