To vicious online abuse
David Paisley tells Gay Ireland News & Entertainment what makes him so awesome:
David Paisley is a Scottish actor and LGBTQ+ activist. He has had roles in Holby City and Casualty and currently plays Rory Murdoch in the BBC drama series, River City. He has also been fighting against the wave of transphobia that has crashed across the UK in recent years.
Just speaking out in support of trans people, even as a cis white man, has led to vicious online abuse, being targeted by a certain Father Ted writer and threats of legal action from an MP. He recently set up an organisation called the LGBT+ Glitterati to “create a positive voice of support for all members of the LGBTQI+ community.”
All? No no no no no, don’t be silly. Not lesbians for instance – unless they’re trans lesbians of course.
I passionately support not just LGBT+ rights but women’s rights, as an ally and campaigner for Women’s Aid in Scotland. There’s a very pernicious and false suggestion that if you support the rights of trans people you must in some way be in opposition to women’s rights. Nothing could be further from the truth. LGBT+ rights and women’s rights are complimentary; we are fighting the same system of oppression and are natural allies.
No we don’t and no we aren’t. The fact that women are women and men are not is not a “system of oppression” the way “women are feeble and stupid and useful for nothing but baby-having and being fucked” is.
How do you deal with the abuse you have faced from your activism and being visible?
Block and move on mostly. I’ve been in the unfortunate position of having to speak with the police about some online activity that crossed the line in terms of my personal safety and wellbeing, and that’s been quite challenging. It can take quite a toll, so I do recommend stepping away from social media and spending time doing things you enjoy…
While the woman you reported to the police is charged with a hate crime for tweeting an image of a lavender ribbon.
Block and move on!
*rubs eyes in disbelief*
Paisley is one of the most obsessive harassers of women on Twitter. He absolutely refuses to leave anyone alone once he gets his eye on them. He is absolutely unable to move on, even from the most insignificant perceived sleight.
There’s no depth he won’t ooze his way into if he thinks it’ll get a woman banned from Twitter or – assuming this is really his doing – in trouble with the police.
I’ve no idea whether this is the ‘offending’ tweet or whether Paisley is the culprit, but it certainly rings true.
Is there any other group you could substitute for “women” in which this guy gets to keep his job?
Also, wonder if he’s got a) any record for partner abuse, and/or b) child porn on his hard drive?
Whether it is a typo that slipped through, or a matter of Irish spellings that differ from American English spellings, or just ignorance that “complementary” and “complimentary” are not synonyms, I can’t tell. Perhaps it is a slip, meaning that women’s rights are only complimentary in that the sense that lesbians and straight women are included as a courtesy but with no real support. “Mrs. Cleaver, you look as radiant as usual, now excuse us boys while we talk about stuff that doesn’t concern you.”
Another edit, if I may: “Women are fighting the same system of oppression they always have, but now the men are claiming to replace them with men.”