Pink News: Alleged sexual misconduct by bosses

[acatcalledjohn]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy9q4zvwldvo

Posted too soon. I may be making this up, but I get the distinct impression that sexual misconduct and abuse is more prolific in the modern "queer" spaces.

Why am I not surprised? The militant TWAW crowd who call GC people nazis and fascists are now facing this. I'm all for freedom of love and self expression, but like everything else they seem to see it as an entitlement. Is that it?

Thank you, I was just about to post this!

The fact that the BBC picked this up and that people are publicly accusing them... could this be the beginning of the end for PeenNews?

As night follows day. What ever became of all the student union queer co-chairs who dominated twitter a few years back then vanished amid allegations of abuse? They were mostly called Jess if I remember.

I'm assuming every one of these muppets is a wrong un until they prove themselves otherwise.

Was about to post about this too.
I think sexual misconduct frequently goes hand in hand with wanting to involve the public in your sexuality and make it your defining attribute because this shows that such individuals place an abnormally high importance on their own sexual gratification.
It is perfectly possible to be gay or straight or bi without constant shouting about it or putting your needs above others but not for some.

Interesting question.

My personal experience with activists and academics operating under the precepts of queer theory, rather than the "outdated" (as we've been told) LGB(T) paradigm, points in that direction. I've seen and heard about things that range from "just" unethical to the illegal and abhorrent.

In some circles it's expected you open yourself sexually to everyone else, especially those at the top.

The most frequent and more egregious abusers are men, by far, but I've also known a handful of women like that, unfortunately.

Asking assorted young female staff to be their surrogate- and then saying 'only joking'. Were they distressed, embarrassed, thinking they'd only been hired for their fertility and vulnerability?

I wonder how much of a joke it really was.

I wonder how many "trans women" they asked.

In some circles it's expected you open yourself sexually to everyone else, especially those at the top.

The most frequent and more egregious abusers are men, by far, but I've also known a handful of women like that, unfortunately.

Sounds about right, it's all about not being vanilla because that is apparently so boring and heteronormative (or whatever they say). Not saying it's exclusive to the queer community because let's not ignore corporate office culture up until pretty much the early 00s, where women were highly sexualised and taken advantage of by senior male bosses, but whilst it's mostly men, it seems those men who identify as and celebrate "queer" seem to be more likely (as a % of a total). The former leader of Pride in Surrey, for instance.

It's depressing.

I wonder how many "trans women" they asked.

How dare you reduce women down to biology. It's all about the feelz.

Hi @acatcalledjohn , we just wanted to let you know that the link you shared does not seem to work. If you would like us to edit it please get in touch by reporting the opening post.
Best wishes,
MNHQ

I also noticed it, if you click on it nothing happens, but if you copy and paste the URL into your browser it does work. Strange.

Maybe something to do with the formatting?

I have reported it and copied the link in the report. Thanks!

This. Misogynistic wankers. Only seeing women for the use of their bodies.

Interesting theory from SEENjournalism:

It’s very possible this reached the BBC in part because trans-affirmative activists have become unhappy with Cohen.

While the allegations are real (if denied) there’s a sincere effort to shift the editorial stance to a more proactively pro-trans position (believe it or not).

https://x.com/JournalismSEEN/status/1866338406340456545

Once upon a time I'd have thought this was tinfoil hattery, but now I've seen too often how trans activists treat some media outlets as their client propaganda channels.

I'd just like to reinforce the notion that sexual coercion through power isn't new or "revolutionary", nor is it non (hetero) normative.

You'd expect better from the people who claim to be fighting oppressive paradigms, though, like those who follow post-modernistic philosophy / queer theory...

... Or not, because one of its founding fathers, who kept denouncing oppressive colonialism and the "micro-chains" of power, chose to go to a former colony and take advantage of the miserable conditions young, brown boys lived in, in order to rape them in cemeteries at night. He also believed aids was a conspiracy and may have infected many men / boys through his aversion to condoms.

This isn't a reflection of what the average gay man is, period. Just of what an insignificantly tiny, but disproportionately vocal and visible percentage, is, and which are very likely to have helped the gross libel that homosexuality is correlated to pedophilia take form.

Oh dear

Gosh, more people who try to trample safeguarding and shout bigots at the (mostly) women who say no turn out to be predators. I’m shocked I tell you!
I view anyone who wants to get rid of safeguarding for children with suspicion, before they get found out.

I'd just like to reinforce the notion that sexual coercion through power isn't new or "revolutionary", nor is it non (hetero) normative.

I fully agree, but I do wonder if there is a direct correlation between the crowd that make their sexuality, sexual preference and gender identity their entire personality and this sort of behaviour.

I absolutely acknowledge that abuse of power is not exclusive to any group, on the contrary. However, as a percentage of a group it seems higher. And then I'm talking about the modern queer community, not all LGB. I mean those who try to convince us that sex is mutable, that people are the sex they say they are rather than the sex they physically are, who support compelled speech, who call women bigots for not wanting men in their spaces. Those ones. The ones who scream, or cry on camera when they have been "wronged". The majority of LGB are entirely sane, but given that a disproportionate number of TIM in prisons are there for sexual crimes makes me think my assumption/impression is not that far fetched.

Very much a "your boundary is unimportant because I identify as oppressed" attitude.

It is not about it being a queer space. Sexual abuse is more common in any organisation where safeguarding is poor. That tends to be particularly true in organisations with a them and us mentality and a distrust of outsiders. It is why sexual abuse is more common in religious organisations, home schooling organisations, boarding schools, etc.
Pink News is the kind of place that is more susceptible to sexual abusers.

There could be more than one factor at play.

That's a good point actually, I hadn't considered that.

This was just on LBC but I tuned in slightly too late to hear who they were discussing. When I found out I was not in the least surprised.

"Any organisation where safeguarding is poor" and where behaviour may not be questioned; whether the reason you can't question it be that God will be angry and you will be shunned, your employer will be angry and you'll lose your job, or your abuser will DARVO and you'll be accused of racism/transphobia - and be shunned/lose your job.

I would have agreed with you if you'd said "LGB", or even, "LGBT", spaces.

All bets are off when it comes to "queer" spaces, though.

They don't tend to be mistrustful of "outsiders" (even LGB ones), they tend to feel existentially superior to everyone else who doesn't share their mindset, regardless of sexual orientation ("queer" heterosexual are not just welcome, they're probably the majority).

All LGB non-"queer" spaces I've ever had contact with have been very mindful of safe-guarding.

Only in "queer" spaces who didn't believe that sexual orientation isn't "fluid" have I been propositioned by polygamous bi women married to men, or harassed by straight / bi men who think lesbians don't actually exist.

I think both @CandyMaker and @sillything have worded my thoughts on the subject much more eloquently than I could have. The separation between LGB & Queer spaces is one I tried to explain but clearly couldn't.