Monday, August 15. I hadn’t initially planned to go to City Hall at all that evening — I had obligations at home and mixed feelings about both sides in this conflict — but the issue was looming large in the community, and I wanted to witness the further unfolding of the Y pool incident for myself, rather than rely on the oft-biased narratives of others.
Port Townsend had drawn attention from across the political spectrum; I’d heard that the Proud Boys were going to be there. They weren’t, but as it turned out, we didn’t need right-wing extremists in order to have violence. Had I not witnessed firsthand what transpired, I would never have believed it possible. The behavior of the trans-rights activists — in the name of “love” and “tolerance” — astounded and sickened me.
Upon arrival, I positioned myself on the perimeter of the rally supporting Julie so that I could attempt to hear what the speakers were saying. I carried no sign nor indicated any allegiance, yet when I took out my phone to film both sides, a burly tattooed man invaded my space, shouting and covering my phone with his hat.
Next came folks on bicycles, weaving through the small crowd, making as much noise as possible and bumping into people (I suppose we are fortunate in this regard the violence came from the left; the Proud Boys would have been driving cars). Behind me, the burly man pushed right up against a couple of women, screaming, “You fucking cunt!” Meanwhile, another man scolded me: “You should be ashamed of yourself!”
“For what?” I asked. “For listening?”
While city councilors were inside City Hall congratulating themselves on their proclamation that “urges all residents and visitors to be respectful, welcoming, and kind to everyone” …outside the mob was anything but. As I continued to watch in disbelief, it became increasingly threatening and unruly.
One woman on a bicycle chanted “No TERFs on our turf!” and bore a sign reinforcing the sentiment. I couldn’t help wondering on what basis she was claiming this as her turf, but not Julie’s. It’s an admittedly catchy slogan, but one that does not stand up to scrutiny, as it promotes the very thing (exclusion) it purports to oppose.
How could the people denigrating Julie as a bully and her supporters as cunts not recognize their own hypocrisy? They were comparing Julie’s supporters with Nazis and the KKK. It is an insult to the memory of the millions actually exterminated by Nazis, and the Black people actually lynched by the KKK to equate those hate groups to peaceful protestors raising concerns about Washington State’s laws on dressing room facilities.
Whatever you may feel about the issue, debating the legislation on single-sex spaces is not genocide nor a prelude to genocide. Reductio ad Hitlerum is just a lazy method of derailment and distraction, in lieu of the difficult work of substantiating a case.
Justifications I have heard for the assault on demonstrators include: council members have received death threats, trans people and people even perceived as trans have been doxxed, harassed and maligned. These actions are contemptible and indefensible, and, I suspect, largely carried out by non-locals who have latched on to this event and are co-opting it to further their own agenda (which likely includes exacerbating in-fighting among progressives).
What I witnessed on Monday evening shook me to the core. The videos I’ve watched do not adequately convey the feeling of being there. As I stood before the mob, images of the January 6th demonstration came to mind, each sporting its own trappings, but driven by the same motivation: my team and everything it does is right, and your team isn’t just wrong; it’s evil.
There is no space between opposing sides for any discussion, question, or disagreement. The lines are drawn — fall into formation. Utter any reservations and you will be castigated, canceled and exiled. This is not democratic behavior, where all participants are citizens with rights; groupthink and mob violence are more commonly associated with fascism.
As I was leaving, I stopped to thank one woman for her courage to be there. Because no matter how you feel about the issue, it took courage to stand there in the face of the hateful, angry mob that outnumbered them tenfold. When I got several blocks away, I stopped and let the tears flow.
Photo above submitted by author.
Top photo: screen shot of the “burly tattooed man” who assaulted numerous people, from video taken by Robert Zerfing.
—————————–
Additional Free Press articles on the Julie Jaman/YMCA/City of PT story:
8/2/22 – Mountain View Pool Punishes Woman For Her Gender Expression and Identity
8/4/22 – Censored: Men’s Eyes in Women’s Shower Room
8/10/22 – Mountain View Pool No Longer Safe for Many Women and Girls
8/16/22 – Women Seeking Civil Rights Stand Up to Mob Hatred and Intimidation in Port Townsend
8/18/22 – Reporting from the Frontlines of the Woke Battlefield
Lee North, resident of Port Townsend, hails from a professional background in language, linguistics and editing. Lee has enjoyed living in the PNW for over 30 years and is enthusiastic about outdoor pursuits, including hiking and international bike touring.
