Anti-FGM campaigner Hibo Wardere comes under attack

[JustTurtlesAllTheWayDown]

Again. I know Hibo has put out more than one video clarifying that her focus is on women and girls and on stopping FGM, but she did another one last night after being piled on and called a hater for not being 'inclusive' in her language.
mobile.twitter.com/HiboWardere/status/1362100744216866825
I am bloody angry about it this morning.
Hibo Wardere is a personal hero of mine for the amazing work she's done.
Attacking her for not focusing on other issues is the lowest of the low. The misogyny is rank.
(Also, if anyone hasn't got her book 'Cut' on their feminist book shelf, I really do recommend it. It's not an easy read but I found her journey incredibly inspiring).

@Katekeeper

Quite

Hence why the British based support service for adult survivors gives a nod to transmen.

At this point, I'm reminded of the MNer who said her transman friend had been unable to access support after a rape that resulted in pregnancy, because local services only served women and transwomen, and the men's rape crisis service couldn't meet his needs regarding pregnancy after rape.

But Hibo is trying to prevent FGM happening at all.

But you do think that trans men are women, right

People cannot change sex.

A woman is an adult human female.

All else is a mental or emotional construct based on social and cultural norms and expectations.

Sex matters, no matter how one feels about oneself internally.

@litcritchick

Any chance of seeing that link again? I think the post was deleted.

I don't want to risk a strike. So unless someone clarifies why it was deleted I won't repost.

@Helleofabore

One of my friends is a feminist journalist who spent many months in Somalia investigating FGM, and her stories were horrifying. The social and economic pressure to comply was horrendous, which is why I started donating to this cause

That sounds interesting. Can you link up any of the articles that they wrote?

Hi, she's sent me some links - they are quite powerful.

I'd really prefer not to post them publicly. Would you be OK if I sent them by PM? I entirely understand if not.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali also writes about her own experiences of FGM in The Caged Virgin

Here is a non-exhaustive list of resources for survivors of FGM, children and those who want to learn more about it.

● Hibo’s memoir: ‘Cut: One Woman’s Fight Against FGM in Britain today”

● My Body, My Rules - A handbook for primary school aged children

● SafeHands: a charity that promotes access to sexual and reproductive health and rights information, and works with Hibo.

● Forward: The Foundation for Women’s Health, Research, and Development (FORWARD) is a global charity that works with African women and girls towards ending child marriage, FGM, and violence against women.

● The Five Foundation: Co-founded by FGM survivor Nimco Ali, the Five Foundation is a global partnership to end female genital mutilation (FGM). It works to ensure increased collaboration and increased awareness of FGM as an urgent global issue, and to leverage increased resources for the movement to end FGM.

● The Dahlia Project: Provides a support group for women who have undergone FGM, alongside individual counselling.

● The Orchid Project: A charity advocating to end the silence and taboo around FGM and campaigning to end the practice.

Thank you for those links Justhadathought

Ensuring that the voices of women and girls from affected communities are centred is essential. Silencing them is unadulterated racism.

I'd also like a pm of the link to LitCritChick's article, if anyone is sharing.

Thanks

@DadJoke

It would be great if Hibo included trans men in her feminism, but this isn't a big deal to me personally

I appreciate you are trying to be inclusive - but if trans men are actually men (which I think is your position), then you are literally suggesting that men be included in feminism.

Can you see why that is problematic?

[quote Fridget]@DadJoke

It would be great if Hibo included trans men in her feminism, but this isn't a big deal to me personally

I appreciate you are trying to be inclusive - but if trans men are actually men (which I think is your position), then you are literally suggesting that men be included in feminism.

Can you see why that is problematic?[/quote]
No, I’m suggesting they be included in issues which affect people with vaginas (primarily women) because they have vaginas.

No, I’m suggesting they be included in issues which affect people with vaginas (primarily women) because they have vaginas.

Trans men are females, so are included in the issue of FGM on that basis. Is your position that any reference to "woman" should be removed? That wouldn't be helpful or inclusive to the vast vast majority of girls and women who have faced FGM would it?

Ok but your quote said “include trans men in her feminism”.

Is campaigning around
issues which affect people with vaginas (primarily women) because they have vaginas.
feminism or not?

If so, then your request is tantamount to including men in feminism, because trans men have vaginas.

If we cannot call it feminism to campaign about issues relating to vaginas/female reproductive systems, because this implies that trans men are women, then you are taking feminism off women to validate someone’s identity.

Whichever way you look at it, it harms the cause.

I don’t want to exclude anyone, but the problem with this policing of language and dancing round to try to be inclusive is that it dilutes what should be a very clear message, that women are targeted because of their genitalia; and feminism is fighting against it. If it ceases to be seen as a women’s issue then that has implications.

* I don’t want to exclude anyone*

Why would anyone want to be included in fgm if it hasn't happened to them.
Fight it. Sure. Raise awareness of course. But included. Really?

Dadjoke, I'm slightly surprised (not really) that in all your decades of important and earnest concern for the victims of FGM that it failed to register with you that its the vulva and clitoris that are cut and sewn up, not the vagina.

