Maya Forstater’s X bio says: “worthy of respect in a democratic society.”
Maya Forstater worthy of respect in a democratic society
Respect? It always has to be earned.
Show ‘respect’ is what people do when someone dies. Sometimes, that may mean a quiet prayer, a visit to a chapel of rest or attending a funeral.
Sadly, the trans community knows all about death; some take their own lives because of harassment, transphobia and, of course, shocking trans healthcare. There is no data in the UK to demonstrate transgender suicide rates, but stats from America suggest the rate is ten times the national average, while in France, the figure is seven times the national average.
Now, one may imagine that no one would protest on a day set aside for trans people to remember their dead. That the trans community would be left in peace to mourn. That no tweets would be made to belittle what is a solemn day for so many.
Sadly, not.
Maya Forsatater, worthy of respect in a democratic society, would appear to disagree.
On the 20th of November, an annual event known as Trans Day of Remembrance occurs – hashtag #TDOR.
This blog looks at the tweets made by Maya Forstater and her organisation Sex Matters, which advocates for women’s so-called “sex-based rights.”
Advocating for rights is reasonable, but what is not appropriate is poo-pooing the dead.
Forstater’s first tweet regarding TDOR was a “reminder” (some may argue a threat) reminding employers that gender-critical beliefs are protected. No one can control people’s beliefs, however whacky they are.
To be precise, Maya Forstater was quote tweeting one from her own organisation, Sex Matters, aimed at employers who are part of the Stonewall Diversity Programme.
Forstater’s second tweet was a retweet of one posted by Professor Alice Sulivan, which read: “On trans day of remembrance, let’s remember that alarmist rhetoric encouraging trans people to fear for their lives is completely unjustified and irresponsible. #TransDayofRemembrance”
Irresponsible.
Is it irresponsible to forget that #TDOR is not just about trans murders in the UK?
Is it irresponsible to “forget” that a sixteen-year-old trans kid was found in a pool of blood only last February?
And Is it irresponsible to forget all those trans people in the UK and beyond who took their own lives?
Maya Forstater’s (worthy of respect in a democratic society) third tweet was a retweet from a post by her organisation Sex Matters, saying, “Putting remembrance in context: where is the harm?
How about being dead?
Many may consider Forstater’s fourth tweet to be equally vile.
Quote tweeting one posted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission reading: Our #EHRM23 found long treatment wait times for trans and non-binary patients may have serious detrimental effects on mental health. This Transgender Day of Remembrance we call on govt and health providers to urgently address unacceptable waiting times:
Maya Forstater commented: Why is @EHRC linking Transgender Day of Remembrance to NHS wait times?
This is irresponsible.
Frankly, many trans people may well find that grotesque.
Only a few weeks ago, a Coroner at Brighton linked the suicide of Alice Litman with long waiting times and just last week, it was revealed that one Gender Identity Clinic had waiting times of over fifty years.
Just how is any human being meant to live with gender dysphoria for fifty years?
What is gender dysphoria?
Here are some words we hear from our trans siblings to describe gender dysphoria.
Desperation, wrongness, jealousy, loathing, sadness, disgust, hopelessness, self-hate, drowning, and, even more disturbingly, rejection, homelessness ….and suicide.
Some of the trans people lost in recent years include:
Leelah Alcorn (17)
Ellis Murphy-Richards (15)
Ellie Anderson (16)
Brenda Colvin
Gladys Paterson
Brianna Ghey (16)
Onyx John (13)
Eli Fritchley (12)
Alice Litman (20)
Henry Berg-Brousseau (24)
Taylor Alesena (16)
Lucy Meadows
Leeza Lawrence
Corei Williams (14)
On Wednesday, 22nd November, The Guardian.Com reported that 53 trans people were murdered in the US, and a further 32 took their own lives. All the deaths are likely to be associated with transphobia – the prejudice or discrimination of trans people.
On the 1st of December 2023, The Guardian (Australia) reported that five trans people from the state of Victoria had taken their own lives in recent years – Victoria has a population of just 6.7 million people.
In recent years, trans hate crime in the UK has rocketed, driven by the far-right, trans-hostile organisations/hate groups all allied with the right-wing press.
Some people who want to drive trans people from within society may well be very pleased that trans people suffer so much hate.
Maya Forstater, worthy of respect in a democratic society.