UK radical feminists; what to do?

[RealRoseCritic]

So there was a question earlier today in one of my groups about TERFs in the UK, why are they so strong there, etc. Let me elaborate on something.

There is something special in mainstream British feminism that is quite different from European feminism(s), but since the English speaking internet concerns mostly the Anglosphere and not Europe, due to us having separate, isolated debates in each country/language, you won't likely ever hear how the UK is substantially different.
It is important to understand the logic of British feminism. Unlike European feminism, which is mostly inclusive and focused on stuff like equal pay, care, safe design of public space and general equity, in the UK it was always about "separate but equal".

British centres of power were always men-only, and many British feminists didn't react the way European women did (aka pushed their way into male spaces, so that these became co-ed spaces), but created their own, separate spaces, which they then aggressively policed the same way British men did with theirs. Add some Victorian prudishness and bioessentialism, that was abandoned in Europe after WWII for obvious reasons, but not in the UK, and voilà, here come British second-wave radfems and the TERFs.

I am from the Czech Republic where I currently live; I lived in Norway, Poland and the Netherlands, I speak fluently multiple European languages and understand few others; I don't say that to brag, but to show my ability to do the comparative analysis, since I study the topic closely.

Out of EU member states, only in Bulgaria and Hungary are trans rights worse than in the UK at the moment, with Hungary being expected to get substantially better soon, and in neither of those two countries are trans people, and especially trans women, as demonised as in the UK.

In all EU member states transphobia comes exclusively from far right places; it is unheard of that liberals or anyone non-far right would say what is absolutely the mainstream in the UK, including Hungary and Bulgaria.
If you are saying the stuff JKR is saying, you are 100 % aligned with far right politics.

We had an attempt by a group of our far right senators to enact a bill proposal similar to what is in the UK, but the proposal was killed within a week before it could have been even voted upon in the Chamber of Deputies. Just for instance.
Scandinavian feminism is focused mostly on fair share of care and chores, German feminism focuses mostly on equal pay, Kita for everyone and the like, Polish feminism is mostly about access to abortion, Czech feminism is mostly about equal pay and safety from domestic violence - I could go on, but all in all, men are welcome to participate and the goal is to create equity for everyone, regardless of their gender. Together.
We don't get British obsession with separate spaces for women, women here are absolutely fine with the way things are, mostly because cultures in the Continent are far less prudish and overall we treat men and women as one people rather than different species.

Moreover, because of civil law rather than common law, we have different approach to legal texts and their interpretations; this makes it different too.
Not just regarding trans rights, but also regarding women's rights, I am often amazed by how much backward the UK is in so many ways compared to the EU (again, including places like Hungary, this needs to be stressed). I often see women in English-speaking debates saying things like "ugh, men" on things that actually concern problems that are specifically British and that stem mostly from both societies' tendency to separate already boys from girls, treating them differently and sexualising women in contexts we don't really see as sexual at all.

We can't really get this across the Channel, because we just don't have the power to do so. For instance Czech debate on feminism is quite isolated; it's interesting, but no more than 15 million people would ever be able to participate in it (CZ/SK) due to the language barrier, the same goes for Scandinavia (17 million), Benelux (28 million), Poland (38 million), or even DACH (95 million). It is nothing compared to half a billion people of the US, UK, CA, AU, NZ and IE that are giving tone to the worldwide debate in English.

So, if you are a British trans woman, you would do yourself a great favour if you moved to mainland Europe. You will be welcomed and cherished (for the most part).

I'm not dissing their work at all. I'm curious about the intention to do it under a neutral name, when he's aware he's often mistaken for a woman. I've decided to keep calling it out because I haven't seen any men on here give a satisfactory answer of why they do it even when women have mentioned feeling uncomfortable. There was a lovely poster on here who posted she wasn't going to come here anymore because she felt uncomfortable that posters she has been engaging on threads about SA had been male. I just don't think women asking men to declare their sex should be a problem and I find it worrying that when male posters get this feedback they still decide it doesn't matter to them

Even though the name was female, I don't think they were pretending to be female at all. I think I just missed it.

edited to add that also, the nature of the posts gave no clue. Sometimes male posting is perfectly obvious.

I think the name was because it was to do with the issue at hand. I don't attribute any more motivation to it than that.

But ok, you have your views, I have mine. Both are valid, obviously.

Funnily enough, I always read it as Mrs Soho. Despite it not saying that at all!

And so will SSSIS.

So did i to start with, but 'maybe it's because I'm a Londoner, that I love London Town' 🎵

Yes and I found his contribution that he decides when his sex matters disappointing. Is there a reason you're so bothered on his behalf? Is this the worst possible thing that could happen to a man that he's addressed and called out on a man and having a blind spot? C'mon now...

Oh God don't, it might be like Beetlejuice.

Only when there's an election hoving into view.

Oh, wait..... 😬

Hmm that's weaponised DARVOed lesbophobia too.

I thought that only applied to everyone's favourite lawyer.

I’m not bothered in his behalf, I’m bothered by someone policing others posts. Either we can all contribute how we wish, or we can’t.

Likewise.

Funny how your mind reads something that's not there.

They did a thing at Charing Cross Station years ago, when they started the sentences and ended the with the correct letters but jumbled up the middle, I can't remember exactly what it was trying to campaign for, but my brain easily sorted it as i strode by in an early morning commuter haze.

I always read Bailey's name as Bailey O'Nice, so his "clever" motte and bailey pun totally passed me by.

Likewise, and contextualised his madness given the state of Ireland at the moment in these issues.

Maybe I should ponder whether I'm a Red-Tooth Brush or a Red Toothbrush.

I have never considered the possibilities.

Well i for one will view you entirely differently depending on which you choose 😂

Clear language matters! Who knew?

I genuinely don't care. It's not important to my identity. The sky won't fall in.

My username was the very first thing that came into my head and wasn't already taken. There's zero significance to it, of any kind. No hidden meaning or great backstory. It's just made up nonsense.

Isn't that what you're doing? I'm not doing anything to SSS except ask why he can recognise the issue with other posters being "dudes" while saying he doesn't think his sex is relevant. I'm not policing what men can post, I've asked @SingleSexSpacesInSchools and @1984Now to explain their rationale of why they choose not to have noticeably male usernames and how they view other posters given they don't declare their sex. Im not policing them to respond.

Either we can all contribute how we wish, or we can’t.

Not stopping anyone contributing. I sometimes choose to contribute under this username to highlight male posters, as I wish to. Given the reactions and messages I get from other women on here, they appreciate finding out who's male.

Policing peoples user names is a new one for me.

No that’s not what I’m doing. I’m pointing out your hypocrisy in saying you can post how you wish but others can’t. SSSIS’s user name relates to his campaign so makes perfect sense. There a quite a lot of males with GC views who regularly post here and more often or not, it’s hard to tell what sex they are. And also more often not, I personally don’t think it matters. We all want the same thing. In fact, if you were to google my user name, most would assume I’m also male.

I don't give a shiny shite if SSS or 1984 are men or women. As far as I'm concerned they're posting here to put forward the same arguments and points as the rest of us, who are arguing against the OP and Gretel.

If you're really bothered about men posting on MN go and start another thread about it.

Yes, it's all getting a bit Popular Front of Judea today, and I don't think it's relevant.