Now then now then
This happened yesterday:
https://twitter.com/sargesalute/status/1147176523092439040
The Green Room is part of the National Theatre.
The Guardian does a Both Sides:
The National Theatre has become embroiled in a bitter war of words after a group of lesbian friends was refused service in the venue’s Green Room bar in the run-up to the Pride in London celebrations.
The women and their supporters claim their treatment at the hands of staff, who called the police, was a response to their campaigning stance on gender identity. Other witnesses in the bar have described their behaviour as disruptive.
The small group, who arrived with placards, included Anne Ruzylo, a political activist and former member of the Bexhill and Battle Labour party, and on Friday night she was one of those who complained on Twitter.
Ruzylo, who was wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Lesbian: a woman who loves other women”, tweeted that staff at the Green Room bar had “called the police to have women and lesbians removed because they don’t like the T-shirts we are wearing”.
On Friday night the National Theatre, which is to host a Pride after-party on Saturday night with the cabaret and drag pub the Glory as part of its River Stage festival, responded on social media, saying: “The NT has not and would not ever discriminate against an individual on the basis of their sexuality – or indeed because they were proudly declaring this on a T-shirt. We do, however, respect and value our trans staff, company and audience members. As such, if the behaviour of visitors impinges on their ability to feel supported and safe, we will take action.”
What a slushy mushy evasive way to claim that the women somehow made trans staff, company and audience members feel unsafe. What behavior? Sitting on chairs? Wearing shirts with words on? Existing as lesbians?
Lisa Burger, the joint chief executive of the National Theatre, said: “While investigations into the incident are ongoing, multiple witnesses corroborate that a group who attended the Green Room restaurant on Friday 5 July were ultimately asked to leave the premises as a result of a series of disturbances.
“These began with their refusal to put placards out of sight that featured messages which upset other customers and contravened our visiting policy, and culminated in abusive behaviour towards our staff.
Abusive behavior? Like, asking to be served, for instance?
I don’t believe there was any abusive behavior. I think this is the usual bullshit of translating “not repeating the dogma at every opportunity” into messages that upset people and abusive behavior.
The police arrived.
Is this a picture of lesbians being removed by the police from the Green Room SE1 because they are same sex attracted? pic.twitter.com/SR9QyLjnfQ
— Dr EM (@PankhurstEM) July 5, 2019
Well, at least one of the police officers looks thoroughly pissed-off at the pettiness of it all.
I wonder if any other customers, with placards and T-shirts bearing “apporoved” slogans, were served by wait staff? It’s like the pharmacists who refuse to sell customers birth control; they’re not doing their job. I could see if the placards and tees said things that were actually anti-trans (rather than pro-lesbian or pro-women. Or pro factual, for that matter) Would they have called the police on customers sporting “Kill TERFs” T-shirts or placards? What about any such use of the word TERF at all? After all, it’s a slur. Some trans activists argue it’s not, but it’s used as a slur, just like “cunt” and “bitch,” more often than not. I’m sure that would make at least some people feel “unsafe” or “unsupported.”
Ah, safe and supported, there’s the rub. Everyone’s placards and tees must now validate trans ideology.Everyone must offer “support.” No trans eye should ever see or read anything that does not confirm and validate their identity. Anything else is to be wished into the cornfield, or, at the least, visited by the police.
YNNB,
As a matter of fact, a gay man wearing a tee shirt that read “Bum Boy” was served. He stood for a photo with the woman wearing the lesbian definition tee in solidarity with the women.