Glasgow Women's Library display signs from anti-feminist protest

[ArthurbellaScott]

As part of their display for 16 days of activism against VAWG, GWL have a display that includes placards from 'Cabaret Against Hate Speech'

'The curator told us that the placards included some from Cabaret Against Hate Speech'

https://twitter.com/ScotLesbians/status/1728410703852085673/photo/1

CAHS is Tom Harlow, a drag queen who led a protest and was condemned by the First Minister, Humza Yousaf, for swearing at and haranguing feminists attending an international feminist conference in Glasgow.

https://twitter.com/ginadavidsonlbc/status/1712874124618449138

It seems staff from Glasgow Women's Library were also protesting the feminist conference.

https://twitter.com/Ayrshirelass13/status/1716712007884247175

Harlow had a show for children cancelled due to concerns over his work as a stripper and sexualised stage persona.

'An entertainer has cancelled plans to lead a children's storytelling event, after a backlash from parents who learned he also works as a stripper and drag act.
Tom Harlow wears a mermaid's tail and strings of pearls to read "alternative, empowering fairy tales" to children.
His website say his adult shows feature "striptease...burlesque... fetish".'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-63060734

Glasgow Women's Library have repeatedly chosen to support this man in his protests against women and feminism.

Why do women bother to call themselves feminist when they support male opposition to feminism? Male sex fetishists are not allies of women.

I can understand why women go along with this if they oppose women’s rights and don’t care about child safeguarding. But why then pretend to be feminist?

But why then pretend to be feminist?

Because that's your identity group, as a woman? If you're a woman, and white, and you don't decide to be "trans"/"non-binary" or "queer", then the best label you can use to gain entry to the game is "feminist"?

So "feminist" means "support identity nonsense in general, as a woman", in this case.

So "feminist" means "support identity nonsense in general, as a woman", in this case.

I think this is a very good point.

Was he stripping or doing anything of an adult nature in front of the children? Or were some people just objecting to what he does in his free time?

And it looks as if he cancelled his show on his own accord after criminal threats were made, you made it sound as if someone else cancelled it.

"Stirling Council said staff were subject to personal attacks over the children's show.
The Stirling Smith Museum and Art Gallery, which organised the event, said Mr Harlow had reported the matter to the police."

Tom Harlow? Part of glasgowtransrally who first tried to bully the venue into cancelling the international FILIA conference in Glasgow. The venue did cancel with hours to go (1400 delegates!) but reversed after a legal challenge.

So he then tantrummed for hours outside the conference shouting abuse (fuck you) at women as they waited to enter the conference.

The conference did go ahead despite his display of unhinged male rage at the notion of women meeting without his consent. The article by Jean Hatchet covers some of the array of women's issues across the world that he's so desperate stop women speaking about:

https://thecritic.co.uk/a-conference-that-really-was-for-women/

His job is a stripper, drag artist. And apparently erstwhile children's entertainer.

He cancelled the show after many parents objected. As the BBC headline makes very clear:

'Stripper cancels Stirling storytelling event after backlash'

Tom is very, very angry with women.

I'm wondering whether the GWL is truly welcoming to all women. I'd like to hear their position on whether they discriminate against women with gender critical views, which are of course a protected characteristic.

'It is important to us that we are known to provide a courteous, friendly, professional and non-discriminatory service'

Is harassing feminists who disagree with you on some points of feminism 'friendly'?

Is picketing gender critical feminists 'non-discriminatory'?

https://womenslibrary.org.uk/about-us/our-values/

He cancelled the show after he and other staff members were threatened which had to be reported to police, as the article states.

I'm asking if he entertains children while stripping? Or are his jobs independent of each other? The answer makes a difference.

That's a good question. Given that they accompanied Harlow as he was abusing women outside FILIA and are so in thrall to his view of women that they have curated some of the signs, I suspect that they may not welcome the majority of women who centre women in their activism, let alone the majority who know what a woman is?

Hmmm. Is someone who openly verbally abuses women along with being a stripper drag artist a good role model for children? I'd say no - especially if you think that children's needs & rights should be prioritised over the demands of male strippers insisting that it's their right to read to young children.

