DM: Surrey PCC Townsend censured over JKR tweet re rapists

[Abitofalark]

This happened to a fine strong woman on International Women's Day falling foul of three donkeys and a tribunal of asses:

"A Tory police and crime commissioner has been reprimanded for sharing a JK Rowling tweet in support of women’s rights.

A male-dominated panel of councillors found Lisa Townsend had not been ‘dignified or respectful’ to trans people when she supported the best-selling author’s view that biologically male rapists were not female.

They said the Surrey PCC had broken the code of conduct for her office and demanded she explain herself to the three men who had reported her over the tweet – one of whom is local Conservative MP Crispin Blunt.

Mrs Townsend, who has received anonymous death threats, said last night: ‘These three men who complained, and a panel full of men who investigated it, have decided they must police a woman’s language about an issue of great concern to many women."
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10595897/Tory-police-chief-reprimanded-sharing-JK-Rowling-trans-tweet-three-men-complained.html

Gosh, a whole two women on this committee of twelve. There's inclusion for you.

mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=250

I live in this area(name change coming soon) what can I do. Who do I contact?

I thought Graham Lineham was being alarmist when he calls this ‘The War Against Women’ but he’s so right.

And also what can I do without causing a world of misery for myself from the TRAs

See above, Scorched. You can write to the committee if you live in Surrey.

And, I suppose to Mr Blunt, although somehow I think he probably doesn't read comms from women.

Surrey Pride were celebrating on IWD all their wonderful female identifying volunteers. I find this deeply insulting.

Seeing the thread about the Women and Equalities Select Committee's investigation into male violence against women* - SURVEY CLOSING TODAY - I'm thinking what is this if not underpinning violence against women?

The survey asks us to pick three categories from:
education; 'honour; fgm; pornography; music; sport; preventing offenders escalating; media/ social media; trafficking; workplace; UK international obligations; specific communities; other.

I think I'll select Specific Communities, and name our 'community of parliamentarians' - who among other things, make and implement laws that ignore women's rights and interests; refuse to say what a woman is; and do violence to women by forcing them to call rapists women and even use their position and official sanctions against brave individual women who dare to speak about this.

forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nt3mHDeziEC-Xo277ASzSugWXtlS9G1OpuyhNtc2h8lUNVBZS1NYUkJCSDBXTDlJVVU0OVpPWVlJTyQlQCN0PWcu

• "This is why the Women and Equalities Committee launched an investigation following on from two sessions hearing from experts on Changing cultures underpinning male violence against women. The Home Office has recently published its VAWG Strategy, we feel that much more needs to be done to address the issue, starting by looking at some of the cultures around male violence against women and girls."

forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nt3mHDeziEC-Xo277ASzSugWXtlS9G1OpuyhNtc2h8lUNVBZS1NYUkJCSDBXTDlJVVU0OVpPWVlJTyQlQCN0PWcu

Oh, the survey won't let me put all that in. But I can fire off an email saying it all to the Committee Chair Caroline Nokes, and naming her mates.

I wonder what happens next. If Lisa's explanation is that people born with penises can never be women then the panel presumably will not be satisfied. Can she be sacked? She's elected so I assumed she would be safe from that. I wonder if the worst they can do is write a report.

@KookaburraSits

Crispin Blunt really is a disgusting little man.

I think he should be the new rhyming slang.

"Don't be a Crispan Blunt."

Can confirm that Crispin Blunt does read (and respond to) comms from women on this issue, albeit unsurprisingly failed to answer the majority of the questions I put to him. As it happens, I don't get the impression he is particularly stupid; I think he knows precisely what he's doing and what is at stake - make of that what you will.

I'm a lifelong Tory voter (sorry!) but I won't be voting Conservative while the result is that he would be my MP.

Does anybody have experience of contacting a party's candidate selection committee to inform them that their particular choice of candidate (rather than party-level policies) will result in lost votes? I think it's important that they start to receive that information for context of any loss of vote share, particularly if I'm far from the only one who will refuse to contribute to his re-election.

