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

I love that JKR is going for it on Twitter. Over this particular shamefulness and others. She's not just tweeting for IWD.
Follow her on Twitter if you don't already.
👑

“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.”

Hear fucking hear.

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal

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

Sing it.

‘He said: “In which case, I’m sorry for what I’m about to do,”

Reader, he was not.

Also, this is classic abuser language "look at what you've made me do" "this hurts me more than it hurts you"

What email are people using to contact the Surrey Crime Panel? Is it this one?

Support officer: Scrutiny Officer: Benjamin Awkal / Democratic Services Assistant: Emily Beard.
Phone: 07816 091463
Email: [email protected] ; [email protected]

I live in Surrey and I voted for Lisa. Keep going Lisa, the women of Surrey are behind you.

Here is the outcome of the complaint...

It's all about language again. Saying that Lisa "must choose her language carefully if she was to serve the whole community of Surrey."

It is increasingly obvious to anyone watching Maya's hearing that there is no way of wording these things that will be considered to be acceptable.

www.surreycc.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/290380/Outcome-Letter-to-Surrey-Police-and-Crime-Commissioner-Complaint-0039.pdf

The Sub Committee found as follows:

• The complaints concerned new and different conduct (the tweet) from those previously considered by the Sub-Committee. They were not repeat complaints.
• That the Police and Crime Commissioner was acting in her capacity as Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey when she published the tweet as her twitter account clearly identified her as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey.
• The Complaints Sub-Committee had a remit to consider the informal resolution of complaints in relation to a breach of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) Code of Conduct. One complaint referenced discrimination in the context of the PSED. The Sub-Committee was not tasked with, or equipped, to determine if a statutory duty of the PSED had been adhered to; this was a matter for judicial determination.
• The PCC is entitled to express her views on transgender issues in the course of public debate, and the views she expressed did not inherently interfere with the rights of trans people and could not be said to be discriminatory in themselves. This was the case even though the views may cause offence to some.
• In expressing her views, the PCC was subject to an obligation under the Code of Conduct to express those views using language which treated others with dignity and respect.
• The Panel were agreed that the transgender debate was highly sensitive, and if the PCC chose to take part in the debate, she must choose her language carefully if she was to serve the whole community of Surrey.
• The Complaints Sub-Committee was split on whether the section of the tweet “We will not accept this gaslighting from men who keep telling us they are women, or those who enable it” failed to treat others with dignity or respect. When read in the context of the Sunday Times article and with the PCC’s explanation of her views, some members considered the tweet was not disrespectful. Other members considered reading the tweet as it appeared, specifically using the words “gaslighting” and “keep”, was disrespectful. Members considered that twitter was not a platform that lent itself to clarity or nuance on complex issues.
• By a majority decision, the Complaints Sub Committee found that the language in which the Commissioner chose to communicate her views in the second sentence of her tweet – “We will not accept this gaslighting from men who keep telling us they are women, or those who enable it” – was not dignified or respectful, and thus constitutes a breach of General Obligation 2 (a) contained in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Code of Conduct: “To treat others with dignity and respect”.

I am steaming about this. How dare this panel of men examine this matter after 3 complaints, then make this decision? Lisa has had a lot of support from women, I know. And how dare Crispin Blunt take this pompous attitude?

What are we going to do about this? Ribbons in Reigate & Banstead?

I trust Lisa will take legal advice.

What are we going to do about this? Ribbons in Reigate & Banstead?

That's a good idea :)

It strikes me as a decision made by people very much not au fait with what’s been going on.

Lisa was expressing that a legally protected belief, held by vast swathes of the [female] population (to wit, that humans cannot change sex) that required a High Court appeal to establish its legitimacy. The simple fact of the Maya Forstater case is ample evidence of large-scale gaslighting as regards TWAW & self-ID.

Most TW in the UK are, legally - having not obtained a GRC - men. So she was (all GC arguments aside) quite correct to speak of gaslighting by “men claiming to be women”; especially where it’s a matter of self-ID being allowed around vulnerable women (eg rape crisis services, DV refuges & the entire NHS…) who need single-SEX spaces.

This is exactly why we need more women elected to positions of power - go Lisa!

Hope she knows we support her.

It's all about language again. Saying that Lisa "must choose her language carefully if she was to serve the whole community of Surrey."

It is increasingly obvious to anyone watching Maya's hearing that there is no way of wording these things that will be considered to be acceptable.

Control the language and you control the milieu and isolate people.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_Reform_and_the_Psychology_of_Totalism

What an absolute gent Bob Hughes is, I might write him a letter of thanks.

This was sent to all Surrey members of the Tory party, of which I am not a member but with clear statements of support for a woman who a) knows what a woman is and b) isn't backing down, l may consider joining my local party.

Let's face it we're not going to see Labour elected any town soon...

Thank you Bob. I won’t type my response to Crispin.

@MargaritaPie

SurreyPCC, may I please ask if you are transphobic?

Actually we should thanks Ms Pie for her comments as they always reveal what the party line is here. So your average what-ever-it-is-Mpie-is DOES think it’s transphobic to point out that male rapists shouldn’t be in women’s prisons.

Therefore we should all write on Lisa’s behalf, ask the Tory party if Crispín Blunt is their BEST offer for the seat.

Write to Boris and ask him what he thinks.

Write to your MP and see what they say.

Action anyway.

Action anyway.

Always action

I'm going to send Bob a card, might even send one to Boris for his comments on Biology.