Why I am not applying for the Fawcett Society CEO job - Maya Forstater

[stumbledin]

When they first advertised for this job in October 2020 I applied, in order to make clear to the Fawcett Society Trustees the choice they had. Would they go ALL-IN with gender ideology, would they be BRAVE and hire someone willing to stand up for women’s rights or would they try to be CAUTIOUS and hire another fence sitter?

mforstater.medium.com/courage-calls-to-courage-why-i-am-not-applying-for-the-fawcett-society-ceo-job-52f96de21e05

(For whatever reason Fawcett appointed an interim CEO last year.)

There are loads of threads about Fawcett but this was a recent one www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4234244-Fawcett-Society concering interim CEO

And Maya attends Fawcett AGM (to be read with added perspective!) www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4091698-Maya-attends-the-Fawcett-Society-AGM

About previous CEO leaving www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4072069-Sam-Smethers-CE-Leaving-Fawcett-Society

article in today's Evening Standard by Ayesha Hazarika

I’m on the board of the Fawcett Society which campaigns for women’s equality. Last week, a ruling was made which found in favour of a woman, Maya Forster, who had been dismissed from her job for expressing her views on the trans debate and established that gender critical views are a protected belief. She and others then attacked me and the Fawcett Society for not saying anything about the judgement. Millicent Fawcett, who the charity is named after, coined the motto “courage calls to courage everywhere”.

“Where is your courage?” furious gender critical women raged at me. It’s a fair question and I’ll answer it today in an entirely personal capacity. Hands up. Guilty as charged. Squeak squeak. I’m absolutely terrified about this debate. Even as I type, my anxiety levels are through the roof. I’m braced for the inevitable, merciless online abuse. I even booked in an emergency session with my therapist to work out a coping strategy for my mental health. Does this sound right to you? No. Because it’s not. This debate has become utterly toxic.

www.standard.co.uk/comment/cruelty-hate-trans-debate-moderate-voices-heard-b940913.html

At the end of the article the Standards asks for comments on how to improve the debate. One way might be it they, like most other MSM actually printed articles written by gender critical feminists. They never do.

This from a Fawcett Society board member today. Nice to see her peddling the "both sides as bad as each" lie. I don't think Maya should expect a call.

www.standard.co.uk/comment/cruelty-hate-trans-debate-moderate-voices-heard-b940913.html

The interim CEO told the board she would resign if they gave a statement on mayas case

mobile.twitter.com/bindelj/status/1405205794245812235

AH refers to 'transwomen' in the article- why not just 'women' if that is what she believes?
I have not seen any GC being threatening on social media to Tw/Tm plenty the other way tho

From the article - a Facebook support group for the menopause that includes transwomen????!!!

At the end of the Standard article, AH does not say "while powerful men sit back and laugh".

She obviously knows that transmen are not the same as "CIS" men and do not have any power in this situation.

Wtaf have transwomen and accessories got to do with the menopause. If TW are welcome, why not men? . I am sure they have wonderful stories of how best to match your ties with your socks, and just as much insight into the menopause

*The interim CEO told the board she would resign if they gave a statement on mayas case"

Courage calls to courage, it said "women shut up".

Dear Fawcett Society,
Please fuck off.
Yours,
Self respecting cunty women everywhere

Trans women are not only welcome, they are cherished — we have all learned from their stories and world class ability to accessorise.

What am I reading?!? 🤦‍♀️

The ability to accessorise?

Ah, both sides as bad as the other. And transwomen make a great contribution to a menopause group.

I can just hear the 'be kind' [tinkly laugh] from here. Fuck the fuck off and please rescind the use of the Fawcett name, you dont fucking deserve it.

'older women celebrating confidence in our “hot girl years”, AKA the menopause'

This bit is very strange. I assume it's a joke, the name.. But outside of that group who presumably named it and get the joke, it sounds just odd.

Also why celebrate menopause? Why are women supposed to embrace the crappier sides of our biology? Why is there so much push to be so bloody upbeat about everything?

And as far as I'm concerned the thing I would like to see around the menopause is better education for doctors, women's symptoms to be taken seriously and not dismissed, and decent treatment where possible. Further than that, more research into treatments that help etc.