Such a great article on what really happened. I wish everyone could read it. Maybe the author could write a letter to the editor of the Misleader with this info, although it probably wouldn’t print it. Thank you for telling us the real story—and for being brave enough to be there!!
The Misleader?????? As John Wayne would have said, “That’ll be the day.” However, everyone should have dreams no matter how far fetched they are.
One way you handle all this is you use the same business model they do for their protests. You boycott businesses which do not reflect your values. Do you think if everybody stops going to the YMCA who wants sex based bathrooms, the YMCA will still be profitable in Port Townsend? Maybe. Maybe they have enough people who will still come, to keep them in business.
But from what I see, there are actually a lot of people coming into town who are from older generations and who have not been bedazzled by the onslaught of advertising behind the trans insanity. Most of the people coming off the cruise ships are not going to be people who support a bunch of craziness based on fantasy. I think Harvey’s idea of passing out flyers or posting flyers to make people aware of what’s happening in this city would be one of the best things courageous people could do.
But I think one of the most efficient ways to go at this is to starve downtown because the downtown businesses are what’s generating all this money the city Council is using against the people of this city. And the other thing is to just keep doing this important writing and keep linking to other important writing of people who are going about these issues in a factual secular manner.
For those who are dedicated to their religions and whose religions include a creator which specifically creates a female body and a male body, I think some of you all need to be talking to some attorneys about violations of your religious rights in society when modesty is not available to you in relation to your religion.
The bottom line though is money is what makes this city go around and it’s where all the power is coming from so you have got to starve this ferocious beast. Don’t shop in Port Townsend. Pay your basic bills but take your money to cities and businesses which reflect reality and basic human decency.
Also if you want to get a better idea of what you’re really up against I think some of you should download the Twitch app and do a little investigating in what young people are talking about in regards to transitioning and in regards to older white folks of any political stripe. There is more hatred behind all of that “no hate” chanting, then is believable sometimes. We are up against a generation which has been inculcated to hate everything about the structures of American society. Our work is going to be to explain why those structures are important and useful, going forward. That said, we are all going to have to educate ourselves on how to meet their hatred with simple elegant gentle firm facts. Many of these young people are lost and hurting and trying to outdo one another in their extreme behaviors. If we present for them a stable framework in which they can thrive and grow, they will leave this dark chaos behind. I am not specifically talking about religion or church. Just simply stable adults around them who can teach them the basics of how to live, are what a lot of them are missing.
This episode accurately portrays the methods of the left. They project their own hatreds onto the opposition.
And they will never be satisfied because their goals are constantly moving further left. It’s been accurately said that “They always eat their own” because even the most rabid of them eventually fall behind and out of the rapidly shifting narrative.
Paid/funded agent provocateurs?
Yes,
Great piece.
Most of the women there left leaning women. Not asking for trans people to be denied any rights but to stress their own rights and the importance of sex-based boundaries for women and girls. We deserve the right to exsist as well.
Absolutely, and the protestors could or would not listen to the real issue.
Such an easy solution to build another bathroom with showers for the new group. All trans can chip in to design and build their own bathroom. Everyone’s rights should be supported.
You don’t seem to understand. They are not looking for commonsense solutions. They are looking to undermine and destroy the basic values of decent society. They want to colonize biological women’s spaces because they have rightly perceived those spaces are sacred.
Lee, this is a heartbreakingly accurate account of 8/15. I also attended with the intent to observe and came away deeply troubled and sickened by the hatred and rage, violence and mob mentality expressed by my community. I don’t care where these people came from – the TRAs – if paid or invited to agitate. It’s still this community that supported the message of hate and violence under the guise of love and diversity. I don’t know where we go from here. It doesn’t seem that dialogue is possible. Or that truth matters.
Thank you AJ. I too am struggling to find a way toward reconciliation in our community. It has to start with the willingness to stop shouting long enough to listen and empathize.
Lee, I’m generally opposed to binary language, but the fact is the gender war (it is not a debate, as you saw Monday night, it is a war) has two sides.
One side is profoundly incapable of empathy, listening and not shouting. They are also unwilling to stop the abuser’s time-tested technique of DARVO — deny, attack, reverse victim and offender. We have done nothing of which we’re accused. They have done it all and more. Textbook gaslighting, nonstop.
