Thread by @SexNotGenderNI

A reminder that for the 'hate crime' of sharing photos sent to us of Women = Adult Human Female protest stickers in Belfast, @SDLPlive Councillor @seamasbelfast defamed us as a hate account. @columeastwood do you think it's hateful to defend sex-based rights & language? #AE22

https://twitter.com/SexNotGenderNI/status/1488815501094567936

@SDLPlive @SeamasBelfast @columeastwood UUP's @BeattieDoug thought so too at first, 'til women from the network we belong to (& @DreyfusJames!) told him why #peacefulprotest like stickering is the ONLY way for many women to protest the erosion of our rights, spaces & language, thanks to the #chillingeffect created

Here's Seamas's defamatory tweet, trying to stifle debate on women's rights, calling our followers bots. When they replied #notabot, he blocked them! #seamasblockswomen What will you do about this, @columeastwood? Voters are angry & want to know. #AE22

https://twitter.com/seamasbelfast/status/1434103982234996739

Then he called us all trolls, accused us of an 'orchestrated attack' (women telling him 'I'm #notabot'), & @antoflynnser of the @GreenPartyNI called us 'wingnuts' with only 'hatred & abuse'. Given politicians' tweets have been in the spotlight, we'd like an apology. @StephenNolan

Here's @allianceparty councillor Eric Hanvey, who felt that debate around the definition of women, upon which women's sports, services, shortlists, prisons, health etc depend, was a blockable offence. Any comment? #misogyny #democracy @stephennolan @dt_ni

https://twitter.com/erichanvey2/status/1434211909637754883?s=21

@allianceparty @StephenNolan @dt_ni We'd like all NI voters in #AE22 to #askyourMLAwhatawomanis, and let us know. Whilst we want them to publicly answer, we don't encourage abuse or pile-ons, especially not female politicians who are further abused because of their sex. Yes, even those who pretend gender > sex.

We know that any time a large number of people respond to controversial tweets, the poster can frame that as a 'pile-on'. Fine line with much hypocrisy around it. But we say phone, email (anon maybe), ask to meet your politicians. Don't let them say they weren't told. #AE22