Thank you for all the lovely support - again!

If you want to do something, write to your MP, wherever you live, and state your view. As an example, if enough Tory MPs, around the country, get a letter asking what their view on Crispin's treatment of me is, the Party will have to come up with a standard line they can use. If enough people do that, it will force them to think about it.

Also - you don't have to live in Surrey to contact the Police and Crime panel - many of those who complained about me don't but their complaints are still considered.

Lots of love to you all

Lx

Also - you don't have to live in Surrey to contact the Police and Crime panel - many of those who complained about me don't but their complaints are still considered.

Ah, great, thank you. I shall write!

SurreyPCC, may I please ask if you are transphobic?

@MargaritaPie

SurreyPCC, may I please ask if you are transphobic?

Help us out, MP. Given the opinions, perspectives etc. you've shared here for some time, you must surely be able to give a definition of transphobic that might guide anyone considering your enquiry?

Maybe something beyond, it being an opinion, belief, or groundedness in material reality from which you dissent?

Obviously thinking males rapists shouldn't be put in a female prison is transphobic. Good of you to think of the rapists MargaretPie. Or would you like to explain your exact position and explain exactly how this is transphobic? Let me guess.That would be a no.

Pie, do you think a feminist forum is the place to reprove a female politician for being insufficiently polite about rapists?

How do you feel about being asked if you are rapist-philic?

Pie it would help us all enormously if you could define ‘transphobic’, especially in context of your question to LT.
TRA bandy the word ‘transphobic’ around so much it’s lost any real meaning.
This does not help any transgender people suffering from discrimination or violence as a direct result of being transgender.
It’s almost as if when words lose meaning they become difficult to apply properly….

Women are not letting go of the word ‘woman’. So I suggest you go back and start defining ‘transphobia’ accurately too.

Hello Margarita - did you women not doing what they are told klaxon how off again.

How about you give me a full legal definition of transphobia and answer this question

Is it acceptable for a intact biological male who has committed sex offences against women to be incarcerated with women?

Women saying no is anathema to some men. They just can't stand it.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10604249/Tory-police-commissioner-slams-ridiculous-bid-Crispin-Blunt-silence-womens-rights.html

Oo this is so good. Many highlights, but this stands out:

‘I was frustrated. I said: “Crispin, I’m going to be honest. I’m getting a little bit fed up with middle-aged men telling me I can’t speak about what, for me, is a women’s rights issue and is something constituents are writing to me about.”

‘He said: “In which case, I’m sorry for what I’m about to do,” and ended the call.

Also:

Lisa was in Edinburgh on International Women’s Day when she received the panel’s decision. ‘I wasn’t angry. I just thought it was ridiculous,’ she says, rolling her eyes.

I previously wrote to my Tory MP he said that "Lisa Townsend enjoys his full and public support. She has done nothing but express the opinion of the sizeable, moderate majority."

I suppose someone has to stand up for the rights of rapists. Why they attacking women is the best way to make that stand is a bit of a mystery. It's almost as if some people enjoy attacking women for its own sake as much as they care about the rights of rapists, isn't it?

@Awkwardy

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10604249/Tory-police-commissioner-slams-ridiculous-bid-Crispin-Blunt-silence-womens-rights.html

Oo this is so good. Many highlights, but this stands out:

‘I was frustrated. I said: “Crispin, I’m going to be honest. I’m getting a little bit fed up with middle-aged men telling me I can’t speak about what, for me, is a women’s rights issue and is something constituents are writing to me about.”

‘He said: “In which case, I’m sorry for what I’m about to do,” and ended the call.

Also:

Lisa was in Edinburgh on International Women’s Day when she received the panel’s decision. ‘I wasn’t angry. I just thought it was ridiculous,’ she says, rolling her eyes.

Yes snorting at the ridiculousness is the best response. It often precipitates some intemperate mask flinging too. Which is useful.

I know this is nothing new, but I'm so sick of men telling us what a woman is.