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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

The latest fallouts in GC world

976 replies

Pluvia · 11/12/2024 11:06

My terfing energy has been focussed elsewhere in recent months and I haven't been here or on TwiX or social media much. Now I've taken responsibility for tweeting/ comms on behalf of a small but potentially significant LGB group and I discover that there seems to be something going on — another schism — in GC world. Jane Clare Jones's name seems to be coming up a lot. Something seems to have gone on but I can't work out what.

If it was my own account I'd just ignore, but the followers of this account are bringing it up and seem to expect an opinion to be expressed or a side to be taken. Also I'm seeing a lot about 'ultras' and 'lites', which is new to me. Can anyone enlighten me? I need to tread carefully.

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Datun · 13/12/2024 20:29

Pluvia · 13/12/2024 17:17

But it's certainly been my impression that there is an actual pushback against repeal of the GRA. And not just because it feels like an uphill struggle. But because there is still a belief in what we used to call true trans.

I think any pushback (which I'm not aware of) is more to do with being pragmatic. I don't prioritise repeal of the GRA because I don't have the energy to still be embroiled in and crowdfunding for this in five or more years' time. I certainly don't believe in 'true trans'. I want to use the momentum created by the GC movement, and all the consciousness raising we've achieved, to campaign against surrogacy, for the Nordic Model, rebuild the lesbian community and focus on the appalling damage porn is doing to our society. I don't want to be hammering on about the GRA in 2030 if strengthening the EA 2010 will do the trick. There are those who are prepared to take the GRA fight on and I'll be glad if/ when they're successful. But please don't tell me that I'm a true trans believer because I'm not waving a flag for repealing the GRA.

This summer I attended this event on the Equality Act.
The group who organised it had no idea what the participants (Jo Phoenix, Akua Reindorf, Maya Forstater and Helen Joyce) were likely to say and their brief to the speakers was to use the EA 2010 as a kicking-off point to a wider discussion. The venue was booked and the title proposed months before the event and months before the GE was announced.

The title was intended to be as anodyne as possible so that the university on whose premises it was held couldn't justify banning the event. As things turned out, the GE was called and suddenly the EA was being cited everywhere. On the night, to the surprise of the organisers, all the speakers came out against trying to repeal the GRA: Akua Reindorf explains in the video why in her opinion it would take years to do so. Maya and Helen agreed. On the whole I trust their pragmatism.

So please, @Datun, don't assume that anyone who's not totally committed to repealing the GRA is some GC-lite true trans believer. That's very unfair.

It's not an assumption, Pluvia, it's an impression. And it's not about anyone who's 'not totally committed to repeal'. I see women all the time not working towards it, but going down different avenues. And I don't think any one path is more important than any other.

Datun · 13/12/2024 20:40

CandyMaker · 13/12/2024 14:35

She can do what she wants. But the way she runs them gives a platform and helps to legitimise the far right. I do not think that is a an accident though.
But in many ways it does not matter. Since the election debacle, KJK has pretty much faded from view. I never see her opinions now unless I seek them out. Before the election there was a point where she was beginning to get wider traction, she has now sunk back into obscurity. So what it does not really matter what she does.
I see the extreme right wing seeking out another alternative to promote their views.

She gives women a platform. She doesn't give a flying fuck what political party they belong to. It's irrelevant.

And I hardly think being plastered all over the news in Australia is being sunk in obscurity. But perhaps you're not aware of that case?

ResisterOfTwaddleRex · 13/12/2024 20:49

The irony that KJK is "obscure"

Helleofabore · 13/12/2024 21:20

spannasaurus · 13/12/2024 16:08

Birmingham and Australia come to mind. There may be others but can't remember which events.

The whole point of LWS is that any woman can speak (and sometimes penis havers if there is enough time). You literally just have to walk up to the mic when KJK asks who wants to speak next.

Twice in Australia, and I can think of two or three times here but I have not watched the live streams now for a couple of years.

What happens is that either they try to steal the microphone or equipment or they just spout mantras and miss an opportunity to have a discussion. Or when they do try to have a serious moment, they give misinformation and expect people to not challenge it.