I'm asking if he entertains children while stripping? Or are his jobs independent of each other? The answer makes a difference.

I very much hope that he doesn't entertain children while stripping. Because that would be really inappropriate. Do you understand anything about working with children? The answer makes a difference.

Yes. I wonder if it's time GWL clarified their position on whether they welcome gender critical feminists in the library, or whether the Memorandum of Association needs to be updated.

Then again, as I understand it, any charity that provides a service should not be discriminating against people on the basis of their views?

So the charity's original aims are pretty much irrelevant.

"We are feminists who.... hate some women for not being all about men at the expense of women as a sex class!"

... madder than a box of frogs.

I am pretty sure GWL have cancelled gender critical women's events before. More knowledgeable women with better memories than my peabrain with remember but I can recall something a while back when they cancelled talks or events by women that they felt were not following the correct stance, if you get my drift. It was some Festival of sorts , prior to the pandemic, I'm sure and before Maya's ruling. They have been captured for donkeys . Such a shame as it was truly a space where woman could go and relax without men hinging aboot. Not now...
You can just identify into it.

I used to go there with my baby when I was la single mum hiding from an abusive (twenty five years ago) and could sit and read and have a cuppa. I never had babysitters and the rare times ,I got out ,my ex had hassled me, so this was one of the few places I felt safe, in my head ,if you get my drift. (From all men )

sorry about all the typos , I have cataracts!

I went down the Twitter rabbit hole on The Women’s Library and it’s heartbreaking to see women’s stories about it.

It’s bizarre this trend of drag queens and strippers reading to children. I don’t know why you’d match up the two. What’s the reason? Obviously people can do multiple jobs and volunteering but this isn’t just someone who happens to be a drag queen and also volunteers with children completely separate. It’s a movement and it’s bleeding the two into each other. I’d hope most are age appropriate but some videos I’ve seen with drag queens and children haven’t been even when shoes are supposed to be child friendly.

It's always worth asking what is it that DQs get from reading to young children that they couldn't get from reading to (off the top of my head) lonely adults, people in care homes, asylum seekers needing to learn English and other groups?

"I'm asking if he entertains children while stripping? Or are his jobs independent of each other? The answer makes a difference"

No it doesn't.

Having any kind of adult entertainer in a school setting, even if not performing in their work "attire", would be a safeguarding issue.

I'm surprised that this needs to be pointed out.

A good explanation of why DGST and the like is a safeguarding issue.

https://safeschoolsallianceuk.net/2022/01/09/drag-queen-story-hour/

Yes, I linked to one such event in a post upthread, but it's been hidden, probably because of an archive link.

They cancelled a FWS meeting, claiming a 'leak' was the problem, but it was pretty transparent it was because of the group's gc views.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/are-women-s-libraries-still-a-safe-space-for-women/

'When For Women’s representative tried to reschedule, she says all suggested dates were fully booked and that GWL undertook to phone back after consulting their diary. The call back, she says, never came and later that afternoon the tweets appeared. The spokeswoman added: ‘We will be contacting GWL Board of Directors to raise our concerns and discuss a way forward, and will be seeking an apology and a rebooking for our meeting.’
GWL says For Women does not align with its values, but does GWL align with its own values, as set out in its ‘Our Values’ statement? When it claims to ‘provide a safe welcoming space where women can access information’, does that not include gender-critical women and information about their sex-based rights and the potential impact of proposed legislation?'

GWL gets sizeable chunks of taxpayers' money every year to 'represent women'.

In fact, the whole twitter thread from the time is astonishingly, still there.

(Also archived.)

'We will only accept venue hire bookings from organisations that align with our values'

That's quite clear discrimination against gc views, no?

https://twitter.com/womenslibrary/status/1233055531767562242

They very much rely on volunteers who are given a fair amount of power ime. They were always ripe for an ideological takeover and I doubt the salaried team put up any resistance given grant funding and what the Scottish Govt require (also captured easily and early).