Sara Morrison vs Belfast Film Festival

[NorthernIrishFeminist]

Employers seem to be slow learners when it comes to women's rights! There’s another employment tribunal case being brought by a woman who attended and took the microphone at a Let Women Speak event in Belfast last year and has been treated very badly by her employer Belfast Film Festival as a result.

Looks like we’re going to have to keep gardening until they get the message.

disclaimer. I don’t know Sara and have no connection to BFF I’m just a woman who likes donating to causes that make a difference

What's bonkers is they think we can't see it!

Reminds me of this:

There are two kinds of people in the world.
Those that can extrapolate from incomplete information.

You are flipping hilarious, wetting myself laughing!

From NW

[we're back - looking at the above email]
NC we see RM joining. She monsters Sara - she accuses her of legitimising fascists and the far right
MD I did not read it that way
NC she accuses her of firing up division. Having re-read this in the break - it's fair to say she's labelling a transphobe

MD no there's lots of ways - you can be transphobic or trans critical
NC the gist is that her email is transphobic
MD I am reluctant to paraphrase
NC there is no mention of womens orgs here
MD no - it's a queer arts org
NC not one of the womens orgs named in SM's speech
MD no

NC we see another email saying "I would like to echo Queerspace and Outburst emails." - this means that QS and OB sent their emails as reply alls haven't they?
MD no not nec
NC how did it happen then
MD she may have just cc'd some people - a lot of these people work together

Moi?

I love how each tribunal generates its own unique set of images and memes. I may not have been here for the bincident but by god I witnessed the moose pursued by crickets, the Bigly Screen, and three-jobs Devlin, the busiest woman in Belfast.

From NW

J is it feasible
MD I don't remember
NC we don't see this in the disclosure
MD no
NC you open copied everyone in that initial 3 July you sent
MD in error
NC no it was a tactic to make it easier for recipients to continue the convo
MD I dont' accept that

I know it's beyond the ..ahem-- purview of the tribunal, but there's a whole story about how Gay Pride became LGBTQ++++++ pride, a few years ago, pre-trans-juggernaut, this whole thing wouldn't have happened.

Even further beyond the purview is the recent banning of various NI politicians from across the spectrum from the Belfast and other NI Pride events, because they transphobically supported not giving puberty blockers to children..

All not strictly relevant, but the extreme transing of anything L&G in NI is worth knowing.

So either they cc'd others and MD didn't mention that in discovery, or they BCC'd everyone or they knew that they were going to say that because they'd all been set up to say it.

Definitely not trying to screw SM over.
No siree.

From NW

NC but it had that effect as Katrin Coover [sp?] was able to echo what QS and OB had said
MD it seems so yes
NC and she works for Ardoyne which is a youth group - not a women's group
MD it works across sectors - including womens' groups and LGBT
NC but it's not specifically a

... women's group.
MD it works across sectors
NC but it wasn't mentioned in SM's speech
[we move to another email]

This is from Sarah Williams from Outburst writing in a personal capacity:
"Your email and invitation to connect with colleagues across the LGBT sector of Belfast is of
course wonderful and indeed welcomed. Working collegiately is at the core of everything I do,
and is a value I hold dear. In different circumstances, I would welcome the opportunity to help cocreate
something which would add value to the experience of the Belfast Pride weekend. So in
light of this, I am writing to you as a colleague in the sector.
It is no surprise to you, to know that a member of your team holds, and publicly shares, negative
opinions about Trans people. To invite us to co-create an event for Belfast Pride with this team
member, came as quite a shock. Trans rights is a central theme to the Pride celebrations this
year, and to invite trans inclusive organisations to work with this individual, without addressing the very public and very dangerous opinions she holds while in the position of being your
Inclusion Officer, is not something I can be part of or endorse.
As individuals, we all of course hold our own opinions on all matters and difference of opinion is
never something I shy away from. And sometimes agreeing to disagree with mutual respect is
achievable. But when such opinions quite literally impact the health and well-being of people I
hold dear, I cannot come to the table unless there is a willingness to acknowledge the damage
caused by your Inclusion Officer, not only at the Posie Parker public event, but also the instances
of transphobic comments and behaviour in her capacity as a team member of the Film Festival.
I appreciate that this is a difficult and delicate issue to balance as the leader of your organisation.
Please know that what I am sharing here, is coming from a place of care and respect for the work
you and your team do.
Sarah"

[MD is reading the email through]

MD the third par in that email is the one which most resonates with me -
"As individuals, we all of course hold our own opinions on all matters and difference of opinion is
never something I shy away from. And sometimes agreeing to disagree with mutual respect is
achievable. But when such opinions quite literally impact the health and well-being of people I
hold dear, I cannot come to the table unless there is a willingness to acknowledge the damage
caused by your Inclusion Officer, not only at the Posie Parker public event, but also the instances
of transphobic comments and behaviour in her capacity as a team member of the Film Festival."

