I take comfort from reading this. I've been a Labour member for over 40 years but can barely own up to it lately because of shame at the "woke" dogma spouted by our MPs and many "kind" colleagues.
I know I'm not alone - there are many Socialist women who feel the same as I do. We gain strength in working together. This fight is bigger than Party lines.
Absolutely. I first developed an interest in news/current affairs/ politics (1974) aged 8! I thought the left was progressive about emancipation of women, but a significant majority of LP supporters and socialists I encountered were lamentably regressive. I expecting a melting pot of progressive ideas, only to discover most socialists were inclined to arcane "a women's place is in the home" mentality. I believe much of current left wing misogyny re: gender zeitgeist can be traced back to this attitude.
What’s so wrong with Mary Whitehouse and the Patriarchy? Both knew/know men can’t be women and that women don’t have dicks. Not perfect by any means but at least they never allowed men run amok in women’s safe spaces or fully intact males take over female sports.
Bless. I cordially suggest you attempt to practice what you are preaching.
"What’s so wrong with Mary Whitehouse?"
Homophobic. Ignorant. Demonstrably wrong regarding censorship as despite viewing and listening to all of those "dreadful" things, the corrupting effects she predicted didn't happen to her.
"What’s so wrong with the Patriarchy?"
Patriarchy has oppressed women for 1000s of years and continues to do so. Women have yet to attain emancipation. Us men remain largely in charge including of women's single sex spaces and places. Contrast this with the progress trans women have enjoyed in a few short years. I can't think of anything more patriarchal than putting males who wish they were female before natal women. What about you, champ?
But ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend’ has limits. Perspective check: didn't the homophobic bigotry excreted by MW cause exactly the same harms the Jolyon Maugham brigade are inflicting today?
No I am delighted! White Tory prime ministers in recent years have screwed up the UK. Time for some sensible people like Kemi Badenoch or Nadhim Zahawi or Suella Braverman to take over the Tory party. Sadly Pritti Patel has turned out to be weak and all mouth - bit like the lefties…
In your specific case that's almost certainly true. After all "it's just a bit of fun" is the go to excuse for ignorant blowhards, bullies, abusers, etc, when called out.
I have sold condoms in TCD’ students union shop when it was punishable by a prison sentence, opposed the Catholic Church, the Provo IRA, Islamists, Iran and every other crowd of bullies etc. that come my way.
I proudly defend the Jewish state of Israel even though I’m not Jewish.
I have earned the right to speak. Pipsqueaks can’t shut me up.
You are right, but where are all those great men of the patriarchy standing on the wall while women are being dunked in the water with transgender? We did not invent those!
It seems to me as LP/LD/greens have jumped on the gender id extremist bandwagon/spouted more demonstrably anti-science drivel The Johnson, with his long record of being a chancer and opportunist, realised the wide open goal was too good an opportunity to miss and started taking shots.
The sad fact is that the great majority of men (and a huge lot of women outside the feminist ‘world’) don’t seem to know what is going on, or if they do, they don’t understand it. That’s mostly the fault of the left-captured media and BBC etc.
There is also a serious problem of alienation from politics in the West as, like it it not, ‘politics’ has increasingly been captured by the NGO class, billionaires like Soros and the Google and Silicon Valley scoundrels. Also, it has to be said, ‘feminists’ of all stripes have pissed off a lot of working class men and women with their PC rot over the last thirty years so it is easy for the ‘poor me’ Trans fanatics to fool people into thinking they are no threat to women.
Possibly men who need to ask "what’s so wrong with Mary Whitehouse and the Patriarchy?" also "don't seem to know what is going on, or if they do, they don’t understand it." hth
Nelson Mandela made the point that in overcoming apartheid, he had to deal with politicians he had very little in common with. Holding ones nose whilst engaging in a common goal is a necessary part of team work. There were lots of people at work that I didn't get on with on a friendship basis yet I was able to work with them on a day to day basis. I see very little difference here. Matt Walsh is anti women's rights, but he does at least recognise that we are a biological class of people. We need to use his platform and others on this issue in order to gain critical mass. Given that the left refuses to even have this discussion we cannot win this war by playing purity politics.
I don't believe that Matt Walsh is a misogynist. He jokes as if he is but it's satire ! I really don't care about his politics ,all I care about is that he's fighting for women's rights and the safeguarding of children. We need people like him on our side 🙏
I don't believe him calling women who have had an abortion murderers is satire, nor is his casual sexism towards his wife or stating that women who refuse to take their husband's name is a red flag for men as they are not subservient to their husbands. I care about his hatred of women's equality, I just think unfortunately the left has put us between a rock and a hard place on this. Andrea Dworkin understood that men from both sides of the political spectrum hate us ... and she's right.
