Thread by @MForstater

[Thread] My case raises Qs about freedom of speech & belief & how to reconcile women's rights & the rights of transgender people.

So how have the human rights organisations and other NGOs responded?

[Disclaimer: individual staff views do not necessarily represent orgs]

@IndexCensorship @jodieginsberg said back in Nov "I cannot see that MF has done anything wrong other than express an opinion that many feminists share – that there should be a public and open debate about the distinction between sex and gender.”

theguardian.com/law/2019/nov/1…

@TrevorPTweets chair of Index with a supportive message!

@fawcettsociety @Samsmethers has had nothing to say yet (we did have a cup of tea and a chat)

Incidentally 1,100 people would really, really like to Fawcett society step up and hold some grown up discussion about sex and gender ID

Amnesty International had this to say

Amnesty UK Trustee Senthorun Raj @senthorun endorsed
@cmclymer view that JK Rowling (and I) are transphobic for “stating that sex is real"...."a common transphobic assertion that has been dismissed by medical experts and other scientists."

@chiaracapraro head of Womens Rights @AmnestyUK said JKR should have known better

Also support Mermaids and Gendered Intelligence and something something TERFS

Other Amnesty senior staff and Trustees on twitter have been silent on this, and on their position on gender self ID

https://twitter.com/MForstater/status/1203310182341763074

@libertyhq didn't have anything to say on my case but they go with the "transwomen are women, there is no issues for women's rights" position

Liberty Advocacy Director @CollierClare retweeted this blood libel by colleague @CoreyStoughton

Women's Resource Centre @whywomen - nothing. But Director @VivHayes did acknowledge what is going on

I don't know what she was hoping and raging about on December 19, but there was a lot of rage about that day.

@EachOtherUk didn't cover the case but CEO Sarah Wishart made her views known

https://twitter.com/MForstater/status/1217432571438604289

Chair @AdamWagner1 did a radio interview

https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1207564032607166464

As @sjarnvig has pointed out the development sector and its influencers have had nothing to say

https://twitter.com/sjarnvig/status/1211086274632855553

ditto Open Gov (with the honorable exception of @alanhudson1 )

https://twitter.com/alanhudson1/status/1126576178624638976

When I was trying to keep my job @CGDev I wrote this in a letter to senior management. I thought that as a think tank we should be open to thinking about the issue.

In practice CGD was not.

But i did end up sparking a lot of conversations around a lot of tables over xmas

I know that while people can say "begone TERF" publicly, people in NGOs who are concerned about the issue are afraid to speak up.

And no mainstream org (or funder) has stepped up to host dialogue or analysis.

This issue will keep running. I hope they find their voice.