..
The cowardly enablers of thuggery
An MP is now too much at risk to attend her own party’s conference
6 hr ago
The Raft of the Medusa; Jean-Louis Théodore Gericault, 1818-19
The Labour MP Rosie Duffield has decided to stay away from this year’s Labour party conference after receiving advice that her safety there could be at risk.
The reason? She has been branded transphobic for “knowing that only women have a cervix”. She has also pointed out that it might not be appropriate for people with male bodies who identify as women to enter female-only spaces.
The position in which she finds herself is clearly appalling. For a member of parliament to be advised not to attend her own party conference because her safety is threatened is a new low even by the standards of our culture of coerced conformity.
Indeed, the apolitical Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has felt moved to make an unprecedented intervention over her treatment by observing that elected representatives should be able to appear publicly “without fear of harm”.
You don’t say.
Duffield’s experience shows once again how this gender lunacy is not just shutting down freely expressed views but is also posing a physical threat to those taking a contrary position — a position which also happens to state the biologically blindingly obvious.
As with other such issues, this shocking intimidation is being made possible by the cowardice of those in authority — in this case, the leadership of the Labour party, running terrified from the culture wars and, in particular, its own LGBT+ grouping.
The Sunday Times (£) reports:
“LGBT+ Labour now seem to hate my guts and I feared they’d have a massive go at me at conference,” Duffield said. “The people who threaten me I don’t think are actually likely to harm me. They just say it often and very loudly.”
And what has been the reaction of her party leader, Sir Keir Starmer? The Sunday Times tells us that he recently texted her to check on her welfare.
Wow — cowering down so as not to be counted, or what?! The phrase “hanging out to dry” comes irresistibly to mind; or, as on the raft of the Medusa in the painting above, setting Duffield and similar inconvenient individuals adrift.
The beleaguered MP is in this position because Starmer has failed to tackle the root issue: that certain transgender activists have set themselves against women’s interests and even identity by denying that men and women are biologically different, and trying to silence those who insist that a biological man who declares himself to be a woman remains inescapably a man. Terrified of upsetting one or other constituency, Starmer is trying to appease them both.
Starmer is the man who tweeted a picture of himself and his deputy “taking the knee” in support of Black Lives Matter — and then tried to brush aside as irrelevant its anti-police agenda. Starmer is the man who tried to appease both sides in the great Brexit crisis by insisting that a “soft” Brexit, which would have kept the UK within the ambit of the EU's laws, nevertheless would enact the British people’s decision to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.
True, he was braver over the issue of antisemitism in the Labour party, passionately speaking out against it and taking action against certain key offenders. But these relatively tough measures were greatly eased by the fact that the antisemites in question were supporters of the hard-left Momentum faction around Jeremy Corbyn, and being seen to get rid of that indisputable electoral liability was a political no-brainer.
In order to deal appropriately with the threat to Rosie Duffield and others in his party under similar pressure, he should take the same kind of condign action against the LGBT+ people in his party as he did against the antisemites — first and foremost, by calling out these trans totalitarians for what they are. Continuing to fail to do so will make it clear to women that he has simply abandoned them — and will make it clear to everyone else that he has also abandoned in consequence rationality and decency.
The transgender issue is ripping apart the whole of the left, between on the one hand those who want to prevent women from being erased altogether and replaced by “people who menstruate” and other lunacies, and on the other those who wish to stamp out anyone who resists this.
There is a further point to be made. The Sunday Times reports:
Duffield believes some of those who attack her for her views are “straight white men”. She said: “There are some women who get involved and want to be seen to be very woke ... but mostly it is men, and the same men that have trolled me ever since I got elected.
“So it looks like, feels like and smells like misogyny, and this is just the latest cause they have latched on to ... The fact that I am blonde — they call me a bimbo. The fact that I don’t like antisemitism. There is always something, but it is always the same people who attack me.”
Very possibly a misogynistic bent among some men who cannot stop themselves from abusing a young, attractive woman.
In 2018 Luciana Berger, then a Labour MP, was given police protection at the Labour party conference after months of receiving anti-Jewish abuse as a result of her attempts to rid the party of its erupting antisemitism.
In Britain and America, Jewish students run a gauntlet of intimidation, incitement and threats on campus from anti-Zionists and others promoting the left’s “intersectionality” agenda. Jews elsewhere are being verbally abused and physically attacked, disproportionately so by black and Muslim individuals; as a result of the identity of those attackers, the left is shockingly silent about these attacks.
In America, Black Lives Matter and Antifa smash and loot shops and businesses and beat up white passers-by; the Democrats and much of the rest of the left noisily support Black Lives Matter and have adopted its anti-white demonisation and bigotry.
