Fuck Oxfam

[DismantledKing]

Anyone seen the tweet by Maya tonight about this little animation by Oxfam? Here’s the link:

https://twitter.com/mforstater/status/1665817901327085568?s=46&t=U7-xooKExwmFQ8mivn72lw

as I said, fuck Oxfam.

Huh. Of course, the new system has also pasted the link below, as they sent this at the base of the email and I caught it up. Sorry!

What a shit, waffly response.

Absolute garbage. They are a disgrace

Thanks for posting that sorry-not-sorry response. As you say, very clearly a cut & paste - and entirely missing the point.

I did my first volunteering shift today at the new "not Oxfam" charity shop. People very friendly. Shop smaller, but nicely laid out and good stock.

Nobody asked me my pronouns.

Sounds a promising start.

Good stuff!

Can someone please explain this picture to me?!?

Brief explanation of the pic...

For Pride Month Oxfam released a short animated video about LGBTQIA+ people around the world. It included a few frames about groups they say attack them, including this frame representing 'haters'. The middle figure is a middle-aged woman with a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) badge on.

There has been media controversy over it representing JK Rowling (it clearly does, although Oxfam denied it), and the video was quickly edited to remove this. But that was never the main issue. It's that Oxfam were explicitly portraying middle-aged women as haters who were brutalising trans people (as opposed to the reality that many just want to safeguard single-sex spaces such as rape crisis centres, prisons and sports). TERF is a slur, and the video was basically demonising gender-critical women.

Because of this, lots of us are furious with Oxfam – who already had a less than pristine history of workers overseas abusing women they should be helping. Many of us are boycotting Oxfam, and cancelling our giving to them.

That was my feeling about the response (to several PPs above). Not impressed.

That's interesting @Catiette . I sent them a very similar email to you by the sums of it and for the same reasons didn't mention JK Rowling, just the use of the abusive term Terf. I got a similar response to you (just the other day) but mine didn't say anything about not intending to represent anyone in particular. I've pasted the second half of it below. Maybe they sent you the wrong version!? I wasn't very impressed anyway, as there was no sign of recognition about the hate they'd been fuelling or explanation as to how they could have made such a "mistake" or what they would do to ensure it doesn't happen again.

As part of Pride month, we are seeking to defend, protect and create more safety for LGBTQIA+ people across the world. The video shared was intended to highlight the discrimination that the LGBTQIA+ community face both online and in person. In an effort to make an important point about the real harm caused by transphobia, we made a mistake.

We fully support both an individual’s right to hold religious and philosophical beliefs and a person’s right to have their identity respected, regardless of their gender identity and expression, sex, or sexuality. We believe LGBTQIA+ rights are human rights and that it is only when we respect and uphold all human rights that we can overcome poverty. We know from our work around the world that discrimination – whether on the basis of race, disability, gender or sexuality - is often a major obstacle in people’s efforts to build a better life for themselves. You can read more about our strategy here.

As an organisation, we are committed to becoming safe, feminist and anti-racist and in our global work we seek to tackle discrimination and uphold the rights of everyone, including women and girls. Last year alone, we supported 3.7 million women and girls. We are proud of our work helping women make their voices heard - everywhere from parliaments to peace processes and in working with communities to tackle domestic violence, to take just two examples. You can find out more here.

I emailed a complaint. I pointed out that I was a woman parent of a female young person who identifies as gay. I said I was concerned about the image & use of 'Terf'. That I'd been concerned about Haiti but had given Oxfam benefit of the doubt in case it was 'rogue' volunteers but that this latest appears deliberate policy which I can't support. Therefore I'd no longer be supporting Oxfam.

