It's all so f***ing predictable, isn't it?

Kellie-Jay Keen a.k.a. 'Posie Parker' is standing in the forthcoming general election on a Party Of Women ticket in the Bristol Central constituency. This post was my initial reaction to Keen's candidacy: Oh FFS! 9.6.24.

Why is Kellie-Jay Keen standing in Bristol Central seen as controversial by some people? In part, this is down to an outdoor event LWS held in Bristol in the summer of 2022 which was subject to a lot of intimidation by counter-protesters, with Avon and Somerset Police holding back from any serious attempt to stop what was going on: A mob threatening women is not a ‘protest’ - and police in Bristol should have known that - Ian Acheson | CAPX | 20.6.22. Keen choosing to stand in Bristol Central could be seen by some as returning to the fray to sort out what could be described as 'unfinished business'. Given what took place at the LWS event in the summer of 2022 and the demographics of the constituency, it could even be seen as a deliberate provocation.

As I've previously stated, Kellie-Jay Keen picked Bristol Central as a constituency to stand in precisely because she knew it would generate a reaction. One sure fired way of generating a reaction is stating that you intend to hold an outdoor public rally in the city centre on Tuesday 2^nd July, just a couple of days before the country goes to the polls. Well as surely as the night follows the day, the trans rights activists (TRAs) and their allies in the anarchist and so called 'anti-fascist' movement in Bristol duly responded in a Pavlovian manner by promising to counter Keen's rally, as can be seen on this pinned post on the Bristol Anarchist Federation X account. They've given Keen exactly what she was seeking in order to make her point. It's all so f**king predictable isn't it? It's almost like the whole thing is scripted, isn't it?

It's pretty certain that any 'counter protest' by the TRAs is in reality, going to be an attempt to seriously disrupt the rally that Kelly-Jay Keen proposes to stage. How successful the TRAs will be in their objectives depends very much on the attitude of the Avon and Somerset Police on the day. It's down to whether the cops make a serious effort to keep the TRAs at arms length from Keen's rally, or like the last time Let Women Speak held an event in the city, allow them to get close enough for some serious intimidation.

Every time the TRAs use intimidation and threats as a tactic, acceptance of trans people takes a hit. The problem is that these activists are so wrapped up in a cloak of self righteousness, they're blind to the damage their antics are doing to trans people and those genuinely struggling with gender dysphoria who just want to get on with their lives.

For the record so people understand where I stand on the issues surrounding gender identity politics, these are some of the posts I've published on the issue:

Time for some honest reflection? We can but hope... 24.4.24

Before we go any further, we like it to be noted that we have no issues with anyone wanting to question rigid gender roles and the expectations that come with them. We understand that for quite a few people, the expectations placed upon them by how other think they should conduct themselves based on gender stereotypes can cause considerable psychological distress. People should be free to live their lives how they want and not be constrained by the gender roles some would force upon them because of their biological sex. However, when some who should know better choose to play God by selling the illusion that surgical and pharmaceutical interventions are the answer to the anguish caused by the expectations resulting from rigid gender roles, it's time to ask questions and speak up.

So, just what is the point of a university? 31.5.23

Within ten to twenty years time, a fair number of the LGBTQ+ students who protested Professor Stock speaking at the Oxford Union will be in well paid jobs where they can wield a fair bit of influence. That will be influence over how mere mortals like us live our lives. People who refuse to listen to points of view they disagree with, let alone rationally debate them may well be in positions where they make decisions that could have a significant impact upon our lives. If we don't like the decisions they make, given their intolerance of views they don't agree with, does anyone seriously think they'll give us dissenters a fair hearing? Based on current form, somehow we think not. Does that not worry you? I'll tell you one thing, it sure as heck worries me!

Why do I do this to myself? 12.4.23

I could have taken the easy path of not questioning gender identity politics and simply gone along with it. The thing is, if I had chosen that path, I would have been living a lie. I may still have had a few more 'friends' but I would have been getting sucked ever further into something my conscience and intellect could not go along with. At the end of my life, I want to look back and think that as far as was possible, I did the right thing, regardless of the cost. Although to be honest, losing 'friends' with an almost Maoist adherence to their beliefs wasn't exactly a loss! 'Friends' who often exhorted people to 'be kind' but who made no effort to practice that themselves.

Some readings on gender identity politics 1.4.24

Below are five readings on gender identity politics. Some are recent, others are not so recent. They're from an eclectic range of sources that take in the Communist Party, Weekly Worker and Spiked as well as those who could be considered as the more 'usual suspects' such as Jennifer Bilek and Dr Em. In part, this has been done to demonstrate the breadth of opinion that's critical of gender identity politics. Unlike a lot of the posts where we feature readings on various issues along with our commentary, we're going to let the pieces below do the talking...

Given my history of supporting gender critical and radical feminists in their fight to combat the damaging impact of gender ideology, my sympathies should be with Kellie-Jay Keen, the Party Of Women and Let Women Speak. However, as Keen thought it would be a good idea for her and a group of some of her supporters to attend a recent march in London called by Tommy Robinson to protest against 'two tier policing', it makes defending the Party Of Women and Let Women Speak a lot harder than it should be.

The problem is that in a situation like this, there's no room for grey areas and nuance. So, even though I'm critical of some of Kelly-Jay Keen's tactics and associations, given my gender critical sympathies, the TRAs in Bristol will not hesitate for a second to lump me in with her and brand me as being some kind of 'fascist'. The TRAs cannot acknowledge grey areas and nuance because if they did, it would seriously undermine their already precarious position.

As for the TRAs in Bristol, it needs to be born in mind that we have history with some of them going back to the ill fated London Anarchist Bookfair in October, 2017. A history which, since we moved down to Keynsham from Thurrock, has always been in the background, influencing our decisions about what we feel we can and can't get away with while operating in Bristol.

However, if I have any integrity as a Substack blogger, I feel obliged to attend the election rally Kellie-Jay Keen wants to stage in order to cover it by means of a first hand report rather that relying on other people's accounts of what happened. Sure, it's something that carries a degree of risk, personal and political, but as this is happening in a location that's less than forty minutes travelling time away from my front door, it would be negligent of me to not cover it. Hopefully I'll get through the event unscathed to bring you an account of what happened...