“How to spot terf ideology” - Cambridge uni

[Dancingbea]

I thought this was a parody but apparently not
www.cambridgesu.co.uk/resources/guides/spottingterfideology/

As a Cambridge alumnus I am appalled at the lack of intellectual rigour that seems to be accepted there these days.

Created by the SU women's campaign
Jesus wept.

Check the name of the women’s officer

'Women are not a homogeneous group and some people who experience misogyny are not women'

Now we know where Dominic Raab was getting his information

Milo's pronouns are they/them and he/him so I wonder at the amount of cognitive dissonance required to be SU women's officer. And they ironically claim to be representing all women but obviously none who are terfs.

Makes my head hurt...

He/him they/them is also a natural science student.

thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2021/02/27/meet-the-students-running-for-the-cambridge-student-union-this-year-147797

Did I miss the specific reference to transmen?

Isn't that a rehash of sone older leaflet?

And it's all so unfunny. No humour at all. Which leaves the reader no choice but to notice that there is very little useful stuff here for someone who would like to "spot TERF ideology" and absolutely nothing at all for someone who would like to know how to counter it.

I mean that's an eight-page pamphlet with maybe two or three paragraphs of any substance. And the misinformation contained in the whole text will mean that some people will fall prey to the wrong kind of feminist without any help from the authors of this propaganda piece.

I'd have been ashamed of producing that tripe, even in my student days...

So a he/they who is male can run for womens officer? No requirement to either be female OR EVEN identify as a woman? It’s just an open role…

Yes I noticed that it said you had to 'develop a critical understanding of sex and gender' and that the best defence is to 'have a better explanation'

But it doesn't actually advance this 'better explanation'

My favourite part is how to support trans people by NOT QUESTIONING!!!

Eh? The women's officer doesn't even identify as a woman

"Some particularly committed TERFs may even start harassing trans people you know if you’ve interacted publicly recently."

Pot, kettle springs to mind!

“biologically female” (a term they define flexibly, but can often be taken to mean people who are assigned female at birth).

Nope we don't define biologically female flexibly. That's the complete opposite. It's pretty well defined and has been for a very long time

Milo’s college in The Tab’s article is given as Newnham.

From the college’s website

About Newnham
Newnham College is the lively and sociable women’s College at the heart of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1871, we are the oldest College run by women, for women.

Interesting.

I think Milo was born female.

Presumably Milo is on the Physical Sciences track not the Biological Sciences track for Natural Sciences or else the cognitive dissonance is likely to be extensive.

I'm still struggling to get my head around some of the thought processes here

Embarrassed for my former uni. Kid's tutors should mark it and send it back for a second attempt. By all means write a piece debating gender critical views but wild assertions and name-calling is not an adequate substitute for argument.

Perhaps that's all they've got though.

Is this quite old? Some of terms are not really used any more.

That's besides the point though.

What jumped out at me was the repetition all the way through that talking to or debating with those you had identified as TERFS was very risky. Because there was a real danger they might say things that you thought were persuasive/ sensible etc. And you might rethink your views.

The frequency that came up said a lot.

Also kept saying arguments later etc. More explanation. Make sure you know the opposing views.

Then gave none! It just stopped

2021/22.

Wow. Author is way out of date.

Luckily the Cam SU is completely unimportant and largely ignored by the student body. The meaningful student unions are the college ones, the uni-wide one largely just pads eager beavers resumes.

@LadyFuHao

Luckily the Cam SU is completely unimportant and largely ignored by the student body. The meaningful student unions are the college ones, the uni-wide one largely just pads eager beavers resumes.

Very true.

@LadyFuHao

Luckily the Cam SU is completely unimportant and largely ignored by the student body. The meaningful student unions are the college ones, the uni-wide one largely just pads eager beavers resumes.

IME the only value of the SU was the SU shop... SU officers were generally regarded as a set of sorry hacks.

JCJ is on it.

twitter.com/janeclarejones/status/1447825037122318336?s=20

I have no issue with a transman as a women's officer. Except when they are steeped in ideology and cannot actually see past their indoctrination into that ideology and recognise the clash in 'representing' all females means that their role is to also represent people's rights in being able to have the freedom to believe something different. That means defending the sex based needs of all females, rigorously, in policies etc. Which is their role.

I don't have confidence that Milo will be the person to do that if they post shit like this on the internet.