Protect trans kids knife logo

[Bonkersworknonsense]

I’m seeing this around my city lately, on tshirts and water bottles (sported by young women so far). It boggles me that they think it’s appropriate to imply that knife crime is cool and worth bragging about. One of the T-shirt wearers wore it in a photo on the social media of a local broad spectrum bookshop. Thoughts?

If it were accurate it'd have quote marks around "trans" and a surgeon's knife

I saw a smiling Jamie Lee Curtis post this image a couple of years ago - this a woman who starred in a series of films about a crazed knife-wielding killer.

Absolutely inexcusable.

This year’s HoC research briefing on knife crime confirmed its continued rise in England & Wales; & while it’s shocking enough 18% of those sentenced for knife crime offences were aged 10-17 years, the number of juveniles who own &/or carry bladed weapons is vastly higher than the tiny proportion who are sentenced for crimes related to them.

Sadly I don’t think it would be considered to reach the bar for encouragement; particularly frustrating because there are absolutely vulnerable people caught up in GenderWoo who will understand [their role models wearing] a t-shirt with a message like this as being an endorsement of[/their actively advocating for] the carrying of bladed weapons if it is to “protect trans youth”.

@IvyTwines I didn’t realise the image had been around this long. One of things that strikes me is that the times I’ve seen it here (I’m in Canada) it’s always on, or with, people at work. And 20 years ago any supervisor would have said “that’s inappropriate in a public facing role, you can’t wear threatening gear to work, or have a water bottle with a threatening image in it”. But now no one can say anything about it, because not only trans, but “allies” are a protected class.

Its also interesting (& abhorrent) that so far it’s been women I’ve seen with it.

Is the knife to mutilate them?

@WetBandits that design has been around since at least 2020 and it has definitely been used to promote violence, I've seen examples on social media.

But I can see how and why one may make an argument for ambiguity. How about this one then - any similar excuses?

1. Which other murdered trans kids?
2. Are symbols of the very violence that killed a child normally used in the campaign against further, similar tragedies? Seem to remember the Ben Kinsella campaign, for example, was quite keen on getting rid of knives.

Yeah protected with knives...how is that a good thing?

And couldn't the rose on the coffin equally apply to the person they are protecting them FROM?

I fail to see how this isn't a grusome, threatening image.

I've never seen a knife on a coffin lid. Are you talking about a rose much like you'd see on a coffin lid? Where does the knife fit in? What can it possibly symbolise except a threat of violence, whether in self-defence or not?

@WetBandits

As a reminder, the Brianna Ghey case is sub judice & your speculation as to the motivation for the murder endangers the successful prosecution of those currently awaiting trial (they have entered not guilty pleas but no jury has been selected). The fact people continue to do this despite the police; the CPS; & the judge at July’s hearing warning that (to quote the CPS): It is extremely important that there should be no commenting or sharing of information or speculation which could in any way prejudice these proceedings is boggling.

Of course, if what people are aiming to do is create a trans “martyr” who they can claim was murdered & then failed by the justice system, that’s one way to do it. It would be a lie; and it would be depriving Brianna - & Brianna’s family - of justice; but I cannot imagine why else people continue to speculate about motive despite these repeated pleas not to because doing so may cause the young people who committed the crime to go free.

Are symbols of the very violence that killed a child normally used in the campaign against further, similar tragedies? Seem to remember the Ben Kinsella campaign, for example, was quite keen on getting rid of knives.

Yep, the image leaves just enough room for arguable ambiguity, when really it makes no sense whatsoever in a UK context that involves protecting children.

Maybe the left are now agreeing with the American right-wing, that carrying weapons is a human right, but that seems rather strange.