Thread by @WardlawSteve

Sorry - it's a long one today - and tomorrow I will have the @thesundaytimes and the Mail on Sunday to deal with.

But today it's @thetimes .So there’s a lot going on here. Today’s lesson is on ‘thematic distortion’ where you create an idea in someone’s mind by the tone.. (1/12)

of a piece, rather than facts. What we see here is various ‘forcing’ words such as ‘bully’ ‘coerce’ ‘force’, giving the impression that Stonewall is forcing public bodies (again, underlying subtext – it’s your money) to change. Here's the thing - it's just not true... (2/12)

The Workplace Equality Index is totally, 100%, completely voluntary. Don’t agree with their stance on gender equality? Don’t sign up for the index. Tell your employees that you disagree with that issue and start a debate. (3/12)

The WEI is voluntary, same as, say, playing football. There’s no article from #lucybannerman saying the Football Association “bullying players into using 11 players”. If you want to play with 15, play some other game. I can’t bully you with a voluntary scheme. ....(4/12)

If you don’t like my rules, don’t play.
It’s a shame the article then falls into the usual lies. Stonewall has NEVER ordered organisations to ban the word ‘mother’. Rather – inclusion not exclusion – it has suggested adding other terms, such as ‘birth parent, which is...(5/12)

very useful when talking to lesbian couples, only one of whom is the ‘mother’. It’s actually not a de-gendering idea – it was designed for women. I would expect a simple fact check from a good journalist. #LucyBannerman fails that test...(6/12)

And again, in one short paragraph, unnamed legal experts suggest that Stonewall might be breaking the law. Who are these experts? I’d be very happy to chat with them about what the Equality Act means, and what Stonewall has actually done (or not done in this case). (7/12)

Now @thetimes leader does the same - the idea that ‘public bodies’ are paying for Stonewall. So are many private bodies but that doesn’t help the trope YOUR money is going to these 'loons'. The leader says the WEI is there now only to promote a view on gender equality. (8/12)

That’s not true – it’s about LGBT generally, so that’s either a lie or very poor journalism. You decide. If there is an issue with men self-identifying as women to assault women in changing rooms, then let’s deal with those men robustly and properly...(9/12)

rather than painting a whole class of people as sex offenders. That's the true definition of transphobia.
And they do the “we have nothing against trans people but…”. Sound familiar? I remember “I’ve got nothing against gay people but I don’t want them near my children.” (10/12)

Let’s not fool ourselves – these arguments were used against gay men 30 years ago. It’s a shame therefore that it’s gay men and lesbians using the arguments that were once thrown against us. (11/12)

That's it from me for today. Happy #transpride everyone and see you there later. #transally (12/12)

Daddy, stop pointing out trans untruths and take us for a walk

Would help if I tagged @stonewalluk as well #rookieerror.