Sunlight cracks appearing in The Guardian?

[Stonetolose]

At last - a welcome relief viewpoint from The Guardian - link below:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/09/at-last-consensus-emerging-on-protecting-women-only-spaces

🌤

That's "The Observer" (Sunday version of The Guardian). Different editorial staff but published on the same website.

If that appeared today it's probably from the Observer rather than the Guardian. The Observer has taken a different stance for a long time.

Alas, it’s not in the Guardian. But let’s hope that the message filters through

Yes, Sonia Sodha writes for the Observer, not the Guardian, and has been consistently good on this issue.

Ah, okay, so not quite The Guardian? But if you type in "Guardian" in the search engine, the article comes up so that's good.

I think it's really funny that they share the same website!

Sonia Sodhi and the Observer haven’t been captured by trans ideology like the Graun has, but it is great that they share the same website. Hopefully that means Guardianistas may read this and similar articles, and have a bit of a think.

That's a very good article OP. I especially liked that she calls out "the moral cowardice of leaders in big institutions who allowed this to happen; the insight that frightening people into taking up your cause is no substitute for winning hearts and minds".

That's what's enabling this to take such hold in schools and workplaces - powerful adults who know that children are being groomed, boundaries are being breached and everyone's being gaslit into believing falsehoods yet are lacking in the moral courage to say no.

Fabulous article. Very clear, very concise - very right! And yes, Observer not Guardian, I've been caught like that before OP. Not sure that either side read the others' papers on this issue now

excellent article by Sonia as always

The guardian's the same as ever. Yesterday we were treated to this little rant, telling us we're bigots if we object to men in women's sports

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/08/kansas-transgender-students-sports-week-in-patriarchy

For years some in The Guardian has wanted to erase The Observer and change it to The Guardian on Sunday or some such title, but haven't been able to. Given The Observer's long history and better record on gender identity ideology that's a good thing, but probably still rankles with those who would like the Graun to be a seven-day operation.

Excellent article. Hope the sunlight filters through to the Guardian readership. The article is crystal clear in its explanation of the need for single-sex spaces; I think a lot of people who haven’t explored this issue deeply have no idea of exactly how women’s rights are being impacted.

The article is also spot on about how women are being branded bigots for what is essentially a moderate viewpoint:

It remains extraordinary that in a context where campaigners have tried to intimidate people into adopting their worldview on pain of being tarred a bigot, women have been vilified for the moderate opinion shared by many that sex remains relevant in law and society. People have endured bullying and harassment, unlawful workplace discrimination, violent protestand illicit police action. There are important takeaways from this sorry saga: the moral cowardice of leaders in big institutions who allowed this to happen; the insight that frightening people into taking up your cause is no substitute for winning hearts and minds.

The Observer also has a higher circulation rate than The Guardian, which stopped publishing its circulation figures two years ago and makes them available only for advertisers.

Sonia Sodha is fab.

I have long wondered wether Arwa Mahdawi is nasty or stupid. After reading that article I think the answer might be 'both'.

Is she correct about this?

Someone female with a GRC who gets pregnant would not be covered by Equality Act protections against pregnancy and maternity discrimination

Aren't pregnancy and maternity a protected characteristic in themselves? But the Equality Act uses the term "woman" when referring to the person who is pregnant, so if a natal woman legally becomes a "man" does that mean the Act doesn't cover them if they become pregnant, because the legal recognition of them being a "man" trumps the biology of them being pregnant?

Arwa is a lesbian too afaik. Bizarre.

Rebecca Solnit drives me demented too. She wrote an article about the closing night of the last lesbian bar in San Francisco. Which is an oxymoronic sentence to write down. En passant , she mentioned the trans lesbians who showed up for the party , in positive terms.

I suppose this stuff won't ever impact Arwa's gilded lifestyle. But neither of these journalists will ever win a join the dots competition.

My vote is for both. I'd add whiny to that mix, too.

Winning hearts and minds - a phrase that has become as poisonous as 'be kind'.

You might win hearts and minds into the sort of acceptance we had in the late 90s, that people presented differently and that was ok, were of different races and sexualities and religions and beliefs, and that was ok.

When you set out to 'win hearts and minds' to believe that the female ones among them shouldn't have rights, that homosexuals should embrace heterosexuality on command, that religions shouldn't be allowed particularly when it means women presenting boundaries and barriers to the sexual freedoms and self expression of men? You're doing something very different. And this movement moves with Threat written all of it for failing to be 'won' quickly and easily with a smile: there are barbed wire baseball bats, the police and courts weaponised, death threats and rape threats, and at the moment, fists in the face and broken bones.

The weaselly, pretty pretty language fig leafs have to stop.

I knew that would be The Observer before I even opened the thread.

I may start buying it again now I have a more peaceful Sunday morning (I stopped them both once the whirlwind of child entered my life).

At least if you read the Guardian online or via the app all the articles regardless of Observer or Guardian are in the same space. So it may get some reader crossover, fingers crossed.

The Guardian last week was busy posting that transphobia meant non-gender-conforming people (i.e. women with short hair in androgynous clothing) were being challenged in toilets, insinuating that GC feminists were enforcing stereotypes now.

I have seen a fair few transwomen in toilets over the years. Never have I ever 'challenged' anyone.

Meanwhile, in The Independent, the black-out curtains remain fully drawn:

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/lgbt-trans-debate-lesbian-dyke-project-b2312572.html#comments-area

Catherine Bennett is also worth looking out for at the Observer, and I like Kenan Malik too - I don't think I've seen him on the trans debate but I find him thoughtful and strong on the importance of fee speech.

And the Guardian still has Susannah Rustin who must feel very isolated these days.

Kenan has touched obliquely on the issue - in the context of culture wars.

He wrote a very cogent article explaining how culture wars mostly work for the right wing. The left should get back to Class which he thinks is the real axis of exploitation.

Alas I can't find this piece now. If anyone can do please post it !