Bill Maher - Don't say 'menstruating people'

[Sudocreamsolveseverything]

Bill Maher's latest includes the following: "If a staffer hands you a speech saying 'menstruating people' instead of women, don't say that."

And Bill's, uber liberal, audience clapped. I find it heartening that this is actually being even mentioned nowadays.

Anyway, that amused me over my morning tea.

Oh this is very good. thanks OP

That was really good. And so applicable over here too. Some of us would really like parties of the “left” (whatever that means any more) to make themselves electable. But Lab/Lib Dems/“Greens”(not really green) are more interested in alienating the voters they need.

Exactly. This message is for the labour / green /lib dems too.

Some of his interviews popped up on my Facebook feed recently. He interviewed a mum at an elite school in New York who had taken her kids out of school because they were being pushed to talk about their gender identities, were framed as oppressors, CRT was shoehorned in to everything etc. He’s one of the few Americans I’ve seen to look at this from another angle.

I loved that, thanks OP. I hope, like the rest of you, our lot see this and take note.

Ooh I may start looking at some of his clips again.

I stopped while Trump was in office as all Maher did was whine about him.

Such a good message in that clip. I remember Pete Buttigieg in his leadership campaign appearing on a Fox programme and saying to the audience I’m sorry you don’t see us (democrats) here often, you should do, you deserve for us to speak with you and listen to you.

This is encouraging. Gender ideology has so much in common with religion and yet most of the prominent atheists are completely blind to it. I doubt Hitchins would have been a supporter.

Love the pronoun joke too 😆

Bill's end comments on New Rules, following Chappellegate were also pretty good He wasn't discussing the trans debate but very relevant.

Maher, the man who had the programme called "Politically Incorrect" in the 1990s, and took pride in saying what he liked to whomever he liked, and told anyone offended to put up and shut up in the name of free speech and the comedic right to make a joke out of anything.

Sorry, but WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, BILL? He's been avoiding this topic for all the years I've been watching him (since 2015), skirting around the demands of TRAs, even when the absurdities of pronouns, multiple ridiculous identities and demands that a penis be seen as female genitalia were all out there, being discussed by serious people and being legislated on. He skirted and pussy footed around this, in the early days of the news picking up on it, he said we need to be kind. He's now riding on the coat tails of people - let's face it, women - brave enough to speak out, who don't have anywhere near his platform or resources to defend themselves. Chappelle putting himself out there has been the catalyst for Maher to finally speak out, but he's ignored all the women fighting this, was happy to have guests on spout the TRA guff, laugh at anyone against is as Trumpy right wing nut jobs and allow them to go unchallenged.

I'm glad he's speaking now, but he's been shit on this subject, when an earlier contribution from him could have made so much difference to the narrative. He's hugely influential in left wing circles, his opinions are often picked up by the mainstream media and soft current current affairs programmes like The View.

His entry angle for this clip is very much about the anti-white, working class narrative of the democrats. I agree with everything he says on this and the mindless adopting on any woke cause, getting nothing done for ordinary working people, then attacking them for being racist bigots. His remark about "don't say menstruators" got a luke warm, hesitant clap from the audience. He's been dropping the odd thing in here or there, but because he's done no ground work, done no episode where he's really ripped it to shreds like he would any other stupid cause du jour that is putting off voters, I don't think the audience really knows how to react or where he stands.

@Truthlikeness

This is encouraging. Gender ideology has so much in common with religion and yet most of the prominent atheists are completely blind to it. I doubt Hitchins would have been a supporter.

It was heartening to see a Richard Dawkins quote of support on the from of Helen Joyce's Trans. It adds a note of scientific authenticity - even though he's gone off the rails recently.

@Truthlikeness

This is encouraging. Gender ideology has so much in common with religion and yet most of the prominent atheists are completely blind to it. I doubt Hitchins would have been a supporter.

Maher did a movie called "Religulous" ridiculing religion. Yet he has been blind to the trans movement and the religious aspects to its demands. I just don't understand how and why this particular cause has so many otherwise intelligent, critical thinkers falling for it. It must be more than just the fear of cancellation, surely.

Well, I think we have all discovered (and indeed I was quite puzzled initially) that the so called 'progressive' blokes are not progressive in the way they approach issues that disproportionately disbenefit women. David Lammy thinks that a woman's reproductive system can be jimmied up with some synthetic chemicals and a blue peter art effort on a man's human flesh. There is a bit of man (as in male) is god and the default human about it all. Maybe there was a training session on how to make a woman out of two cardboard cereal boxes. And glue and glitter. Not ersatz; just the same. How insulting can they get, these progressive blokies?

Men, however progressive some may identify as, have been perfectly content to see women screwed by the way authority has oppressed women for millennia. It was because of women's efforts that we have the chances and choices we have today. Fathers, husbands, sons and brothers weren't generally too reluctant to disempower women (and keep it that way) for their own benefit.

