National Library of Scotland censors The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht

[OhBuggerandArse]

Took it out of their centenary exhibition because the staff LGBT+ network kicked up a fuss. Craven. This really needs massive public challenge and push back - if the National Library isn't able to fend off the censors we are utterly lost. https://x.com/EthelWrites/status/1955390550494023958

'Graham added: “This is not about taking one side or the other on the trans debate. It’s about the principles of open debate and free speech, which to the national library should be sacrosanct.'

Graham really gets it. Thank goodness. Many excellent points made, particularly the one about the whole point of the exhibition being a representation of the general public's choices, not a display curated by staff.

Sex Matters is on the case: https://archive.is/yFkih

And here's a link with the text of their letter https://x.com/SexMattersOrg/status/1956611890672435654

Blimey Alex Graham isn't pulling his punches is he? I wonder if he'll be next in line for some classic TRA bullying or maybe because he's a man with a lot of power, money & influence they'll be unaccountably silent

article is spot on as well about how senior managers in the public sector seem to be so easily bullied by young activist staff. What is that all about?? How have ppl who are tough enough to have climbed ti the very top so easy cowed by a bunch of 20 somethings with exploratory haircuts?? (I admit I'm assuming scout the hair cuts) even now when they could just mea culpa & put the book back they haven't. Ads the 20 somethings also armed with grenades??

Indeed.

It's very embarrassing and this nonsense of not wanting to piss off the stakeholders now starts to look shaky.

Which stakeholders were they worried about?

They need to tell us.

I'm sorry to hear that your employer is stalking you online, in order to intimidate you. They ought to know that their policies cannot trump national legislation. It does seem that many organisations are simply ignoring it, utterly convinced that they are righteous and entitled, even obliged to harass (predominantly) women in their employ.

I wish you well and hope that after a few more court cases, these intransigent, deluded bullies stop this and crawl back to whichever filthy burrows they've emerged from.

I did have to laugh at -

'because people a dreadful gaslighting book that few care about is not being put in an exhibition'

Given that Bee is referring to a book which appeared on the Sunday Times Bestseller list three times and is currently selling very well again as a result of the tantrum from NLS staff activists who simply cannot bear the idea that such issues as with the ERCC, SPS, etc etc are explained and available in detail for the general public.

(As always, I have taken a screenshot of this post as Bee has a habit of reporting posts which Bee finds inconvenient and then claims the post has been a personal attack).

Right back at you. Thank you for being brave and honest. You are representing the views of many.

I'm sure you're probably aware, and hopefully you won't need any of the following, but just in case:

• You are protected from discrimination and harassment at work, either on the basis of your sex or your beliefs.

https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youve-been-discriminated-against-at-work

'It's a good idea to keep a diary or record of what's happened, including:

• what happened
• how it made you feel
• dates and times it happened
• any evidence, for example emails or screenshots of social media posts
• any witnesses

Keeping a record can be especially helpful if you find talking about the experience particularly distressing.'

Complicated, but you may also be protected for whistleblowing:

https://www.acas.org.uk/whistleblowing-at-work

Organisations that may be able to help:

Free Speech Union
Sex Matters
Citizen's Advice

Plus, as ever, women on here have a vast range of experience and expertise to
draw on and will be happy to listen and/or advise.

Right now, I'd suggest recording anything and everything that pertains to this matter.

people who are obsessively trying to remove a marginalised demographic

Please, @BeeSourianteAgain what does that even mean? If you genuinely want to engage with people whose views oppose yours (rather than trolling them), there is no point in deliberately mischaracterising their views. It just makes you look facile.

Nobody wants to 'remove' trans people. We want to be able to respect and support trans people in the same way that feminism always did before transactivism consciously undermined the defence and support for trans identities by insisting that any such support HAD to be premised on the absurd lie that TWAW and TMAM.

Just having a poke about in the Library's website.

https://www.nls.uk/tools-for-research/psi/

Statement of public task

The National Library of Scotland's ('the Library's') Public Task under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 ('the Regulations') consists of the production, maintenance, and use of documents for the purposes of:

• Preserving, conserving, and developing its collections,
• Making its collections accessible,
• Exhibiting and interpreting its collections,
• Promoting collaboration and sharing of good practice within the library and information sector and,
• Satisfying its operational, legal, charitable, and statutory obligations.

The legal and organisational framework for the Library's Public Task is set out by the functions and privileges that the Library is accountable for:

• Under the National Library of Scotland Act 2012 and associated legislation, such as the Museums and Galleries Act 1992,
• As a legal deposit library and as a library in Scotland, including as laid out in relevant legislation, such as the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, the Legal Deposit Libraries (Non-Print Works) Regulations 2013, and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988,
• As a non-departmental government body in Scotland, including as laid out in relevant legislation,
• As a charity registered in Scotland, including as laid out in relevant legislation, and,
• As laid out in its Strategy, Corporate Plan, Annual Review, and similar documents published on our About us page.

...

https://www.nls.uk/about-us/who-and-what/strategy/

Strategy:

Mission

To enhance Scotland's international reputation by making a significant and lasting contribution to global knowledge and the memory of the world.
Vision
To create opportunities for people to participate in Scotland's rich cultural life as one of the leading national libraries in Europe.
Values
The National Library of Scotland is a place for inspiration, exploration, and enjoyment. Everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

These are our guiding principles:

• Open: We commit to openness and transparency in all areas of our work. We aim to make our collections and our related work free, open and reusable wherever possible.
• Trusted: We provide accurate and reliable information to support debate and discussion.
• Inclusive: We are responsive and inclusive as we build and interpret collections for current and future generations. We will challenge ourselves, our assumptions and our policies in order to create a more inclusive collection and a more diverse audience.
• Connected: We work collaboratively to improve our services and extend the benefits they offer.
• Inspiring: We believe in the power of the collections to change lives through learning, research, discovery and improved wellbeing. We actively support participation in culture and heritage for everyone.
• Responsible: We commit to minimising our environmental impact, and to create a more sustainable, resilient and healthy environment for future generations.