Usually the extreme trans activists are loudly protesting though and why should someone who has just been trying to drown out women’s voices be expected to make proper use of the time.

Helleofabore · 13/12/2024 21:20

ResisterOfTwaddleRex · 13/12/2024 20:49

The irony that KJK is "obscure"

Yes, so obscure she lives in people’s heads rent free.

MrsOvertonsWindow · 13/12/2024 21:24

Helleofabore · 13/12/2024 21:20

Yes, so obscure she lives in people’s heads rent free.

Every week it seems we see more poor souls with KJK derangement syndrome. Fortunately it's a rare condition, given the state the NHS is in but goodness, don't they demand a lot of attention?

Helleofabore · 13/12/2024 21:24

😁

CandyMaker · 14/12/2024 00:08

MrsOvertonsWindow · 13/12/2024 21:24

Every week it seems we see more poor souls with KJK derangement syndrome. Fortunately it's a rare condition, given the state the NHS is in but goodness, don't they demand a lot of attention?

Nice. Making up a condition name for people who disagree with you.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/12/2024 00:49

I do find these KDS posts truly fascinating, @MrsOvertonsWindow

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/12/2024 00:54

The pushing of a biased narrative as fact

The inability to engage with people and rebut counter arguments

The oversensitiveness

The pettiness

The not even condemning violence or ever admitting she has any point in anything she does at all

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/12/2024 01:06

And now we learn, from the totally reliable source on this thread, that the NHS would probably have carried out the Cass Review anyway so there was no need for politicians to get involved.

TempestTost · 14/12/2024 02:19

ResisterOfTwaddleRex · 13/12/2024 13:57

If you’ve not been shouted down in person, lucky you. Some of us have been trying to say “can we please discuss Repeal?” and been immediately dismissed. And when you find others who’ve had the same experience, it turns out it’s very similar indeed. Spookily so. We aren’t even being given the opportunity of discussing it - it’s all rather #nodebate.

And safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults is not “high school clique bs”.

I'm sorry if you feel people have shouted you down, but if you are going around implying those who don't agree that is the best approach don't care about safeguarding children I am not surprised you aren't getting a good reaction.

In every post you seem to be making an assumption that anyone who doesn't think the best idea is now to call for repeal take that view because somehow they think it's a great law, and like what it does. Which is a really strange thing to think.

TempestTost · 14/12/2024 02:22

CandyMaker · 13/12/2024 13:43

This simply is not true.
Euroscepticism has always been a cross party issue with both people in the left and right wing supporting EU or being sceptical, although often for very different reasons. It nearly tore the Conservative party apart.

Tariffs and protection of industry has also always been a cross party issue. Usually the left wing calling for tariffs and protection of industry to support jobs, and the right wing calling for them to support business owners. Both left and right have had those against tariffs as well.

Immigration has always been a cross party issue as well. The extreme right wing tend to lie about immigration and make up narratives that simply are not true. But the mainstream right and left wing both support some immigration, but both want limits. They disagree on the details.

To some extent, but I think you are very naive if you don't see the way these all have become polarized left right issues, and largely in a way that is almost the opposite of the way they used to be understood.

The left now not only seems to want to suppress policies they once supported, they often don't seem to remember that 5 minutes ago they were arguing for the same kind of thing.

TempestTost · 14/12/2024 02:29

Bookery · 13/12/2024 15:43

In fact, you could argue feminism has been more successful from the right. We've had three women prime ministers from the right

The political affiliation itself doesn't paint the full picture on whether feminism can be considered to be more successful from the right because there are female politicians from conservative parties (not just in the UK, but in other countries as well, as I've noticed ); the questions we would be better off asking are, what kind of pro-women policies conservative female politicians have proposed and/or enacted? Have their conservative stances on other issues had a positive or negative impact on women?

