META magazine's interview with Julie Bindel on July 7th, 2012.
Frankly I am surprised. Of course we differ greatly on some topics such as delaying puberty in adolescents. I also think she played the victim card then went and blew up a whole lot of good will with her description of trans people who called her on her transphobia in 2008 and again in 2011 when she was nominated for all things, the Stonewall Diversity Award...but as she said, those are years past.
Some will say she was simply on her best behaviour during the interview adapting to the changing social norms and I could see a cauldron of anger swirling just below the surface of this woman. But that being said, I would say I am in agreement with Bindle on a number of topics.
We need to take a pluralistic view, accept that others disagree and find common ground.
RadFems monolithic view of men bad, woman good is ridiculous but somehow, just somehow we need to make peace with Radfems. Lord knows I have tried and failed, maybe someone else would be successful.
The only ones who will benefit directly from the Trans Radfem conflict are those who hate us and make no differentiation between cisgender and transsexuals, and believe it or not, some from within our own community who find satisfaction in the fanning the flame of the current conflagration.
Like Julie said, we journalists have the potential to greatly influence social understandings, and the winners are the ones who rise to the top.
6 comments:
It appears that the current attacks upon TS/TG people that are being staged by self proclaimed "radical feminists" are bald faced attempts at disrupting the women's movement at a time when women's right are under major assault by the right wing.
These tactics were used in the 1970s in a manner that helped destroy the women's movement as a voice of opposition to the right during the 1980s.
It has taken the feminist movement some 20 years to recover from those disruptions.
During that time the radical feminists proposed absolutely nothing that furthered women's rights.
I'm not buying it.
Until Bindel and others start calling out fellow radfems for their unwarranted attacks on transwomen, apologize for them and make serious efforts to halt the opposition to trans human rights, they will still be regarded as trans oppressors.
True Monica...
She didn't call out any of her own, but she did condemn those American radical feminist for their egregious conduct and that's a start.
I still have the daggers in my hand from trying to reach out to Cathey Brennan and mob so I agree it would have better if she had named names but....
and I can not believe I am being empathetic about her reluctance,,,
But just a few posts back I called out by name one of our own, a 'tranny' apologist, and was hated on by our own for 'eating our own'.
Personally, as a journalist I would like to hear her speak sometime. Not as a recipient of a gender diversity award by a gay org or as a recipient of the journalist of the year award on LGBT issues, but as Julie Bindel, the person.
I think we have a lot to talk about.
I think it's great that there has been some progress. Particularly given that rad fems were very upset at being banned from Conway Hall. I would like to see a transgender activist show some remorse for getting a group of women banned from a meeting place where most of the debate was going to be about the systematic abuse of the most vulnerable women in the world.
It wasn't trans people who got them denied Conway hall it was the description of the event on there web page and there refusal to conform to current day UK standards. It wasn't trans people who were the most vocal about the Radfems, it was feminists in the UK and the vast majority of students.
Radfem's live to bash trans people. Go onto any of the radfems twitter accounts and see for yourself. Visit any of the Radfems blogs or websites and see for yourself.
Remorse? no it was justice done as civilization demanded civility from a group and were denied.
Like I said, I would like to hear Julie Bindel a civilized radical feminist speak, but I have been attacked enough times as I have extended a hand in peace to Radfems to know better than try again.
I don't think radfems live to bash trans people. Most are just anti-porn and anti-the sex industry as they, themselves has experienced the horror of sexual abuse.
Most working-class scottish rad fems do anyway.
I do follow the radfem/transactivists impasse with great interest and horror.
We all know about the radfems, who were quite out of order. But I really have to say, the utter glee of libfems, that this conference was had to go underground and be kept secret, was totallt depressing and I certainly couldn't share that delight.
As I said, the majority of the discussions were about world-wide abuse of women.
If a group of women want who are gender essentialists want to define themselves by that, lets not denegrate them.
I do agree that in the rad fem movement, the language and tone and rationale, which they talk about transgender people is appalling and had I made the conference, I would have said this.
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