Words, cannot describe, how i feel about julie burchills disgusting verbal assault on transsexuals, into todays Observer newspaper. 14, 01, 13
What's more, for such a venomous piece, to be republished by the Telegraph
(no surprises there), with a gang of burchills press colleagues talking about how
the Observers decisions to deletethe article, being a "dark day for journalism", and represented an all out assault on freedom of speech, before going on, to reprint the article in support of julie burchills right's to bully, and abuse transsexual people, as "civil liberty" was unbelievable. Today
has destroyed any hope, or faith i had that the depiction of transsexual people in the press, was starting to move into a positive direction.
Blokes, "cutting off their dicks to become chicks in bad wigs" was just one of burchills, lines of venom. You can read the whole article here

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100198116/here-is-julie-burchills-censored-observer-article/

Many of the reader comments, on the article reprinted by burchills "friend" toby young, back up burchills demonsing of transsexual people,
it was an exercise in publish humiliation, and degradation, and if julie burchill does not face and the observe, are not prosecuted for promoting hate speech, then i doubt there is much hope for positive portrayals of transsexual people in the press, in the future.
The article was written, because burchill, took offence at some comments directed at a friend of hers on twitter, and then was given license by the observer to write a poison pen letter to the entire transsexual community, Warning us, not to upset her again
because we wouldn't like her when she's "angry".
Well i'm angry, i'm angry that in the 21st century, such blatant anti trans propaganda is inflicted upon the people reading newspapers, by a nasty minded individual who has been given a platform, to attack people on a national scale, supported by comments from people on the article, who are equally ignorant, and offensive.

This cannot be allowed to ever happen again.


This post was edited by Deleted Member at January 15, 2013 2:46 AM GMT

More interesting is the comments being generated by this article. Perhaps these should be archived so we have something to laugh about in the future. But not just now.

Nasty, vile comments, like Aisha had said, it's a step in the wrong direction, hope something positive comes from this!

I read the comments more closely and found them most illuminating. It's good to see bigotry is alive and well and living in Britain. In general we are mentally ill and gay. Hell it's great to be a tranny today.

Do you know Jo, i do to love beeing a Tranny, however it is still stark reminder to us girls ! to be safe out there ! Tranny Me Up Baby!

This thread was originally posted by Rebecca Carmen Cook on the main page yesterday, and attracted a small range of comments. Scroll down the main page to pick up the comments.

If you check out the Observer/Guardian threads you will find reference to the original Suzanne Moore polemic and her subsequent attack on the transsexual community on twitter, which led to Ms Moore withdrawing from Twitter and then to Burchill's hate rant.

I would point out a few things in this "debate". One many readers of the Guardian on line supported the TG community, which is contrary to the Twitter debate which was split 50:50. As a result of the thousands of complaints to the Observer/Guardian, and the input of Lynn Featherstone, the Burchill piece has now been removed by the Observer editor from the on line version of the paper. see link below :-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jan/14/observer-withdraws-julie-burchill-column

The other point is that however offensive we may find Burchill's nasty attack on the TG community there is one slight positive ....that she has given airing to how persecuted we are and how many Tgirls in transition are decent people who are supported in the wider community by people who care and think about others. Many ordinary men and women who are not strident feminists or rich journalists have made a stand. So do not be disheartened. Yes prejudice is still there and there will always be bigotry, but we as a community have made a step forward...not a step back.

Pauline xxxx

For those who did not read Roz Caveney's piece in the Observer on Sunday, please take the time to look at it. Its a much much better refuting of Ms Burchill and Moore's rants than I could ever write.

Pauline xxx

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/13/julie-birchill-bullying-trans-community?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

Whats up Miss Burchill , worried we can out fem you ? bit of jealousy maybe , we are more woman than you will ever be honey !

it's not nice to read crap like that in the gutter press at the best of times.. I actually saw that article and I'm affraid I actually laughed out loud when I read "bed wetters in bad wigs"... I've never heard that phrase before... but if you can't laugh at ya self then who can ya laugh at.... I'd rather be a proud Transsexual and shout about it than be a writer for the tabloids...

I've had cause to phone the Worcester Newspaper over the past few days over their arsehole way they've termed a couple of articles regarding a Rape Trail of a Transsexual at Worcester Crown Court... they had no idea what words to use and I kind of got in their faces and told them to change the wording or I'll be climbing up the Press Complaints Commissions nostrils for Defamation and mis-representation of a dirverse minority.... it was apparent the ass of a reporter was an old guy who was half asleep in the court and he only had half an idea what was going off... I've been there since Monday the 7th and hopefully the case will be over tomorrow...

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/10157803.Man_denies_raping_transsexual_lover/

Lisa I am very proud to be totally with you. As I read the article I did feel like laughing out loud but as it was an early morning commuter coach and most were asleep I thought better of it. They are phrases which she may well come to rue the day she wrote as they will keep coming back again and again to haunt her.

A well worded letter to their news paper, reproduced in the comment section of their competing newspapers, I think is in order.

Hi Pauline, i didn't know there was another thread on the subject, sorry, and i agree with you, in some respects it has done transsexuals a service, in that it shows up, how society discriminates against us, how much prejudice there is, and as long as transsexuals, or people who identify themselves as trans, respond to it with dignity, it shows they have not resorted to getting into a name calling fight, where people just exchange insults.
On the other hand, it is a step back, in that the telegraphs decision, to reprint the article, care of julie burchills friend toby young, who also wrote a blog on the telegraph, condoning her piece, and to have several high profile people in the media, say removing the article was a "dark day for journalism" and that transsexual "fascists" have won by censoring free speech, is a big step backwards, i feel.
The news press all rallied around burchill yesterday, as if the observers decision to delete the article, was the end of the world, and that all journalists would now be rounded up and executed like they had spoken out against the chinese government of something.
The press wan't to have their cake and eat it, they wan't to have the right to say things, about some people, no matter how offensive, or rude, or how much hate is engendered, yet as many other commentors on the telegraph reprinted article states, the newspaper are quick to censor comments, from the public, if they do not fit the political ideology promoted by that particular newspaper. It's hypocrisy out of control.