I find the idea of demanding to be included in campaigning around fgm pretty abhorrent. It's not a fun club to part of. I am a white woman from Northern England. I am very happy that there is no need to centre women like me in fgm campaigning.

@Scepticaltank

Dadjoke, I'm slightly surprised (not really) that in all your decades of important and earnest concern for the victims of FGM that it failed to register with you that its the vulva and clitoris that are cut and sewn up, not the vagina.

The transman who was keen to be included as a potential FGM victim was equally confused. They seemed to associate their possession of a cervix as a relevant means of communicating potential vulnerability to FGM.

Thankfully I think that indicates that person has definitely not been an FGM victim and due to their age and apparent race (white European as far as I can see) is never likely to be a victim so Hibo can probably save some emotional worry by not needing to include that person in her campaigning.

Given the nature of Hibo's work I would imagine that it comes at quite a significant personal, emotional cost and could be fairly risky given some of the cultural mores involved.

I find it totally abhorrent and shocking that anyone would wish to add to that emotional load. It is also mind boggling that anyone should defend that.

No, I’m suggesting they be included in issues which affect people with vaginas (primarily women) because they have vaginas

You really don't need to dehumanise women in this way. Only women have vaginas - no matter how they identify. A woman is a female. Only females have vaginas.

So if Hibo will mention in a tweet transmen you will donate £500 to her charity dadjoke

What a strange thing to do

To buy someone’s well I don’t actually know what it is you are attempting to buy

Did you even watch her video ?

@littlbrowndog

So if Hibo will mention in a tweet transmen you will donate £500 to her charity dadjoke

What a strange thing to do

To buy someone’s well I don’t actually know what it is you are attempting to buy

Did you even watch her video ?

I was asked how much I would donate to her particular version of FGM work if she acknowledged trans men. That was my answer.

@Justhadathought

No, I’m suggesting they be included in issues which affect people with vaginas (primarily women) because they have vaginas

You really don't need to dehumanise women in this way. Only women have vaginas - no matter how they identify. A woman is a female. Only females have vaginas.

I am not dehumanising women by saying trans men have vaginas.

@Scepticaltank

Dadjoke, I'm slightly surprised (not really) that in all your decades of important and earnest concern for the victims of FGM that it failed to register with you that its the vulva and clitoris that are cut and sewn up, not the vagina.

I am perfectly well aware of that, and my concern was raised by a friend who investigated the issue a few years ago.

@FromEden

No, I’m suggesting they be included in issues which affect people with vaginas (primarily women) because they have vaginas.

Trans men are females, so are included in the issue of FGM on that basis. Is your position that any reference to "woman" should be removed? That wouldn't be helpful or inclusive to the vast vast majority of girls and women who have faced FGM would it?

No not remotely. Read what I said. It should centre women because they are the ones primarily affected.

[quote DadJoke]@gardenbird48

You are calling a woman who campaigns against Female Genital Mutilation transphobic because she will not agree to dilute her message and confuse people by referring to FGM victims as individuals with a cervix so as not to upset people who are female but don't wish to be referred to as such but are extremely unlikely ever to be a victim of FGM.

She's clearly slightly transphobic, yes. She has never said "it's because I don't want to dilute my message that I don't want to include trans men." When she talks about women, she's explicitly referring to biology, as do most posters here - it's trans exclusionary, the very definition of transphobic.

Her views are mild compared with the typical level of transphobia here and amongst the reactionary and religious right. She is doing good work, and I think it's misplaced to call her on this when there are so many more worthy targets. It's entirely possible to be a great fighter for a good cause and still have blind spots.

I did think that the trans man who asked for more inclusive language deserved a better response than "Not interested bye"[/quote]

Most people outside of woke circles and Twitter believe what Hibo believes. That females are people with (who knew) female biology.

All FGM victims have female biology. Why should she cave AMA pander to something that is against her beliefs and doesn't even affect trans people?

These TRAs are more outraged at ""non inclusive language"" than actual traumatic mutilation ffs.

At this point, I'm reminded of the MNer who said her transman friend had been unable to access support after a rape that resulted in pregnancy, because local services only served women and transwomen, and the men's rape crisis service couldn't meet his needs regardingpregnancyafter rape

I find it hard to believe rape crisis and abortion support would not offer help to a person who is pregnant following rape regardless of what that person calls themselves.

No, I’m suggesting they be included in issues which affect people with vaginas (primarily women) because they have vaginas.

They're all women and girls. Because woman/girl simply means an adult or child human female. And as pp pointed out, this isn't actually about having a vagina. It's about having other equally female genitalia. So "people with vaginas" is not the appropriate term. We all know it's simply a dehumanising shorthand for "women and girls". Like when the Women's March London used "menstruators" to refer to all the women in Parliament in 1973 regardless of their menstrual situation.

FTM trans people, although it likely affects zero percent of them, are included by virtue of being female in "female genital mutilation". The clue is in the name.