'Nicola Sturgeon and the vindication of the Terfs' by James Kirkup

[Rightsraptor]

Another excellent article by James K in The Spectator & MN moderators - please note I am citing JK's exact title here so I haven't used *

James has always written very clearly about this and has been bang on the money. He wrote nearly five years ago that accepting self-identified gender at face value could lead to policies and practices apt to be exploited by predatory men. And what did I read in the paper only today? That the Scottish Justice Minister Keith Brown (is that the name?) is still saying that they accept people's gender at face value.

But the real reason I wanted to start this thread was this, again James's words:
'... but the names of those women [who have been shouting long & loud about this] should be recorded as they are - sadly - vindicated . Nicola Williams of Fair Play for Women. Ruth Serwotka, Judith Green and many others from Woman's Place UK. Kate Coleman from Keep Prisons Single Sex. Journalists Janice Turner, Sarah Ditum, Helen Joyce, Helen Lewis and - all hail - Julie Bindel. MurrayBlackburnMackenzie. For Women Scotland. Some writer from south Edinburgh called Jo. Mumsnet.'

And amen to all of that. The best of women. 👏❤

He couldn’t possibly include everyone who’s been outspoken about this. It would fill most of the article!

Maybe he didn't want it to come up on any super advanced internet searches!

It's nice to see women recognised.

I understand why it makes people angry too that so many aren't on the list. It's just the suffragettes all over again isn't it, how long did it take for working class suffragettes to be recognised.

Not taking anything away from the women mentioned, the fact is that it was the groundswell of public opinion horrified that finally got this on the front page and yes, most of them are much more likely to listen to women like KJK.

And the over-riding thing that got it on the front page was politics, the section 35 and the fact it finally penetrated the bubble of a lot of male journalists who had to write about what they hadn't cared about or avoided for years.

It's all a bit bittersweet, but that's the reality.

Maya Forstater has to be front and centre on that list. Her court cases have been absolutely pivotal in all of this.

But that's twice I've seen 'vindicated' in headlines today. I like it and I want to see it written everywhere.

T shirts, maybe?

VINDICATED.

Helen Lewis has been incredibly influential on this topic at a level that really matters in policy formation - she's hugely well thought of by exactly the kind of people who work at the top of the Labour Party, the civil service, the BBC, national news orgs, etc. She's got a talent and a towering intellect that can't be denied, and her incisive but polite questioning is one - just one, mind - reason why UK cultural institutions didn't get completely captured.

She's pretty much said herself that her gender critical views (which were/are very moderate) meant she had to leave the New Statesman. Her event about lesbian labour MPs at labour conference a couple of years ago got boycotted and then cancelled because of it. Her voice got taken off a video game because of it. In every single interview and podcast I've heard with her she brings it up and states the case clearly and calmly.

She's done a lot. And yes I am a fan girl.

Also:

😁😆😬

And no mention of JK Rowling! She has been an absolute diamond on this subject! ( not just because she's a pretty, shiny thing, though she has shone brilliantly but also with the hardness and resilliance, as per Moh's! )
KJK should have had a mention too, imo, as should others, that posters have already mentioned so far on this thread and no doubt, those names yet to come.

If we're counting non Brits, a shout out for Martina Navratilova is a must, imo

Epic, I think JKR was the 'some writer from Edinburgh' 😁

"Some writer from south Edinburgh called Jo."

vindicated

I like the sound of that

I've got a lot of time for James Kirkup. He's been one of the few men speaking out on this for a long time. I wouldn't have picked the same list, but I'm not the one stating my opinions in my own name, so he can do what he likes

I'd prefer it if he spelt Mumsnet correctly though

I'm shit at designs

Yeah someone else will need to do the artwork!

Agree. Never mentioned the Scottish women.

I WANT THIS ON A T SHIRT

🤣🤣🤣

I want 'Domesticated Fucking Zombie' on a T shirt

yeah, I do try to be gracious, but Ruth Serwotka can fucking do one

And yes to Martina Navratilova and Sharron Davies too. Tireless and relentless. Allison Bailey, Keira Bell, Helen Joyce, Maya Forstater absolutely amazing, Racquel Rosario Sanchez, Kellie Jay Keen, Venice Allan, Aja. And the Mumsnet massive ❤️

It took me a while to work out who 'some writer from South Edinburgh called Jo' was.

It's JK Rowling everybody!!!

The artwork for the VINDICATED t shirt - can the 'vin' be a glass of 🍷?

But...dic is next

Linda Bellos too, while we're name dropping

The journalists he mentions there are the same ones he listed in one of his early articles on the subject, where he named the women he’d learned from on this issue. In the previous article he mention the paper which Helen Lewis had written for on this.

🍷🍆😡

Best I could do.