Askamamager is down.

submitted by [deleted] from self.GenderCritical

Apparently the blog's author thinks of JKR as a bigot too, the comments are piling up rn. Sad, I was a fan of her thoughtful advice. I don't understand how reasonable people don't side with JKR when all she asks for is literally common sense and human decency.

edit: of course I mean askamanager, typo

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[–]missdaisycan 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

After responding to a letter with this:

lots of cis people are deeply disappointed and disturbed by her statements too. It wouldn’t be outing yourself to simply say, “I’ve enjoyed participating in the past but am not volunteering this year because of the bigoted statements the author has been making about trans people.” But if you don’t want to do that, you could instead just say “I won’t be available on the date of the event this year” (it’s after hours, after all).

She states this:

Rules for commenting on this post:

  1. We aren’t debating transphobia here, and I will not host comments defending JK Rowling’s comments about trans people, or bigotry in general.

  2. Please keep comments focused on advice to the letter-writers. Other comments will be deleted, and repeat offenders will be banned.

Wow. Her site, but I'll no longer be recommending it to women. Shame.

Edit: disappointed, disheartened, alarmed by the number of librarians agreeing with the "cis" language and ideology. Feeling game/set/match right now.

[–]OrangeFirefly 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Her readership has always skewed liberal, but since the election of Trump it's become worker than woke.

My suspicion is that a lot of her not-so-woke readers have gradually drifted off.

In truth, her advice, while good, is fairly repetitive. After you've used her site for a while, you can usually predict what she's going to say. There's no real reason to keep reading the site, especially if you tire of the commentariat (which I did, in the end).

[–]BEB 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (10 children)

This "no debate" stuff really depresses me because I see if often even beyond gender ideology.

Like, why not debate? What are you actually scared of? Facts that contradict the fantasy you've created in your head?

And Librarians? Really? If you're in the US, contact their association and tell them that librarians shouldn't be in the business of censoring free speech, much less free access to books no matter how controversial they are.

Also tell them to learn how to read because J.K. Rowling said nothing "transphobic."

Also, get Drag Queen Story Hour out of libraries, because it's too sexualized for young children and is also an insulting parody of womanhood.

Also, tell them to read up on Queer Theory and its founders and ancestors (the post-Modernists) too to see what kind of pedophilic bullshit they're endorsing.

American Library Association http://www.ala.org/

Take the fight to them before it's too late.

[–]FearfulFriend 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Am a librarian, will fight for free speech until the day that I die.

[–]BEB 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Good for you - that is so nice to hear!

I am not exaggerating when I say that I owe so much of my "success" to libraries, which is why it's just so incredibly infuriating and sad that librarians (and teachers) are out front on this gender nonsense, along with their professional associations. It's obvious that the associations have been bribed, but what about individual librarians?

[–]FearfulFriend 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

My closest co-worker is a conservative with a liberal streak and I am a liberal with a conservative streak and both of us sometimes do a deep-dive into our respective communities and then report back to each other. I haven't talked about gender with any of my other colleagues. I have a hard time imagining that older librarians who have spent lifetimes fighting for free speech would suddenly stop on a dime. I hope younger librarians will take up the mantle. Right now I think the bigger issues are about things like bathrooms and story hours, not censorship of materials. I live in a conservative place, though, so nothing is boiling where I am right now.

[–]BEB 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

You and your friend, and the way you discuss issues are the way it mostly used to be in the US. People discussed politics, disagreed vehemently even, and remained friends. Good on you! I long for that again.

Someone posted on here a screed by a US librarian on J.K. Rowling's "transphobia." It seemed to be from some kind of quasi-official library-type blog. Let me find it.

[–]FearfulFriend 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I'm not going to read the screed right now, because I am in an emotionally fragile state (username checks out) but I appreciate your finding it.

I really don't understand why people can't agree to disagree on gender and remain friends. I've seen Christians and atheists, Republicans and Democrats, nerds and gangsters, etc. find common ground and manage to get along with each other. I feel like George Orwell didn't quite see this issue coming!

[–]BEB 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

As I just responded to another poster, I think that part of the reason the gender issue has become so fraught in the US is because university students started being indoctrinated into Queer Theory quite a while ago, they are now out in the work force and now kids from pre-kindergarten on are being indoctrinated.

So, for these kids, Queer Theory is almost a religion, and anyone who doesn't buy it, is the proverbial witch.

We were taught that racism was wrong in school and by media, the entertainment industry etc., so many Americans my age are against racism - one of the worst things you can call someone is "racist."

Trans, Inc., saw that and decided to pretend that "transphobia" was as bad as racism - using LGB as a shield, Trans, Inc. managed to get society to swallow whole the absurd notion that objecting to men self-identifying as women and stealing women's rights, safety and sports was actually on a par with racism. And here we are.

[–]BEB 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Here is the librarian making a complete ass out of herself over J.K. Rowling:

https://www.ovarit.com/o/GenderCritical/3758/librarian-j-k-rowlings-magical-thinking-is-censorship

[–]jjdub7Gay Male Guest Commentator 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Gnostics and Pomos (post-Modernists) don't debate matters of spiritual creed, heretic. The only objective reality is one's subjective perceptions.

