Freedom of Information requests about SEEN and Mumsnet

[carpety]

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/laura_brown_4

Dozens of requests to various public sector bodies asking about SEEN Networks and MN posts made by employees.

https://www.reddit.com/r/transgenderUK/comments/1hobn9b/seen_network/

"There's been discussion here previously of the Sex Equality and Equity Network (SEEN). I've been using Freedom of Information requests to investigate this group's activities, particularly in the Civil Service (where they seem to have originated), and thought people might be interested in what I've learned."

Seems that this requestor is on a mission to unmask heretics.

Yes. They want to stop SEEN.

By doxxing their members and then, presumably, targeting them.

"SEEN is a staff network committed to promoting and supporting sex equality and equity between women and men in our workplaces, and helping all staff to thrive at work and fulfil their potential. The focus of our network is on challenging sex discrimination and upholding rights and protections that relate to sex"

I mean, you can see why!

As can the people they are FOI-ing the arse off.

I can't help thinking the person needs to get out more, if they truly believe this is something to attract the attention of an investigative journalist.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-staff-networks/seen-network#:~:text=SEEN%20is%20a%20staff%20network,work%20and%20fulfil%20their%20potential.

@Datun Indeed and the oddest thing of all is they do not seem to understand that protected characteristics extend beyond TW rights

The investigative powers seem to consist of sitting back and asking "tell me all your information." "But you HAVE to!" "No, you really HAVE to or I'll tell!"

Not sure Jessica Fletcher would've got very far with such limited skills...

Quite. I guess that's what comes of believing your own marketing.

Absolute kudos to her for writing such a brilliant piece. Masterful actually. Maybe Vanessa is a TERF and a member of the SEEN group ! That would be funny.

It's rare in the long years of fighting this that I see chinks of light, but this is one of them.

She must be a nightmare to work with. But she's doing great work illustrating exactly why SEEN needs to exist.

Unfortunately the powers that be further up the chain from her are also captured, and have seen nothing wrong in allowing the most egregious comments made by transactivists to stand on the internal intranet.

However, I think the lightbulb is beginning to flicker and splutter into life as more court cases are won, more sunlight is shone onto this nonsense and the actual law according to Parliament rather than Stonewall is pointed out again and again.

I wish an investigative journalist would look into civil service staff networks like a:gender and the various gender groups to see how much they influence policy. SEEN are just trying to reset the dial.

I wish an investigative journalist would look into civil service staff networks like a:gender and the various gender groups to see how much they influence policy. SEEN are just trying to reset the dial.

Exactly.

Funnier still if she were a Mumsnetter 😂

'Are you now, or have you ever been, a Mumsnet member?'

She's on Bluesky complaining that journalists are ignoring her. What a sad hobby!

It's all very "Kevin the teenager" isn't it? Disputing facts and science, inability to respect how a democracy works and incapable of respecting views different to yours suggests a sad inability to function as an adult.
The benefit for the rest of us is that every time an emotionally incontinent transactivist gets to work online, the rest of the world goes "Aha. Now we see what the problem is".

And that other TRA on BS comparing it to "the Pentagon Papers"

But these people are writing national policy and advising ministers. This is how capture happens, then the unwitting, unthinking majority goes along with it, believing they're doing the right thing.

Clearly the deep state are employing people who think there is such a thing as biological sex, and what is eeeven worse is these employees are on t’internet (especially mumsnet) telling other people about this…. Any journo worth their salt would be keen to uncover this??????

'Story'

THIS
Its key to realise that many people take the easy route.
One loudmouth demanding that a document is worded in a particular way
gets what they want, even if it is illegal (DEI policies)
and there is no proper oversight of ANY government body (thanks to Eric Pickles)

It's a Mumspiracy.

I think many civil servants will have experience of being on the end of FOI requests all aimed at uncovering a big government conspiracy that doesn't exist.

Am I the only one who can't break the decades-long habit of reading 'BS' as bullshit?

I was thinking that. A far more likely story is 'the sinister TRA attempts to suppress lawful free speech'. Be careful what you wish for, pet.

🤣

The Civil Service are very good at politely saying fuck off. I suspect the response will have been a collaborative effort.

Interesting that on Rediit it states SEEN hate it when their activities are dragged into the light. Plus questioning where their funding comes from.

I suspect SEEN are delighted to get the free publicity to promote their aims and make more GC CS feel they can speak up.

I am also interested in funding, I wonder what % of the EDI staff and non-staff budgets are spent on each of the nine protected characteristic? I suspect it may not be proportionate.

I am also interested in funding, I wonder what % of the EDI staff and non-staff budgets are spent on each of the nine protected characteristic? I suspect it may not be proportionate.

Years ago, somebody did a breakdown of how Comic Relief (?) funding for LGBT had, over time, skewed in one particular direction.

Children in Need has also shifted its funding. See the SS here for 2017. (You'll recognise the recently folded Educate & Celebrate in there as well.)

https://liverpoolresisters.wordpress.com/2018/08/16/the-bbc-and-transgender-children/

The following quotes from
www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/3415611-Children-in-Need-funds-group-who-promote-sterilising-children?reply=82366288&utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

BBC Children in Need currently spend £450k on transgender programmes:
£125,861 Mermaids
£115,953 Gendered Intelligence
£91,353 Leicester LGBT Centre
£74,541 Allsorts Youth Project
£30,000 The Proud Trust
£16,580 Hart Gables Tees Valley
£454,288 Total*
see topic in August 2018 for further discussion about CIN:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3330208-BBC-Children-In-Need-withdraws-funding-from-Glasgow-rape-crisis-centre-for-not-doing-enough-for-men-and-boys

Rosie Millard resigned over the delay in responding to her concerns.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5214430-lgbty-scotland-and-children-in-need

Overall, it would be good to know how BBC charitable funding is being divvied up amongst the protected characteristics.

Am I the only one who can't break the decades-long habit of reading 'BS' as bullshit?

Why do you think I used that abbreviation

Talking of sunlight - why doesn't Stonewall itself have a publicly visible list of the organisations signed up to it? Or have I just missed it?
Judging by the version of the list on Sex Matters, (if it's up to date), lots of them are publicly funded bodies so it's information that ought to be in the public domain. (Maybe not for the private companies but even so, why would they want to keep it quiet if they believe in what Stonewall stands for?)