Woman's hour today, 28th may

[WarriorN]

'Interesting' mix of biology, gender and violence against women and girls...

I need to listen later. Not sure I'm looking forward to it tbh

I had stopped listening to Woman's Hour but just caught some of this in the car. On the topic of women's periods and Covid, being introduced as women and transmen, then the expert talking about 'people' all the way through...I switched off then.

When are they going to change the title of the programme if they can't determine which people this may be more of an issue for than others?

As a person Paris Lees had an horrific childhood. I feel for them. They were abused by their father and older men as a 14 year old.

It’s a terribly shame they didn’t get the help they needed as a teenager. It’s a also a shame they can’t come out and say “I was a 14 year old boy who was abused” because at the moment these boys get no publicity.

Compare what Anita Rani said about audience feedback to what actually happened:

twitter.com/BBCWomansHour/status/1398203961035927553

You need to click "Show more replies" to get the full effect.

Anita Rani replies on twitter by attacking her audience:

twitter.com/itsanitarani/status/1398221484779347968

Probably why she was hired. I’d rather they cut WH altogether than go down this route.

Paris has a right to write about their childhood. Calling it what they have is just gaslighting. Be honest ffs!!

Anita Rani replies on twitter by attacking her audience.

It's funny, isn't it. When Jenni Murray expressed an opinion on the trans issue, she was banned from talking about it on Woman's Hour. But when Rani does it, presumably it's fine.

I am sick to the back teeth of having reasonable dissent framed as "transphobia". It's because they haven't got a single argument to defend their ludicrous position.

t's funny, isn't it. When Jenni Murray expressed an opinion on the trans issue, she was banned from talking about it on Woman's Hour.

Yes, it seems that the impartiality rule only applies when the the opinion expressed is the wrong one. (ie. The one that men don't like.)

Do they only put this stuff on when Anita is on?

PL mentioned that as a society we have rent boys, and we all know what that means-well why can't they use their voice to campaign against male sexual exploitation of boys? This lecturing women to be kind & inclusive is preaching to the wrong set of humans as women are not responsible for 99% of sexual assaults.

PL clearly had a troubled/horrible childhood but they also have a violent past. Not wanting a male with a violent past in womens single sex toilets is not transphobic-it's basic safety.

The comments on the woman's hour Twitter are unequivocal. And there are dozens.

The BBC is fucked. They really need to listen to their customers.

I like the Twitter reply:

Insulting, offensive and nothing to do with women. Just change the name to Man's and Man's Handmaiden's Hour already, @BBCWomansHour...

Is Anita happy with all the casual racism in Paris's book? Even the fawning Guardian review had this to say about it:

“It does, however, ramble in places, while the racist slurs directed at Black and Asian people are glossed over in a way that makes you question why they were even mentioned.”

That wouldn't be trans privilege, would it?

That was a really weird interview. AR sounded as though she was in 'placate, soothe, de-escalate' mode throughout. As though she didn't dare ask any pointed questions in case PL got upset and angry with her / flounced. Walking on eggshells and reassuring constantly.

I'm quite enjoying Emma, generally. For the same reason that I wasn't that keen on Jenni's warm, cosy and slightly twee style, though. (Much as I acknowledge she and Jane covered a lot of important issues). Emma's turned it into more of a news and issues programme, in style more than content. It feels a bit like 'Daytime Today'.

I can't get over the loss of the serial though. That is all wrong.

I like this reply.

"Well whaddya know? Another privileged woman who puts men’s desires ahead of the well being of women who lack the celebrity, status, wealth, and fame to escape the victimization that comes with making womanhood a tourist attraction."

Making womanhood a tourist attraction sums it up for me.

Anita tweeted that those disagreeing with her stance are horrible transphobes, this triggered the patpats she was after, but as more people are replying it's not going her way at all.

Two options: wonder whether people disagreeing with her might not be bigots and maybe learn something or double down. I think I know which she'll go for.

It feels a bit like 'Daytime Today'.

Given that WH often deals with women's lives, not as their own, but rather as a fictional narrative written exclusively by men, I'd say it's more like The Day Today

I can't get over the loss of the serial though. That is all wrong.

I can.

Too often for me we had a serial about the trans woman's experience tagged on after 45 mins of what's supposed to be an 60 mins dedicated to women.

Although after today, I wonder if that extra 15 mins is to regularly include them too...

I'm still glad the item including transmen was included first.

Oh yeah, I didn't love the 'issues' serials. I mean the proper, original (good) drama and serialisation ones.

So Rani lazily calls the women who want to hear from other women on Women’s Hour “transphobes”?

She doesn’t seem to be employing much in the way of journalistic skills here, does she?

Even if you accept that tw become women, which I don't, wtf does PLknow about being a girl? Having transitioned in adulthood, and being a elsf described abused rent boy as an actual adolescent?

Jesus this is revolting.

@BBCWomansHour
spoke with sex industry lobbyist and trans-identified Paris Lees, who has written for Vice suggesting that unemployed women who wish to receive an education should sexually service men.

vice.com/da/article/9bj9g3/supporting-myself-through-university-by-having-sex-for-money

I was looking forward to reading this book because I find PL absolutely fascinating. But the excerpts I’ve read are, to me anyway, clunky and awkward. I like a bit of regional dialect but it has to be done well and not get in the way of what’s been said. I think PL was trying for a bit of DH Lawrence but doesn’t have the writing skills. I was able to glide through Trainspotting because that was dialect written well. But this?

I remember PL asking on their Instagram account for guidance and suggestions on how to write certain Notts words and phrases, so they were obviously insecure in their abilities. Surely a good editor could have suggested another approach that delivered the main narrative in PL’s usual fluid and wickedly salacious style while incorporating the dialect? I think many people will buy this book because they like PL and they’re such a glamorous icon for so many TransWomen - I imagine many copies will be just flicked through for the juicy bits.

Great cover though. And the title is just one big fuck off of a provocation isn’t it?

As is their interview on Woman’s Hour.