I've heard it said that there is no bad publicity just publicity. In this case I think Julie Burchill has, inadvertently, done us a favour. Why you may ask?

Well first of all her blog has raised the issue of transphobia on a massive level and flushed out a lot of the attitudes we all face on a daily basis to the wider public. It's also produced some genuinely thoughtful opinion from real thinkers (I don't put Burchill in this category and never have since I first read stuff she wrote for the NME in the 70s). For example read Dean Burnett's piece at http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/brain-flapping

It's also exposed the fact that the appointment of Maria Miller as Culture Secretary with responsibility for Equality was the bad choice we all knew it to be - who was it who stepped in to get the piece taken down. Not Miller but the one genuine friend the trans community has had in government, Lynn Featherstone.

It has also shown us that we must keep up pressure for the Levison recommendations to be implemented in full. Cameron's paper tiger is designed to brush over the issue so we all forgot about it.

So all in all I feel we have actually gained much by this attack from a washed up journalist with nothing left to say.
This post was edited by Deleted Member at January 19, 2013 10:04 AM GMT

Its interesting that there have only been just over 100 views on this forum about this subject. Also Suzanne Moore is still shouting from the sidelines supporting Ms Burchill and her own stance.
What is really encouraging to me though is this blog by Deborah Orr in yesterday's Guardian" Feminism shouldn't be about telling transwomen they are not female enough", the link is given below.

It shows that Burchill & Moore are so wrong and that the younger generation of women are more aware and caring.

Pauline xxx

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/19/feminism-trans-women-female-enough

A really well written and quite clearly put article , for anyone not understanding the subject , whilst not a full explanation it would give them a good idea of the subject , i think as Pauline says that this is a very encouraging article by Deborah well done her xxxxxxxx

it's never all bad.... we do have allies that are as far from the trans world as you could possibly get...

http://www.thefrisky.com/2013-01-18/guy-talk-why-a-straight-man-like-me-cares-about-transgender-rights/#.UPs0oo2VQpg.facebook
This post was edited by Deleted Member at January 20, 2013 12:26 PM GMT

I came across Ms Burchill in the flesh, as it were, many years ago when she was a lot slimmer and younger. I can report that she does have a lot of issues! That might explain the beautifully crafted and witty article wot she wrote. She is a societal thought leader so must be listened too by those of us whose IQ is much lower than hers. Thank goodness we have someone like her to shine an intense intellectual torch light on the dark subject of transsexualism, which we have always suspected was populated with six foot four tall Brazillian models with 38 inch inside legs and deep voices. XXX
This post was edited by Andrea Caskin at January 20, 2013 5:37 PM GMT

Ah Ha I Needed that laugh Andrea
Very funny x

This was my comment to the horrid article under my other internet guise danphobic:

"Wow, I had no idea that people like this still existed. How on earth can a national newspaper print such utter drivel? Trans people may be jumpy, they deal with the very real prospect of violent attacks( from people with the same horrid opinions) everyday on the street. How on earth can anyone think it's right to attack the entire spectrum of trans people in such an utterly distasteful way and for what reason? The reason people campaign for trans rights is that trans people are continually discriminated against in all area's of their lives. Trans people have a disproportianately high suicide rate when compared with any other minority group and often succomb to mental illness from living a life of ridicule, guilt and bullying. To reduce all of trans people to 'dicks in chicks clothing' is disgusting. If you say hate filled things then of course people will speak out against you. The inference that trans people have somehow tried to bully womankind by speaking out at one bigoted hate preacher is a straw man argument designed simply to legitimise this outrageous attack. It makes me want to sob that there is so much bigotry and hatred in the world. How utterly irresponsible for a paper to publish such an abhorrent attack, which surely will only enforce hatred in the minds of those on the street who want to attack trans people purely on the basis of the clothes they are wearing. Saying that censorship in this case is an encroachment on freedom of the press is like saying that censoring an article written by the ku klux klan is encroaching press freedoms. Grow up people ffs!"
None of the attack dogs have attempted to attack me yet though.
This post was edited by Lucy Manic at January 21, 2013 7:39 PM GMT

@Lucy

You told them! Great comment lucy, that's how i feel about it, we are respectful and only asking to be treat with the same respect, we are not asking for privileges
I'm tired of people being allowed to abuse transsexuals, i'm getting in their face, and saying
I'm Mad As Hell And I'm Not Taking It Anymore

x

Thanks Aisha. I suppose the main point I wanted to make was that bullying like this is irresponsible because it leads to mob mentality and copycat attacks so it felt good to be able to put that in words underneath the article although I don't think it will be visible for very long.

Just caught up with this thread and at first I was extremely angry and also ashamed to live in a society that allows such vileness to actively flourish.
After reading the article to which Pauline provided a link I am a lot calmer. Thank you Pauline for taking the time to be so considerate.
Freedom of speech is worth fighting for but freedom of ( verbal ) expression is quantifiable. I can't see any circumstance where a Journalist who must acquire at least a Diploma in Communication before they can be called such, needs to resort to insult to make a point.These people are supposed to be intelligent and one can only assume they could not justify their beliefs logically even to themselves.
What else can explain it, but knee-jerk reaction ?
This post was edited by Deleted Member at November 29, 2013 12:11 AM GMT

In my experience, wisdom is born from researching evidence, not from reading daily media rags that will be wrapping your chips next week.