Both unacceptable and no help to trans people
Rowan Moore in The Observer takes the both-sides view of men who urge violence against women:
“If you see a Terf,” said Sarah Jane Baker, a speaker at last weekend’s Trans Pride in London, “punch them in the fucking face.”…As a number of pro-trans organisations and individuals have since said, this is an incitement to violence against women, both unacceptable and no help to trans people. It enables the rightwing press, as they duly did, to portray what was a celebratory and positive event as an act of hate.
Ah yes, that’s the important thing: calling for violence against women is bad for trans people, especially the male ones. Do lets be sure to rush at high speed past the violence against women part, because that’s old news and kind of boring, just as women are kind of boring.
The police, in a dangerous over-reaction, under pressure from the home secretary, Suella Braverman, have now arrested Baker.
Why is it an over-reaction? Why is it dangerous? Why is that more important and interesting and worth mentioning in The Observer than the danger to women from Baker?
That’s an interesting little reveal of sexism/misogyny. Inciting violence against women is “unacceptable”. It isn’t wrong or dangerous, just not something you’re supposed to do in polite company.
Having grown up in a family marred by such violence, and been affected negattively by it myself, I can say that IMHO they should bring back the public stocks for such perps, and supply passers-by with gloves and a liberal supply of cowshit from some dairy with which to anoint him; as in the good old days of yore.
If I were to wear a Taqiyah and an Abayah, stand in Trafalgar Square, and shout at passersby “If you see a Jew, punch him in the face. If you see a Christian, rip off her Crucifix and stomp it into the soil” do you really think I would not be arrested on the spot?
It does not matter who says it, or where they say it, incitement to violence is always wrong.
I’ve read the Daily Mail piece for which they interviewed the victim of the crime for which Baker was originally imprisoned, a stomach-turning episode of sustained brutality. Arresting him an ‘over-reaction?’ Hardly. This is a very dangerous man who has just told the world that his thoughts are still running on violence.
And even that would not be as dangerous to others as what Baker did. He shouted what he did at a crowd he knew was primed to scream its approval. “Let’s beat up women!!!” “YES LET’S DO THAT!!!!!”
Replying to Rev David there.
Rowan Moore has a trans-identified daughter
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/31/as-the-father-of-a-trans-man-i-fear-for-the-consequences-of-this-cruel-judgment
— Daily Mail
Source:
Too bad he did it for the cameras if he planned to plead not guilty.
Spokespeople for the police really really REALLY should not do that. They should at least say trans woman…but really fuck that. They should say the damn truth. As the saying goes, these are not our crimes.