I think removing abortions, registering pregnant women to prevent them moving across state lines, resisting rape laws within marriage and a host of other right wing talking points is equally pants wetting imo ... but then those issues don't effect men much so maybe they don't register with you.
Exactly, and DNA from the abortion will determine the rapist anyway. Once again, a man who doesn't understand basic biology trying to determine women's lives based on their own ignorance
I agree. Say you're a communist electrician working on a housing project; you can co-operate where necessary with a tory plumber without betraying your political ideals..
Co-operation only becomes "aligning with" if you're starting to lose your independence of mind and slip into "groupthink".
Exactly, this kind of purity is a form of elitism or hierarchy that makes effective teamwork impossible as everyone is vying for total supremacy of the group. It has been fostered by neo liberal politics mixed with post modern substitution of degrees of discrimination as opposed to wealth being a new form of power. Whatever the scale, women are always on the bottom regardless.
Of course the Tory plumber would do all the work while the communist sparks would moan about capitalism etc, doss and try and stir up envy against his/her boss or the client. And have you ever seen the quality or workman(oops!)ship in Commie-run states.
Yes, I see your point but with the left in the state of denial its in, Im not sure how else we show people how this madness is removing women's rights?
Mandela REFUSED to contradict his successor Thabo Mbeki (who was a university-educated man) when he said AIDS as such didn’t exist, it was a Western white-plot and any effects could be treated with traditional herbs etc. As a result thousands died (incl wives and girl friend infected by feckless men) and hundreds of thousands were infected. Why did Mandela stay silent when Mbeki’s own brother condemned him? Because Mandela didn’t want to damage the corrupt, communist-run ANC!
In many respects most of the critism of Matt Walsh is US centred, perhaps I speak only for myself when I say I did'nt know of him until the 'fight' began. I'm told he is very right wing and a Christian fundamentalist but he is only one man who does not have the captured weight of the State behind him.
We've got to take our allies where we can find them. I will never vote Tory but as a party they are the only one to even attempt to hold the line. Baroness Nicholson has been awesome, working on upholding women rights and supporting current equality law, even though I suspect we'd be poles apart on any other policy.
We've no space for political purity - My enemy's, enemy is my friend.
He's a Catholic ,as I am ,and it's not fundamentalist. ,at least not in the UK. Christianity is supposed to be tolerant ,loving and forgiving but unfortunately some people ,including clergy., haven't always practiced what they preached !!
Church of Scotland reps have just given evidence to the Holyrood committee saying they agree to remove the requirement of gender dysphoria to aquire a GRC.
Reckon they think they're doing the understanding Christian thing.
US Catholics are a very different thing to a UK Catholic, in my experience. American Catholics wield a lot of political power these days. UK Catholics, for social and historical reasons, never will. Still, I agree with Vicki and Rhona, we don't have the luxury of political purity, not now. It's not even a simple equation along the lines of, the Left hating women more (or less) than the Right. The Left has got to the ridiculous point where they are afraid to even acknowledge the material existence of women and all that that entails for ordinary women in the real world as opposed to whatever passes for reality according to the mouthallmighties and charlatans on Twitter.
There have been so many low points from Labour in the last few years: David Lammy's astonishing vagueness about biology and his rubbishing of women with legitimate concerns as dinosaurs, Keir Starmer's terrified face when asked if only a woman can have a cervix, Anneliese Dodds (Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, no less) waffling about the definition of a woman - it "all depends on the context" apparently - Lisa Nandy affirming that yes, a rapist should be housed in a prison according to (his) gendered wishes. But the worst, in my opinion, and most recent was Stella Creasy making an utter fool of herself proclaiming that a woman could have a penis and then coming across as not only foolish but unpleasant and aggressive as she doubled down on Twitter - over several days at that - and lashed out against anyone daring to criticise her. There's no talking to people like this. They are best shunned and ultimately voted out so that they can wander off and get a job where they might do less harm such as in an ignored think tank or similar.
I have never voted for anyone other than Labour my whole adult life - so I do feel everyone's pain who prefaces their comments with a similar refrain - but these people are stupid and cowardly in the extreme and care not a jot for me and that's been a hard thing for me to come to terms with recently. And if they can lie on such a fundamental issue as this, which directly affects in particular 51% of the population, what else are they prepared to lie about?
