Please bear with me on this, I think it’s important and represents a lot of why I am completely disillusioned by the left: my political thought is all based on leftist thinking yet today’s left really doesn’t seem to represent what I believe in.
Some tiny irrelevant Christian group is distributing flyers in Basildon, which had led Basildon Labour to get off their arses and actually do something namely organise a ‘mini-Pride’. I am all well and happy with this because I think it’s important to celebrate our lives in a positive way. Here’s what I am fucked off about.
These flyers have been reported to the police for Hate Crime twice, and the locals want to stop the flyer distribution and disrupt what these dudes are saying. Now, I don’t believe in any god and I don’t think fundamentalists Christians would ever make best buddies with me, but there is no incitement to violence and the flyers talk about ‘pride’ in the context of the bible. Yes, the bible says some fucking dumb things about homosexuality but like it or not people are allowed to express freedom of conscience and belief (Art 9 ECHR). They are also entitled to freedom of speech/expression (Art 10 ECHR).
Here is the flyer. Please, find me the hate, because what I am seeing is our comrades on the left prosecuting what amounts to a ‘thought crime‘ (link dead so the flyer is here).
Now, here’s where I am beginning feel my rage. UNISON are now trying to frame this as hate.
UNISON have no right to complain about hate. This is their LGBT Conference Preliminary Agenda and it’s actually DARVO.
- we get the TRA tactic of centring suicide early on (page seven);
- there are soundbites like “The use of phrases such as ordinary women and implying that trans people and trans allies are using violence in order to stifle debate is shocking” which is bizarre because the TRAs actually ARE using violence (page 23);
- “It is recognised that Stonewall was started by Black trans women” is horseshit and specifically erases the lesbian Storme DeLarverie’s role in this, see this piece on the Stonewall Transgender Myth (page 31);
- “Many of these feminists seem to think that it is OK for them to vilify trans women, questioning whether trans women are ‘real’ women, and in some instances threatening violence, with at least one Labour activist, being questioned by police over an alleged hate crime for comments she made at a meeting in York in 2017” which is a huge lie and TRAs have actually carried out violence, condoned it and incited further (page 24);
- it supports prostitution (page 17).
I could spend all day going through all the points in this that attack women or are just plain stupid.
It contains political language such as:
We work with inclusive, umbrella definitions of bisexual and transgender.
A ‘fact-sheet’ on something that is completely made up:
A factsheet, ‘Gender equality: non-binary inclusion’, which has been well received across the union.
Irony on a scale we have never seen before!
Conference further notes that there are also a significant number of non-inclusive references in UNISON’s rule book, such as the terminology ‘she/he’, which could easily be replaced without changing the meaning.
An attack on female homosexuality by advocating for heterosexual men to claim ‘lesbian’ (page 23):
There seems to be a movement towards thinking that one cannot be a feminist and a trans ally and to preach that trans women specifically threaten women only space orthat trans women cannot identify as lesbians.
More DARVO (page 24):
However, there are some instances, where restrictions on free speech may be legitimate and this would be to prevent racist, misogynistic and anti lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) abuse, threats, harassment and incitements of violence… Conference, abuse, threats, harassment and violence are what many of our trans colleagues have to put up with and suffer from everyday with much of the ‘hate’ coming from some prominent feminists in the media and, it is regrettable to say, within the Labour Party, with much of the vitriol being predominantly targeted at trans women.
This really gives insight to the men who are running this shabby excuse for a Trade Union:
And then they have the audacity to take offence when they are censored or ‘noplatformed’ and advocate that by doing so is an attack, not only on them, but also on free speech and is all part of a ‘war on women’? Well, conference, enough is enough.
Conference, we all know who some of these individuals are, and when they are boycotted or shouted down by members of the public or organisations they are not having their freedom of speech taken away, and they are not being censored: they are simply being told that their harmful, hateful views are not welcome and being asked to ‘shut-up’ or take their views elsewhere.
UNISON is anti-lesbian:
The protesters were at the front of the parade for 20 minutes, albeit with an enforced gap between the official start and their protest, but they were able to march out ahead and hand out leaflets that stated that the trans movement was coercing lesbians to have sex with trans women. One protestor shouted, “A man who says he is a lesbian is a rapist”.
We request that the UNISON national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) committee write to the Pride in London organisers asking them to remove anti-trans protesters in future pride events, and that it is organised that trans people and ideally Black trans women, lead the London Pride parade next year in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall fightback for equality
There are plenty of things that were not accepted into Conference:
Among these groups are those who have an anti-trans agenda, including Woman’s Place UK, who specifically seek to exclude trans women from women only roles and spaces and deny them the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing feminist debate.
