Every time Peter Tatchell mentions 'schools', a member of PIE gets a ghost boner
Every time Peter Tatchell mentions 'schools', a member of PIE gets a ghost boner
This all sounds great, until you remember that Peter Tatchell is the absolute worst person to be talking about all this.
Hereβs the infamous letter Tatchell wrote to the Guardian which he claims was βeditedβ.
When he wrote the letter, we did not have easy access to information on the Sambia tribe. Now we do, and Tatchellβs claim that the young boys subjected to this ritualised abuse turn out to to be happy, well-adjusted young men really depends on how warmly you regard a deeply misogynistic tribe of homosexual paedophiles.
From Wikipedia (content warning)
Maku: This is the first rite of passage for the boys. They are separated from their mothers at this stage and participate in bloodletting (where long sticks are inserted up their nostrils to make them bleed), therefore ridding themselves of their mothers' presence in them. The Sambia people do not believe that males are born with semen and so, during Maku, the boys participate in "fellatio". They are also required undergo a strict diet during this time period, which is from age 7-10.
Imbutu: This stage is filled with camaraderie, male bonding, and rewards for making it through the first set of Rites.
Ipmangwi: During this stage, the boys begin to go through puberty, and they no longer need to participate in "fellatio". They also learn gender roles, and how to have appropriate intercourse. Once they have learned this, they look for a wife and marry during this stage. It lasts for three years as well, during the ages 13β16.
Nupusha: During this stage, the males get married and have appropriate intercourse. This stage happens only after the others have been completed, and they must be at least 16 years old.
Taiketnyi: The males undergo bloodletting again during this stage, as their wives have their first menstrual cycle as married women.
Moondung: This stage is when the women give birth to their first child. This is the final step, and signifies completion of the Rites of passage. They can now be considered full-grown, respectable men.
I always had huge admiration for Tatchell bravely facing homophobic thugs in Russia, but to put it bluntly, I do not trust him when he talks about βempoweringβ children. As Louise Webster put it in a reply to the above tweet βTheir right to say No, also, I assume, means their right to say Yes?β
When it comes to the welfare of children the men of the Sambia tribe have no lessons to teach us, and neither does Tatchell. On safeguarding, we would do better, as always, to listen to women.
He's been spending the last couple of years trying to position himself away from the Stonewall/ Mermaids consortium. That would be all fine and dandy if anyone thinks he is no longer a paedo apologist. What he really needs to do is express regret for those historical articles, which anyone can find online. I used to have a lot of time for him in his SJ mode - remember when he famously tried to citizens arrest Robert Mugabe? - until I found out about all this, and that completely tarnished him, and his other activism for me.
"Combat sexual shame which abusers exploit to keep victims silent." Well yes, but there needs to be massive safeguarding in place when discussing these things with children. Talking about sex with kids who aren't mature enough to understand can also serve to normalise it too young. Although hardly surprising that someone who approves of sex with children wouldn't see a problem there. One person's idea of 'shame' might be what I would say is a right to privacy and modesty with their own body. It really just sounds like a Trojan horse for insinuating himself into children's lives regarding sex and consent.