Row breaks out over event’s single sex policy: bbc

[WarriorN]

Row breaks out over event's single-sex policy https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8jxek8w8m0o

Yes, on reflection they’ve been given an overly generous write up

also as a pp said, the framing of it as “both sides / row” - the women are perfectly within their rights to run such a group.

this is a story of harassment of women already traumatised by abuse

The article and the actions of Terf Watch (conveniently TW) are both despicable and it is utterly incredible that anyone reading the article would go ‘hmm yes those bigoted women’ after reading that trans get their own services but women can’t. But many will.

However, Joshua Askew has slyly and carefully ensured that the ‘both sides’ sleight of hand disingenuous comment has been included as well as ending the story giving TWB the last word.

Knowing full well that the recency bias means people will remember that claim and not Sister Heal buried in the middle.

Edited to add: Just looked him up: Why doesn’t Joshua want to show his whole face on LinkedIn? But he looks young and appears to be a white male (though difficult to confirm because of the flower in front of his face). Anyhow, this is a quote from The Moscow Times: Joshua Askew is a journalist at Euronews. He has also written for openDemocracy and Iran Wire. So, ‘progressive’?

One would have to work pretty fucking hard to show a group (in fact, it seems 'Terfwatch' is one man) who obsessively hate posts about rape survivors, lesbians, and feminists on his wee Instagram as a 'journalist' rather than a very disordered misogynist.

Yes, that is the news story. Its appalling to see it wtitten up like this.

One venue - which the BBC spoke to anonymously - said they stopped hosting the event because of the row that had broken out on both sides

There is no ‘both sides’.

One group is acting in compliance with the law by running single sex events and the other is harassing them.

I hope this gets wider coverage.

This is such a stark example of ‘Stonewall Law’ operating in defiance of the actual law..

I think that sentence will do a lot of good work. Let them speak.

Notwithstanding the both-sides-ism, the BBC article does at least have some great quotes from Rosie.

Around the same time this dropped yesterday, I was reading (in a work context) a forthcoming academic paper that casually referred to "extremists such as trans-exclusionary feminists". The context was historical, relating to sex-based roles and occupations. The author felt the need to tell readers that not all those who can bear children are women, and only extremists would suggest otherwise. The paragraph read as if it had been shoehorned in, and to my mind it derailed the narrative of the article, which was otherwise rather interesting.

I am not in a position to push back against this.

Can you tell us the title of the article or the Journal that has published it?

Just imagine the BBC interviewing a bloke who'd set up a website called 'tr* watch', that published the names and details of men who dressed as women, called them slurs, and called for 'war' against them.

Somebody using a derogatory slur as a title doesn't give the BBC license to use it. There may be all sorts of people who set up groups called 'Insert derogatory slur of your choice - watch' - do they get interviewed by the BBC like this?

As ever.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/

Does this warrant a complaint to the BBC?

You're right, the story is "man / men harass female abuse survivors and block their ability to lawfully meet".

Arguably this article actually makes trans people look pretty bad by implying Terf Watch act on behalf of them.

I have two adopted daughters. People are forever telling me that I need to teach them to be calm in stressful situations etc with absolutely no understanding that they are triggered before their brain has engaged. And their automatic reaction is to flee, which can be really dangerous. They are both adults now and nothing can change this response. They react to perceived danger - they see the possibilities in a situation in a nano second. Imo they need single sex spaces to help them navigate the world safely and it makes me furious when people like Helen Webberley say stay at home if you don't like it.

PTD on reddit:
Is it true that there are also trans inclusive survivors groups in Brighton?
If so, let the terfs have their own group. Absolutely not a hill worth dying on.
Up here in Scotland I still hear colleagues, who don't know I'm trans, mention the situation with Wadhwa at the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre when discussing trans inclusion. Which, with the recent cases around prisons up here, has been a repeated topic in the court common rooms.
And if a lack of trans exclusive services for rape survivors is generally opposed in the context of the liberal middle class that is the Glasgow bar, it must be utterly toxic with the general population.
Obviously a different situation when there are 0 trans inclusive survivors groups.

Link to whole thread
https://www.reddit.com/r/transgenderUK/comments/1rf778l/row_breaks_out_over_events_singlesex_policy/

Yes hopefully more trans people will realise what the hard-line fundamentalist deeply misogynist trans activists are doing on their behalf

It sounds like something that will be deleted soon, they don't like the voice of reason on Reddit, especially if it's supporting women (sort of).

Yes, it makes trans activists look bad. But that doesnt mean the BBC should uncritically lend them credence, nor use the misogynist slur in their title.

I have a 50+ page report to show single sex toilets are a need. The subheadings aren’t a barrel of laughs. I haven’t even mentioned stories about the BBC toilets yet.

I agree. I phrased my post badly.

I think I might complain from both angles though.

Whilst the misogynist bias is unacceptable, I think the way the BBC report hard-line trans activist views as if they speak for all trans people is (actually) transphobic and also dangerous because they're uncritically amplifying borderline terrorist behaviour.

I fully support your comment completely, survivors have every right to be in an environment that caters for them exclusively.

I do not know if you are aware, there are groups for Care Experienced People who are now adults run by the Rees foundation and Care Leavers Association. These groups are exclusively for adults who experienced adoption, foster or kinship care it is a safe space to share challenges they be experiencing and share positive stories too. The community really supports each other and the different experiences we have each had.

Thank you. That sounds interesting. I'm glad it's helping you. My daughters can't handle hearing about other people's traumatic early life stories though. That's another trigger! They did get a lot of 1 to 1 therapy as children, but it doesn't make the triggers go away. Police sirens in particular are a huge problem.

I am sorry to hear this, I should have worded my post better. It is not always a triggering environment where people share explicit stories. It more often an environment of support and understanding of shared experiences. There is a lot of positivity also. I am pleased to read your daughter’s received therapy as children and you sound like a wonderful mother to them. It is always a relief to hear there was and is loving adoptions.

They are on X worth a follow

Statements from Sisters Heal say they are funded entirely by donations. Everything goes towards subsidising single sex counselling and group trauma support for women. Just leaving that information here…

I think that ‘On both sides’ is just a catch phrase now. It doesn’t have to be true. It is probably constantly used as it helps prevent trans activists from claiming they are victims.

Why did the BBC say ‘which she calls transactivists’? They wouldn't say, ‘Which she calls climate change activists.’

Meanwhile they never explained what Terf means and that it is generally used as a slur.