(really not sure how such types make it through their days unscathed)

[–]OrangeFirefly 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

In fairness, Alison sometimes clamps down on debates on her site. For instance, if someone needs advice with a boss who is in favour of the right to bear arms, she will ask to keep the advice focussed on the topic at hand rather than getting derailed into a discussion on gun rights.

I can understand why she might not want people debating trans ideology on her site, but I'm not even slightly surprised that she thinks JKR is a transphobe.

[–]BEB 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

She needs to be called out for obviously not even reading what JK Rowling said. Is there any way to call her out on Twitter?

The British Twitter TERF squad has made huge headway in getting public figures to back down off their anti-women remarks, IMO we in the US need to do the same.

[–]Veneficca 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It's obvious from the comments that most people haven't read JKR's real words about this. Lots of "cishet" people on there performing wokeness and making it clear they've done zero research or given any critical thought to the topic.

Now that I know how Alison feels about this, I'm wondering if she has ever deliberately ignored questions about difficult trans employees/bosses that she's received. There are plenty of contentious issues in the workplace, like Tom from accounting suddenly hanging out in the employee fitness center women's locker room, or companies changing their stats on female leadership after 2 executives transition, or people being told to put their pronouns in their email signature. I'm guessing she would either ignore those questions or pretend not to see the problem. However, I do think she was sensible with the TIM who was peeved about seeing a coworker's menstrual products in her own car - if that was her column that tackled it.

[–]immersang 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I just unsubscribed from her mailing list because of that and I did note down the reason. Doubt she gives a crap, but I felt the need to say it anyway.

[–][deleted] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Good. I wrote her a comment on the post, it's probably taken down by now. Doubt she cares too.

[–]BEB 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Glad you told her why!

Every time I unsubscribe because of gender ideology I tell them why. I feel there's no point otherwise. Well, beyond clearing out gendxr propaganda from your inbox.

[–]jjdub7Gay Male Guest Commentator 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Allison has always struck me as a kind of HR version of Stephen Colbert's exaggerated professional persona. Of course she's going to come out and say that, even if its not what she personally believes. There's simply too much sunk cost in corporate Diversity & Inclusion programs at this point to murmur anything other than "trans women are women" and "selection process-es are deterministic" and "parental leave is an executive-tier benefit" over and over again

[–]BEB 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

The Diversity & Inclusion HR bullshit reminds me of Chinese Communist Party Struggle Sessions, or what I imagine a Catholic confessional would be like. Confessing "sins" you didn't commit in order to keep your job.

[–]jjdub7Gay Male Guest Commentator 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Speaking from experience, the Catholic confessionals (at least nowadays) are actually relatively lax. Now granted, I've never done anything too shitty like murder someone, but the priests have always just said something to the effect of "sure, sure we're all shitty sometimes, original sin and all" and send you on your way with a few Hail Marys on your tab.

Now, the City of Seattle...their struggle sessions take it up a notch.

[–]BEB 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

IMO Seattle is a lost cause. Which is a shame because I found it lovely.

[–]jjdub7Gay Male Guest Commentator 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Really a shame, honestly. My brother lives out there, albeit in the suburbs. He got a kick out of the city announcing that "math is racist".

[–]OrangeFirefly 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

It's a shame. I used to read her blog daily, but the comment section was getting soooo woke and liberal-left that I stopped following it about a year or so ago.

When the commentariat started calling people out for 'kink-shaming', I knew it was time to move on.

It's a pity - I did learn a lot from her. However, I am not surprised that she takes the view that JKR is transphobic.

What bothers me is the amount of commentators on her site who congratulate themselves on being critical-thinking atheist feminists, but who are wholly unable to see the sexism and illogicality of trans ideology.

[–]BEB 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I've come to the conclusion that some of the younger atheists, especially the very vocal ones, are subconsciously in search of a new religion and gender woo-woo fits the bill for whatever inexplicable reason.

This is not a slam on atheists, just an observation.

[–]OrangeFirefly 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I think it's just an example of people following the crowd.

Atheism is the default setting for a lot of people in the west these days (esp UK, but in a lot of coastal cities in the US now as well). Being an atheist when everyone else is also an atheist is not a sign of a freethinker.

Being a Christian when nobody else in your social circle is one is actually more indicative of freethinking.

I think you are right that for some young people trans ideology serves as a new religion. It also serves as the new Civil Rights movement (biological reality be damned).

[–]BEB 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Well, Joe Biden called transgender "rights" the civil rights struggle of our times, so who blames these kids, indoctrinated as they are with Queer Theory in the universities.

I think the new religion for many of the WOKE young is a combination of Queer Theory and Critical Race Theory - witness that many of the BLM marches in the US had huge % of young, non-blacks, and a Black Trans Lives Matter rally in NY drew 20,000 people.

I wish these young people could be bothered to volunteer for political candidates and vote. Now that would help change things. But so many don't. They want the pats on the back, but not to do the actual work.