Particularly, donquixotedelamancha, were they to let slip, that they had held off on this public attack until said former colleague’s marriage breakdown (something that happened before lockdown 1 in 2020, no less) was being dragged through the gutter press.
That’s not just kicking someone who’s down; it’s booting the bloke right in his balls with steel toecapped footwear-of-choice on.
Annie has now shown a level of emotional fragility (this thread to the time of her tweet being considered by her to be “doing a real number on” her) that demonstrates she has a very real need to develop some resilience rather than expect others to bend to her. If anything, being a women generally means doing a lot of the bending, even if it’s just to keep your cats happy.
Also: trans people have the right to express that certain people, places & situations are making them uncomfortable; & if they are actually being bullied or harassed in any way, to stand up to & speak out against the person[s] responsible. But on the same terms as everyone else, which include being told [in officialese] that you’re just being wet & need to betake yourself to one of this nation’s many fine purveyors of grips & clues & avail yourself of their services. Potentially making a purchase next time a door-to-door shame salesman knocks, too... You can’t try to get someone fired because they Wrongthink; if you commit criminal damage it is, er, a crime; don’t use smoke bombs at Grenfell; don’t draw obscene graffiti; don’t make death threats (or rape threats, or threaten any other kind of violence)… Please note I’m NOT saying Annie has done anything on that last list, it is a more general comment on a pattern of problematic behaviour that hers is linked to.
Even now I am still slightly staggered that so many people are apparently untroubled by the cognitive dissonance of “I have the right to dictate what others discuss & with whom they associate + these books are wrong & shouldn’t be read/this line of research is forbidden/academics who advocate for ideas I do not like deserve to live in fear” vs “I’m an anti-fascist!” 