I was with Julie Jaman at the pool on August 1st. Typically imperturbable, she addressed the half dozen protesters calmly, respectfully and conversationally — no raised voices, simply a discussion of how the needs of both groups might be met. The trans supporters were likewise calm and conversational, though not interested in compromise. He is a she. Get dressed in the toilet stall or come in your dry suit, go home in a wet one. Separate showers is discrimination.
Julia Cochrane arrived with a friend, and the name-calling began. The attitude of the formerly-civil younger folks shifted. Soon after came the attempts to shout over my and Julie’s quiet personal conversation being held on the side. We didn’t take the bait.
I’ve known Julia Cochrane for a long time. She crusades for tolerance and inclusivity. Go figure.
btw, thank you very much for sharing your experience with our readers. I am so grateful.
All of these groups from the far right and the far left are infiltrated and compromised,,, each extreme side is controlled opposition… “Patriot Front” you might have seen them over in Idaho or at the US capitol in DC,,, a group entirely made up of young FBI agents posing as a far right activist group… Consider Antifa,,, half of them are school teachers and the other half are child sex predators,, all compromised and all controlled… Why are people still concerned about hurting peoples feelings regarding these issues??? Its much better to use words and to hurt feelings than to use violence or going to violent events… People should realize that the internet is 1000 times more effective as a tool than going to any protest or activist event,,, …
There is going to be another event,, same show,, same recipe,, same place… Shame on you once going and subjecting yourself to this kind of risk and danger,,, the second time will not be a dry run or a test,,, high potential for a False Flag event… You know an event where there is a script and fake bad actors,, agitators or god forbid someone like the Vegas Shooter,, who was a CIA pilot/trafficker of children and drugs…
Do not go to these events under any circumstances,, stay as far away as possible… You will be used as cannon fodder to push forward this evil agenda… [You] are being drawn in like a bear to bait,,, it smells good and you are real hungry but stay away…
Once again you show up to disencourage people to participate in our democracy. You are the one acting like an FBI agent. You are the one acting like a sh!t disturber. Every single time you show up, you distract from our discussions with fear
and alarmism.
After witnessing left wing hypocrisy and violence worldwide for the last two years, I am saddened that it had to happen locally before the author noticed it. BLM, ANtifa, LGBTQ+… It is happening everywhere. Yet, you still manage to project the violence of the left onto the right, by asserting that the Proud Boys would have run people down with their cars. [moderator edit] If the Proud Boys had been there, no one would have been able to push our elder woman to the ground. Then you bring up the Nazi (National Socialists) & KKK. KKK was founded, controlled and run by Democrats. The indoctrination suffered by these gender dysphoric children was done by the left wing socialists in our schools. Right wing extremists? I have not heard anything more extremist than the statement that “Trans women are real women”. This is scientifically incorrect and not anywhere close to reality. This is just one more example of the left dividing the community by demonizing the right. Allowing women to shower in private is a pretty basic human right. If the left cannot accept that, there is no reason for us to accept them into society.
Great article and comments by Foray, Mattie, Denny H, AJ and Jeffrey Jones. So sad that the people who have the greatest need to read them will never do so.
Let’s shift to local folk individually and forget the labels. Let’s look at Libby Wennstrom, “their” Facebook pages and council influence. Libby actively discriminates on City Council participating in Faber, Mauro, and Greenwood led groupthink. Apparently, discrimination is ok if the City of Port Townsend is doing it with mess tent permits and misleading 2-hour parking signs that benefit insider’s years on end. This is contrary to city and state laws that should keep Council and Mayor within bounds. The city attorney and city manager do not correct this, a perfect storm.
Council Member Libby attacks citizen Julie on Facebook. Attacking members of the public and pitting people against each other benefits some agendas. Some on council and in the public take a side and do not consider details, resorting to shallow thinking with chants.
How about these chants- “concern is not hate”. “open discussion is not hate”
Libby’s Facebook page shows Libby Wennstrom’s lack of credibility. One lie in court and you ruined your credibility.