The fundamentalist christian right absolutely has the captured weight of the state behind it in through many branches of the US government. Trump's picks of judges from circuit through to supreme court was at the heart of his pact with evangelical republicans. That is being used right now to erode rights.
Problem is no-one in US seems to be walking a middle path. Right wing erode rights re abortion etc and Left wing are embedding Trans Ideology in society with women are children the losing out too.
Neither right or Left seem to be on the right side of history.
The Left here in the UK used to represent workers rights/ working class but has been completely infested with the middle classes. People who say 'sex work is work' without ever asking the prostitutes themselves.
All I can say is I was nearly on my feet cheering Walsh when he accused the Louden County School board of child abuse. And moved to tears by Scott Newent's distress.
I don't think it's quite that bleak outside of the mad world of social media, Labour have hotspots of lunacy, but there's a lot less tolerance in the CLPs for the student brocialists that have helped them look ridiculous. And they now know they'll get punished if they stand candidates who can't answer basic biology questions.
America suffers the most, trapped in a two party state. Voters probably need to start backing moderate independent candidates at the local and state level to find a way out of the mess.
Exactly. I watched "What is a woman" and thought it was very well done. I hope it peaks many, many more as to the truth of gender ideology to the "be kind" bigade who still think it's a load of old women getting rattled becuase so me nice lad who likes to wear women's clothes just wants to pee. I don't care who does the peaking, I just want people peaked.
I don’t get why this is framed as a feminist issue. EVERYONE is affected by this, including men and children, gays and straights. Trying to gatekeep who does what and praise only the ‘right’ people for their contribution to the fight is nonsensical. I admire Julie Bindel AND Posie Parker. I’m grateful for the courage of Baroness Nicholson AND Rosie Duffield. I value the light shone by Ricky Gervais AND Matt Walsh. I don’t have to ‘align’ with any of them.
Thanks, Susan. You are quite right: everyone is affected by this.
One group that is deeply affected by this is same-sex attracted boys. Another group is autistic boys. If someone has a same-sex attracted, autistic, nerdy boy (like mine), I can pretty much guarantee that boy has been affected by this. It's awful what the TRAs are doing to women. It's also awful what they're doing to boys like my son. And whereas I accept that many women believe that men's role in feminism should be limited, and I support women who just want guys to piss off so they can sort things out for themselves, I find it very important to note that the people who have to help these boys - these nerdy, same-sex attracted, predominantly autistic boys - are MEN.
MEN need to take the lead on helping these boys. MEN need to tell these boys that it's all right to be men whatever way they want to be men, and if that means dressing in flowers and jewelry and having foppish hairstyles, and being supportive rather than aggressive, or whatever it is that's causing other people to tell these boys they're not "manly" enough, then MEN need to tell these boys that's a perfectly fine way to be a man. That's just not a thing that women can help with, not as much as men can. This is a man problem, and above all a dad problem. One of the main causes of transgender identification in boys is people being jerks to them because they don't act "manly" enough. Every man who cares about this has to do more to make sure boys feel accepted as they are.
Men have kept power whilst taking no responsibility for what they have done in promoting porn and prostitution and rape. They absolutely need to step up and do a better job of being citizens, not bystanders against the rabid elements within their ranks. Radical feminism recognises male violence against women and children as a male class issue, but males call this misandry. Its not, its acknowledging the power and behaviour of males that are attacking weaker members of society.
To complicate things further there's a not insignificant number of woke clowns on the right, who gleefully take trans "rights" on board. Like Jordan Peterson Matt Walsh needs to be enlightened to the fact that gender ideology is no true left wing phenomenon. On the contrary it's actually a very conservative movement, however well it succeeds in disguising itself as left wing. That's the really sneaky thing about it which makes its would be revolutionaries trying to pose as leftists look so foolish, because whether they realize it or not they're working to roll back women's rights, and make women once again socially subservient. Whatever else we might think of Peterson and Walsh, Walsh did us a great service in securing the interview with the anonymous Penn swimmer where it became completely obvious to the world just how oppressed women are. Where in the world would you find a group of male athletes who would submit to the treatment meted out to these female swimmers? Answer: nowhere.
Absolutely. The "don't work with people who x" people are just doing a purity spiral. To win, you need the numbers to get it over the line. I'm not going to sacrifice my rights to prop up the left when it doesn't care about women. Asking women to do that is basically telling them their rights matter less than other people's. It's disappointing to hear that from feminists too.
