Tag: free speech

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Others

Disagreeing with someone does not equal hate

I’m a Christian, and a supporter of free speech. I am dismayed at the increasing intolerance for any unpopular or minority view in the name of “tolerance”. Disagreeing with someone does not equal hate. I believe every person should be treated with full dignity and respect, all of us being created in the image of God – but I don’t believe a man can become a woman, or vice versa. I am also deeply concerned about young autistic teenagers, in particular, being harmed by transgender philosophy and making decisions at a young age which they will regret.

I’ve attended a consultation on Hate Crime (in part because I fear speaking up on this issue will become a hate crime in criminal law as well as in public opinion), and I’ve written to MSPs in relation to hate crime.

I haven’t had any negative consequences – but I am not on Twitter or other social media.

E

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Lesbians

Trans is pure homophobia

I’m a life-long lesbian in her 50s. Trans is pure homophobia and misogyny. I’m a UK RadFem Activist.

I’ve organised opposition, recruited, educated, been on the front-line in demos, protested Prides last year. Direct action including putting Adult Human Female t shirts on five statues in Manchester Piccadilly last year, with one other woman.

I’ve been shunned and ostracised by my local community which is full of woke trans allies. I’ve been physically threatened by a local transwoman, banned from my pub, banned from all Prides, silenced on social media. I’ve had my Medium account permanently suspended.

Belstaffie, UK RadFem writer and activist

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Education

The first lesson for men in feminism was “It’s not about you”

As someone who was told that the first lesson for men in feminism was “It’s not about you” it called me to see men trying to centre themselves, again, by pretending to be more oppressed than actual women and taking time, funding and energy from those women so selfishly.

I have spoken on the topic and posted about it in feminist groups, made sure their voices wouldn’t be silenced when in charge of a uni feminist group and discussed it with friends and family.

The people who took over the feminist org after my graduation wrote a “proclamation” to get rid of the “reputation for ~transphobia~ it allegedly had after me and my successor were there. Furthermore I was hounded by TRAs (trans rights activists) out of several feminist groups online and slurred as a homophobe when accusations of transphobia proved unsuccessful.

Hilmar, Anthropologist, Iceland

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Others

I stepped off my career path in part because of this

Male violence has colored my whole life. Now that I finally understand that and seek to speak out on it, speaking about males and females or attributing male violence to males is “transphobic.” I am being silenced.

I’ve tried to reach out 1-1 with people. I have a sock account where I can speak freely but it’s largely an echo chamber. I still haven’t the courage to speak out publicly or from my real name.

I have lost friends. I stepped off my career path in part because of this but had I not I would have been shoved off.

Cee J, Previously exploited woman, USA

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Healthcare Others

I’m frightened to see these principles being eroded by magical thinking

I care because women as a sex class are being erased, with the intended consequence that we cannot fight for sex based rights we cannot name. I care about children transitioning and ruining their bodies before they know what they are doing. I would have been one of these children if I had been born later. I care about lesbians being coerced into sex with males. I care about the appalling misogyny of the trans movement.

I care about truth, reality and science and I’m frightened to see these principles being eroded by magical thinking. I care about women losing jobs and platforms because they won’t go along with it. I care about freedom of speech.

How can we progress as a society if certain topics are not debated and tested?

I have attended meetings, written to my MP and visited. Stickered the local area. Posted FPFW leaflets to houses in my town. Used social media, twitter, Facebook and mumsnet to pass around information and contest misleading information. I’ve helped to collate information about organisations that are promoting misleading info about puberty blockers. I’ve donated to many GC causes and to Vancouver Rape Relief.

I have been shouted at and harassed at a public meeting. I have had my Twitter account suspended several times. I’ve lost a friend of over 40 years.

Louise W, Happy to be a TERF

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Others

I’m a woman and I should have the right to speak about issues that affect me

This matters to me because I’m a woman and I should have the right to speak about issues that affect me.

I’ve shared information with family and friends. Shared thoughts on Twitter.

I’ve only experienced negative consequences from morons on Twitter.

Helen K, Female. Scottish. I won’t be silenced

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Healthcare survivor

It’s rape culture writ large

I care because I’ve experienced decades of male harassment and abuse so I understand fully the need for safe spaces for women and girls. I am also deeply concerned about children’s natural explorations of their world and themselves being medicalised to the extent of preventing puberty, having dangerous surgeries, and potentially shortening their lives.

Telling anyone, especially a child, that their body is wrong is incredibly cruel.

I care because women and girls have our lives so restricted and policed as it is without what few rights we do have being erased or curtailed.

