From the pedal bin

A letter to an old friend

Dear Stewart, 

Long time no see! How are you doing? The last time we spoke we had a nice chat at a music festival. I believe it was about two years ago and therefore right at the centre of various attempts to destroy my ability to make a living because I was standing up for women's rights and vulnerable children. It surprises me you didn't have the courage to raise any concerns with me then, as now you have included me in a list of people who should be "put in the pedal bin". I'd love to know what I've done to offend you or where we disagree. 

Let’s take a small number of the central issues and discuss them here. I think it might be useful for our respective audiences to see where we stand. 

Do you believe it is possible for children to be “born into the wrong body”? Are you aware that this notion has now been debunked even by organisations who previously relied on that phrase to promote the medicalisation of children’s identities? Do you think the prominent UK organisation who used the phrase, Mermaids, provides a useful service for these young people? Are you aware that the only professional working for them is currently the subject of the second-longest medical hearing since that of Andrew Wakefield? 

Do you know that Detrans/Reddit has increased from less than 1k members to over 24k members since feminists and their allies first spoke up about the plight of detransitioners? As the experiences of Keira Bell and Sinead Watson show, the stakes could not be higher, so could you clarify where you stand? Do you agree with me that their voices of detrainsitioners are crucial to this debate and should be amplified where possible?

What are your views on the many accounts of homophobic parents transing their gender nonconforming children to "fix" them as have been reported by whistleblowers at the Tavistock?  Do you discount these reports and if so, for what reason?

Do you believe that men should be allowed to compete in women's sports? Their male bodies give them a massive physical advantage over women. Three women have been beaten up by males in MMA fights so far. Many sportswomen testify they cannot speak up for fear of losing places on teams and sponsorships. Do you think this is fair?

Do you discount the testimonies of young lesbians who report they have been coerced into sex, some even sexually assaulted, by trans-identified males? If so, on what basis?

Just recently a male prisoner in Washington who killed nine women has identified as a woman and is now being housed in the female estate. Do you feel that female prisoners, one of the most vulnerable populations in the world, should be forced to share cells with male prisoners? 

95% of female prisoners are in there for petty crime and they benefit from prison programmes that focus on self-esteem and personal growth. Female prisons have always been reasonably low on security and high on self-development. On the other hand, 48% of of convicted transgender prisoners have committed sexual offences. Now that transwomen can be housed in the female prison, the resources that were previously spent on self-development are now being spent on security. You display your left-wing credentials by praising Owen Jones and the Guardian, how does this square with your lack of concern for women in prison?

Do you condemn the death and rape threats sent to JK Rowling? If so, will you do so explicitly? Perhaps you could sign this letter. Vladimir Putin isn’t on there, but I’m afraid I am, as is John Cleese. Hold your nose!

I want to thank you for one thing. When people stick their heads over the parapet on this issue from the other side, they tend to reveal that they haven't thought much about it much beyond the very little they need to bloviate and condemn others. I'm sure that's not the case, as you’re a thoughtful, Oxford-educated chap, so I look forward to your answer to these questions. You can send the reply to my email, which you could have used at any point over the last two years to point out where I’m getting all this wrong.  

all the best,

Graham Linehan