TRA demos outside Guardian

[Shedbuilder]

It had to happen, didn't it? Apparently for the last three weeks TRAs have been picketing the Guardian because of its transphobia. Pink News is reporting on it:

twitter.com/PinkNews/status/1446153397133000713

I note that one of the pictures shows a placard saying 'Leave us alone'. Absolutely — and you leave us alone, eh?

@ditalini

It's so funny. Why the Guardian?

Are they picketing the Times? The Telegraph? The Daily Mail? Surely by any measure these are all more "transphobic" than the Guardian.

Is it because the Guardian has tried to pander and has been seen to step out of line? Got to whip 'em back in quick smart.

Grow a spine Kath Viner.

None of The Times, The Telegraph nor The Mail would give a fig for what these people think and nor would the majority of their readers.

The Guardian 'platforming transphobia'??? They can't be reading the same paper as me. It's full of the most ridiculous pro-trans, anti-women wokery of any paper in the UK.

@MordenLarch

My first thought on seeing the picture on Twitter was “who takes a can of Stella to a morning demo?!”. I then had lots of other thoughts that can’t be printed here lest I be chastened.

That person has taken a deserved pasting on Twitter, including one excellent meme which plays out as a short video focusing in on a close up of the can.

twitter.com/GayoCaesar/status/1446396033966170130?s=20

Here's the link to the starring spot.

i’m @vicparsons_, gender & identity reporter here at PinkNews, reporting today from a protest outside the London headquarters of The Guardian. people have gathered to demand that the newspaper “stop platforming transphobia”

Holy fuck the mangled punctuation in that tweet is annoying. Never mind sef ID about sex, I don't think people without a basic command of English should be allowed to self identify as journalists.

Never too woke / not woke enough

I know the security guard in that photo too. His face is priceless

Pink news tweet 8 “it’s not safe for trans folk to be out here. but we need to defend ourselves,”

Pink news tweet 10 protestors are beginning to disperse (to the pub)

Can of Stella was a nice touch though

Should we get all judgemental and finger-pointy because they all appear to be white and middle-aged?

no because we're not twats

Maybe the guardian might realise what women have been scared of now.

That can of Stella

Stolen from twitter. If you Google Labour Party HQ London then select images this is what comes up 🤣

Also The Lancet offices.

Omg thank you that is AWESOME!

and so many plusses!

People dressed up in costume esp really cool ones bright colours etc. And I mean those pics are SO COOL!

No one can see who you are

It's a bit silly so attracts way more attention on street and in media etc who doesn't want to see what dinosaurs are up to!

Edge of humour is like batfink wings to deflect standard reaction from many- bloody feminists again, angry women some of them with gall to not only not do femininity properly but also to be over 45!

Edge of humour perfect foil also to those who are leading the way on fucking us over. Self righteous mouthy types HATE not being taken seriously.

I mean so so so much win!

@PronounssheRa

Pink news tweet 8 “it’s not safe for trans folk to be out here. but we need to defend ourselves,”

Pink news tweet 10 protestors are beginning to disperse (to the pub)

Can of Stella was a nice touch though

You left out tweet 9

After, "it's not safe" ... the evidence:

Tweet 9
"one person drove by and shouted ‘are you a boy or a girl’ but otherwise the protest has been met with polite curiosity".

(is there an undercover satirist on the Pink News social media team?)

And yet the message that trans people are the most oppressed, most at risk of attack, most at risk of murder, most at risk of being raped...

Is continually repeated by politicians, media....

More risk than...

Children in care
Those here who are victims of modern slavery
Children esp boys growing up surrounded by gangs
Refugees

....

Yep no question who is most at risk.

Do any of these high profile people even think for one second about what they are saying?

@NiceGerbil

More risk than...

Children in care
Those here who are victims of modern slavery
Children esp boys growing up surrounded by gangs
Refugees

....

Yep no question who is most at risk.

Do any of these high profile people even think for one second about what they are saying?

Yes I was incensed when Starmer said that. What, more marginalised than children living in poverty or disabled people? Did he even hear what he was saying? I can’t respect him at all, now.