I don't know much about Dave Chapelle, but at least he stood on his own two feet about this. Maybe the self identified brave hearts like Bill Maher are happy to follow along in a door that is already opened and preach as if they were the truth sayers all along. In a way, it may have been safe, if not downright fashionable, to say the things he promotes himself as liberal about. Probably not of interest or worth it for him to publicly call out this repackaged misogyny.

Ted, your Q why these people don't speak out made me think of "blood-libel" in the 12 century. Substitute "blood-libel" for "transphobic-libel" and it's playing out again. I think these times will be studied in future centuries through a similar lens

history.wustl.edu/news/career-medieval-accusation-age-science

Sorry, but WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, BILL?

He's only speaking out now because TRA bravery around using misogynistic language is making him and his side look bad. The language is becoming so blatant that he has two choices - pretend it isn't happening like so many commentators in the UK, or speak up about how bonkers it's becoming.

I suspect that he's happy with the idea of TWAW, but would rather the full implications of the statement stayed unsaid. Otherwise, as you say, he'd have spoken up years ago because nothing has really changed.

I suspect that he's happy with the idea of TWAW, but would rather the full implications of the statement stayed unsaid. Otherwise, as you say, he'd have spoken up years ago because nothing has really changed.
Ah . Disappointing.

I wouldn't go to Bill as a great source on women's rights, he's definitely said plenty of stuff over the years which I disagree with but he hasn't been completely silent on this issue. He interviewed Donna de Varona earlier this year, specifically about the issues of trans women in sports, so he gave a platform to her.

I don't think Bill has actually bothered to look much further than the surface on this issue, the big problem in this "debate" is the intrusion and attack on women's rights which is not an area Bill has ever been great on.

However, I think it is a good sign that he is actually saying this stuff now and putting into the minds of some of his audience. Sunlight of any sort is welcome, especially in the US>

Excellent trolling there, KentPsychMB. I tip my hat to you.

Shocking questions. My A level students would pull the validity of this questionnaire to pieces. I sincerely hope you aren't genuine students as the quality of your education is appalling.

Damn, I missed the troll!

Yes, much as I like Real Time, BM has a strong streak of - not quite misogyny - but not caring much about women's issues or believing that women have anything to complain about. Again though, this sort of attitude has fed into the left wing narrative that allows TRAs to claim women are privileged and holding onto rights unfairly and to the detriment of others supposedly more disadvantaged. He certainly is very vocal about hating children, so again, GC feminists' concerns about safeguarding will have just whooshed over his head.

Disappointed that at least the cancel culture aspect of it all set off his radar. Politically Incorrect was cancelled, he's very against cancel politics.

I take your point that, Sudocreme, that he addressed this wrt to sport. Bill Maher likes sport. But come on, even on that, he's way behind. South Park commented on transwomen in women's sport and the the female competitors who have to appear to be allies/suck it up about 2-3 years ago. I won't post the link here as it will probably get me deleted, but look up "South Park Go Strong Woman, Go!" on Youtube. 3 minutes of comedy that effectively sums up that whole, ridiculous charade.

@TedImgoingmad

Damn, I missed the troll!

Yes, much as I like Real Time, BM has a strong streak of - not quite misogyny - but not caring much about women's issues or believing that women have anything to complain about. Again though, this sort of attitude has fed into the left wing narrative that allows TRAs to claim women are privileged and holding onto rights unfairly and to the detriment of others supposedly more disadvantaged. He certainly is very vocal about hating children, so again, GC feminists' concerns about safeguarding will have just whooshed over his head.

Disappointed that at least the cancel culture aspect of it all set off his radar. Politically Incorrect was cancelled, he's very against cancel politics.

I take your point that, Sudocreme, that he addressed this wrt to sport. Bill Maher likes sport. But come on, even on that, he's way behind. South Park commented on transwomen in women's sport and the the female competitors who have to appear to be allies/suck it up about 2-3 years ago. I won't post the link here as it will probably get me deleted, but look up "South Park Go Strong Woman, Go!" on Youtube. 3 minutes of comedy that effectively sums up that whole, ridiculous charade.

It was a troll with a questionnaire. A very bad one and I'm quite sure we've seen it before.

I fully agree with you that he has been poor on this issue. I know the South Park episode you mentioned, it did perfectly sum up the whole sports thing.

I am frustrated that Bill has not included this topic before as it has so many parallels with religious doctrine that he has so publicly railed against. Bill is aware of the issue with 'transing children' and 'tom boy' girls who would nowadays be transed, he gave a very recent interview on CNN where he briefly touched on both points. Time stamps here: and .

So he does know but I still don't get the impression that he has looked into the topic that deeply or questioned the information he's been given from the media. I agree with you, he is way behind on this topic. I can only hope he catches up, as he's one of the few hosts with a big platform to liberals who might be willing to say something that goes against the established liberal lines.

South Park have been trans sceptical for as long as I can remember. They had a whole three year long arc on the teacher Mr Garrison becoming Mrs Garrison from 2005 to 2008. I caught the episode where Garrison detranstions back when it first aired and the story was quite critical of the idea of transing. It made me extremely uncomfortable at the time, tbh, because I was a decade away from even starting to acknowledge that they may have had a point.