NEU members et al accuse Women's charity FilLiA of being transphobic

[Leafstamp]

Couldn't see a thread on this...

I'm appalled. NEU members - teacher, educators - and others taking umbrage at their join General Secretary, Kevin Courtney, supporting FiLiA - an organisation that is known for 'Building Sisterhood and Solidarity, Amplifying the Voices of Women, Defending Women’s Human Rights.'

www.filia.org.uk/latest-news/2022/7/22/filia-responds-to-neu-transphobia-accusations

The open letter signed by what I can only assume are people who don't like women much is here: static1.squarespace.com/static/5f0869a15c33825a87fd8c48/t/62da5c9139dbe13e768c229c/1658477713338/OPEN+LETTER+National+Education+Union+LGBT%2B+Organising+Forum.pdf

I’m an NEU member, as are an awful lot of teachers and school staff. This is a tiny percentage of the membership.

Kiri Tunks posted her views on this yesterday:

twitter.com/kiritunks/status/1550750617777442817?t=BHzmJ2r7QjgLOFeuwxyeIw&s=19

I've worked with Kevin Courtney and was pleased to see his tweets about Filia. Kiri's tweets are excellent. However, the number of signatories of that letter show what a massive problem we have in schools with all of them unthinkingly ready to silence a well respected feminist organisation because they disagree with some of their views.
Their lack of understanding of fundamental democratic principles is terrifying.

Yes it is, but it's still appalling that any teacher thinks this is appropriate behaviour.

Good to see Kiri Tunks pointing out that this sort of thing undermines the NEU.

Last gasp of the desperate/doubling down/brazen it out. These tactics are not just used by right wingers. They must know the game is up.

Thanks for the thread op.

Reading Filia's excellent response to To this slanderous document (https://www.filia.org.uk/latest-news/2022/7/22/filia-responds-to-neu-transphobia-accusations) has inspired me to become a Friend, so thanks NEU LGBT forum for reminding me to support more of these excellent grassroot organisations, rather than just contributing to court cases.

And OMG, they didn't have signatories' pronouns in that letter, how horribly transphobic of them

But interestingly, the response to the shift in public perceptions appears to be, to paraphrase: 'Witch burnings will continue until morale improves'.

Good luck Stonewall et al, it's been certainly effective up to now

Tiny percentage of membership - and lots of them seem to be in places where child poverty is rife & the children/young people they teach will be impacted by a whole gamut of social issues they could be writing/signing open letters about.

And yes they absolutely can care about more than one thing. Problem is, we’re not seeing this kind of jumping up & down about other stuff.

Plus, of course, the horrific authoritarianism of it all. Again, lots of those teachers have just publicly identified themselves as teaching in places where large amounts of the population will be “transphobic” as a tenet of their various faiths. The stance they’re taking by signing that letter raises questions about their ability to work with those children [& their families].

Their brand of moral absolutism makes old-school Jesuits look like hippie philosophers. And certainly - whatever the truth of Aristotle’s oft-repeated saw - they’re not fit to be shaping young minds.

sadly, it doesn’t surprise me. I was a former member of NEU who were a great union to be part of during the lockdown. Then I needed support as a teacher, my rep was there. However, online it was a very different story. I have since left teaching and working in education 😁 so am no longer a mention. The FB unofficial group could get quite heated and angry if there was any questioning of the hardline view of twaw especially in relation in how this worked in terms of general safeguarding and our role as educators…safeguarding in terms of interests of children and YP not any suggestion of those of trans or NB identity were a danger by default. But no, this wasn’t debatable. This was only a core of people, who are completely entitled to their view, it was for many their lived experience. But surely adults can discuss and debate lifestyle choices? Generally, debates would be closed down by admin, not challenged just stopped.

I liked Kevin, he came across well.

No longer a member, not ‘mention’. Was trying so hard to not criticise people and to give a balanced viewpoint 😔.