If it honks like a goose, and steps like a goose, then it’s a…
At what point is it wrong to call an exclusionary feminist a right wing patsy? When she writes for the Times, when she writes for the Daily Mail, what she appears on GB News, when she appears on Fox News, or when Matt Walsh publicly praises her on his Daily Wire podcast? If writing for a right wing source does not make you right wing then what does? This is a central issue for exclusionary feminists, as the more left and centrist papers chose not to platform them, the more they have run into the waiting arms of the right. Indeed, the whole notion of a gender ideological cult flows directly from the mouths of far-right pundit, with Matt Walsh the drummer boy leading them forward. In building their nest within the bosom of the far right these feminists are not only attacking trans women, they are in turn enabling the entire erosion of women’s rights.
Yet, you say, Julie Bindel and Helen Joyce both wrote for right wing sources before they doubled down and went full exclusionary feminists. Yes, you are correct. Neither writer was shy of using right wing platforms to promote their version of feminism, yet as clear a night follows day aggrieved exclusionary feminists up sticks and decamp into the right’s back garden. Kathleen Stock, she of the aggrieved hissy fit resignation gladly writes for all and sundry who give her five more minutes of fame. For these writers it is not about personal integrity, it is chasing the next pay check no matter how grubby it may be.
One of the first lessons you get in any form of public speaking and writing is that unless you really want to die on a hill or protect a particular sacred cow it is unwise to entrench yourself too deeply. Yes, I am aware that as a trans woman talking about trans issues, I have one very personal one I regularly lob grenades from, but the point remains, only die on a hill that you actually need to defend. Retreating, being humble, and then regrouping is never a bad idea. In fact, if you do it well enough a sound retreat gives you an opening elsewhere. Matt Walsh happily disagrees with me on this point, stating that you lose all respect from both sides the moment you climb down, hence why he was banned from YouTube and retreated to Twitter for his daily show. Helen Joyce and Kathleen Stock agree with this premise, and look where that has got them. Right wing news shows and grubby newspaper columns where they shill for their paymasters.
If you could not tell already, I take a particular pleasure in call them all out on this behaviour. You may disagree that trans women are women, but have the self-awareness to understand that stanning for a right wing media platform undermines all women’s rights, not just the small patch you wish to protect. The right wing really do not care about gender ideology, it is only a useful tool in the dismantling of abortion rights, labour rights, freedom of movement, freedom to wear whatever clothing you like, and ultimately the freedom to exist with equity in a global world.
My brand of feminism is the biggest tent possible, exclusionary feminists who do not shill on right wing platforms included. I would happily debate Stock, Joyce and Bindel, showing them the common courtesy they fail to show other trans women. This is not weakness; this is not bullying. Just because I vehemently disagree with you does not mean you are any lesser a woman, just means I will fact check everything you say. And this is the biggest difference between the right wing and the rest of us. We ask for scientific peer reviewed evidence that has not been retracted to back up our points. Gut feeling and revulsion are not enough to exclude someone from society, no matter how many goose steps they may take.
Yes, I am borderline Godwining exclusionary feminists who use the right wing to promote their values. They are not fascists, but in cozying up to those who practically are they are selling their ideas and values to those who actively wish them back into the kitchen. Matt Walsh will readily tell you that all women are lesser to men, that all women need to know their place, and that only those deemed pliable enough will grace the right wing airwaves. Candace Owens is the perfect patsy because she acts as the mouthpiece they need. Joyce and Stock have a veneer of academic respectability and a hill they proudly wave their flag from, but ultimately if they continue to cozy up to the right the leopard will eat their face too.
