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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

The de-radicalization of an anti-trans activist

153 replies

malloo · 19/11/2021 07:20

rabble.ca/lgbtiq/the-de-radicalization-of-an-anti-trans-activist/

This is interesting, some hints and tips for anyone looking for a route out of being part of extremist gender critical hate groups Grin. Worth reading the whole thing but below are a few excerpts.

This nascent anti-trans movement is known as “Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminism” (or “TERF”) to its opponents and some neutral observers. To its proponents, however, the movement is more commonly described as “gender critical feminism”: a euphemistic rebranding of trans-exclusionary politics that tries to pass it off as something more respectable and enlightened than it is.For my part, I will use “gender critical” here to emphasize that, no matter what name it goes by, the movement is transphobic to its core.

Already, gender critical feminism has its apostates: people who initially participated in anti-trans activism, sometimes intensively, but have since desisted.

These “ex-gender criticals” are rarely profiled. De-transitioners (people who begin but later stop gender transitioning, sometimes becoming anti-trans activists themselves) figure much more prominently in the media discourse on transgender rights.

(So-called gender criticals themselves are to thank for this. They like to bandy de-transitioners around as proof that trans people’s experiences of their gender is not “real”; that trans-affirming medical care is too easy to access; and, that people can, in the end, be rescued from “transgenderism.”)

The relative absence of ex-gender criticals from the public consciousness does a disservice to trans people and our allies.

Trans-inclusive feminists have much to learn from the experiences of ex-GCers. For one thing, the trans-exclusionary movement is not nearly as solid as it might appear from the outside. It is possible for even hardcore members to join the cause of trans inclusion.

.........

The making of a transphobe
It was the fallout from trans woman Jessica Yaniv’s unsuccessful campaign to force aestheticians to wax her genitalia that set Alicia Hendley on the path to radicalization.

She still considered herself a trans ally in January 2019 when she connected with Morgane Oger, then the vice president of the B.C. New Democratic Party. Allegations were circulating that Yaniv had engaged in predatory behaviour online: in at least one instance, targeting a twelve-year-old girl for sexual harassment. Hendley, a sexual assault survivor herself, was concerned.

Oger suggested she try to identify some of Yaniv’s other alleged victims. So Hendley reached out to Irish transphobe Graham Linehan.

True, she and the gender criticals on Twitter had not gotten along in the past. “I saw them as transphobic and bigoted,” Hendley explained to me. “The GCers disliked me, and I disliked them. A lot of insults were tossed about.”

But the gender criticals were the ones talking about Yaniv the most — to their mind, Yaniv’s behaviour confirmed their worst fears about trans women to be true. Surely, then, a gender critical as prominent as Linehan could connect Hendley with the right people.

The road to hatred isn’t necessarily paved with hatred. It wasn’t for Hendley, whose descent into the bowels of anti-trans activism was as much a trauma response as anything else.

Linehan referred her to others in the gender-critical movement, and Hendley quickly found common ground.

The GCers speculated that Yaniv might not be a trans woman at all, just a man abusing gender self-identification to prey on vulnerable (cis) women and girls. Hendley found this possibility terrifying.

Perhaps the man who assaulted her could do this, too. Perhaps he could do this to victimize her daughter.

Radicalization is a highly personal and individual process. That is one of the reasons it is so difficult to combat. But it often flows from the unsatisfied needs that lead people to seek fulfillment in extremist movements and ideologies in the first place. There could be a need to heal from some earlier trauma, for example, and to feel safe from further victimization.

The transphobic, erroneous claim that permitting gender self-identification exposes women and girls to male violence stoked Hendley’s fears. Joining the gender criticals in their crusade against the rights of trans women in turn gave her a way to resolve them.
.........
Pandemic school closures meant Hendley’s children were at home much more than before. Her focus turned to providing them with the all-day supervision and care they required. Protecting “sex-based rights” began to seem less urgent.

She picked up a new hobby, learning German, and found she would rather spend her free time on that.
.....
“We were one group-think,” Hendley explained to me. “An echo chamber, a hive mind, with our mission to be ‘protecting the sex-based rights of girls and women’ (that meant cis).”

It’s wrong — and more than a little counterproductive — to assume that the people who join, or even found, hate groups do so because they lack intelligence. Hendley herself holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Windsor.
.......
Rather than argue ad nauseum that trans exclusion is anti-feminist and contrary to Canadian values, trans women and our allies ought, instead, to mobilize ex-GCers like Hendley to combat transphobic hate. Whatever such people have done in the past, they are in a unique position now to pull others out of the gender-critical movement. That makes them invaluable allies.

Recruiting ex-GCers requires, of course, knowing that these Formers exist in the first place.

