Helen Joyce at the Durham Union

[DustyWindowsills]

I can't see a thread on this ...

Here's Helen Joyce on her recent appearance at Durham Union:
https://www.thehelenjoyce.com/p/breaking-taboos

It went without a hitch, but the final week of preparation and negotiation still comes across as surreal.

The bit that got my attention is her response to a question. When asked whether gender ideology would eventually fail, she pointed out that nasty belief systems – especially those relating to women – can persist. Just look at Afghanistan. She thinks that the US will probably stop giving hormones to kids, but some Democrat states might end up with a "men's right to roam" into women's spaces.

That's bleak.

Bleak, perhaps, but the fact that the talk occurred at all shows how far we have come.

(I'm angry, though, that such a small step should have to be hailed as a triumph. Talks like these used to be commonplace and a chance for students to get involved in debate. Now, just letting a woman speak feels like a milestone)

Ok, so, yeah, bleak.

I love Helen's response here!:

One exception was the welfare officer, who read out a question about why I wouldn’t acknowledge that many, many people had hugely benefited from transitioning, as she knew personally (I said plenty of people would tell you they had been hugely benefited by becoming born again, but that doesn’t mean their beliefs or true or that they have any right to expect the rest of us to accept the truth of their beliefs).

I notice one of the comments is from Peter Bottomly. I remember when he spoke in the parliamentary debate a while back that he turned up with a stack of well-thumbed books, and I think may have quoted from Joyce's book then. Clearly his interest in the topic is as genuine as it appeared. Rare in an MP.

The most amazing thing here is that the Student Union president was told off for inviting her because it’s controversial.

It’s a debating society. Would it be better to choose topics everyone agree on?

As a life member of the DUS (because obscure reasons), I'm thrilled that Helen was there. Well done, Edward!