That comment feels really trivialising. As an individual ok but she's on the fawcett board and so to be a bit more thoughtful.

As soon as i saw it was headlined with the old both sides ie sending death threats/rape threats/ Photos of guns/getting women doxxed and sending the police round is exactly the same as correctly sexing ppl and refusing to put pronouns in bio, I knew ot would be a load of wank so wasn’t disappointed

As for the menopause group is almost be embarrassed for her at the utterly fawning and vacuous ‘world class ability to accessorise” if it wasn’t for my absolute rage at middle aged male born ppl however they present colonising a support group for the menopause. Only today a private members bill had to be brought to try and improve the abysmal menopause support in this country! I mean FFS!!

@womanity I couldn't believe it when I read that about trans women being cherished because of their ability to accessorise. I liked the comment below the article which pointed out that millicent fawcett wouldn't have been fighting for the right of men to be in women's prisons and she wouldn't have cared about accessories

Trans women are not only welcome, they are cherished — we have all learned from their stories and world class ability to accessorise.

What the fuck does the ability to accessorise have to so with being a women, is this really what the fawcett society has become. That article is just cringe worthy.

The author does not even bother to fact check that they have Maya Forstater's name correct. That's how much of a shit they give at Fawcett

Orgs like The Fawcett Society had one job.

They've not had women's backs and stayed silent when it mattered.

So we've started again and rebuilt our own.

Many years from now women won't be talking about The Fawcett Society, it will be The Forstater Society.

I love listening to AH on Times Radio, she is funny and clever.

But should not be a trustee if she can't make the difficult decisions needed to keep the charity aligned to its purpose.

She has previously said that she was involved in drafting the Equality Act 2010, so maybe she is invested in this and didnt see the conflict between rights coming.

I just think AH is wrong on this one and her tone is definitely, women, be kind.

@OvaHere

Orgs like The Fawcett Society had one job.

They've not had women's backs and stayed silent when it mattered.

So we've started again and rebuilt our own.

Many years from now women won't be talking about The Fawcett Society, it will be The Forstater Society.

Does Sex Matters have members yet? I’d totally be in.

In fact, I’m going to check.

They don’t know what the did when they freed Maya from work to focus on this. 💪

DisposableNamechange Yes you can join now.

Thanks ovaHere, I didn’t realise you could join Sex Matters. Joined with a monthly donation. The Fawcett Society is a disgrace to the name, and that article is shaming.

I missed the accessories thing.

I have zero idea why a group for menopausal women would cherish transwomen members because of their ability to accessorise.

That part of it exemplifies the libfem approach to me.

Playing up to female stereotypes.
Something that lots of women find shit is framed as liberating and yay go girls.

Reference to being sexually attractive which seems to be a theme- burlesque, getting naked and having photos taken, etc etc is super feminist.

The sort of giggle giggle all girls together thing so beloved of American sitcom makers and marketers.

I assume anyone who pointed this out would be told. Well I'm not finding it bad at all and I think it's empowering to celebrate it and so do my friends so go away you're being a downer.

And the idea that transwomen are not only welcome but in fact more welcome than the other women in the menopause group because they are good at fashion.

An exemplar of what some call 'fun feminism'.

Of course many women would feel like that.

But they aren't a board member of the fawcett society:

'Menu
Who we are
WHO WE ARE
About Who we are
The Fawcett Society is the UK’s leading membership charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights at work, at home and in public life. Our vision is a society in which women and girls in all their diversity are equal and truly free to fulfill their potential creating a stronger, happier, better future for us all.

We’ve been advancing women’s equality since 1866 when at just 19, Millicent Fawcett collected signatures on a petition for women’s votes. She went on to lead the constitutional suffrage campaign and made this cause her lifetime’s work, securing equal voting rights 62 years later.

Today we continue her legacy of fighting sexism and gender inequality through hard-hitting research. Our national campaigns shape the debate and drive change - and they are only made possible through the support of our members. Be part of our movement for equality'

That stupid comment about accessories makes it painfully obvious that they do not in fact think transwomen are women.

The Fawcett Society can FO. I’m joining Sex Matters.