Thank you Graham for amplifying so many valuable voices in this. I subscribe to (and contribute to quite a few) many different voices but can’t always keep up. This Substack has been invaluable in marshalling contributions and evidence 👏👏👏👏👏
(stop me if you've heard this one before) The oppression and control of women was a founding principle of the original Nazis. When gender id extremists attempt to frame 'disobedient and difficult' women as nazis, they're inadvertently further confirming their epic ignorance and misogyny.
Agreed!! The left has lost its marbles on this. I don't give a damn what they think of me allying with this nasty piece of work, those socialists who support trans ideologists are just as bad. The blue lights are flashing - its an emergency!
This is a very American point of view and I am always cautious about applying it wholesale elsewhere as our politics in the UK are not the same. Luckily in the UK, women do not have to choose between reproductive rights and the destruction of our sex-based boundaries (so I feel fortunate there). I will ally myself with whomever meets the most pertinent agenda for women at the time which is certainly not anyone who appeases cosplay aggressive males or who thinks sex work is liberating. If there are other fights afterwards then I will tune my allegiance accordingly.
For the first time I didnt vote recently. I dont agree that women have an alternative in the UK. The left has removed us as a class of people and the right want to roll back our rights on tackling violent crimes such as sex based abuse. I have no political home.
Hi Vicki. My point was just that for women in the UK we do not have to choose between having our identity and sex-based boundaries destroyed and reproductive rights. For me, the biggest and most pressing issues is maintaining the integrity of what a woman is and our boundaries including safe spaces, access to medical care and our protection under law. I will ally myself with whomever can help do this. As the saying goes "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Violent crimes against women is of course important but I don't see anyone rolling back (i.e. removing laws) rights in relation to this so I would be very interested to learn more, but for me, these rights get erased if our boundaries, safe spaces and our protected sex-based class become erased anyway. I've never had a political home and don't want one - I have always voted based on the issues at the time and/or the integrity of the candidates running in my area.
I largely used to vote labour for their pro women's policies. Now those have gone. The entire women's movement has been decimated by liberals on one side with their pro porn stance and the right on the other with their avoidance of implementing our rights in law. Having spent the past 3 years in family court I have had the blinkers ripped right off my eyes and am seeing how truly unsafe our country is for girls and women.
I'm done arguing with other liberal GC feminists on social media as to whether we should partner with the right in fighting the evil gender identity movement...in my neck of the woods, the left, for the most part, is doing nothing BUT talk, often anonymously on social media (and, for a long time, that included me 😬). Meanwhile, GC activists of all political backgrounds are starting to come together to fight for girls and women...again, in my neck of the woods.
We can argue about RECENT anti-woman behavior by individual conservatives, and whether we should partner with these specific conservatives...but, would hope we keep such arguing to a minimum, and stay focused on actually fighting, actually taking concrete actions against the current gravest threat to human females: the gender identity movement and its attack on material reality and sex-based rights.
I do have to wonder what is really behind this other than simplistic moral policing. Stonewall was founded across the politcal divide with both conservative and labour supporting founding members.
It's a take over of society in order to control our speech and even our thoughts. They are trying to turn the human race into robotic zombies with no thought of our own and no free will ! It's transhumanism !!
I take comfort from reading this. I've been a Labour member for over 40 years but can barely own up to it lately because of shame at the "woke" dogma spouted by our MPs and many "kind" colleagues.
I know I'm not alone - there are many Socialist women who feel the same as I do. We gain strength in working together. This fight is bigger than Party lines.
Fistbump from across the pond. I feel this...
Labour has become the party of Patriarchy, and retro' Mary Whitehouse supporters.
When was Labour not part of Patriarchy, I do not know of any political party is not
Absolutely. I first developed an interest in news/current affairs/ politics (1974) aged 8! I thought the left was progressive about emancipation of women, but a significant majority of LP supporters and socialists I encountered were lamentably regressive. I expecting a melting pot of progressive ideas, only to discover most socialists were inclined to arcane "a women's place is in the home" mentality. I believe much of current left wing misogyny re: gender zeitgeist can be traced back to this attitude.
What’s so wrong with Mary Whitehouse and the Patriarchy? Both knew/know men can’t be women and that women don’t have dicks. Not perfect by any means but at least they never allowed men run amok in women’s safe spaces or fully intact males take over female sports.
Think before you post.
Bless. I cordially suggest you attempt to practice what you are preaching.
"What’s so wrong with Mary Whitehouse?"