Sometimes even in politically conservative countries conservative female politicians are elected to be heads of state/government, but that does raise a few questions: would they have been elected if they were not conservative? If not, why are some people less accepting of the notion of liberal female Prime Ministers/Presidents? Is it because that might be a little "extreme", being both female and liberal, in their eyes?

Would they have been elected if they weren't conservative?

You seem to think being willing to have a woman as the most important political leader in a nation only counts if it is a left wing woman. And presumably puts in the kind of policies that left wing people would like.

This is the kind of thinking that alienates large numbers of women from feminism, and people from the left. Women are allowed to have their own political views, and a bunch of self appointed activists don't get to usurp that or say their political successes don't matter.

TempestTost · 14/12/2024 02:40

JoandArcFeminist · 13/12/2024 19:28

This is where I'm at.

I was convinced that ultimately the GRA ought to go, but I've also been convinced by a few different people (most recently and clearly the LGBA released a vid of a panel including Michael Foran, who has lots of good info, including why Forstater won on the basis of 'belief' and this probably being more useful for future legal cases, even if I think framing it as a 'belief' isn't ideal) that other kinds of legal campaigns and cases might make a bigger quicker dent (eg FWS!)

I tend to think this too.

I think that right now a direct attempt to repeal it will create some legal entanglements that will be time consuming and expensive, and create a lot of pushback not only among activists, but a lot of people in the public who now have goodwill to many elements of the GC cause. It's even possible that a legal case or legislation might fail.

On the other hand, by making it toothless,it will not only protect from many of it's issues, it will become far far less appealing for people to get it - it won't give them anything, individually or in principle. The face of the whole GI movement is likely to change significantly over a period of time.

So fewer people will want one, and people will stop caring about it. Given a bit of time, repeal might make sense then, and will create little pushback.

AnotherDayComeMonday · 14/12/2024 03:25

The new latest falling out in GC world looks to be between feminists and podcasters, aka podcast bros. This exchange in the screenshot is in reference to the woman who was penetrated by 100 men in a day and the feminist analysis that she is a victim of porn culture and exploitation.

The latest fallouts in GC world
JessaWoo · 14/12/2024 03:26

@Datun

And I hardly think being plastered all over the news in Australia is being sunk in obscurity. But perhaps you're not aware of that case?

FYI: She isn't plastered all over the news at all.

ResisterOfTwaddleRex · 14/12/2024 04:54

TempestTost · 14/12/2024 02:19

I'm sorry if you feel people have shouted you down, but if you are going around implying those who don't agree that is the best approach don't care about safeguarding children I am not surprised you aren't getting a good reaction.

In every post you seem to be making an assumption that anyone who doesn't think the best idea is now to call for repeal take that view because somehow they think it's a great law, and like what it does. Which is a really strange thing to think.

For those who don’t believe me: try asking one of the figureheads directly about it. And ask someone else to do the same. Compare the lines each of you gets. You’ll see what I mean.

Datun · 14/12/2024 08:46

JessaWoo · 14/12/2024 03:26

@Datun

And I hardly think being plastered all over the news in Australia is being sunk in obscurity. But perhaps you're not aware of that case?

FYI: She isn't plastered all over the news at all.

She's on the Australian broadcasting company, Australian sky news, in the Star Observer, the Age. Here she's in the mail, the Guardian,The Telegraph.

Hardly sunk in obscurity.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/12/2024 08:56

I'm sure it makes some people feel better to pretend KJK is completely obscure, but it isn't true.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/12/2024 08:59

Here she is on Megyn Kelly's podcast, Megyn has over three million subscribers

DrLouiseJMoody · 14/12/2024 09:46

Ereshkigalangcleg · 14/12/2024 08:56

I'm sure it makes some people feel better to pretend KJK is completely obscure, but it isn't true.

And the notion that "ultras" aren't doing anything beyond posting on X (which, incidentally, Jane Concise Jones has described as her "workplace" and criticism as "workplace harassment.") I'm part of several activist groups and the women I know are e.g. trying to influence things locally, protesting outside venues, and meeting their MPs. Just because there are no shiny selfies from parliament or conferences with "names" doesn't mean that things aren't getting done.