“Also, if you’re reading online that the mayor has sex with dogs, the “basis” for this is him posting photos of his dog’s tail peeking out from under furniture”
The twitter quote from Appointed Mayor Faber is “having sex with a dog to create a yam you are happy with”. Libby misdirects. The screen caps of Faber’s odd thoughts along with others are readily available. Libby makes no mention of other tweets featuring sex with dead vs live chickens and more.
https://mandystadtmiller.substack.com/p/rabbitholed-46-why-is-self-described?utm_medium=reader2
There is a pattern of misdirection with Libby. During the Mess Tent council meetings Libby also gave the false impression that Ithaca New York simply shut off parking on several blocks, the public at first didn’t like it, but now it is very popular. Fact is that Ithaca constructed parking garages to accommodate the change. Libby tried to overlook critical planning that would be needed to increase the number of mess tents and make them permanent.
On another occasion that can be seen on Council video Libby was again misstating facts when someone tried to correct her. She snapped “I AM SPEAKING HERE”. Damn the facts, apparently.
She also had no problem with City Manager Mauro and Appointed Mayor Faber purposefully limiting public notice of the attempted city ordinance change. If you masquerade as a public servant, serve the public.
Creating black and white sides and pitting people against each other benefits some agendas. Some simply take a side and do not consider details. Some take to chants to drown out thought. These examples of shallow thought and misdirection by Libby are to show that she may well not be one to deal with complex realities.
No discrimination. No hate. No Libby and Faber on Council would be nice. Other Council as with each trans person and binary person should be treated as individuals. If Council actions damage others and ignore laws, they should be individually voted out by voters. Concern is not hate. Let’s focus on our individual neighbors, individually.
Amen to that. Well Said.
It appears that you didn’t watch the various video footage or absorb the content of the articles written about the event, Sinisterdreams. (Catchy handle, btw. I believe it.)
So you think that Rachelle being knocked to the ground (photo evidence) and our first-hand accounts of the many violent acts we witnessed are fake? As Lee North said “What I witnessed on Monday evening shook me to the core. The videos I’ve watched do not adequately convey the feeling of being there.”
The fact that there is little footage of the actual violent acts only means the creeps are very practiced at their work of lightning strike violence and cameras didn’t catch them. You can’t tell from the footage of the slithering teenager that he was trapping women’s legs in the grip of his thighs so they’d fall if they moved, which they did. It was so crowded they fell against others. There was obviously a hateful, screaming mob, there was violence and people were injured.
If you don’t believe that, please spare yourself further waste of time in this space.
A person with a penis is a male. A person with a vagina is a female. We are differentiated this way at birth and this definition works for all species. Can a person have a different gender Identity? Apparently so, but if they had one ounce of self-respect and consideration, they would find a private place to change and not expose their male genitalia to women and girls in a gender-differentiated facility. And the facility may choose to provide accommodations to the rare transgendered person to appease them AND the rest of their patrons.
What we’re seeing a lot of is “gender-f**k”, where (usually) guys don makeup or feminine attire and prance around getting reactions out of people. Attention seekers. Real transgendered people would not do that but would quietly change in private surroundings, do their business, and leave.
I truly hope the women and girls of Port Townsend boycott the Y for what it did to Julie Jaman. The only thing Americans seem to understand is money, and when women withdraw their funding of organizations it might be the only thing that gets through to people who seemingly lost their brain function.
More great work from Matt Osborne at The Distance:
“IT DID NOT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY: The gender identity movement is combative, punitive, and secretive by choice. They chose totalizing “culture war” and made demands instead of asking for reasonable accommodations because the things they want are not reasonable or easy to accommodate. Eliza Mondegreen:
It wasn’t necessary to put the trans movement on a collision course with reality, fairness, common sense, medical ethics, toleration for difference, freedom of speech and conscience, and the basic recognition that sex matters to achieve the movement’s stated goals. Rather, it’s the trans lobby’s unstated goals that put us on this dark path.”
And another:
“Captured media is of course spreading a narrative that Julie Jaman hates all transgender people and just waited with bated breath for her entire 80-year lifespan to harass one in person.
YMCA spokespeople have fed this frenzy. All of them will end up looking very, very bad when the entire truth stands stark naked. Of all the parties in this story, evidence of a longstanding grudge only exists for the Y and the city against Julie Jaman. More on that story as it develops.”
Thank You for Vulnerably sharing your story. Yes nothing like being in it. Very well written piece.
https://thepostmillennial.com/female-prisoners-in-australia-launch-petition-to-remove-biological-male-prisoners
Are they doing this in WA prisons as well?
