Frances Barber Under Attack From TRAs

[ScreamingMeMe]

Looks like they are unhappy with her because she supports JK Rowling. Some little arsehole has contacted the theatre she is currently working at, to try and get her sacked.

She is not having it. Another strong, formidable woman.

twitter.com/francesbarber13/status/1416844763500777476?s=20

If she has any sense she will have deleted them. I am also not your PA.

Make your own decisions.

But I personally wouldn't want to be associated with her comments in respect of Islam. So wouldn't openly laud her.

So by praising her response to this, someone is automatically associating themselves with her comments in respect to Islam? Bonkers. No wonder the world is the mess it is. You’re either all in or all out and be damned if you pick wrong.

Why bring up the alleged islamophobia when it's just going to derail the thread and reframe it as a discussion of something else?

I personally don't know anything about FB, I'm certainly not lauding her if she has indeed made offensive comments in the past.

But it's nice to see a middle-aged woman standing up to the Twitter bullies for expressing a statement of biological belief...

And I've yet to see any of the rainbow social justice warriors go after some of the truly vile racist bullies that are so common on Twitter

In fact I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most of the Twitter warriors don't give a crap about islamophobia, racism or mysogyny.

I've seen too many tweets taken out of context to form too much of an opinion, personally.

In terms of the OP, it's an interesting one, because as far as I know, she is quite good friends with Ian McKellen. And, if I recall, he has supported Stonewall, quite recently. So them starring in the same play might make for some heated conversations. Not to mention informative...

She has been critical of trans ideology for some time. It's no secret. But now she might get the white hot glare of cancel culture turned on her, and I don't suppose for a second, that Ian McKellen would approve of that.

She is fuming, and more importantly, she doesn't appear to give a fuck. It seems to me to be a massive mistake to take her on, to be honest.

And she can't be fired, at least not legally. We now have the law on our side, thanks to Maya.

I think she needs some cards...

Somebody else raised the racism and I responded. It is on page 1.

In the post I made above, of which a tiny bit has been quoted, I made it clear what I thought of the TRA. I have also made it clear how I feel about her being sacked.

Any more attacks for raising genuine issues?

It’s good that they’re both in the same play. It means the parts were allocated on ability and being right for the part and the style the director wants to take. I’m sure some here would want all those who audition to be deemed eligible with a purity questionnaire on approved views before being allowed to audition, but thankfully we aren’t there yet.

I'm sorry you feel attacked @Megasausagehead but too often we see threads on this forum being derailed with accusations that we are aligned with racists for our GC beliefs, so it's important to stick to the topic at hand, namely FB being cancelled for her views on the existence biological sex.

Some context on previous FB tweets:

amp.theguardian.com/technology/2015/nov/24/actor-frances-barber-claims-uber-driver-said-she-was-disgustingly-dressed

Everything deserves to be read within the context of the discussion

Absolutely

It’s good that they’re both in the same play. It means the parts were allocated on ability and being right for the part and the style the director wants to take.

It’s an usual production - McKellen is playing a role usually reserved for young male actors, and Barber is stepping in to play Polonius, also a male role, at short notice after two actors left the cast (for reasons that are either dramatic or mundane, depending on which reports you read).

@RufustheBadgeringReindeer

Everything deserves to be read within the context of the discussion

Absolutely

That's too much like hard work for some people.

Indeed it is.

You clearly haven’t read the tweet in question. It’s not some moral or intellectual criticism. It’s a downright offensive and nasty thing to say.

I disagree. The poster was NAMALTing, which is downright tedious when men do it, no less when it's an intersectional NAMALT.

When men of any and all stripes stop killing us we can stop picking them up on their NAMALTing. Till then people will ask them to stop.

That's too much like hard work for some people

Thing is its much too easy to take things at face value…we all do it at one time or another

But thats why i like mumsnet, generally there are licks to articles and twitter quotes etc so even though my initial reaction on a thread may be one thing, by the time the thread ends my opinion may well have changed or been solidified

@Moonwatcher1234

Nonsense in the sense it’s my personal view that cancel culture goes too far…not nonsense in the sense I don’t believe it exists! For what it’s worth, I agree largely with the concerns about TWAW movement…I’m a woman so of course I worry about where it’s heading. But, I am a Muslim and have found Frances Barbers views and commets on Muslims unpalatable and unpleasant for a while. I am allowed to express that. That’s all.

I’m not a Muslim and I also find Frances Barbers views and comments on Muslims offensive however I don’t agree with social media compaigns to get people cancelled by calling them transphobes.

Her views on Muslims are racist and are not protected by law, her views that TWANW are legal and factually correct. I’m glad shes fighting back.

@NotBadConsidering

I love her response and support her with this issue. My opinion on her is that she is right on this issue, regardless of anything else.

No one is 100% right or wrong on everything. No one is perfect, no one is above reproach, no one is exempt from praise.

Exactly! When as a society did we stop accepting nuance in favour of wrong think. Social media seems to have turned everyone into heroes or villains.

In real life - I reserve the right to agree with people on some things but not on others.

mobile.twitter.com/francesbarber13/with_replies

This guy! Schooling Frances Barber on how how should behave. What an arrogant prick. He's got no idea has he?

Exactly! When as a society did we stop accepting nuance in favour of wrong think. Social media seems to have turned everyone into heroes or villains.

In real life - I reserve the right to agree with people on some things but not on others

Tribal politics. What could go wrong?

There is no nuance to be found in a threat to have someone fired from their job.

There is no nuance to be found in stating a wish for a pipe bomb to be put through a woman's letter box.

Both of these come from those declaring themselves as trans or trans allies and on the right side of history.

Frances Barber is magnificent.

I want to see a play with Ian and Frances discussing this issue backstage. That I'd pay to see. They're good mates apparently so the discussions would be interesting.

I’m not a Muslim and I also find Frances Barbers views and comments on Muslims offensive

I find it offensive that a Muslim taxi driver told her she was disgustingly dressed and shouldn't be out alone late at night and it appears Uber agreed with Frances.