Upthread, I also saw a skewed narrative that Jane has been the victim of extreme abuse. Yes, some of the memes were unpleasant and upsetting, but it's not exactly like waking up with a horse's head in your bed, is it? I've been sued four times, lost my post, had police involvement for a litigious stalker (everyone knows who), and in the middle of it all my wife dropped down dead and a distressing narrative of domestic abuse was propogated by certain "feminists" who weaponised the death. So I'm thoroughly uninterested about a few memes and more provocative comments because that's all they are: provocative at best.

If Jane is a victim, it is only of her own machinations.

Floisme · 14/12/2024 09:54

I had a bit of a soft spot for JCJ until the Radical Notion episode when, in my opinion, she crossed a line. I've still seen things written about her that make me quite uncomfortable so I can only imagine how she must find them. I'm talking about comments that have little or nothing to do with her writing so I can only assume the point of them was to cause upset.

Floisme · 14/12/2024 09:57

Anyway going back to safeguarding, I think it's quite possible that I don't understand it very well. I'm not in that field and the last training I had that touched on it was years ago. Is there any recommended reading - preferably nothing academic - that might help me get up to speed?

AlisonDonut · 14/12/2024 10:39

Floisme · 14/12/2024 09:57

Anyway going back to safeguarding, I think it's quite possible that I don't understand it very well. I'm not in that field and the last training I had that touched on it was years ago. Is there any recommended reading - preferably nothing academic - that might help me get up to speed?

To understand safeguarding, you have to understand that unless the tutor tells everyone in the room during safeguarding training, there there WILL BE people in that room taking the safeguarding training, who are only taking the safeguarding training to get close to kids, then they don't understand safeguarding either.

Everything else has to fall under that lens.

Everything should be 'if I had to stand up in a court and defend my actions, did I do enough to observe, protect, flag up and refer?'

Everything should be around 'does someone have eyes on the kids/vulnerable people and collegaues for their, and their own colleagues sake'.

Is there a defined referral system? Does everyone know what behaviour is acceptable and what isn't? What are the professional boundaries that everyone needs to stick to? How do we ensure everyone has eyes on at all times? How do we move around the site to ensure we cover the whole area? What happens when something needs flagging and who do you flag to? Who else can assist in making a decision? Is there a review when something is flagged with all the team? Is the policy still fit for purpose? Do any procedures need amending? Do we need to bring another body in? Do we have to report an external agency and who to? Honestly, I could go on for hours about what questions to ask.

Honestly, the whole team needs to be reviewing any out of ordinary behaviour and doing something and documenting what they have done.

In fact, they also need to be aware of perfectly ordinary behaviour in some instances as well.

Remember when they were looking for Holly and Jessica, the news crews were asking everyone to look out for anyone behaving weirdly. I remember shouting at the TV 'No, everyone will be behaving weirdly, look for the person behaving normally'. Cue, the man who did it, on the news, perfectly calm.

Although these days, courts are not about keeping paedophiles away from kids it would seem. Which makes it even more important to keep your own policies at the forefront of everyone's minds.

So for Genspect, they could easily have not promoted books by AGPs, could have not invited an AGP to their conference on a free ticket, could have stipulated 'Business Dress only', could have hired a safeguarding expert onto their board to look at their policies and could have just accepted that for a conference where teenagers actually were, promoting AGP men is actually dangerous as it legitimises AGP men. But they didn't even consider any of that to be an option, didn't learn and have still not hired someone with some expertise in this area.

I used to run a very small training company, and our safeguarding policy and processes were longer than the council we used to get funding from. And that was a decade ago, long before the boys in girls changing rooms was a thing. Or before the advent of tiny cameras in mixed sex facilities.

Genspect's is one page of A4 and Stella is the Safeguarding Lead. Stella who doesn't even understand Safeguarding and tweets what she tweets about those who raise Safeguarding as an issue in this arena. Calling us Ultras.

Lisa Muggeridge on You Tube is a good place to start from her videos about 6 years ago. If you really want to get into the weeds.

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