“I will forever be cognizant of the harm I caused,” she told me recently, “by initiating the creation of caWsbar (not to mention my subsequent involvement). That’s on me, and no one else.”

But it is not too late for her — or any of the increasing number of ex-GCers out there — to make amends.

OP posts:
borntobequiet · 19/11/2021 08:12

It reads as a parody, albeit an extremely tedious one where you have to skip whole paragraphs to avoid drifting off.

Sophoclesthefox · 19/11/2021 08:13

That said, it does annoy me that trans allies don’t even bother to find out what gender critical people actually think or want. It’s fundamentally disrespectful and dishonest to mis state the opposing position like that.

I could lay out point by point the transactivist view - how could I otherwise rebut it? - but the courtesy rarely goes in the other direction. It’s always straw manning, ad hominem, tug on the heartstrings, YOU ALL WANT ME DEAD, then flounce.

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 19/11/2021 08:18

If I were writing an article to showcase the errors of GC thinking, I’m not sure I’d start with Yaniv. It’s like making a case for lapsed Catholics to rejoin the Church, and starting with the Inquisition.

Helleofabore · 19/11/2021 08:20

I think malloo is bringing us some light relief.

I really had to snigger at the claim that ‘the GCers’ arguments lacked robustness.

Thefartingsofaofdenmarkstreet · 19/11/2021 08:20

Is this a joke?

'Get back to the women's work, get a little hobby and stop having opinions about stuff' is the path to true enlightenment for women? Confused

thinkingaboutLangCleg · 19/11/2021 08:21

Thanks for posting, OP. I read the whole article, by a Canadian TW Charlotte Dalwood. And I still don’t understand what changed Alicia Hendley’s mind. She argued with some other women in her feminist group, and was busier at home because of covid and a new hobby? That doesn’t make enough sense.

CW’s article is full of misinformation, as I have come to expect — sometimes untrue, sometimes oddly slanted in order to mislead.

For example, untrue: The transphobic, erroneous claim that permitting gender self-identification exposes women and girls to male violence — a look at transcrimeuk.com gives plenty of documented examples that self-ID does expose women to predators. Karen White is only the best-known in prisons, and Katie Dolatowski in women’s toilets.

Misleading: the claim that cis-men commit more sexual offences than TW. Well obviously, since TW are a very small proportion of the male-bodied population! But proportionately, more TW than other male-bodied convicts are in prison for sex offences.

And so on.

CharlieParley · 19/11/2021 08:33

Crikey, that's a load of boring bollocks, isn't it? If you're in the market for a bridge, I would love a wee word later...

Hiddenmnetter · 19/11/2021 08:34

Goodness I had a post deleted. I didn't think I was being offensive.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 19/11/2021 08:42

Alicia is used to flip flopping on this subject. Before she was an "anti trans activist" (well, she was in an article and got banned from Twitter, not really much else) she was a diehard TRA. She just likes attention I think.

BigBoudIsBack · 19/11/2021 09:04

Hmm funny how having a baby in lockdown (ie being a good little woman?) and picking up old hobbies again (missed the boat on german as learnt that at school) had the opposite effect on me - suddenly sex based oppression and rights are more important than ever. Also can't say being reminded of JY et al is a great de-radicalisation tool, as others have said, more the opposite really!

MidsomerMurmurs · 19/11/2021 09:17

the writer simply doesn’t understand the meaning of the words
This is a related problem! “Gender critical” is the right term to use (although let’s be honest it’s actually about protecting women’s and children’s rights because that’s where gender ideology has its impact).

The problem is that people don’t know what “gender” means and don’t know what “critical” means.

Sonex · 19/11/2021 09:25

I can't actually believe anyone would be using Jessica Yaniv/Simpson in a pro trans argument. He's repulsive and is responsible for peaking many people into being GC. He has an entire section dedicated to him on the farms. Incredible.

Artichokeleaves · 19/11/2021 09:36
Grin

I want to go through that with a highlighter pen and pick out all the Big Words being borrowed. Sometimes I am tempted to drop some new terms around here just to see how quickly it gets used as projection in an article.

It's baffling that anyone thinks caring about women having rights too is something that they should make amends for, and basically explains the whole fundamental problem at the root of this political movement. No love, females aren't your mum. And like your mum, they aren't subhuman service units without an inner life, who revolve totally around meeting your needs at all times.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 19/11/2021 09:39

@Ereshkigalangcleg

Alicia is used to flip flopping on this subject. Before she was an "anti trans activist" (well, she was in an article and got banned from Twitter, not really much else) she was a diehard TRA. She just likes attention I think.
Yes, I think she does. The bit that got me was where she ‘reached out’ to Glinner.

