Who has most disappointed you?

[Calistano]

I'd say Russell T Davies when he had his drunken rant. I get his concern that lgbt is being fractured. But his absent concern for Women and their rights was palpable. I honestly thought he had more sense.

Omg! Alice Roberts! Disingenuous, simpering fool.

Stephen King
Always imagined he’d be really brave

G-d forgive me but I am sometime thankful Terry Pratchett is dead so he can’t disappoint me.

So many but Kathy Burke in particular. She comes from a similar background to me and everyone I know thinks gender ideology is bollocks. She knows that James Dreyfus isn't a bigot but has never stood up for him. I think she's a coward.

Jess Phillips.

And all of the people mentioned on this thread, now I think about it. There are so many of them.

I'm more disappointed that I'm not disappointed anymore if you see what I mean. I just expect to be disappointed by anyone at any time.

Also Caitlin Moran, who seems to have sold her integrity for popularity.

Margaret Atwood has been a big let down...I'd have thought she'd have more awareness.

You have to have high hopes and regard for someone to feel disappointed by them......so, I'm not surprised by some in the Labour Party - such as my own MP, Kim Johnson; but others who I have admired and thought had integrity have been very disappointing. Yvette Cooper, for one.

I was surprised at how much Nicola Sturgeon bought into it all, and how dismissive she was.

cowards in every part of society who don't care because they think it won't effect them and be kind Christians who choose who they will be kind too nb I'm a Christian.

Brian Cox and Ben Goldacre. But Alice Roberts as a female scientist (qualifications involve anatomy and evolution) who's had to factor maternity leave into her career is especially depressing.

Kathleen Hanna. In a way. Tbh I am sure she would be delighted to disappoint me if she ever had a second's time to know of my existence. But I do think a feminist, creative artist who does a lot of her visual art in textiles, who was and is a phenomenal musician and performer, should be able to tell the difference between Republicans and radical feminists.

But then I remember how rather left right divide is in the US and how brutal the Republicans are being and my disappointment falls away. In an American context I can't be sure I would prioritise the same things as I do here.

Margaret Atwood.

Alice Roberts.

Men who have stayed silent on the matter while knowing better: Ben Goldacre, Adam Rutherford, Brian Cox (the presenter not the actor).

Raw divide not rather divide. Autocorrect ptui

Every Scottish politician, across every party, with only a few exceptions.

I used to be proud of my country, our Government, Parliament and institutions. I'm absolutely mortified now.

All the cowardly cynics in the Labour Party, who don’t give a shit about women and girls. It makes Rosie Duffield’s courage to speak out all the more extraordinary.

The Green Party, both for pushing TWAW and elevating that belief above environmental concerns when the world is burning. The stupidity. The misogyny.

Margaret Atwood. As so many PPs have said.

Elizabeth Day. She’s seemingly such a sweetheart and wants to have a positive impact but she propagates misogyny with TWAW nonetheless.

You’ve all mentioned the big ones here. Margaret Atwood felt like a body blow - just - how could she?. And the thing about Philip Pullman, it seemed to be such an obvious metaphor- the cutting children off from their sexually mature self in HDM. The whole thing. I couldn’t believe he could be supportive of the Procrustean castration of minors who don’t ‘fit’ in real life.

Clara Vulliamy, children's author and illustrator, who appears to have orchestrated a campaign against Rachel Rooney, which ended up with Rachel giving up her career as a writer. Seems to stem from having a trans-identifying adult child and feeling the need to attack anyone expressing scepticism about gender ideology, right up to the point of preventing them from earning a living and being able to support their families. Many others in the publishing industry, especially for some reason people writing/editing/publishing books for children and young adults, are taking a similar line. It says nothing for their morality and their ability to think critically.

The bit about having a trans-identifying son or daughter applies to a good many people mentioned above, including David Tennant. I have my suspicions that the fox-killer may be in this group too. I sympathise- it must be very difficult to see a beloved son or daughter in great distress and if s/he then says 'I've worked out what's wrong with me and here's the solution, I feel so much better about myself now I realise I'm trans/nonbinary' it must be unimaginably hard to say 'Actually, darling, I'm not sure about this ...' and to risk losing the relationship with them.

For me, Ben Goldacre is massive. I revered the guy as he took down Big Pharma on medical malpractice, illogical alternative medicine, other medical scandals.

He's not just silent on trans medicalisation, I believe he's a proponent.

I truly believe people have stuck their wet finger to check the wind direction. In the past it was anti religion, anti big business, anti Big Pharma, anti imposed groupthink.

Now it's pro neo-religion, pro woke capitalism, pro received wisdom.

And your views and opinions are provided for you, on a plate, wrapped in a nice ribbon, because you have no other voice.

And so many have capitulated. Or even worse, lapped it up and get off on the power trip and the self worth from their position in the caste system.

Human psychology is reverting to jungle dynamics.

I listened to her 'Where there's a will there's a wake' podcast recently. Jeez, she was like Lorraine Kelly slavering over her guests. Basically just agreed with everything the guest said. Shocked and disappointed.

Makes me love James Dreyfus even more fiercely.

Which Philip Pullman books have you read?

Because if I had only read His Dark Materials then I really wouldn't give a toss. I'd just write him off as being another misogynistic man who thinks he's a damn sight cleverer than he actually is.

But he also wrote the Sally Lockhart series, which I loved. It's about a woman living in Victorian London who was raised by a single father and learned to ride horses and shoot a pistol and speak Hindi and understand finance rather than singing and painting and piano. She shoots to kill several times in the series. She becomes a partner in one business and then sets up her own financial consultancy afterwards. She goes to Cambridge but she isn't awarded a degree because she's female. She has a child out of wedlock. In one of the books she is served with divorce papers by a man she's never met who is claiming that he is her husband and seeking custody of her child, and because of the way the legal system works, he is believed and she has to run away and take her child into hiding whilst she figures out who is doing it and why.

She's literally the epitome of a character who smashes gender stereotypes but still finds herself treated unfairly because of her sex.

If she existed, she'd be a card carrying TERF.

I can't tell you how disappointed I am that the man who dreamed her into existence spends his days telling women on Twitter who don't agree that TWAW to stop being so bigoted.

My MSP who is as GC as me but now can't look me in the eye, when mouthing usual " no conflict with women's rights" , while collecting extra pay as a minister.

Particularly those who have attacked Rachel Rooney's children's book 'My Body Is Me' as anti trans/fascist/blah blah blah.

It is the most lovely little book. Lovely words and beautiful pictures with a meaningful, positive message. My wee one adores it - my husband heard me reading it and said 'is that the so-called 'anti trans' book?!'. Anyone who attacks it either has never actually bothered their arse to read it or really do need to have a good look at theirselves.

Oh no, what did Ben Goldacre say?

@MargotBamborough "I mean, I get it, she's an old woman"

I'm sorry-what the fuck do you mean by this?

All of the above and someone I thought of as a close friend of 40 years who sneered at and dismissed my concerns. I was so disappointed and don't think I can ever speak to him again.