“True” solidarity

Yet more poisonous bullying from people who fancy themselves comrades:

https://twitter.com/gbuttars/status/1455580313585860614

He’s president of Edinburgh UCU. His “little something” explains why it’s good for a union to throw a member to the wolves.

When is it right for a union to support dismissal?

Transphobic philosophy professor Kathleen Stock recently resigned from her position at the University of Sussex, shortly after tweeting that the Sussex branch of UCU ‘effectively ended’ her career by releasing a statement in solidarity with trans and nonbinary communities at the university. Stock has not been a UCU member for some time. Before her resignation there would have been a clear case for the union to support her dismissal even if she were a member.

First word of the piece he calls her “transphobic,” which is a lie, and in the circumstances an evil malicious harm-doing lie.

In the furore that has followed students at the University of Sussex protesting against transphobic philosophy professor Kathleen Stock, UCU has come into the firing line from Stock supporters.

She’s not “transphobic.” Poisoning the well is cheating.

UCU is unequivocally inclusive. Our policy has been developed via numerous motions, particularly since 2017, and is detailed here.

“Inclusive” of what? Or whom? What is that supposed to mean? UCU is obviously not “inclusive” of Stock. Is UCU “inclusive” of racists? Of racism? Of violence and people who perpetrate violence? Of bullying and bullies? If you’re trying to make an argument you need to do better than using a buzzword that needs defining. If you look at the url in the “here” you’ll see that it spells out trans inclusion. Why didn’t Buttars? Maybe because he was helping himself to some extra cred by appearing to be for a sweeping embracing humanitarian incloooosion of all the world, in order to contrast himself and UCU with the evil You Know Who.

Stock meanwhile, as a Trustee of the transphobic hate group LGB Alliance and as a signatory of the Women’s Human Rights Declaration (WHRC), which calls for the ‘elimination’ of ‘the practice of transgenderism’ as well as the repeal of the Gender Recognition Act, has a position that is completely at odds with this. 

The LGB Alliance is neither a hate group nor transphobic.

I’m so sick of these people. They don’t have a real case so they intensify the lying and name-calling, even of a feminist woman who just got bullied out of a job she loved. I’m sick of them.

His conclusion:

As socialists and trade unionists we must side with the oppressed – always. That is solidarity. 

Except when they’re feminist women.

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