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Original poster

Is the tide turning? An anecdote

27 replies

hippospot · 03/03/2023 11:30

Students at my daughter's school chose Stonewall as the beneficiary of a fundraiser however the school has just announced it has decided to support a different charity instead because: "we have received some feedback from members of our school community, who have raised concerns about some of the campaigns in which this charity is currently involved, and about some of their educational resources".

I had quietly decided not to donate but I'm pleased like-minded people in my community did speak up.

OP posts:
Lottapianos · 03/03/2023 11:34

That's good news OP 👍

senua · 03/03/2023 11:43

I had quietly decided not to donate but I'm pleased like-minded people in my community did speak up.
Well done to the school. You could back up their decision by sending in a donation with a note explaining that you weren't giving to Stonewall but you are pleased to give to the alternate charity instead.Smile

Birdsweepsin · 03/03/2023 12:16

Slowly, slowly but surely, surely

TheBiologyStupid · 03/03/2023 12:32

That's excellent news!

MrsOvertonsWindow · 03/03/2023 12:34

That's great news OP - it's all the small steps that will matter.
Stonewall shouldn't be surprised that people are unhappy with their relentless campaigns to make institutions a hostile place for women and girls by demanding the removal of all aspects of sex based spaces, resources and language.

KatMcBundleFace · 03/03/2023 13:04

That's great.
I've been seeing a huge upwelling of support for JK Rowling on social media too. It's been really interesting.

crosstalk · 03/03/2023 14:30

But don't count your chickens. The students could protest the decision they made has been taken out of their hands. They are still the ones who voted for Stonewall and could see it as yet more TERF activity. But good on the school for taking a stand. What's the new charity?

Nimbostratus100 · 03/03/2023 14:32

good - I hope you donate now, and tell the school that you weren't going to when they chose stonewall but are happy to now

ZeldaB · 03/03/2023 15:07

Please write to the school saying you are relieved by their decision as you couldn’t have been involved in supporting Stonewall but look forward to supporting a better charity.

PronounssheRa · 03/03/2023 15:12

I overheard a conversation in my local a couple of weeks ago. It started with sturgeons resignation, then 'as for all this gender bollocks' 'don't get me started on that' etc

I sat quietly nodding along, yes awareness is growing and people are less afraid of talking.

WearyLady · 03/03/2023 15:23

And I heard two men talking in the street recently, one telling the other that he'd just retired but that he was glad to go because he couldn't stand all that 'pronoun nonsense'. People everywhere are starting to notice and are starting to push back.

senua · 03/03/2023 15:35

awareness is growing and people are less afraid of talking.
I recently joined a thing (being vague, sorry) which features mostly women of a certain age. I was going to do some GCing but didn't need to.
They know. They have always known. The difference is that they are not afraid to voice it any more.

BellePeppa · 03/03/2023 15:58

PronounssheRa · 03/03/2023 15:12

I overheard a conversation in my local a couple of weeks ago. It started with sturgeons resignation, then 'as for all this gender bollocks' 'don't get me started on that' etc

I sat quietly nodding along, yes awareness is growing and people are less afraid of talking.

Gender bollocks being the operative phrase! So many ‘women’ with bollocks nowadays. Young (biological) girls (teens, twenties) seem oblivious to the damage to their own sex they are contributing to by their blind (and ignorant) support of gender identity politics.

ExiledElsie · 03/03/2023 16:09

I think Sturgeon and bizarrely, Sam Smith, have been helpful in getting the discussion into the mainstream.

I overheard a conversation at work the other day, I was too far away to hear detailed opinions, but it is being spoken about.

Magenta82 · 03/03/2023 16:11

Sounds really positive, I hope they stick to it and the students don't protest.

FluffyHamster · 03/03/2023 16:26

I'm a member of a hiking group which is mostly women aged 40+ and the expression 'gender bollocks' has come up a lot recently.
The general attitude seems to be everyone should be free to dress and act how they like so long as it doesn't impact others, but once it just becomes attention-seeking and they start dictating how they should be 'centred' /addressed/ and having hissy fits then there is simply no tolerance/ sympathy.

Quite refreshing really.

PronounssheRa · 03/03/2023 16:35

'Gender bollocks' is a direct quote from the bloke in the pub. I may have sniggered.

RethinkingLife · 03/03/2023 17:03

No.

I don't even want to enter the phrase "tide is turning" into the search box to see the # of times there have been threads like this since 2016? (2018?)

This stuff is still entrenched and it will take decades to get it out.

Look at the language in the NHS. In government. In local government. In schools.

See what's happening in sports. In the publishing industry.

The tide isn't turning. These are drops thrown off by the tidal wave.

DemiColon · 03/03/2023 17:35

RethinkingLife · 03/03/2023 17:03

No.

I don't even want to enter the phrase "tide is turning" into the search box to see the # of times there have been threads like this since 2016? (2018?)

This stuff is still entrenched and it will take decades to get it out.

Look at the language in the NHS. In government. In local government. In schools.

See what's happening in sports. In the publishing industry.

The tide isn't turning. These are drops thrown off by the tidal wave.

I like the "end of the beginning" formulation here.

All of what you say is necessary, but the more people who openly think it's bollocks and will talk about it, the more likely this work will get done.

nilsmousehammer · 03/03/2023 17:39

Excellent news.

And yes there will be split views. The point is that a school has no business taking sides on contentious, divisive political issues.

Righthandcider · 04/03/2023 13:28

crosstalk · 03/03/2023 14:30

But don't count your chickens. The students could protest the decision they made has been taken out of their hands. They are still the ones who voted for Stonewall and could see it as yet more TERF activity. But good on the school for taking a stand. What's the new charity?

On the plus side, the students will have witnessed the adults actually being the adults for once.

Notaflippinclue · 04/03/2023 13:48

I make a point of asking the young uns in the staff room (student nurses) what they think about this issue, they all say the same without any prompting - what a load of bollocks or words to that effect.

Beamur · 04/03/2023 13:52

I think more people are talking about it. Not just the people who have been engaged for the last 5+ years, but much more widely. I reckon the general conversation will be picked up by trend watchers for politicians. If it's seen as a vote winner/loser, then we may see a shift at institutional level.

SinnerBoy · 04/03/2023 13:57

hippospot · Yesterday 11:30

"we have received some feedback from members of our school community, who have raised concerns about some of the campaigns in which this charity is currently involved, and about some of their educational resources".

Hopefully, this may be reported in the news and it could serve to embolden other schools and organisations to stand up to them and say no.

Vebrithien · 04/03/2023 14:01

I overheard a conversation between two, older women, in the middle of the aisle in the supermarket.

"I told her, women fought for the vote, some even died for it. And she wants to throw it all away and be a "them"? It's ridiculous!"

I said "Hear, hear", as I went past.

They grinned at me 😆