When I encounter new ideas and want to learn more about them I read, think, discuss with people I know whose opinions I respect, read some more, discuss with more people on both sides, I don’t immediately think to contact the nearest relevant celebrity. No wonder she has a shallow understanding of the issues if that’s her approach.

Wouldof · 19/11/2021 09:49

Lady testicles... aw stoppit 😂

FireFlyBoogaloo · 19/11/2021 10:00

“I will forever be cognizant of the harm I caused,” she told me recently, “by initiating the creation of caWsbar (not to mention my subsequent involvement). That’s on me, and no one else.”

"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.”

Same energy.

TheAntiGardener · 19/11/2021 10:07

@BloodinGutters - I don’t believe for a moment there is a misunderstanding. Painting gender critical views as hatred of trans people is a lie repeated ad infinitum to shut people down. It discourages those who are less versed in the issues from thinking about it too much (who, after all would challenge whether their views on racism were wrong by steeping themselves in white supremacist thought) and ensures there is a basis for hounding and deplatforming those who hold GC views. After all, it’s fully, unquestioningly accepted by all decent right-thinking people that twaw, isn’t it? Hence it must a bad faith argument that there is any value in hearing a contrary opinion.

It’s maddening to read as someone who understands full well that GC is pro-natal women, not anti-trans but I dare say it’s extremely effective. Look at how society has largely accepted JK Rowling’s new status as hateful bigot and persona non grata.

Associated lies are conflating GC feminism with ‘the anti-trans movement’ - as though people like Kathleen stock are aligning with violent far right thugs - and saying it actually had nothing to do with feminism. The latter is pretty insulting in itself - as though women could only ever take a backseat to other groups. It’s simply not conceivable this really might be about females!

Just lies and misrepresentations.

MenopauseSucks · 19/11/2021 10:08

I just want single-sex spaces as is my right - sex meaning your natal sex.
If that makes me accused of being a TERF or transphobic then so be it.

RadicalFern · 19/11/2021 10:21

Hang on. This isn't satire??

Slythermum · 19/11/2021 10:21

"We were one group-think,” Hendley explained to me. “An echo chamber, a hive mind, with our mission to be ‘protecting the sex-based rights of girls and women’ (that meant cis).”

F&cking annoying women, protecting the rights of girls and women. How dare they focus on that instead of anything else?

"But it is not too late for her — or any of the increasing number of ex-GCers out there — to make amends." - what would the amends be? Do the amends include getting punched? What kind of begging and grovelling do we need to do?

Abitofalark · 19/11/2021 10:22

OP: What is your point? It would be helpful if you would explain from what and whom you are quoting excerpts and why.

BloodinGutters · 19/11/2021 10:41

[quote TheAntiGardener]@BloodinGutters - I don’t believe for a moment there is a misunderstanding. Painting gender critical views as hatred of trans people is a lie repeated ad infinitum to shut people down. It discourages those who are less versed in the issues from thinking about it too much (who, after all would challenge whether their views on racism were wrong by steeping themselves in white supremacist thought) and ensures there is a basis for hounding and deplatforming those who hold GC views. After all, it’s fully, unquestioningly accepted by all decent right-thinking people that twaw, isn’t it? Hence it must a bad faith argument that there is any value in hearing a contrary opinion.

It’s maddening to read as someone who understands full well that GC is pro-natal women, not anti-trans but I dare say it’s extremely effective. Look at how society has largely accepted JK Rowling’s new status as hateful bigot and persona non grata.

Associated lies are conflating GC feminism with ‘the anti-trans movement’ - as though people like Kathleen stock are aligning with violent far right thugs - and saying it actually had nothing to do with feminism. The latter is pretty insulting in itself - as though women could only ever take a backseat to other groups. It’s simply not conceivable this really might be about females!

Just lies and misrepresentations.[/quote]
I meant the writer appears to miss that gender critical means sex role stereotypes critical.

Which certainly there’s huge deliberate misuse, but I think there’s some misunderstanding from those influenced by that.

And this writer appears so obtuse it’s kind of hard to be sure if it’s deliberate or truly very very stupid.

I think the former is more likely but I meet many of the latter type in day to day life and this person reads that shockingly stupid.

But that may just be an act.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 19/11/2021 10:45

‘"But it is not too late for her — or any of the increasing number of ex-GCers out there — to make amends." - what would the amends be? Do the amends include getting punched? What kind of begging and grovelling do we need to do?‘

Kicking and punching the other GC women, I think.

1Week · 19/11/2021 14:24

Isn't it crazy that believing in measurable facts, with material consequences, as observed since the dawn of humanity is now framed as "radicalised"

Datun · 19/11/2021 14:37

That's just a load of ranting zealotry.

I don't think this push by TRAs to paint reality as a cult is going to get very far, to be honest.

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