Conference further notes that under rule I2.3(i) any member who commits any act of discrimination or harassment on the grounds of gender identity could be subject to disciplinary procedures.
And here’s where the hypocrisy really does kick in. UNISON have now disinvited Linda Bellos from speaking, described here in her own words:
“I have today been told that I am disinvited to speak at a Black Workers Group at Lambeth Council as part of Black History Month because a member of Unison believes that my ‘reported remarks’ about the proposed changes to the gender recognition legislation’ are transphobic, whereas I believe these Transactivists are anti-woman.
It is true that as a Black feminist and lesbian I am critical of the new politics of Trans which sees gender as interchangeable with biological sex and consequently seem to attribute all the stereotype features of femininity; such a wearing dresses and make-up; as markers of being a woman.
It is true that as a feminist I have fought alongside my sisters to get rid of these stereotypes and limitations placed upon women.
I was the first Black lesbian to be Out as a Local Government Council Leader – in my case, in Lambeth where I had grown up. I endured many attacks as a Council Leader from the Labour and Tory Parties and from the Press.
I have a strong feeling that the person who opposes my attendance at a Black Workers Group celebration of Black History Month may be white and it is, therefore, inappropriate that they should specify who can address such a gathering. I did say I would fight back if attacked. I know that many White men consider such a remark an affront to their dignity but I assure you that I have been exercising the same ‘affrontery’ for over 50 years.
I am sorry that the Black Workers Group have been placed in this position but hope that they and their members will soon feel strong enough to invite who they wish to speak to them whether white men agree or not.
For the record, please note that there has only been one act of violence in the political tussle between ‘Trans women’ and Feminists in the UK. This was at Speaker’s Corner in September last year, I was referring to this incident when I said I would defend myself.
I am defending myself now in writing and in speeches, making the case for Equality as I have had to do for many decades. I will be appearing a Marylebone Magistrate Court later this month to answer another complaint about the same alleged threat of violence against trans women.
These and other issues will be enlarged in my forthcoming Memoirs.
In Solidarity and Support”.
UNISON again take the side of the white heterosexual males.
What a bunch of fucking hypocrites.
Excellent, Miranda, as always.
These people are unbelievable. I’m not even interested anymore in arguing about whether or not transwomen are women.
Do females have the right to define themselves in a category of their own, separately from males? From this arise the right to name and define ourselves, the right to our own language to discuss our lived experiences as female people in a male-dominated world and the right to female sovereign spaces and provisions.
I wonder if Unison had to answer that question, how would they frame their no? For I expect it would be a no. But the trouble with a no to this question is that about half their members are female. And even if those women have never even heard of the self-id debate, I suspect female Unison members would answer that question with a resounding yes. After all, single-sex provisions at the workplace and women’s groups for all kinds of work-related issues are the norm now. Legally mandated even, in the case of changing rooms, showers and toilets.
And this almost automatic yes to that question is why the longer this goes on, the more woke dudebros spout their misogynist crap, the more I understand why we must not be allowed a debate on this issue. Because as soon as people learn that we are being denied that right, and the consequences this has, they are horrified.
And I worry about that horror. A lot. You see, I’m a militant atheist but even I accept that beliefs are protected however much or little I agree. (Which is why I detest this claim that the leaflet represents a hate crime.)
Now I have two very religious friends who are arch conservative AND leftwing. Which makes for very interesting discussions. They actually believe that it is God who causes you to be born homosexual. But marriage is still only allowed between a man and a woman, sex before marriage is sinful and so being homosexual for them means you are being tested. Abstinence is the only alternative to heterosexual relationships ie God has chosen you to either deny your heart and marry or deny your body and be chaste forever.
So by far not the worst I’ve ever heard but a whole universe away from my views. Which they accept. Yet now they feel quite – happy is the wrong word – maybe satisfied? smug? – that I have finally found a limit to my very leftwing, progressive views. But my limit isn’t in accepting transsexuals or even transgender identities – it is in maintaing that females have the right I mention above and all that follows on from that right. It’s nowhere near my friends’ limit.
And yet, they fully expect this debate to cause a backlash against the entire LGBT community because if even I have a problem with this self-id thing, they reckon most people will reject it. But few will educate themselves to really understand. So my friends think people will just lump the whole T together, tack on the LGB and reject wholesale. And honestly, I fear they may be right. Sorry for the long ramble, but I really do worry about this and not just women and girls.
Hi Miranda, realise this is an old article and my comment may not be seen, just heard you on talk radio, well done by the way. Are you still with unison? I am treasurer for the LEB branch and would love to talk to you about the bullshittery that is going on within our union if you have time, or even the energy anymore!