Radfem2012 and David versus Goliath

We often hear from Transactivists that trans are the most oppressed and marginalised of any discriminated-against group, so we shall investigate whether “David” (the little guy) applies to Trans, and that “Goliath” (the giant) really applies to Radfems.

The kerfuffle was brought to light when Conway Hall backed out of providing the venue for a modest conference of a couple of hundred Radfems (and those interested in learning more about Radical Feminism). Of course, Conway Hall seem to have a history of backing the wrong side, this seems to be a pattern.

Joelle Ruby Ryan, bragging about the size of the forthcoming Philly Trans Health Conference, a five day conference (as opposed to the Radfem conference of two days):

So, 2,500 expected for the Trans conference, and a few hundred (at best) for the Radfem conference. Ten times the size, and more than double the duration. Some more details:

The day is nearly here, the day that all the organizers of the 11th annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference (PTHC) have been waiting nearly 12 months for: the first day of the conference. Planning a conference for 2,500 people that runs for three days and involves over 350 presenters, 2,000-plus workshops, and nearly 40 other gatherings, activities, shows, and parties takes a veritable army to pull off.

Lots of media coverage from the LGBT (none for the Radfem conference, even though a significant number of Radfems are lesbians, supposedly part of the LGBT, but you wouldn’t know it given the ‘radio silence’ on lesbian issues/events from the LGBT, Chaz Bono aside). 350 presenters compared to maybe 20-30 panelists for Radfem2012, and 2,000 workshops compared to maybe a handful at most at Radfem2012. Multiple parties versus one party. Also, the 11th Annual compared to the Inaugural. Yes, the Trans community must really be quaking in their boots at the size of the Radfem ‘threat’ against them. I wonder if Radfems were invited to speak at their conference, considering they insist that they must be heard at ours? And given it is a health conference, I wonder if the medical professionals opposed to transgenderism will be asked to speak their views, or will they be silenced and threatened by Transactivists, just as Radfems are?

ETA: Check out the massive list of funding for the Trans Health Conference. Hardly marginalised, hardly struggling. Very accepted by the mainstream.

First Wave Feminists in the late 19th to early 20th centuries spent many decades trying to get the vote for women. They took to the streets in their hundreds. Quite a number were arrested, and force-fed in prison. They were still a small minority of women who did get the job done, even though many women actually opposed them, and most men opposed them. I recall seeing a letter written into a newspaper at the time stating most strongly how women should not be given the vote, and rubbishing the suffragettes’ reputations. It kind of reminds me of the average Radical Feminist (even just general feminist) posts on CiF (the Guardian’s Comment is Free) and the misogyny they attract.

Second Wave Feminists took to the streets over many years in the late 1960s to mid 1970s to get equal pay for women (women were sometimes paid as little as 10% of the male wage – we still only average 80% of the male wage); domestic violence and rape laws (it was still legal to rape your wife up until 1991); childcare facilities to enable more women to work and work full time (women still make up the majority of part time workers); better property and other settlements in divorce; custody arrangements; domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centres (most started as volunteer organisations); legal abortions and contraception.

A lot of work to get those rights, not even fully realised in practice today, over many decades. The majority of the population opposed those rights, they were deemed unpopular.

The massive street demonstrations by Transactivists over many decades? Gay pride parades do not count. Crickets. Transgenders have have had a number of Acts brought in for them over the last ten years with just a bit of campaigning. So much so, that Transwomen’s rights (“gender”) trump Women’s rights (“sex”) – apparently (given dubious interpretation of the EA) we are ‘not permitted’ to have a meeting by ourselves without them present? Apparently we are not allowed to even have one closed workshop for sexual assault survivors, even though the rest of the conference was open to transwomen. The time from Draft Bill to Royal Assent for the Gender Recognition Act to come into being – just shy of one year.

We get the line from Transactivists that “they have always felt like a woman inside”, yet the vast majority of transitioners are males over 40 (62%), as well most of the male late transitioners are heterosexual males, with a significant number being sex offenders and fetishists. Many of these males were not effeminate males (from the LGBT), they were Alpha Males, frequently they are ex-military (a number of high profile Transactivists are). The younger male transitioners tend to be gay/bisexual, but they are the minority.

Nor do they automatically lose their jobs upon transition, although some do change jobs and still go on to have a significant career – they have more chance of a high level career than most females ever do. Most are guys who have lived most of their lives as men, had significant careers and built up assets. Most Radfems are dirt poor. Women still make up the majority of the poor worldwide.

As a reversal of Second Wave gains to get more women into higher career positions and male-dominated jobs like IT, equality monitoring counts transwomen as ‘women’ in these roles. Nothing has changed for the female-born, they remain on the outer, and the male-born transwomen occupy those positions instead.

Transactivists and their supporters can mobilise in vast numbers to shut down any questioning of transgenderism – like J. Michael Bailey who had his children threatened by Transactivists, a number of other medical professions who have spoken against transgenderism have had the same treatment from Transactivists – like the academic/clinical conference scheduled last year, A Time to Change, at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The Radfem2012 conference must surely hold the record, with the venue pulling out in just two weeks after the speakers were announced due to pressure from Transactivists. Feminists such as Professor Sheila Jeffreys and Julie Bindel frequently get no-platformed at events because they are labelled ‘transphobic’ (including Conway Hall’s banning of Professor Jeffreys). Feminist Germaine Greer, now a woman in her 70s, got glitterbombed in New Zealand this year. Online Radical Feminists are bombarded with threats of death (“die cis scum” and “die in a fire”) – these are routine. There is no one who can speak out about, or even question transgenderism, without being threatened into silence or shut down somehow, including Trans Regretters and Intersex Activists who are sick of the appropriation of their congenital conditions.

The “poor me” cry of Transactivists somehow rings hollow.

Patriarchy thrives on reversals. The Trans role in David vs Goliath is yet another.