Transphobe Bindel Nominated as Stonewall's Journalist of the Year

[Caroline]

I urge everybody to write to the English Stonewall organisation expressing their feelings about this matter.

The following is copied from LiveJournal with permission:

"LGB campaigning organisation, Stonewall are hosting a glitzy event on November 6th at the Victoria and Albert in London, where they will announce the winners of their annual awards.

"Nominated under the "Journalist of the Year" category is Julie Bindel, who is well known for her transphobic writing. In 2007, I sat in the audience of Radio 4's "Hecklers debate" on sex reassignment surgery and listened to Bindel explain how she wanted hormonal and surgical treatment of transpeople replaced with reparative therapy (which she euphemistically referred to as "talking cures").

"Stonewall, despite being named after a riot in which trans people were instrumental, has achieved a certain notoriety within the UK Trans community for the apparent low regard in which it holds trans issues, but nominating an actively transphobic journalist for this award could be seen as a direct slap in the face for the UK's trans community.

"Stonewall can be contacted by email on: info@stonewall.org.uk"

[NicholeW.]

e-mail sent. Thank you, Andra.

[tekla]

I don't even understand how the English have a "Stonewall" group, wasn't that a states thing?  Like New York.

[Lokaeign]

There's a protest been organised against this (which I'm going to do my best to get to, madhead allowing):

Thursday, November 6, 2008
Time:
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location:
Outside the Victoria & Albert Museum
Street:
Cromwell Road SW7 2RL
City/Town:
London, United Kingdom

[Rachael]

I don't even understand how the English have a "Stonewall" group, wasn't that a states thing?  Like New York.

No, it was a riot in london UK....

[Lokaeign]

I don't even understand how the English have a "Stonewall" group, wasn't that a states thing?  Like New York.

The original Stonewall Riots occurred in New York in 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village.  The UK Stonewall group was formed 20 years later in response to the introduction of Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988,* and named after the US location and associated group.


*Section 28 forbade local authorities from "promoting homosexuality."  Nobody ever actually got done under it, but the vagueness of "promoting homosexuality" put the frightners on a lot of local authorities and schools, meaning that educators were afriad to support LGBT people and issues, LGBT groups were closed down, and so on. Despite being odious in intent and vacuous in construction  the bloody thing wasn't repealed until 2003.

[Pica Pica]

i remember that the group promoting section 28 had a freepost address, at the same time advertising started entering schools in the form of free postcards. Me and Loic put these two together and must have cost the pro section 28 people a few hundred pound in postage in those years.

[Lokaeign]

Heee!

Posted on: October 31, 2008, 08:36:30 amWell that went well.  About 150+ turned out to protest the nomination.  The self-styled Julie Bindel Fan Club over the way didn't even make it to double figures, and left after an hour.  No gumption!

Posted on: November 07, 2008, 08:12:46 amBindel's response to the protest is here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/08/lesbianism

Reading the article I was struck by how clear-headed, courteous, and responsible it was.  It was heartening to see that JB had evidently taken on board what was said, taking the time and care to engage fully and respectfully with the perspectives offered by those on the other side of the debate, resisting the temptation to misrepresent the motivations or actions of the protestors or to stoop to low insults.  Suddenly a large floating purple marmot interrupted my train of thought by humming the national anthem, and I woke up. In the real article she lumps everyone else in with cat molesters, lies about the protest, and then sulks.

I suggest, for your emotional wellbeing, that you avoid the comments section.  Full chorus of irate Bindlefans, het-cis guys wondering why we need LGBT rights or feminism anyway, etc etc.