On both sides of the Atlantic, academics with conservative views, or who support Israel, or who dissent from man-made global warming theory or any of the myriad “intersectionality” issues which form our contemporary sub-Marxist Salem, are subjected to abuse, professional isolation or physical threats from so-called “progressives”.
The fact is that the left is being increasingly defined by thuggery — and those Democrat or Labour political leaders, university vice-chancellors, cultural elites or other self-styled “moderates” in positions of authority, who are either choosing to look the other way or are even actively cheering on the vicious inanities of identity politics, are thuggery’s enablers.
A straight line connects the 18th century French Revolutionary terror, 20th century communism and fascism and now the 21st century’s cultural totalitarianism. Far from being the avatars of progress, decency and social or any other kind of justice, the left are their nemesis.
One in five UK adults would work in porn if the salary
was high enough & they felt safe – poll
So, no consideration of the effect on future or present children, it would appear
20 Sep, 2021 23:45
Almost 20% of British adults would consider working in the porn industry, as long as the salary was high and the environment safe, according to a new poll that suggests sex work has become an “acceptable” part of society.
A Savanta ComRes poll found 19% of Britons would enter a career in pornography if they thought the pay was high enough and the working environment was safe. More than a third (34%) viewed porn, once considered a shameful indulgence, as an “acceptable part of modern society.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the young were more likely to consider entering the porn industry – 32% of those aged 18 to 34 had contemplated it – while just 8% of those over 55 had considered such a switch.
Despite apparently open attitudes toward the industry, though, slightly more than half (51%) of poll respondents admitted they would be concerned if they discovered an adult family member was generating content for sale on sites like Pornhub or OnlyFans. Among those under 35, only 41% said they would likely be worried about such an outcome, while 59% of those over 55 would find it cause for concern.
The survey of 2,087 British adults was commissioned by anti-pornography charity the Naked Truth Project. Its founder, Ian Henderson, called the poll results disturbing, noting that increasing awareness of just how many porn “actors” are trafficked and exploited against their will does not seem to be translating into people distancing themselves from the industry.
"There are people of all ages who are accessing explicit content on a regular basis – content that is having a tangible and detrimental impact on the relationships, mental health and self-worth of both viewers and those working in the industry,” Henderson said, describing the pervasiveness of porn throughout even the most ordinary lives.
It should be a concern that so many are open to pursuing a career in pornography
And the popular embrace of the career path once regarded as a strict taboo has only grown by leaps and bounds, leaking into adult academia and generating calls for the creation of “entry-level porn” for teens.
The ex-wife of a pastor returns to doing porn - as a Christian (2nd story on link)
While the most popular sites that host pornographic material – from MindGeek’s industry-dominating network of porn sites to OnlyFans’ more recent but wildly successful entry into the industry – are sometimes subject to censure by outside forces like payment processors or web hosts, occasional scares have done little to stifle the burgeoning industry.
At most, these setbacks sparked some minor and sometimes short-term behavioral changes. After being accused of proliferating child pornography and rape videos last year, Pornhub updated its policy, allowing only vetted and verified partners to post content. OnlyFans seemed poised on the brink of extinction last month as it announced sexualized content would have to be jettisoned ostensibly to avoid being blacklisted by prudish payment processors. The site, however, reversed course within a matter of days, announcing that it would “suspend” the policy change, leading to widespread sighs of relief both from content creators who make their money selling fantasy on the site and consumers.
Evil wins again, as it did with Apple's anti-child pornography program that has been shelved.
Oxford college apologizes for hosting Christian conference
after students complain
The complaining students weren't even in attendance
By Nicole Alcindor,
CP Contributor|
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
An Oxford college in England has apologized after the school hosted a conference sponsored by an evangelical conservative advocacy organization, which students claimed was "hateful and invalidating."
How did they know, if they weren't there?
Worcester College in Oxford, England, has issued a public apology after the school hosted a Christian Concern training camp on its campus from Sep. 6 to Sept. 10.
The Christian Concern conference featured many guest speakers, including Mike Davidson, the CEO of Core Issues Trust and X-Out Loud. Core Issues Trust seeks to support individuals experiencing unwanted same-sex attractions "voluntarily seeking to leave homosexual behaviours and feelings."
Davidson was one of many guest speakers with Wilberforce Academy, an initiative of Christian Concern. The Academy is a weeklong "intensive residential programme aimed at students and young professionals with a passion to serve Jesus Christ in a variety of vocations."
Davidson has called for "professional assistance" to "leave behind unwanted homosexual practices," according to the college's student news publication, The Oxford Tab.
Davidson is recognized for being outspoken about his stance against bans on conversion therapy. His organization has also been vocal about its "dissatisfaction with the encroaching politico-religious identity of Islam."
One session at the conference was titled "The nature of Islam."
