I’m still stewing

[MordenLarch]

Longish one - apologies in advance.

So several months ago we had an (online only due to restrictions at the time) event at work.

There were talks about women in the field I’m in. After the talks there was an online ‘board’ where we were invited to add the names of women we find inspiring and why.

Lots of people wrote their female family members and inspirational female public figures.

I wrote a variety of women I find inspirational and reasons why. I then wrote JK Rowling for standing up for women’s rights. I then thought ‘fuck it’ and put Kathleen Stock, Allison Bailey and Helen Joyce etc.

I thought no more about it, but then saw later that my JK Rowling had been removed (along with a JK that had been added by someone else). Helen Joyce etc weren’t removed presumably because no one knew who they were.

Even though there was nothing even vaguely contentious I’d written, i heard later that my comments on the board were deleted as they were a “transphobic dog whistle” and potentially very offensive etc etc / unsafe space etc

Apparently JK Rowling was permissible on the board only as long as her writing was referenced. Some of the organisers’ suggested inspirational women pictured on the board included the one off Orange Is The New Black and Munroe Bergdorf. I find that offensive as the latter has said some very objectionable things about gay people on the past (and the rest, which is an obvious point about womanhood I probably can’t say here).

Anyway, we will soon have a staff survey coming up where I can probably mention how ridiculous this whole thing is and how I find it sexist, offensive, 1984-esque etc. Should I bother, or let it go? With this and several other things I feel like I’m up against an impermeable wall of guano at the moment

I would mention as an impinging freedom of thought point.

You referenced a positive in JK Rowlings actions, you didn't celebrate transphobia. People need to regain critical thinking and look things up properly, like read the fucking essay that was so 'transphobic' and then make a decision.

I'm so sick of the thick virtuous.

Do bother.

Your post has made me wonder who I would choose and why…

If you do bother, and you need to reflect on this before deciding which way to go, I'd be tempted to go for the classic "if X is going to level the accusation of transphobia at JKR, a very serious accusation indeed, then to justify this there needs to be a specific example of something she herself has said that is transphobic".

Do it.
If they "cancel" your support of JKR who is standing up for women's rights, they are being blindingly misogynistic and obviously don't support women or women's rights. It's making you feel unsafe that you won't be able to speak about women's rights in this company without being cancelled yourself or have unfounded accusations thrown your way.

Do it. My company has had a Trans drive over the last year, presumably to earn extra points in the Stonewall misogny index.

I was one of a few people who complained anonymously in the annual staff survey that we no longer collected data on sex, and put pressure on colleagues to declare their faith/pronouns.

Senior management picked up on it and noted that some colleagues said they were feeling silenced. They have since softened their stance - and even noted that some of Stonewall’s demands were extreme.

It may also have helped that I sent a couple of them a copy of Trans

JK Rowling has a charity that supports women and girls so I would’ve thought that makes her a contender for the list.

Go for it. Could you use the Maya judgement as an example of having legal backup for JK’s views?

Email management and ask them what defence they have to a charge of slandering/libelling JKR. Challenge them to produce a single transphobic line from her essay defending women’s rights.
Then point out the fucking irony of them smearing an inspirational women’s role model at an event discussing…. inspirational women role models.

Some quotes from Rowling and some quotes from Bergdorf might be interesting to have side by side.

An anonymous staff survey?

I would avoid referring to anything that might be outing but I would try to mention something - Would it be worth the staniland question? Or something sports or prisons. Something really obvious.

I think people haven’t even noticed the dots, let alone started to connect them.

i heard later that my comments on the board were deleted as they were a “transphobic dog whistle” and potentially very offensive etc etc / unsafe space etc

That's the part to focus on. You can ask what evidence was given to support the claim.
Remember that the Equality Act states it is an offence to harass or victimise someone, based on their protected characteristic.

You're...not allowed to decide who you find inspiring?

Whoah!

I've lived my whole life with people telling me that Thatcher is an inspiring woman. Personally I think she's Satan. So are they just wrong? Or do different people inspire others in different ways? And actually that's OK!

Thanks all. Yes I find it incredibly dispiriting and ridiculous. I think there might be a “non-binary” person at work that they were worried about.

It’s like a game of Top Trumps it seems. Trans trumps gay and lesbian, and everything trumps woman.

It was a woman who removed the JK as well which makes it all the more stupid.

Such a shame. I mean you could have had chosen real heros like Ellen MacArthur, Amy Johnson or Marie Curie. Instead you got all political and may have given yourself a negative reputation.

@Gottalife

Such a shame. I mean you could have had chosen real heros like Ellen MacArthur, Amy Johnson or Marie Curie. Instead you got all political and may have given yourself a negative reputation.

Eh??

She’s allowed to find whoever she wants inspirational! If she had been asked for inspirational women WITHIN the field of sports or science or whatever, then JKR would have been simply irrelevant.

PS love the “thick virtuous” mentioned upthread 😆

@Gottalife

Such a shame. I mean you could have had chosen real heros like Ellen MacArthur, Amy Johnson or Marie Curie. Instead you got all political and may have given yourself a negative reputation.

‘Got all political’?

I agree with @Gottalife there is no good reason to bring politics into the workplace. I would have listed women like Mary Wollstonecraft, Ada Lovelace, Wang Zenyi, Harriet Tubman, etc.

As for the “anonymous” staff survey, no such thing exists. Yes they don’t put your name by your comment, but they’ll be able to identify you all the same.

@PlanDeRaccordement

I agree with *@Gottalife* there is no good reason to bring politics into the workplace. I would have listed women like Mary Wollstonecraft, Ada Lovelace, Wang Zenyi, Harriet Tubman, etc.

As for the “anonymous” staff survey, no such thing exists. Yes they don’t put your name by your comment, but they’ll be able to identify you all the same.

Harriet Tubman was literally a political activist

@DismantledKing
Yes, but she’s been dead for over 200yrs, so hardly part of politics today.

[quote PlanDeRaccordement]@DismantledKing
Yes, but she’s been dead for over 200yrs, so hardly part of politics today.[/quote]
That comes from quite the place of privilege. I think that her political activity is very important and resonant still.

I wrote that I thought JK was inspirational for standing up for women’s rights - that was all.

So we’re not allowed to find women inspirational in human rights or politics? Sounds like patronising twaddle to me. Women, know your place.

Is Munroe Bergdorf OK then?

[quote PlanDeRaccordement]@DismantledKing
Yes, but she’s been dead for over 200yrs, so hardly part of politics today.[/quote]
So what’s the cut off then? 10 years? 5 years? More?

Sounds like you just don’t like JK Rowling. That’s fine

@Gottalife

Such a shame. I mean you could have had chosen real heros like Ellen MacArthur, Amy Johnson or Marie Curie. Instead you got all political and may have given yourself a negative reputation.

Oh look. Another prescribed list of people it’s OK to like. Thanks.

Unless people like the OP push back against this bullshit in the workplace, then it will continue to spread. Stonewall aren’t afraid to ‘get political’ in the workplace, which is why they’ve captured so much of the narrative.