BINGO

Here are all the pieces of the puzzle slotted together.

Can you see what we can see MD?

SM did a thought crime. BURN HER.

And there it is. We're boycotting the non existent event because of SM.

From NW

NC yes it's different in tone - "more in sorrow than anger" - she accuses SM of being transphobic
MD it's about working together
NC yes but her saying SM holds neg opinions about trans people - is that right
MD I don't know
NC you've heard the speech
MD that's not her whole psyche

SD there is no reference to the speech - it's just what she's said - who knows what else she's said
J we can't really impute what she meant without asking her
NC but I can ask MD what she reads into it
NC she's complaining about SM's opinions, isn't she
"very public and very dangerous opinions" and "when such opinions..." - she's talking about SM's opinions

I used to know some of the lads who set up Gay Pride in Belfast, when it was small and unpopular and beleaguered. They were good lads. They used to respond to heckling Paisleyites with witty retorts. It would not have occurred to them, even if they had the power, to go around trying to get their enemies sacked or socially ostracised.

But that was when Gay Pride was a small protest march on one rainy afternoon. Before it became a six week long TQ+++ juggernaut that seems to be all about drag queens and puberty blockers and monstering whoever is the current Enemy of the People.

And don't start me on BBCNI's compulsion to quote the wee lad who runs Omagh Pride on news stories. I've never been to Omagh Pride, but knowing Omagh, it's probably the wee lad and three or four of his mates camping it up, observed by a bemused sheepdog.

"No they didn't call her a mean old fascist transphobe"

So when they "have a plan" - it turns out it's like one of Baldrick's "cunning plans"?

Those emails are..erm.. somewhat similar. Almost as if they have been prompted by the same person to achieve a particular goal.

Pure speculation, of course 🤔

Shes also repeated things MC said ie ‘rubbish’ and something else (but I can’t remember what) and so she is copying his self-belief I think but given she is clearly lying about so much it is not coming over as confident at all.

I’m really struck by NC pulling out from the disclosure dump (SD must have advised MD that if she couldn’t find the actual evidence then to try and confuse the NC/ CE team with mass —- hahahahahaah)
in immediate response to MD trying to pose as good girl — I’m not allowed to ask my team so therefore impossible to locate evidence — that she has included emails that hand my been sent to her and so how did she get them?

there have deffo been discussions going on overnight.

it does seem clear that their strategy in ticking employment law boxes was to test SM with a ‘notional’ ie fabricated therefore insignificant Pride event and which they used to provoke a reaction with that email. They asked her for her mailing list, told her to email them knowing full well what position thr would put her in and then cc’d her in. If that’s not harassment I don’t know what is.

its endlessly strange how people can engage in cruel behaviour to others whilst painting themselves as the good guys.

Yes - dead on 🤣

Now, I'm speculating here, but let's imagine that the non event was actually an event that had been planned for as far back as February.

Where are the emails from these supporters enthusiastically welcoming or even, you know, mentioning the event?

And why do these two emails not say something along the lines of"withdrawing our previous support/can no longer continue" etc that shows they were, you know, planning on being involved?

From NW

NC she is specifically complaining about SM's dangerous opinions
MD they could be in any environment - they aren't necessarily about the rally. That could be alluding to anything
NC this is not a complaint you have to take seriously is it
MD of course i do
NC she's complaining about dangerous opinions

NC you can't police peoples' thoughts can you
MD no I wou;dn't want to
NC literally dangerous - "it's obvious nonsense isn't it - it's hysterical"
MD "no its not hysterical - it's her opinion"
[we move on]

NC and you have not come up with any examples beyond a shared board member and some minor work with Alliance for Choice.
MD I was told to keep things to a minimum in my WS - I can give you lots and lots of examples of having worked with many organisations. [she does so]

MD no there's lots of ways - you can be transphobic or trans critical

Trans critical is a new term to me - sounds like a nuclear reactor about to explode

Ironically that's a pretty accurate description for all these dainty flowers of acquired womanhood threatening women with violence for hurty words.

From NW

MD I probably have about 50 or more [examples] - you could just look through the work we've done over the last 25 years, as SM should have done. There's a whole bundle I've got.
NC you are trying to show us that you have done lots of work and all you've got is work you did in...

From NW

... 2013
MD I've got loads I can give you
NC you've had your chance
MD [laughs - gives long list of women's groups BFF has worked with in the past]
[we move on]
NC look at 5 July email to board:

"I am sending you a note to flag up an issue which has emerged over the past few days, regarding a member of our
staff speaking at a rally in Belfast in April this year.
I have been liaising with the Chair/s to resolve this matter -1 know some of you are aware from social media and
conversations you have had with your own friends and colleagues. The chair/s and I are drafting a statement which
will go out today. I will run it by you all in advance so would appreciate it if you could cast your eye over it before it
goes public.
Michele"