Multiple students who found out about the conference reportedly said the event used language that was "inflammatory," and others claimed the event was "hateful and invalidating."
An email written by a group of students was sent to Worcester's JCR President, LGBT representative and ethnic and religious minorities representative.
"Many of us come to uni hoping to be allowed to be ourselves and know we can trust our new community and home," the email stated, according to The Tab. "But how are we expected to place our trust in somewhere that, if it weren't for a leaflet being left behind at breakfast, would have left us unaware that they had hosted a group that has consistently aimed to persecute and strip us of our rights for our sexuality, gender and or religion?"
The past tense here indicates that they knew nothing of the week-long event until after it was finished. So, can they make inflammatory remarks without attending?
A co-chair of the SU LGBTQ+ Campaign reportedly responded to the email: "We stand in full solidarity with you and will do our best to take the necessary action to prevent this from being an issue again in the future."
A school spokesperson issued an apology on behalf of the school.
"We deeply regret the distress caused to students, staff and other members of the college community by the presence of the Wilberforce Academy conference," the spokesperson said in the public apology published by The Tab.
The chief executive of the Christian Concern, Andrea Minichiello Williams, called the school's apology an example of "cancel culture."
Despite reaching out to Worcester College on multiple occasions to discuss what has been "alleged," Williams said the school has not responded to the organization for comment.
"But if the college has turned its back on us, it seems that cancel culture has once again demonstrated the power of its grip in one of our top universities, fuelled by a small group of activists who won't tolerate any view that departs from their own narrow ideology and who will resort to tactics of misrepresentation and sweeping allegations to get their way, seemingly frightening nearly everyone into submission," Williams said in a statement.
Provost David Isaac, who has been the head of Worcester College since July 2021, was previously the head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in England and Wales. Under his leadership, the commission posted guidance in 2019 calling for free speech to be protected on college campuses, stating that "The free expression and exchange of different views without persecution or interference."
"That a college now led by someone who has so often claimed to be a defender of freedom of expression in higher education is rumoured to have capitulated to this aggressive movement is even more concerning," Williams added.
"We very much enjoyed our week at the college, were very warmly welcomed, including by the Provost, received many compliments from the staff and were not aware of any complaints or concerns being raised with us at the time. Yet now we hear it alleged that the college has 'apologised' for hosting us."
The Christian Concern website states that the organization's mission is to accomplish the goals of preparing others for "servant-hearted, Christ-centred leadership in public life, by equipping people with a robust biblical framework that guides thinking, prayers and activity in addressing the issues facing society."
"We will be seeking urgent clarification," Williams concluded in her statement. "Whatever happens, we will continue to speak of Jesus Christ who was himself an 'outsider' and by his words and actions demonstrated his commitment to reaching the marginalised, excluded and vulnerable so that they could discover true hope and everlasting love through him, even sacrificing his own life to do so."
Williams calls on Oxford to "stand for free speech and free expression and allow its students to have the intellectual ability to decide whether they wish to attend external events, and to make up their own minds on what they hear."
Has Oxford U turned into a very expensive 'safe-house' for very insecure people?
First region in Poland abandons anti-LGBT resolution
over threats of losing EU funds
23 Sep, 2021 09:37
A region in southern Poland has revoked a controversial anti-LGBT resolution over fears of losing funding from the European Union, making it the first to ditch its declaration of being an LGBT-free zone.
On Wednesday, the regional assembly of Świętokrzyskie voted in a special session to scrap the ruling, with 25 ministers voting in favor of removing the declaration. None opposed the notion, but three abstained.
The motion had been passed to mark the region’s “opposition to the attempts to introduce LGBT ideology to local government communities and the promotion of this ideology in public life” in 2019.
Earlier this month, Brussels gave the governments of five Polish provinces an ultimatum: either lift the controversial anti-LGBT declarations, or lose EU funding.
Another, in the staunchly Catholic region of southern Malopolska, however, took a different stance, voting last month against repealing its LGBT-free status. Member of the European Parliament Robert Biedroń lambasted the move as “throwing €2.5 billion [$3 billion] down the drain,” after Malopolska was warned it could lose this sum, and more, if it maintained its stance.
It's not throwing it down the drain so much as it is not selling your soul to Satan.
The EU has long been at loggerheads with Warsaw and Budapest over the treatment of their LGBT populations. In July, the European Commission announced it was commencing legal procedures against the two central European nations for violating the human rights of this social group.
Warsaw came under fire from the commission for its self-declared LGBT-free zones, which the EU argues runs counter to the bloc’s promotion of non-discrimination. Around 100 towns – equating to a third of Poland’s territory – had given themselves this title.
Earlier this year, the European Parliament declared the 27-member state bloc an “LGBTIQ Freedom Zone” partly in response to Poland’s measures.
No comments:
Post a Comment