Joan Smith: Silencing Women on IWD

[pattihews]

Joan Smith will be chairing an event Silencing Women: Academic Freedom and Unthinkable Thoughts on Wednesday, International Women's Day.

There have been petitions and posters called for a protest to shut women talking about freedom of speech down... You couldn't make it up. Kudos to Swansea University for enabling the event to go ahead.

unherd.com/thepost/why-are-trans-activists-trying-to-cancel-my-event/

Damn it. I thought we were past this.

'Three years ago this week, I was at a meeting in West London when trans activists set off smoke bombs and jumped out of the darkness to photograph us as we left the building. I’ve seen photographs of events where masked men scream abuse into women’s faces. I’ve seen a placard calling for ’terfs’ to be beheaded. A documentary I took part in, Adult Human Female, has had screenings cancelled and is struggling to find venues after protests from activists. Organisers of the protest against the ‘Silencing Women’ event in Swansea say we’re ‘more than welcome to hold it elsewhere’, as though the same thing wouldn’t happen again.

At one level, we’ve reached peak absurdity. Even on International Women’s Day, it seems, women are no longer free to speak about…free speech.'

That is a doctor that's started that petition to silence women.

Yes, I heard that too. Works in an A+E department, I've been told. Wonder how he'd treat a woman wearing a purple, white and green scarf or a Standing for Women t-shirt?

'It is our opinion that the work of ‘gender-critical’ academics has a negative effect on societal attitudes towards trans people.'
'We believe that should this event be allowed to go ahead it will encourage transphobia in Swansea and this will be to the detriment of the safety of trans people in Swansea.'

Seems a very grave accusation. If he's that worried about women speaking, he should call the police, surely?

It's really worrying to see that medical professionals could bring their politics to work.

Is anyone going? I'd love to attend as it's only an hour's drive for me. I still haven't left the house since Covid as I take drugs that have destroyed my immune system but this is something I feel strongly enough about that I'd go.

It is, and I do wonder how this NHS doctor would treat a gender critical woman.

www.gmc-uk.org/concerns/supporting-you-with-your-concern/can-we-help-with-your-concern

'We can usually only investigate concerns about:

serious or repeated mistakes in patient care

abuse of professional position, for example, an improper sexual relationship with a patient

violence, indecency or sexual assault

a serious criminal offence

discrimination against patients, colleagues or others

fraud or dishonesty

if a doctor’s health affects their practice or conduct

serious concerns about a doctor’s ability to communicate in English.'

Making serious accusations about women speaking in public seems like potential discrimination to me.

ArabellaScott · Today 14:36

It is, and I do wonder how this NHS doctor would treat a gender critical woman.

When my sister was an A&E nurse during the 80s and 90s, she was told to carry on treating men who made crude comments and groped her. Other staff were told to ignore racial abuse, which was directed at them. I think that they are firmer with them now, calling security, or Police, but still have to treat them.

Dr Henry Hobson has a look of his colleague, Dr Adrian Harrop, about him.

I think he, too, is early in his career and would do well to think carefully about his choices.

And me.

The Swansea hospital with an A&E department would be the nearest large emergency hospital for me. I hope I never have the bad luck to come into contact with him.

I made a complaint about a doctor years ago but never even had a reply.

Apologies. I was replying to Arabella Scott.

God what an ironic mess

from the petition:

We believe this event should not go ahead
Trans women are women.
Trans men are men.
Trans rights are human rights

so non binary people aren’t valid then Dr Hobson you fucking bigot? (Did I purity spiral right?)

First thing I noticed, Bernard, that the esteemed Dr had forgotten all about the NBs.

He'll be for the high jump.

As a non-binary person, I feel that Dr Hobson is horribly oppressing me by literally erasing my existence.

He’s denying your existence Arabella

He’s saying you literally don’t exist

you’re totally unsafe now

what a bastard

He bloody is and I'm DEVASTATED, ngl

It's literal genocide, he's completely erased NBs 😲

Hmm.
Strictly speaking, it is the reversal of that which is a little closer to truth. The work of some trans activists has a negative effect on societal attitudes towards people formerly known as women who are now viewed as wombcarriers, or if they insist in being included in their prior category of 'women', who are now deemed to be the totally privileged part of 'women' and also very comfortable in being defined by their dress, makeup, feminine behaviour and submissiveness.

I am going with a friend.
Am I nervous?
A little bit...
Will I still go?
Yes of course.

I wonder if the young people who behave so dreadfully at these events treat their mothers, aunts and grandmothers with the contempt they show to other women who won't buy into their belief system?

Some research into why they feel such disrespect is necessary would be really interesting. I have heard it suggested that because they spend so much time on line and in arenas where critical thought is not valued they can't accept that other people are allowed their own opinions.

All the best to those who are going. Could I ask that you big up the Equality Act petition while you are there, although you're likely to be preaching to the choir.

There will be plenty of experienced security guards there. The security people have dealt with royal visits and apparently Hillary Clinton has visited in the past so they are used to crowds and protesters.

The university police are keeping a very close eye on things and have taken down posters calling for protests. Known troublemakers are having an eye kept on them. Park your car up at the Taliesin car park and walk up the steps to the main entrance. If yo don't want to walk alone (it's only 50m) then tag along with others arriving. They will understand. Come early (bags will be searched and you'll be magic-handed to make sure you're not carrying a weapon) and meet up with more than 200 other people who think free speech on IWD is important. The Taliesin staff have received a lot of grief for hosting this event, so have a drink or a coffee from the bar and help reward the venue for showing a backbone.

Of course, the poor little TRAs think we're the threat — so please, no hand-bagging the little darlings. There's apparently a support area set up for them by the Student Union if the sight of so many middle-aged women and lesbians walking swiftly into the building on a cold evening overwhelms them with terror. Thank you for coming.

'It is our opinion that the work of ‘gender-critical’ academics has a negative effect on societal attitudes towards trans people.'

And there you have it.

Women, opening the eyes of other women to the problems experienced by women, makes those women start to think and to stand up for their rights in a way that really inconveniences men.

Good women shut up and don't think.

These people are out of their tiny trees.

the whole movement is one big "Fucking shut up woman".

Same as it ever was!

Have pm'd you @agent765

@Mizzem Thank you - I've replied.