Freedom of expression

A collection of 35 posts

BeLonG To Youth Services

Hijacking the language of human rights to push gender identity demands

It’s not a human right to compel others to use the “preferred pronouns” of someone who is claiming to be of the opposite sex or “non-binary”. In fact freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, recognised by the UNHRC, subject to a few restrictions

Dublin Pride

Does Pride come before Garda impartiality?

Mr Justice Linden in the UK referring to that country's Equality Act 2010 pointed out that if there is a breach of the duty of impartiality “it is no answer to say that the breach was for laudable reasons or to achieve equality related objectives.” Would the same apply here in Ireland?

Cass Report

The ICCL has left the building

This morning we learnt the Department of Education has confirmed that there's no obligation on schools to use preferred pronouns as stated in the ICCL guide.

AGPs

Truth the first casualty in the war on women

What a turnabout that the US State Department may actually provide some protection against an attempt to silence women from calling out the men's fetish of autogynephilia which puts women and children at risk.

AGPs

Gender Recognition Act has to go

"Imagine a law that allowed white people to declare they are black or adults to declare they are children. There would rightly be uproar. Yet women are supposed to accept that any man can say he’s a woman, or be called a bigot."

Colette Colfer

Stifling academic freedom in Ireland

By September of 2022 Advance HE in Britain, who operate Athena Swan, had dropped the requirement to foster ‘collective understanding’ from the UK Principles. However, crucially, collective understanding about gender is still required in Ireland.

Laoise de Brún

Women seek Seanad seats to protect women and children's rights

There are 28 candidates chasing six seats in the two university panels for colleges of the NUI and Trinity College Dublin this month.  Many candidates appear to be offering a range of similar positions on a wide variety of topics. Two women candidates however stand out from the crowd.   Laoise

Freedom of expression

We will not stand idly

Poem by Kathryn O'Sullivan, read out at our protest outside the German Embassy on November 1st, the day far-reaching "self-id" legislation came into force placing German women and children at risk of harm.

Equality legislation

Law, not justice

If the Government's plans to protect men's "gender identity" in our equality legislation is successful, it may mean that women and girls will not be able to object to men or boys in our sports, schools, changing rooms.

Colette Colfer

Conflating legislation with ideology

So now we know, thanks to courageous lecturer Colette Colfer, that it's a feature - not a glitch - that gender identity ideology is being advanced through Irish society as if the law requires it. The reality appears to be that the law hasn't determined many of the claims now being made.

Dublin Pride

Gardai need to follow PSNI in showing no favour to a political lobby

Women exercising our right to freedom of expression need to know that the Gardai will protect us from transactivists as the PSNI did in Belfast a few months ago. It's critical that our police force shows no favouritism to a lobby which includes Transactivism given its threats to women's rights.

Gender identity ideology

Who imported the culture wars?

In the 2020 Programme for Government there are multiple examples of gender identity ideology being introduced, none of which have popular support. So where does the blame lie for the importation of the "culture wars"?

Autogynephilia

Women's boundaries are not "hatred"

It doesn't matter whether or not a man is innocently seeking to use women's spaces or services or whether he has an ulterior motive. Women want the norms of privacy, dignity and our need for safety to be respected by Government. It's not "hatred" for women to assert this.

Freedom of expression

What Is A Woman?

"In fact, it’s a serious policy issue — and a test of fitness for high office. If women are forbidden to say that men are men, however they identify, then any man can intrude on women-only spaces at will."

Freedom of expression

Protecting a belief in "gender identity"

Thread from 27th April 2023 The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 was passed last night by the Dáil which has just 37 women TDs out of 160 in total. That's just 23%. The previous legislation, the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred

Freedom of expression

When some are more equal than others

Thread from 2nd January 2022 Dear Minister @rodericogorman, Women weren't consulted when a commitment was given to add the concept of "gender identity" to our equality legislation. A public consultation was only held in 2021 and we still don't know the responses. Do they

Freedom of expression

Mastodon lumbers towards extinction

Thread from 23rd November 2022. "How have we come to the point, as an online community of the Irish language, that accounts on a social platform are suspended that only shared a link to an article that was printed on http://Tuairisc.ie?" (Google translation). 1/6 B’

Amnesty International

Democracy is Worth Fighting For

Iseult White at Women's Space to Speak, 12th November 2022.         Hate crime is horrible. It sends a message to the victim that they, and their kind, their children, their family, their tribe, are not welcome or safe in society. It sends a message that they may be physically

Colette Colfer

Gender Identity, Religion, and Biology as Blasphemy

Colette Colfer speaking at Women's Space to Speak, November 12th 2022.   In the autumn of 2018 I wrote a poem, a piece in verse, called Woman. I recited the piece at an open mic poetry-night on the 14th December in Waterford City and, the following day, I posted

Anne Lodge

The Irish Education System & Gender Identity Ideology

Anne Lodge Women's Space Ireland Event, Saturday 12th November 2022 Introduction Good afternoon. First can I thank the organisers for inviting me to be part of this panel. Second, can I say what a genuine honour and privilege it is to be part of this panel with these

Christina Ellingsen

Women have the right to reject men's convictions

"There exists no combination of thought patterns, mannerisms, hobbies, preferences or aesthetics that can disqualify a man from the male sex and qualify them into the female sex."

Colette Colfer

Women's Space to Speak - Thanks to all

Thread from 13th November 2022 Many thanks to all of our superb speakers yesterday. And many thanks indeed also to those who bought tickets to provide this public meeting of #WomensSpaceToSpeak despite the many attempts - even today - to cancel what women have to say on how changes in

Freedom of expression

Women's Space to Speak

Dublin, Saturday November 12th, 2-6pm Women from across Ireland are coming together to talk about issues that affect us all. Speakers from the fields of law, psychotherapy, education and journalism will share their experience and concerns about how changes in law, policy, and the meaning of gender impact women, children

Freedom of expression

ICCL promotes hate crime law

"Ireland's oldest independent human rights body", the Irish Council for Civil Liberties is seeking €450,000 in a pre-budget submission to promote the upcoming Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Crime) Bill 2022 which will protect "gender identity" and "gender expression".

Colette Colfer

The Left becomes the Far Righteous

This article has been amended 28th August to include a more appropriate rebuttal of the allegation levelled against the Iona Institute* and updates at the end. Earlier this week some of the media reported on the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) formed in 2020 which published a report