Homophobic. Ignorant. Demonstrably wrong regarding censorship as despite viewing and listening to all of those "dreadful" things, the corrupting effects she predicted didn't happen to her.
"What’s so wrong with the Patriarchy?"
Patriarchy has oppressed women for 1000s of years and continues to do so. Women have yet to attain emancipation. Us men remain largely in charge including of women's single sex spaces and places. Contrast this with the progress trans women have enjoyed in a few short years. I can't think of anything more patriarchal than putting males who wish they were female before natal women. What about you, champ?
I think you have just proved the author’s point. Divide and conquer is a real strategy, you know.
A more successful approach in these perilous times might be to adopt the Arab proverb ‘ my enemy’s enemy is my friend’.
But ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend’ has limits. Perspective check: didn't the homophobic bigotry excreted by MW cause exactly the same harms the Jolyon Maugham brigade are inflicting today?
Not in my view.
Blah blah blah. Go and get a job with the BBC or Times Radio.
Stupid is as stupid does. xxx
That’s me put in my place…
Karl can you get yourself near of cup of tea and a lie down?
Possibly someone isn't coping particular well with conflagration of Conservative HQ, PPP, Westminster Gov, etc.
:-D
No I am delighted! White Tory prime ministers in recent years have screwed up the UK. Time for some sensible people like Kemi Badenoch or Nadhim Zahawi or Suella Braverman to take over the Tory party. Sadly Pritti Patel has turned out to be weak and all mouth - bit like the lefties…
Here is the news: Graham Lineham is a "leftie". You appear to be a couple of envelopes short of a postal vote.
No, I’m having too much FUN!!!
In your specific case that's almost certainly true. After all "it's just a bit of fun" is the go to excuse for ignorant blowhards, bullies, abusers, etc, when called out.
You must tell the story sometime of how you decided on your name.
Must do better old Stopper.
I have sold condoms in TCD’ students union shop when it was punishable by a prison sentence, opposed the Catholic Church, the Provo IRA, Islamists, Iran and every other crowd of bullies etc. that come my way.
I proudly defend the Jewish state of Israel even though I’m not Jewish.
I have earned the right to speak. Pipsqueaks can’t shut me up.
You are right, but where are all those great men of the patriarchy standing on the wall while women are being dunked in the water with transgender? We did not invent those!
It seems to me as LP/LD/greens have jumped on the gender id extremist bandwagon/spouted more demonstrably anti-science drivel The Johnson, with his long record of being a chancer and opportunist, realised the wide open goal was too good an opportunity to miss and started taking shots.
The sad fact is that the great majority of men (and a huge lot of women outside the feminist ‘world’) don’t seem to know what is going on, or if they do, they don’t understand it. That’s mostly the fault of the left-captured media and BBC etc.
There is also a serious problem of alienation from politics in the West as, like it it not, ‘politics’ has increasingly been captured by the NGO class, billionaires like Soros and the Google and Silicon Valley scoundrels. Also, it has to be said, ‘feminists’ of all stripes have pissed off a lot of working class men and women with their PC rot over the last thirty years so it is easy for the ‘poor me’ Trans fanatics to fool people into thinking they are no threat to women.
Possibly men who need to ask "what’s so wrong with Mary Whitehouse and the Patriarchy?" also "don't seem to know what is going on, or if they do, they don’t understand it." hth
Does your mother know you are out again? Lefties just can’t control their naughty kiddies these days…
No need to make a choice between the demonstrably uninformed extremism of MW or the gender zeitgeist.
Nelson Mandela made the point that in overcoming apartheid, he had to deal with politicians he had very little in common with. Holding ones nose whilst engaging in a common goal is a necessary part of team work. There were lots of people at work that I didn't get on with on a friendship basis yet I was able to work with them on a day to day basis. I see very little difference here. Matt Walsh is anti women's rights, but he does at least recognise that we are a biological class of people. We need to use his platform and others on this issue in order to gain critical mass. Given that the left refuses to even have this discussion we cannot win this war by playing purity politics.
I don't believe that Matt Walsh is a misogynist. He jokes as if he is but it's satire ! I really don't care about his politics ,all I care about is that he's fighting for women's rights and the safeguarding of children. We need people like him on our side 🙏
I don't believe him calling women who have had an abortion murderers is satire, nor is his casual sexism towards his wife or stating that women who refuse to take their husband's name is a red flag for men as they are not subservient to their husbands. I care about his hatred of women's equality, I just think unfortunately the left has put us between a rock and a hard place on this. Andrea Dworkin understood that men from both sides of the political spectrum hate us ... and she's right.