Ha ha this made me chuckle as the Guardian have been getting on my nerves for a while now, being sooo woke sometimes.

I don’t know how these people have the time and energy to be so continually upset? About… I don’t even know. When all around us, people have been dying in a pandemic, poverty and unemployment, petrol crisis, NHS in crisis, climate change… come on there are bigger problems!

And yet the message that trans people are the most oppressed, most at risk of attack, most at risk of murder, most at risk of being raped... yes I”m getting sick of this. Waiting for a vital NHS appointment for my disabled son, the only poster in the waiting room was about LGBT etc rights. ‘Fair enough’ I thought. But as the wait was so long, (you know, services for children with disabilities… some of the most neglected and vulnerable people in our society… )

There was a big paragraph in bold at the bottom. Saying how trans people were the most discriminated against, most sexually vulnerable, than any other group! That was on an NHS wall. Not like women being discriminated against then… or women sexually vulnerable… or my son experiencing discrimination…

Is it just me, or is the idea of identifying any group as most at risk / most vulnerable quite dodgy?

I mean if I produced a ranking system on relative vulnerability of e.g. Jews, Irish Travellers, Women with disabilities, Black teenage boys - people would rightly demand context, point out what different groups I might be conflating, point out that meaningful support would mean defining the risks and considering individual risk factors. Failure to do these things would be negligent and disrespectful of the groups I'd hamfistedly identified.

If they really believed the "most at risk", shouldn't NHS and politicians be commissioning research, publishing results, explaining what risks they will mitigate and how.

If they're not just deliberately mouthing platitudes, surely they're being strangely negligent?

And the thing that is SO OBVIOUS and so utterly betrays the attitude of those who shout.

Is that I have no doubt that trans people, esp male who 'present' as women IE makeup dress hair etc full time.

ARE at risk of discrimination. And street harrassment, violence etc.

From blokes mainly.

And also that the young people with trans IDs ARE more likely to have MH issues and other problems.

I also have no doubt that in Brazil TW are at risk of being attacked and murdered, along with other groups including women the situation there is really bad.

So where is the action?

The most at risk statement is constantly repeated by all and sundry without data to back it up.

But given that statement is pushed, WHERE IS THE ACTION?

Where is the strategy, the plan to do something, anything about street harrassment and attacks?

Has a network of support / help been set up? Including support in reporting to police if they wish?

When is the support for those sexually attacked? Delivered by those who understand? For a trans person there are different issues to other groups. A feeling of their identity being stamped on. For TW, I'm sure sometimes due to men discovering trans or more likely clocking as trans. A violation to punish violation of masculinity. Words used during it targeting them being trans. I mean we know what men can be like. Have things been set up?

Any partnering with/ fundraising for etc orgs in Brazil? Given the murder rate?

Any activity around young people and MH? Serious properly done studies with results analysed with no bias? Ones I've seen (and obv I haven't seen them all) have been online, and results always decide what they wanted them to say in the first place.

So what does this say?

The only conclusion is that those shouting don't care about this stuff. Not really. They only talk about these things in order to push for what they want.

In all honesty. It's done so blatantly, so frequently. As a means to an end. It is just outrageous, manipulative... Immoral.

In the end a lot of vulnerable people are also being used. To further this agenda.

'Is it just me, or is the idea of identifying any group as most at risk / most vulnerable quite dodgy?'

Yes very.
I can't think of another group that does this. Other groups say X people are having terrible time due to this and that please help.

The most at risk is oppression Olympics.

Came from the appropriation of some concepts in intersectional analysis. Took useful bits. Twisted them around. Turned them back on those who created the whole concept (over years).

And also made intersectionality a hated, derided area. It was good. Useful. Before this lot got their hands on it.

From blokes mainly. This 100 times over.

I also have compassion for anyone suffering discrimination. A trans person will I am sure suffer discrimination (as in, people avoiding/bullying, not getting jobs etc)

It is the almost entire focus on women, women wanting safeguarding, women only spaces, to be able to say biological women - this is not discrimination. Men are overwhelming the bullies of trans people. Focus on that.