Department of O! for Heaven's Sake!

[rozk]

In one of the most spectacular pieces of idiocy I have seen in forty years of radical campaigning, the organizer of the Queer Youth Network (or possibly an organizer) has invited Julie Bindel to join the demonstration against Stonewall for shortlisting her. You can see much of the discussion of this at mr_parsnips where I have been accused of hypocrisy for announcing that, should Julie Bindel turn up, I shall - entirely verbally - make clear to her that she is not welcome as far as I am concerned. Having an open demonstration does not mean including in that demonstration the people that demonstration is against - the Washington Moratorium demonstrators did not welcome Nixon when he came out to chat to them.

And I am missing Sharpe to deal with this nonsense...

Later Later dialogue with Joey McKillop has not even begun to convince me that she has done the right thing, but it is clear that she is motivated by a desire to change things and an optimism about the usefulness of olive branches that I think misguided but admirable. She really does not understand that my generation has good reason for the bitterness we feel towards Bindel and her ilk; at the same time, she does not have a clear sense of what recantation from people with those views looks like, whereas I do, having watched the process with Linda Bellos.

As I said to Bindel, in a sceptical response to her (probably manipulative and cynical) plea that we not beat up on Joey, maybe the horse will learn to sing. At the same time, I fear Joey has done the community a colossal disservice, while being prepared to respect her motives and being touched by her optimism about human nature.

Comments

Re: Your link doesn't work

[(Anonymous)]

I've followed the original thread I pointed and must conclude that either jamiethegrey is stupid beyond belief or is actually a Bindel sympathiser actively working to undermine the protest.

And being wholly the latter does not preclude being quite a bit of the former. Radfems have their evasion tactics down pat don't they ?

Re: Your link doesn't work

[rozk.livejournal.com]

No, I think jamiethegrey is real and young and pig-headed and naive, and punishing us angry transwomen for being his mummy or his grandma or something...

Re: Your link doesn't work

[squigglefish.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't go so far as the punishing part, but certainly they are young, naive and overly trusting. I feel sorry for them, but also in a way glad, as it must be nice to be that innocent :P

Re: Your link doesn't work

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, stupid enough to play with fire, but it's us that will get burnt.

Re: Your link doesn't work

[(Anonymous)]

Well whatever, they don't seem to care about or understand the real danger she poses to us with her influence or the real distress she has caused to individuals in the community.

The idea of this protest being a safe space where we can voice our dismay at stonewall is deeply compromised by what QYN have done and I really don't know how I feel about attending. I was near her at Hecklers and she made my skin crawl, I don't know if I want to do that again.

Re: Your link doesn't work

[auntysarah.livejournal.com]

She won't be there, if I have any say whatsoever in it (and I do).