Crap. In my experience the bed-wetting left fear and hate women more than conservatives. The whole Trans scam is proof of that.
I think removing abortions, registering pregnant women to prevent them moving across state lines, resisting rape laws within marriage and a host of other right wing talking points is equally pants wetting imo ... but then those issues don't effect men much so maybe they don't register with you.
Is that the same bed-wetting left that's also lefty feminists? So they're bed-wetting lefty feminists? Any other slur to add?
Sorry. I have used up my quota of slurs for today. Will get some more tomorrow.
Seriously, please don't bother, it's not helping.
Obvious male chauvinistic piggery is obvious.
Does your penis waggle painfully every time a woman writes words on the internet?
He Tweeted that 12-year-old girls should be forced to give birth to their rapists’ babies, so “the abuser can be found out.” You think that’s satire?
I don’t think so. He’s a total piece of shit.
Exactly, and DNA from the abortion will determine the rapist anyway. Once again, a man who doesn't understand basic biology trying to determine women's lives based on their own ignorance
I agree. Say you're a communist electrician working on a housing project; you can co-operate where necessary with a tory plumber without betraying your political ideals..
Co-operation only becomes "aligning with" if you're starting to lose your independence of mind and slip into "groupthink".
Exactly, this kind of purity is a form of elitism or hierarchy that makes effective teamwork impossible as everyone is vying for total supremacy of the group. It has been fostered by neo liberal politics mixed with post modern substitution of degrees of discrimination as opposed to wealth being a new form of power. Whatever the scale, women are always on the bottom regardless.
Of course the Tory plumber would do all the work while the communist sparks would moan about capitalism etc, doss and try and stir up envy against his/her boss or the client. And have you ever seen the quality or workman(oops!)ship in Commie-run states.
Yes, I see your point but with the left in the state of denial its in, Im not sure how else we show people how this madness is removing women's rights?
I dont count him as an ally, more as a mouthpiece on this one issue ...
Mandela REFUSED to contradict his successor Thabo Mbeki (who was a university-educated man) when he said AIDS as such didn’t exist, it was a Western white-plot and any effects could be treated with traditional herbs etc. As a result thousands died (incl wives and girl friend infected by feckless men) and hundreds of thousands were infected. Why did Mandela stay silent when Mbeki’s own brother condemned him? Because Mandela didn’t want to damage the corrupt, communist-run ANC!
Why are the left so gullible???
In many respects most of the critism of Matt Walsh is US centred, perhaps I speak only for myself when I say I did'nt know of him until the 'fight' began. I'm told he is very right wing and a Christian fundamentalist but he is only one man who does not have the captured weight of the State behind him.
We've got to take our allies where we can find them. I will never vote Tory but as a party they are the only one to even attempt to hold the line. Baroness Nicholson has been awesome, working on upholding women rights and supporting current equality law, even though I suspect we'd be poles apart on any other policy.
We've no space for political purity - My enemy's, enemy is my friend.
He's a Catholic ,as I am ,and it's not fundamentalist. ,at least not in the UK. Christianity is supposed to be tolerant ,loving and forgiving but unfortunately some people ,including clergy., haven't always practiced what they preached !!
Church of Scotland reps have just given evidence to the Holyrood committee saying they agree to remove the requirement of gender dysphoria to aquire a GRC.
Reckon they think they're doing the understanding Christian thing.
They know not what they have done.
US Catholics are a very different thing to a UK Catholic, in my experience. American Catholics wield a lot of political power these days. UK Catholics, for social and historical reasons, never will. Still, I agree with Vicki and Rhona, we don't have the luxury of political purity, not now. It's not even a simple equation along the lines of, the Left hating women more (or less) than the Right. The Left has got to the ridiculous point where they are afraid to even acknowledge the material existence of women and all that that entails for ordinary women in the real world as opposed to whatever passes for reality according to the mouthallmighties and charlatans on Twitter.
There have been so many low points from Labour in the last few years: David Lammy's astonishing vagueness about biology and his rubbishing of women with legitimate concerns as dinosaurs, Keir Starmer's terrified face when asked if only a woman can have a cervix, Anneliese Dodds (Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, no less) waffling about the definition of a woman - it "all depends on the context" apparently - Lisa Nandy affirming that yes, a rapist should be housed in a prison according to (his) gendered wishes. But the worst, in my opinion, and most recent was Stella Creasy making an utter fool of herself proclaiming that a woman could have a penis and then coming across as not only foolish but unpleasant and aggressive as she doubled down on Twitter - over several days at that - and lashed out against anyone daring to criticise her. There's no talking to people like this. They are best shunned and ultimately voted out so that they can wander off and get a job where they might do less harm such as in an ignored think tank or similar.
