I'm not sure why the OP posted this in feminism as it appears to be a homophobic anti-trans crime so perhaps LGBT section would have been more appropriate.
Why am I posting the story here?
I unreservedly condemn these men in Bournemouth who have carried out what appears to be a violent, transphobic, hate crime. I don't actually believe there is one feminist who wouldn't condemn it.
But the problem, let's name it again, is male violence.
This is not a crime caused, in some way, by 'gender critical feminists' as we had immediately flung at us on page 1 of the thread.
I have seen variously JKR and Graham Linehan and feminist groups directly blamed for it on TRA twitter. Also of creating a climate of hostility. And here on page 1 we had one of the fastest Godwin's ever.
We have no blood on our hands. The men who carried it out do.
That the Bournemouth thugs have been watching "the mess we're in" or reading JKR's thoughtful essay describing her own experience of domestic abuse and decided to attack is bunkum. Nor do I imagine they have been engaging with Janice Turner's ideas in The Times or been 'turned' by Jane Clare Jones on twitter.
We know that to be pro-women and girls is not to be "anti trans". Again, we have been accused of this on the thread. This is a false equivalence. I wanted people on this board to be aware of the story so there is tangible evidence for those who paint us as 'anti trans' that no, we absolutely, unequivocally, condemn literal violence against trans people.
Again, let's say it again though, it is male violence. Violence that is dangerously endemic in our towns and cities, in our schools and in our homes.
This is why we want to keep our 'female only' spaces 'only female'.
The story hasn't, however, made the mainstream media. What might be the reasons?
Maybe the story is too muddled, maybe the language barrier has created an issue, maybe there is more to the story than meets the eye and we are not getting the full picture.
But if there are structural problems whereby we are not hearing in the MSM about cases of literal transphobic violence but are being led into thinking that 'misgendering' and 'adult human female' stickers and 'hateful haberdashery' are as bad as the transphobic 'hate crime' usually gets, (in which case, stop allowing yourself to be so permanently offended and develop some resilience, people!) then that also is a problem.
I am really concerned about the increasing number of reports of men getting away with appalling violence against women and girls and the difficulties there seem to be in getting convictions. Women are feeling that they can't report or won't be believed or it will make no difference. This case possibly reflects this.
So, even if we were to find out down the line that the reasons why the story seems a little 'off' are actually because the story is a bit 'off', I want to believe Ruan. I don't want there to be a 'boy who cried wolf' element to the reporting of serious hate crime.
(And finally, though Ruan would no doubt strongly disagree, I personally believe that sex is immutable so, in my mind, this is a case of MVAWG and belongs firmly on the feminist sex and gender board)