Read on Twitter
On Nov 20th, Trans Day of Remembrance, an Open Letter was published which provoked quite the reaction.
Amnesty Ireland, a signatory, later posted that criticism of the Letter used “decontextualising phrases”.
So, let’s contextualise! 1/12
Amnesty Ireland, a signatory, later posted that criticism of the Letter used “decontextualising phrases”.
So, let’s contextualise! 1/12
The ostensible reason for the letter, published by Gay Community News, was a laudable one, that “trans people should be included fully in society”.
However, the admirable call for “solidarity for our trans siblings” was in the service of wider & quite worrying aims. 2/12
However, the admirable call for “solidarity for our trans siblings” was in the service of wider & quite worrying aims. 2/12
The clear, immediate aim was to delegitimise Irish women’s groups, set up recently to, variously, defend the interests of LGB people & to protect women’s sex-based rights; including maintaining women-only spaces (e.g. refuges, prisons, changing rooms), women’s sports, etc. 3/12
The groups also have concerns re. the serious matter of the safeguarding of children in the face of the puberty-blocker experiment, a pharmaceutical approach which flows from the ‘affirmative model’ for treating gender-dysphoric children. (See the Keira Bell case) 4/12
These are legitimate concerns & the demonising of those expressing them is, in a democracy, reprehensible. The clumsy overreach of the letter back-fired on @AmnestyIreland in particular. People saw it to be illiberal & indeed in conflict with Amnesty’s founding principles. 5/12
Another, insidious, aim, I’d argue, was to lay an intellectual (sic) groundwork for future policy formulation, by delegitimising appeals to evidence, to science.
According to the letter, “organisations that seek to defend biology” are to be decried.
6/12
According to the letter, “organisations that seek to defend biology” are to be decried.
6/12
The suggestion that biology is indefensible is gas-lighting on a grand scale. If biology is dismissed as unreliable, then one can confidently claim, as the letter does, that “Sex and gender are both spectrums...” & get otherwise sensible people to accept that fiction. 7/12
That the Women’s Council of Ireland now believe that sex is a spectrum, an abandonment of their name & purpose, is a troubling case-in-point.
The more serious context &, in my view, the real agenda of the letter is the Hate Crimes Bill currently before the Oireachtais. 8/12
The more serious context &, in my view, the real agenda of the letter is the Hate Crimes Bill currently before the Oireachtais. 8/12
This bill seeks to criminalise any offence perceived to be motivated by prejudice towards, among other categories, ‘gender identity’.
To those who believe ‘sex is a spectrum’ a statement to the contrary could be perceived/presented as “hateful”. 9/12
To those who believe ‘sex is a spectrum’ a statement to the contrary could be perceived/presented as “hateful”. 9/12
The Open Letter is full of such sentiment, citing: bigoted beliefs, toxic voices, voices of hate, hateful words, bigotry, promote hate, turning away hate, etc.
The case for the targets of the letter being “hateful” & therefore potential law-breakers is cynically laid out 10/12
The case for the targets of the letter being “hateful” & therefore potential law-breakers is cynically laid out 10/12
Will a forceful defence of women’s sex-based rights result in a woman being charged with a Hate Crime? With Amnesty as witnesses for the prosecution? In the Bill there’s no requirement for proof.
The use of ‘law-fare’ as a means of silencing dissent is a grim prospect. 11/12
The use of ‘law-fare’ as a means of silencing dissent is a grim prospect. 11/12
The thought is chilling & will diminish us all.
Words matter, debate matters, science matters, law matters, civil liberties matter. Freedom of expression matters.
The price of liberty? As always, it’s eternal vigilance. Even towards laudable-sounding Open Letters. 12/12
Words matter, debate matters, science matters, law matters, civil liberties matter. Freedom of expression matters.
The price of liberty? As always, it’s eternal vigilance. Even towards laudable-sounding Open Letters. 12/12
. @TCDFFT on the Hate Crimes Bill. https://thecountessdidntfightforthis.com/is-the-proposed-hate-crime-bill-fit-for-purpose/