10 days later I got this:
"Good afternoon, Thank you for contacting us to share your thoughts on the Pride video recently posted by Oxfam International. Please be assured your feedback is read and shared with the relevant teams.I’m really sorry to hear we’ve lost your kind support and would like to thank you for all the support you have previously given. I hope you might find the below information helpful. As part of Pride month, we are seeking to defend, protect and create more safety for LGBTQIA+ people across the world. The video shared was intended to highlight the discrimination that the LGBTQIA+ community face both online and in person. In efforts to make an important point about the real harm caused by transphobia, we made a mistake. The image which has caused offense was not intended to portray any particular person or people. The fact it was being interpreted in this way was distracting from the important message of the video and led to us editing it. This was then reposted with an explanation and an apology for the mistake. We fully support both an individual’s right to hold religious and philosophical beliefs and a person’s right to have their identity respected, regardless of their gender identity and expression, sex, or sexuality. We believe LGBTQIA+ rights are human rights and that it is only when we respect and uphold all human rights that we can overcome poverty. We know from our work around the world that discrimination – whether on the basis of race, disability, gender or sexuality - is often a major obstacle in people’s efforts to build a better life for themselves. You can read more about our changing approach to the work we do here. As an organisation, we are committed to becoming safe, feminist and anti-racist and in our global work we seek to tackle discrimination and uphold the rights of everyone, including women and girls. Last year alone, we supported 3.7 million women and girls. We are proud of our work helping women make their voices heard - everywhere from parliaments to peace processes and in working with communities to tackle domestic violence, to take just two examples. You can find out more here. Our work with women and girls and our work to tackle discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people are vital to give everyone an equal chance to thrive. Both are central to our core value of inclusivity and commitment to leaving no-one behind in the fight against poverty and inequality. I hope this helps explain our thinking behind the video and the reason we edited it. I also hope I’ve shown (and you can see more on our website) that Oxfam is an organisation that is committed to equality and to tackling the root causes of poverty - as we always have, and will continue to be. Thank you for all your amazing support and I really hope that in the future you might consider supporting our vital work around the world again.With best wishes,X (have redacted name)Supporter Relations

Bla bla fibs fibs bla bla bla wordsoup. Written by the legal and HR teams.

They haven't actually addressed anything you said to them, just waffled on about lgbt+ stuff. I'm seeing this repeatedly, women making clear points on matters that concern them and being responded to with cut and paste gibberish that ignores everything they've said.

Was in a hospice charity shop the other day and overheard the volunteers at the till saying the local Oxfam is closing due to lack of volunteers. As a bonus I bought the latest Strike for a quid.

Yes, pretty sure I’ve seen the same or very similar reply to others, particularly noticeable if the complainant didn’t even mention JKR in their letter/email to Oxfam. Just shows the volume of complaints, I suppose, that they need a standard letter. It reads like my MP’s irrelevant non-specific replies to all my correspondence with him.

BabyStopCryin · Today 14:45

Bla bla fibs fibs bla bla bla wordsoup. Written by the legal and HR teams.

Yes; and they want to fight misogyny, VAWG and racism. By covering up their employees using underage African girls for sex, apparently.

And they can't spell "offence."

And they can't spell "offence."

That's because they get all this crap from the US. Copy and paste.

Ah, so that's how seriously they are taking this.

As part of Pride month, we are seeking to defend, protect and create more safety for LGBTQIA+ people across the world.

why?

in what way does that alleviate poverty?

Also...

"The image which has caused offense was not intended to portray any particular person or people. The fact it was being interpreted in this way..."

= It's all your fault, silly wims, for interpreting the video wrongly.

Not intended to portray any particular person, my arse. Yes it bloody was.

And totally ignoring that trans "rights" i.e. demands can be inimical to the rights of women's and girls -and for that matter boys.

And what's with the "I" in the alphabet soup? Standing for "intersex", a term now discredited by serious medical professionals and abhorred by many, if not most, people with actual DSD's.

Good thing is that all this hooha have me the boost to have a good old clear out and take stuff to a couple of local charity shops (a local hospice and a local social charity) and on one I found rows and rows of books that I like to read (and some are in mint condition) for £1, £2! Win/win. Even an old cookery book that I wanted to replace since I had a jam accident with my old copy a few years back. £3 and like new.

Not intended to portray any particular person, my arse. Yes it bloody was.

They even had the same cleavage line!

From oxfam letter they say the supported 3.7 million women and girls. How do they know they were women and girls? Did they ask each of them how they identify? Were some male bodied women and girls?
wankers

I've given monthly to Oxfam for years and years. Is there another charity I could support that would help with the same kind of issues, but without the misogyny?