@SwordOfOmens was that you on the OBOD Facebook page too? The name seems similar?
I spoke too soon re OBOD. (The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.) I'd missed some stuff. They sent out a statement after the ruling saying how safe OBOD is for trans people. Then in the recent internal magazine of the order there was a big scolding from Eimear, the chief of the order, about the "hate" posted on Facebook - the hate I saw was from the people closing down those who spoke about women's safety and the reality of the ruling. They were mocked, yelled at, called cunts, and every other post was a demand they be blocked from the group or leave. I'm honestly shocked that it was allowed to stand. It seems to me the height of hypocrisy. On the Hearth, the member's group, it's less abusive, but similar in tone - endless condemnation of "anti-trans" sentiments and praise of OBOD for their liberal stance, very little condemnation of the abuse levelled at GC members or anyone who dared to point out any actual facts about the judgement or the GC stance.
Never seen them speak about VAWG or femicide.
A lot of the members are American and as often happens they think they're arguing with their own ultra-right. They have no awareness of the context, not that I think they'd care if they did.
Eimear is Irish so her political context is different too, but OBOD is a British organisation, and the people speaking were not saying anything illegal or wrong, they were stating beliefs that we know have been judged not to be hate speech, re Forstater, Allison Bailey, etc. They shouldn't have been shouted down for that. I've never seen anyone be spoken to like that in the context of OBOD before, and the leadership seems perfectly happy with it. I'm no stranger to online abuse on this issue, but for it to be pretty much encouraged by the organisation and then for the (mostly) women speaking to be identified as the sole problem and told off for speaking out has shocked me where I thought I couldn't be shocked any more. Of course trans people should be safe in OBOD and of course people should be allowed to express negative opinions re the ruling, whoever or wherever they are, but there is not only one set of opinions on this and they shouldn't be allowed to demonise GC women like this.
Where the FUCK is our safe space? I have not, and would not EVER, speak to or about a trans person the way I've just seen women spoken to and about in what is supposed to be an inclusive group. But it's funny to think just how thunderous the rage would be if I did, versus what happens when GC women are bullied like that - ie, absolutely nothing. Actually, cheers and praise for the abusers.
I'm so tired of this shit. This one really hurts. I get hit by this crap everywhere. work in a creative field and I can't say what I think there. I've just left a lot of spaces/organisations. I would have no career if I was honest (it's very transatlantic.) With family members. I'm left-wing and I'm so sick of so many of my fellow leftists. As fellow neopagans can probably understand it can be quite lonely following this path. No organisation is perfect, but with OBOD I thought I'd found one big enough and well-organised enough that I could participate and maybe find something of a community, maybe even take my kids along to some events. (It can be hard to find child-friendly pagan spaces.)
I don't expect them to agree with me. But nor do I expect to have to see people being verbally abused, not for hateful or actually discriminatory behaviour, but just for agreeing that single-sex spaces should be defined and organised by biological sex. For the safety of women.