[Sat 28th Oct 2017] London Anarchist Bookfair (London)

[TruXta]

I think she expected a safe space, where no one challenged her bigotry and bullshit. She stayed for about a day.

I can't recall exactly. Think Laurie P lasted a smidgeon longer?

 

[Shechemite]

Isn’t Laurie an actual journalist though?

 

[Pickman's model]

Isn’t Laurie an actual journalist though?

Masquerading as such I hear

 

[TruXta]

Masquerading as such I hear

Successfully so, by the looks of it.

 

[Shechemite]

Successfully so, by the looks of it.

It’s nothing to be proud of

 

[TruXta]

It’s nothing to be proud of

Being a journalist or being LP?

 

[Shechemite]

Being a journalist or being LP?

Quite

 

[killer b]

I'm not sure Penny is a journalist really, not any more. People pay her to write, but they do it directly - she's pulling in 4 grand a month on her Patreon. No need to bother pitching articles to the press anymore (this is why she's largely disappeared recently IMO)

 

[inva]

Posted yet?



What should an anarchist bookfair set out to achieve?

for info, i guess their piece has been edited since? first bit you quoted now reads:

As we’re mainly class struggle and housing activists, albeit with some green tinges, we’re not well versed as to why TERFs have such a problem with transgender people and target them in the way they do. Having said that, we’re doing some reading up on the matter and the more we read, the more baffled we are as to why TERFs were given free rein at the bookfair given the number of anarchists who see their presence as provocative.

 

[LDC]

People need to have a think about this use of TERF. I'm not saying they aren't people that fall into this category, but labeling long term anarchist women who want to (either personally or defending the freedom of others to) discuss issues relating to themselves and trans-women/men as such is not helping anyone except those that want to disrupt things and silence sensible discussion.

 

[Athos]

People need to have a think about this use of TERF. I'm not saying they aren't people that fall into this category, but labeling long term anarchist women who want to (either personally or defending the freedom of others to) discuss issues relating to themselves and trans-women/men as such is not helping anyone except those that want to disrupt things and silence sensible discussion.

Some people have an interest in silencing sensible discussion.

 

[butchersapron]

I'm not sure Penny is a journalist really, not any more. People pay her to write, but they do it directly - she's pulling in 4 grand a month on her Patreon. No need to bother pitching articles to the press anymore (this is why she's largely disappeared recently IMO)

We had only to stuff her mouth with gold.

 

[killer b]

We only had to stuff her mouth with gold.

yep - we'll still have to put up with the books and the publicity she does for them, but the rest of the time she's too busy producing content for her subscribers (five of whom pay $3000 a year for the privilege) to bother writing for the rest of us.

 

[DaveCinzano]

for info, i guess their piece has been edited since? first bit you quoted now reads:

Not inconsiderably changed, it seems!

 

[butchersapron]

yep - we'll still have to put up with the books and the publicity she does for them, but the rest of the time she's too busy producing content for her subscribers (five of whom pay $3000 a year for the privilege) to bother writing for the rest of us.

Parents, gotta luv 'em.

 

[butchersapron]

for info, i guess their piece has been edited since? first bit you quoted now reads:

Quick turnaround - experts and shouty now maybe.

 

[killer b]

It's incredible how much knowledge you can pick up on twitter in an afternoon.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Bit disappointing given who (I think) it is.

 

[butchersapron]

Bit disappointing given who (I think) it is.

The met?

 

[smokedout]

People need to have a think about this use of TERF. I'm not saying they aren't people that fall into this category, but labeling long term anarchist women who want to (either personally or defending the freedom of others to) discuss issues relating to themselves and trans-women/men as such is not helping anyone except those that want to disrupt things and silence sensible discussion.

I'm not sure turning up with a load of leaflets which lie and scare-monger about possible new legislation and call proposals to simplify the gender recognition process part of 'rape culture' is a particularly good way to start a sensible discussion either.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

It’s annoying that all the public online bun fights happen on twitter nowadays given I find it too irritating to even look at.

 

[smokedout]

The argument from trans advocates seems to be that men who want to identify as women are upset by not being acknowledged as women, therefore we must accept that they are women. But if women tell you that we are upset by being called ‘cis’ that’s just our tough luck. So right from the start that looks like male privilege to me.

It is the appropriation of the word ‘women' by males which has then required the invention of another term 'cis' to distinguish between males who call themselves women and women who were born female. Women never got asked if we were happy to have this word appropriated by men. Men just took - a classic example of the socialised male sense of entitlement.

All in all, forcing women to accept a new definition of our reality so that some men can call themselves women just replicates the gender norms of male domination and female submission and it cannot be considered not remotely progressive. It prevents women from accurately describing and fighting the sexism endemic in our society.

This was posted on Helen's (public) facebook page two weeks ago by the way. It therefore seems unlikely that she intervened in this purely on the grounds of defending free speech as has been suggested. Elsewhere on her page she admits to becoming a 'little fixated' on this issue.

 

[butchersapron]

This was posted on Helen's (public) facebook page two weeks ago by the way. It therefore seems unlikely that she intervened in this purely on the grounds of defending free speech as has been suggested. Elsewhere on her page she admits to becoming a 'little fixated' on this issue.

Could you provide the 'fixated' quote please?

 

[smokedout]

Could you provide the 'fixated' quote please?

It may appear that I have been a little fixated on this issue recently! That is because there is an ongoing campaign to silence women's voices on this issue, despite the fact it affects our lives. If the bullying (which has included violence and threats of violence against women) and silencing succeeds then the changes will go through unopposed and they will have a serious impact on women's lives.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

This was posted on Helen's (public) facebook page two weeks ago by the way. It therefore seems unlikely that she intervened in this purely on the grounds of defending free speech as has been suggested. Elsewhere on her page she admits to becoming a 'little fixated' on this issue.

I don’t see why she isn’t allowed this view, or why it makes her a ‘fascist’.

 

[butchersapron]

And that other bit was written by Helen?

 

[andysays]

This was posted on Helen's (public) facebook page two weeks ago by the way. It therefore seems unlikely that she intervened in this purely on the grounds of defending free speech as has been suggested. Elsewhere on her page she admits to becoming a 'little fixated' on this issue.

She was also involved (not just present but physically involved) in the ruckus at Speakers Corner a few weeks ago, easily identifiable in at least one of the videos posted on the relevant thread here at the time.

 

[smokedout]

And that other bit was written by Helen?

yes, theres quite a bit of it.

 

[butchersapron]

She was also involved (not just present but physically involved) in the ruckus at Speakers Corner a few weeks ago, easily identifiable in at least one of the videos posted on the relevant thread here at the time.

Are you sure of this?

 

[butchersapron]

This was posted on Helen's (public) facebook page two weeks ago by the way. It therefore seems unlikely that she intervened in this purely on the grounds of defending free speech as has been suggested. Elsewhere on her page she admits to becoming a 'little fixated' on this issue.

Every fucker has been forced to have a corner on this. If helen was involved in the mayday group and doing more than defending a right to a dissenting opinion a reckon a few things on facebook where you can't avoid it might be produced.