I have never voted for anyone other than Labour my whole adult life - so I do feel everyone's pain who prefaces their comments with a similar refrain - but these people are stupid and cowardly in the extreme and care not a jot for me and that's been a hard thing for me to come to terms with recently. And if they can lie on such a fundamental issue as this, which directly affects in particular 51% of the population, what else are they prepared to lie about?
This is my position too. The left is as much a danger to women as the Right at the moment.
Yes, Baroness Nicholson is a warrior
The fundamentalist christian right absolutely has the captured weight of the state behind it in through many branches of the US government. Trump's picks of judges from circuit through to supreme court was at the heart of his pact with evangelical republicans. That is being used right now to erode rights.
Problem is no-one in US seems to be walking a middle path. Right wing erode rights re abortion etc and Left wing are embedding Trans Ideology in society with women are children the losing out too.
Neither right or Left seem to be on the right side of history.
The Left here in the UK used to represent workers rights/ working class but has been completely infested with the middle classes. People who say 'sex work is work' without ever asking the prostitutes themselves.
All I can say is I was nearly on my feet cheering Walsh when he accused the Louden County School board of child abuse. And moved to tears by Scott Newent's distress.
I don't think it's quite that bleak outside of the mad world of social media, Labour have hotspots of lunacy, but there's a lot less tolerance in the CLPs for the student brocialists that have helped them look ridiculous. And they now know they'll get punished if they stand candidates who can't answer basic biology questions.
America suffers the most, trapped in a two party state. Voters probably need to start backing moderate independent candidates at the local and state level to find a way out of the mess.
Matt Walsh's definition of "woman" may be antediluvian, but at least he got the sex right.
We can argue the semantics after the war.
Exactly. I watched "What is a woman" and thought it was very well done. I hope it peaks many, many more as to the truth of gender ideology to the "be kind" bigade who still think it's a load of old women getting rattled becuase so me nice lad who likes to wear women's clothes just wants to pee. I don't care who does the peaking, I just want people peaked.
I don’t get why this is framed as a feminist issue. EVERYONE is affected by this, including men and children, gays and straights. Trying to gatekeep who does what and praise only the ‘right’ people for their contribution to the fight is nonsensical. I admire Julie Bindel AND Posie Parker. I’m grateful for the courage of Baroness Nicholson AND Rosie Duffield. I value the light shone by Ricky Gervais AND Matt Walsh. I don’t have to ‘align’ with any of them.
100% agree with you on this Susan.
Thanks, Susan. You are quite right: everyone is affected by this.
One group that is deeply affected by this is same-sex attracted boys. Another group is autistic boys. If someone has a same-sex attracted, autistic, nerdy boy (like mine), I can pretty much guarantee that boy has been affected by this. It's awful what the TRAs are doing to women. It's also awful what they're doing to boys like my son. And whereas I accept that many women believe that men's role in feminism should be limited, and I support women who just want guys to piss off so they can sort things out for themselves, I find it very important to note that the people who have to help these boys - these nerdy, same-sex attracted, predominantly autistic boys - are MEN.
MEN need to take the lead on helping these boys. MEN need to tell these boys that it's all right to be men whatever way they want to be men, and if that means dressing in flowers and jewelry and having foppish hairstyles, and being supportive rather than aggressive, or whatever it is that's causing other people to tell these boys they're not "manly" enough, then MEN need to tell these boys that's a perfectly fine way to be a man. That's just not a thing that women can help with, not as much as men can. This is a man problem, and above all a dad problem. One of the main causes of transgender identification in boys is people being jerks to them because they don't act "manly" enough. Every man who cares about this has to do more to make sure boys feel accepted as they are.
Men have kept power whilst taking no responsibility for what they have done in promoting porn and prostitution and rape. They absolutely need to step up and do a better job of being citizens, not bystanders against the rabid elements within their ranks. Radical feminism recognises male violence against women and children as a male class issue, but males call this misandry. Its not, its acknowledging the power and behaviour of males that are attacking weaker members of society.
I couldn't agree more 💗
Beautifully said. I've explained to my friends that if I were in a raging fire and a right-wing man pulled me out of it, I'd say "Thank you."
