"Guiders Against Trans Exclusion" violent t-shirt imagery

[selffellatingouroborosofhate]

I saw one of these t-shirts in the wild today and realised that the person depicted is holding a large dagger. They could have shown the person holding a torch, a flag, or even a scroll with something like "bill of trans rights" on the ribbon, but no, Guiders Against Trans Exclusion Girl Guiding Actually Being Just For Girls went for a poignard nearly big enough to be a short sword.

TRAs cannot help but display violent imagery in plain sight.

It does not reassure me that GATE supporters are suitable to be looking after little girls.

It would be a good idea to report GATE for inciting violence.

I will look into it later. Might try True Vision, the police's hate crime portal (for a laugh more than anything) https://www.report-it.org.uk/ and maybe even the terrorism reporting tool https://www.gov.uk/report-terrorism

Poor old Bricks. Crushed again!

I prefer

Guiders
In
Tantrum
Strop

(duplicate deleted)

Yes, I was genuinely surprised when I realised that the TRAs posting "Protect the Dolls" thought that THEY were the dolls.

I assumed they were talking about some other set of trans-identified men!

I had a quick look at their insta. I had to laugh as they had Roberta Cowell as some sort of icon. I gather as Cowell aged he referred to transpeople with XY chromosomes who underwent surgery as ‘freaks’ claiming he had some sort of DSD/Intersex condition. I guess reading up on these people is not top of their list.

I had a look at the merchandise on their website and see that they use the term 'Grrrrl Guides'.

It gave me an idea ..... they could set up a brand new unisex organisation called Grrrrl Guides', problem sorted!

They invite Sarah Jane Baker and Matthew Viner along to their protest events.
That group NION are involved too.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FKEhDnQkE/
Hopefully this works.

Isn't it normal for feminist merchandise to show a woman either with a clenched fist or holding a weapon to demonstrate power etc? And isn't a double-sided axe the symbol for lesbians?

It does feel like some activity on this board goes out of its way to target companies which aren't gender critical?

Seriously? A clenched fist vs. a large knife? A stylised symbol from Greek mythology vs. a bladed weapon?

You're scraping the barrel for equivalences there!

The other point you are missing is that the Girl Guides is an organisation for CHILDREN, so it is 100% to associate an image of somebody wielding a bladed weapon with them.

Not just a large knife, but one being held in an aggressive, attacking stance.

Maybe its supposed to be one of those things for piping icing onto cakes (I don't bake so I don't know what they're called)
You know, a nice girly activity for girls and er... grrrrrls

Too late to edit my post above, but I guess you worked out that I meant to say that it was ' 100% UNACCEPTABLE to associate an image of somebody wielding a bladed weapon with them.'

I've also spotted they nicked 'Grrrl' from the 'Riot Grrrls' - yet more appropriation of women's history!

That video was taken at a Guide camp (I assume). Isn’t that a breach of safeguarding? Encouraging violence? Indoctrinating them into a cult? Is Guiding HQ aware of this?

Yes to all of that, they don't care.
Scouts are the same.

And the dolls, musn't leave them out of anything must we.

Right right. Mustn't forget them

Grrrrls and dolls . Got it

There's a difference between a palm-forwards raised fist and a knuckles-forwards raised fist. The first is a claim to power, the second is a violent threat. It's the first we see in feminist artwork.

There's a difference between a labrys used like a heraldic device on a shield or flag, with no wielder or wielded by a disembodied arm, and a weapon wielded by a depiction of a whole person.

Lastly, as another poster said, this artwork is specifically targetted at children and the adults who supervise them. These t-shirts are available in "youth" sizes.

The same guiders wearing these t-shirts showing someone brandishing a poignard in the service of including men and boys would have conniptions if you suggested that the girls spent an afternoon at the rifle range (source: my experience as a Guide), would stop the girls from playing Cops And Robbers using imitation pistols made of kindling and string (ibid), and confiscate the multitool incorporating a UK legal carry non-locking folding knife a fourteen-year-old's parents had given her as a camping tool (ibid).

• Non-violent target shooting: not allowed.
• Playing with bits of stick in a way that resembles violence: not allowed.
• Deciding that your own kid is mature enough to handle a UK legal carry blade as part of a multitool at a camp: not allowed.
• Depicting violent threats in the service of letting men and boys into women's and girls' spaces: A-OK.

The double standards are absolutely glaring, visible from space.

The image is by Nina Maxwell if you look up ninamaxwellart on Instagram, who seems to be a student at York St John university, and this piece was apparently displayed at an exhibition at the university. So I'd suggest anyone reporting GATE should also be reporting the university and artist for displaying the same piece.

Showing this image at a university art exhibition isn't quite the same as
a) wearing it in front of children,
b) wearing it whilst acting in an official capacity for an organisation,
c) wearing it whilst acting as a child safeguarder,
d) encouraging children to wear the image,
never mind all four of the above at once.

But nice try...