Thread by @MForstater

"Both sides"

This tweet is rightly getting ratio'ed because the 'both sides' thing is bad faith nonsense.

On one side: rape & death threats, doxxing, no-platforming, trying to get people fired.

On the other side: some snark

Ask for receipts... nothing.

Here are some

https://twitter.com/jonronson/status/1236712240960671752

@NewSocialistUK have a model motion against transphobia newsocialist.org.uk/draft-model-mo…

Their evidence...

Laura Pidcock wrote in Tribune “The women’s movement needs the space to talk about sex and gender, without fear of being ‘no platformed’ (um, okay....)

There's a cartoon that was a bit off, harsh words selectively misquoted. Here is @sargesalute calling specific trans activists "horrible hateful misogynistic
bastards" .

...presented as "The official view of WPUK on trans women"
vimeo.com/254644146

A presentation with a mocking tone which referred to transwomen as “men”.

And a vague accusation of "increasing harassment on social media" (with no receipts)

Thats it. Thats all

There was Linda Bellos's "threat of violence"

(I know right, a 70 year old woman talking about self defence, terrifying)

2harecourt.com/2018/11/30/gud…

Also as @AdamWagner1 's @EachOtherUk reported there was a "highly charged atmosphere" when some women stood outside with banners to support Linda and Venice
eachother.org.uk/linda-bellos-f…

It was absolutely terrifying apparently....

eachother.org.uk/how-media-miss…

There were my "transphobic tweets" which were enough for my ex employer to argue in court that my views were on par with 'incitement to hatred'

https://twitter.com/MForstater/status/1209914779973931010

Various academics are terrifying - @Docstockk @GoonerProf @selina_todd and the likes of @RooneyRachel (who wrote a lovely childrens book) and @BluskyeAllison who has given speeches about womens rights

And then there is @bindelj wrongthinking repeatedly
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

There was Kate Scottow, who was actually found guilty for being annoying on twitter - 20 tweets over 7 months, a few of which were mean.

https://twitter.com/MForstater/status/1228255304628002816

(she is appealing)

And @WeAreFairCop Harry Miller whose tweets were "for the most part, either opaque, profane, or unsophisticated" but clearly "expressions of opinion on a topic of current controversy, namely gender recognition" said Justice Julian Knowles judiciary.uk/wp-content/upl…

Then again, the complainant in Harry Miller's case says Justice Knowles himself used transphobic language:

"He mentions that transgender women are born biologically male."

That is "transphobia in a nutshell" says Mrs B judicialcat.blogspot.com/2020/02/harry-…

The Time's whole output in writing about this issue was accused of making the newspaper "a hostile, anti-transgender place to work"

buzzfeed.com/patrickstrudwi…

(that part of the case did not go anywhere)

There was the time Posie Parker and Julia Long doorstepped a political lobbyist in a congressional building Michael Moore style nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-ou…

(they also sat in the audience at an event hosted at a right wing think tank, so obviously bad people... )

There was @DebbieHayton wearing a T-shirt stating “Trans women are men. Get over it!” This got her accused of hate speech & facing disciplinary action in her trades union telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/2…

And then of course @suzanne_moore who wrote an article defending women's right to organise and @KathViner who published it.

This was so heinous that @libertyhq and @AmnestyUK @KateAllenAI @marthaspurrier wrote in to complain

All of this stuff is well within the norms of open democratic debate (which includes satire & doesn't require that people are always kind & polite to each other).

And it has provoked a disproportionate reaction

(Which perhaps to the casual observer looks like 'both sides')

If you run with the 'both sides' narrative be aware that:

1) You are falling into the trap of punishing women for failing to be nice and act as 'support humans'

2) You are giving support to a movement trying to shut down ordinary political debate & safeguarding discussions