Strategic priorities

• Priority 1: Safeguarding collections
• Priority 2: Improving access
• Priority 3: Engaging audiences
• Priority 4: Supporting learning, research and discovery
• Priority 5: Developing the organisation

Even more Strategy:

https://www.nls.uk/about-us/who-and-what/strategy/latest-strategy/
....
'The Library will address the silences, including historical biases, in our collections. We will analyse our inventory to identify and recognise under-represented communities to allow us to create a more representative national collection into the future.
A powerful backdrop to our deliberations has been a strong sense of Scotland’s historical and cultural past. Few countries have more fully embraced the ability of literacy, education and civic discourse to improve their people and develop their economy. The Library will continue to be a place where ideas, debate and discussion take place.'
...
'Although the Library has always been a strong advocate of open access, we know there are socio-economic and geographical variances in how people engage with the Library. Accordingly, themes of equality, diversity and inclusion underpin the new strategy and we know this is an area where we must strive to make our collections and services more representative of the whole nation.'

It's kinda fun that the people who are obsessively trying to remove a marginalised demographic are complaining about being "censored" because people a dreadful gaslighting book that few care about is not being put in an exhibition.

'Gender critical' activists truly are some of the most embarrassingly over-privileged people

It is an art form.

How you make each point a projection about yourself and the people who support you or you post in such a way that ends up supporting the people you seemingly sought to demonise.

That takes skills! Well done!

It is amazing how women’s words, are being censored and silenced.

And I am even surprised BeeS Again how well you grasped that the book does indeed cover how women and children have been gaslighted and how dreadful that really is to be happening in 2025! And yes, isn’t is incredible to see the developments in Scotland over the past couple of weeks where women have indeed been cancelled, marginalised and silenced. Such as a group who had a private booking at a venue had their event cancelled while they were all there, the deputy FM has now been retrospectively cancelled from a fully and well publicised event where she was interviewed on stage about her legally held views, and this book not be displayed. All due to the activist staff at each place demanding that their political views be centred by their employers in venues that are not specifically political owned venues, but ones open to all members of the public to enter.

It is indeed a great example of marginalising female people’s voices. It is misogyny in action! Well done in realising it BeeS Again.

The last sentence was projection though. But you helpfully highlighted gender critical so we could tell you were projecting. Because, considering what has come to light about women’s voices being cancelled, I doubt any reasonable person reading your post and understanding the events would even think you were expecting to be taken seriously.

People suspected you were a double agent and secretly posting in assistance for female people’s needs. I had my doubts. But now I can see why they think that.

Some might say that a poster who likes to come on and trumpet their views, sneer at women a bit, and then fuck off again, isn't really showing the gender movement in its best light. But hey ho.

Ooh, this is an interesting development. Glad to see the pressure is keeping up.

Well who could have guessed that would happen? FAFO indeed.

Thanks @giuspeace - I've saved the complaints address ( that's https://www.nls.uk/contact/ in case anyone else wants it! ) so I don't lose it in the thread again. I'll send something a bit later on

Absolutely not showing and credibility to the ideological activism that supports gender identities being priorititised over sex when sex matters, no.

Rather highlights the disjointed, illogical, ambiguous mess of thinking behind it all.

And always shines a beacon on the misogyny. Every single time.

Column from Susan Dalgetty: https://archive.is/5oeo6

That is incredibly disappointing. Thank you for trying - it takes a lot of bravery to stand up and be counted in a situation like that, and I'm (we are all!) hugely grateful to you.

This must be an incredibly stressful time for you. Thank you though, for raising this directly.

Stop trying to shoot the messengers. We're your mums, we want your marginalised demographic to stay healthy and do well in life no matter how annoying you are. Yes, long life with physical and mental health are privileges and we'd like you to keep yours. Nobody really wants to grow up to be a transvestic fetishist in middle age do they? Or to have heart problems and a knackered endocrine system and GU problems? But that is what will happen to quite a few of your marginalised demographic, no matter how much you try to kid yourselves that we're making it all up just to scare you.

(I feel as if I'm saying don't pull that face or the wind will change and you'll stick like it. Do people still say that?)

Yes, and intrigued as to which books he thinks are 'among the worst ever written' :)

“On the opening night of the exhibition, I thought it was fantastic, because I found at least two books in there that I consider to be among the worst ever written,” Graham said.
“I said to Amina I thought that was great, because the whole point was that while some people are inspired by a book, others will hate it. That’s the joy of the society we live in and the freedom that we have."

Did you enjoy the book? @BeeSourianteAgain The actions of TRAs in getting the book removed is showing them in a wonderful light 🥰 I'm sure the Scottish public is fully on board.

They're armed with contacts who can make trouble with the funders. They pretty much said so in the FOI material.

Yep. And some of the rag-tag and drag-along who get hyped up in this kind of situation are genuinely a potential risk. An old EDI colleague of mine, fully signed-up to trans ideology, confessed himself that he was beginning to get worried about how far some of them might go in bringing violence to their protests. However annoying it is to have crowds of middle-aged ladies writing you firm letters, they're unlikely to injure people or property.