I care because women of certain religious beliefs are finding their ability to participate in public life restricted by their right to privacy being eroded.

I care because women and girls who’ve been abused (and those who haven’t) are being bullied into sharing spaces with men no matter how vulnerable and/or terrified they might be by this. I care because women are being hounded, gaslit and silenced, deprived of their careers and incomes, bullied in real life as well as online.

I care because men’s rights activists and fetishists are running the trans rights campaigns and damaging not only women and girls but trans men and women too.

I care because young women are asking whether they should date a trans woman even though they don’t want to because if they don’t they’ll be bullied and harassed. And I care because gay people’s, especially lesbian women’s, rights to set boundaries in their sex lives are being eroded. It’s rape culture writ large.

I have responded to posts and shared information on social media. I have built a database of relevant articles to share to back up the women’s rights case and I follow gender critical accounts and people. I have challenged companies like M&S and organisations like HeForShe with regard to their TWAW rhetoric and associated abandoning of women’s rights. I have helped fund various campaigns to challenge the dismantling of women’s and girls’ rights. And I participated in the government’s GRA survey to stand up for women’s rights being retained while promoting additional safe spaces for trans people who need them.

I have been gaslit, bullied and blocked. I’ve also been stalked by TRAs and put on TERF lists. In real life I’m unable to work so have suffered no consequences there, while the very few people I have discussed the issues with have been understanding.

Maat, Human and animal rights activist

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Others

I strongly object to the words we need to discuss our experiences being taken from us

I care about this issue partly from the free speech viewpoint (issues affecting policy and law should be widely discussed, and in general people should be able to state opinions and debate freely) and partly from the viewpoint of being a woman and the mother of a woman. I strongly object to the words we need to discuss our experiences being taken from us, and to our being reduced to a set of stereotypes and a performance of femininity.

On social media, I have supported individuals being attacked as bigots for stating material reality (eg Maya Forstater) or for wishing to discuss the issues (eg Kathleen Stock) I have contributed to crowdfunders and have attended events organised by WPUK. I have discussed the issues with some members of my immediate family.

I have been labelled a bigot by a member of my family, and told “you can’t say that”.

Gail, Retired librarian

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Others

I fought for rape crisis lines refuges and women only services as a 2nd wave feminist

I fought for rape crisis lines refuges and women only services as a 2nd wave feminist. Women having space away from males is vital for their freedom & empowerment. The trans people demanding that men be treated as women just because they say so are putting all of my and other women’s work in jeopardy. Male bodied individuals can be dangerous to women whether they self I D as women or non-binary or not – offending rates of violence and sexual abuse have been shown to remain the same.

I have attended meetings and been very active on social media

I used to work for Galop an organisation calling itself  “LGBT” against hate crime. The services for trans took over and staff started to use hatespeech like “terfs” no one took my problem with this seriously. We were lectured on using “correct” pronouns. Finally I left after a man dressed as a woman followed me into the ladies when we almost alone in the building and was plainly masturbating in the stall next to mine.

I felt I couldn’t report this as he was treated as a woman by everyone else so I left without telling anyone why.

Jay, 2nd wave feminist LGB ally adult female woman

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survivor

I am a survivor of severe, organised abuse in childhood

First and foremost, I am a survivor of severe, organised abuse in childhood.

Secondly, I have worked for decades for women and vulnerable people, including as a human rights lawyer for victims of violence, as a writing teacher with mothers in prison and the community and in groups campaigning on consent.

Thirdly, I am a bisexual woman and was on the ‘gay scene’ for years.

Fourth, I am a parent and work often in education and concerned with safeguarding. I care deeply about this issue because whilst I think every consenting adult is free to have their own beliefs and make choices about their body, the TWAW lobby is infringing the human rights of others, with harmful implications and it is constantly threatening and seeking to close down freedom of speech.

I have spoken about this issue on social media and in real life for the past three or more years. I have written countless posts and emails and I have kept a diary on this issue to process my own thoughts before formulating my own speech in what can be a fast paced and abuse-oriented environment on social media.

I have been called a “terf” many times. I have been ostracized by a group of women campaigning with me on abortion rights (though remained good friends with others). On social media I have been told directly that I am “fascist scum” or I have been patronized as an abuse survivor who is somehow biased, disregarding my qualifications as a human rights lawyer and background supporting people. Other negative consequences include the mental health toll of constantly being “gaslit” implying that I am the person in the wrong. A tactic used by those who want to reframe reality the world over and I know that, yet still so sad and wearing!

Anna Morvern, Writer, speaker, teacheryer, translator