To complicate things further there's a not insignificant number of woke clowns on the right, who gleefully take trans "rights" on board. Like Jordan Peterson Matt Walsh needs to be enlightened to the fact that gender ideology is no true left wing phenomenon. On the contrary it's actually a very conservative movement, however well it succeeds in disguising itself as left wing. That's the really sneaky thing about it which makes its would be revolutionaries trying to pose as leftists look so foolish, because whether they realize it or not they're working to roll back women's rights, and make women once again socially subservient. Whatever else we might think of Peterson and Walsh, Walsh did us a great service in securing the interview with the anonymous Penn swimmer where it became completely obvious to the world just how oppressed women are. Where in the world would you find a group of male athletes who would submit to the treatment meted out to these female swimmers? Answer: nowhere.
Matt Walsh also frequently criticises the " right " , especially for their cowardice in not pushing back on this woke agenda !!
Absolutely. The "don't work with people who x" people are just doing a purity spiral. To win, you need the numbers to get it over the line. I'm not going to sacrifice my rights to prop up the left when it doesn't care about women. Asking women to do that is basically telling them their rights matter less than other people's. It's disappointing to hear that from feminists too.
Well said, Jo. It’s all hands on deck. Once the ship is saved we can decide who walks the plank
Normally the Trots walk the plank first and then the Stalinists kill each other.
Thank you Graham for amplifying so many valuable voices in this. I subscribe to (and contribute to quite a few) many different voices but can’t always keep up. This Substack has been invaluable in marshalling contributions and evidence 👏👏👏👏👏
(stop me if you've heard this one before) The oppression and control of women was a founding principle of the original Nazis. When gender id extremists attempt to frame 'disobedient and difficult' women as nazis, they're inadvertently further confirming their epic ignorance and misogyny.
Agreed!! The left has lost its marbles on this. I don't give a damn what they think of me allying with this nasty piece of work, those socialists who support trans ideologists are just as bad. The blue lights are flashing - its an emergency!
The fight is big enough for all of us to find something useful to do.
This is a very American point of view and I am always cautious about applying it wholesale elsewhere as our politics in the UK are not the same. Luckily in the UK, women do not have to choose between reproductive rights and the destruction of our sex-based boundaries (so I feel fortunate there). I will ally myself with whomever meets the most pertinent agenda for women at the time which is certainly not anyone who appeases cosplay aggressive males or who thinks sex work is liberating. If there are other fights afterwards then I will tune my allegiance accordingly.
For the first time I didnt vote recently. I dont agree that women have an alternative in the UK. The left has removed us as a class of people and the right want to roll back our rights on tackling violent crimes such as sex based abuse. I have no political home.
Hi Vicki. My point was just that for women in the UK we do not have to choose between having our identity and sex-based boundaries destroyed and reproductive rights. For me, the biggest and most pressing issues is maintaining the integrity of what a woman is and our boundaries including safe spaces, access to medical care and our protection under law. I will ally myself with whomever can help do this. As the saying goes "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Violent crimes against women is of course important but I don't see anyone rolling back (i.e. removing laws) rights in relation to this so I would be very interested to learn more, but for me, these rights get erased if our boundaries, safe spaces and our protected sex-based class become erased anyway. I've never had a political home and don't want one - I have always voted based on the issues at the time and/or the integrity of the candidates running in my area.
I largely used to vote labour for their pro women's policies. Now those have gone. The entire women's movement has been decimated by liberals on one side with their pro porn stance and the right on the other with their avoidance of implementing our rights in law. Having spent the past 3 years in family court I have had the blinkers ripped right off my eyes and am seeing how truly unsafe our country is for girls and women.
I'm done arguing with other liberal GC feminists on social media as to whether we should partner with the right in fighting the evil gender identity movement...in my neck of the woods, the left, for the most part, is doing nothing BUT talk, often anonymously on social media (and, for a long time, that included me 😬). Meanwhile, GC activists of all political backgrounds are starting to come together to fight for girls and women...again, in my neck of the woods.
We can argue about RECENT anti-woman behavior by individual conservatives, and whether we should partner with these specific conservatives...but, would hope we keep such arguing to a minimum, and stay focused on actually fighting, actually taking concrete actions against the current gravest threat to human females: the gender identity movement and its attack on material reality and sex-based rights.
I do have to wonder what is really behind this other than simplistic moral policing. Stonewall was founded across the politcal divide with both conservative and labour supporting founding members.
It's a take over of society in order to control our speech and even our thoughts. They are trying to turn the human race into robotic zombies with no thought of our own and no free will ! It's transhumanism !!
Yes, comment gold.