If there’s money in it you can bet they will institute it. They’ll have female guards too, at least I would hope so.
“genderf*ck”
Another word I came across to describe the gender bending, attention seeking phenomena you describe is:
“Autogynephilia”
a sexual paraphilia (fetish) in which a man is sexually aroused by the idea of himself as a woman.
The term was coined by academic researcher & sexologist Ray Blanchard. His research studies showed that men who transition to women while retaining their heterosexual attraction to women were “autogynephilic” – sexually aroused by dressing as a woman and/or taking on a job/role traditionally held by women in society. He likened Autogynephilia to a sexual orientation. (Blanchard is a trans rights advocate, though his work is wildly unpopular with the larger trans rights community.)
The word “Autogynephilia” will likely get you banned from Twitter, fyi. Members of the LGB community have been trying to speak out about this issue publicly for years but have been smeared, cancelled, and banned from Reddit, Twitter, Mumsnet (UK), and other media platforms. LGB groups that have formed (to distance themselves from the T) in the UK and Ireland have officially been labeled “hate groups” by the government.
I don’t know if Blanchard is right, but I’ve learned to pay attention to the words and topics that get censored as heavily as this one.
(Above comment intended as reply to Q. Wayle)
Please investigate the work of Dr. Janice Raymond.
https://janiceraymond.com/
I think there is also a flipside version of autogynephilia which would probably be some thing like autophallophilia.
It’s a very strange obsession which has been cultivated from amidst the former lesbian and gay community. I remember these people showing up in the early 1990s amidst the floundering AIDS protest groups after the 80s.
And yes, lesbians and gay men have been fighting them off for years, but there seems to be so much money behind this project, it’s going to take all of us to fight it.
Henry, what you have seen should alarm you… No fear, live in the light/truth and fear will be no problem for you… Our entire government is compromised,, fraudulent,, there is no process which is legitimate,, fraudulent elections,, we have not had a legally elected government for a very long time… “Fruits Of The Poisonous Tree” its all bad,, its all rotten… There is no Democratic Process to participate in,, its an illusion cast by the puppet masters/controllers… We are at WAR,, we are under the Insurrection at of 1807,, its wartime, legitimate government is suspended,, “legal government” is suspended… This is all a psyop trying to catch you and everybody else in it,, to be used as stage props and reality actors… Do not play the game,, do not get sucked in…
Do not engage in violence,, do not go to the violence,, stay home with your family…
The Free Press is doing a great job and exposing the truth… Keep in mind that the Free Press does not have to allow my posts to make it on the thread,, some they do and some they do not,, its their judgement call,, they allow the ones they do for a reason,, because they think they have benefit to the conversation…
Oh and you can read peoples’ minds, now?
You don’t know why and by what measures they use. You’re acting like a **** disturber even in this very message. You are stiil distracting from the topic at hand.
You are fear mongering and profiting from alarmism. If you know so much about protests and all these conspiracy theories, then how about you tell women how to keep themselves safe while they stand up for their rights? That would be helpful. The fear mongering is not helpful. The thing you don’t seem to realize is that women live in fear 24 hours a day seven days a week for all of their lives, because of men. The FBI and all yer wallering horse fertilizer have nothing on men.
K Blanchard — though I only know him through this forum, I’m inclined to defend Rich Germeau’s good intention, which IS to protect women, and everyone else. He’s speaking from his law enforcement experience.
I’m 67 years old, stand 5′ 3″ and weigh 135 pounds. I don’t now and never did live in fear 24/7, and I’ve only known a few women in my life who do. None of us can speak for an entire class or group of people.
Rich did offer his idea of how to stand up for our rights while we keep ourselves safe. Use the internet as an advocacy tool. Don’t attend events where the likelihood of violence is high.
For those who doubt the veracity of eyewitnesses at the August 15 gathering, have a look:
https://twitter.com/mellow_vello/status/1561785909439242243
Friends and Jefferson County neighbors: Please read this news article. I am sending it to you because the events of nine days ago in PT are leading this town into the same territory highlighted by this article. It is called lawlessness, and it begins with police and a judicial system that does nothing when threshold crimes are committed, such as the crimes perpetrated by (presumably) out-of-town street thugs in PT on 15 Aug. Don’t think for a moment that these thugs (and/or others) won’t return, given the police ran and hid when the thugs were intimidating and shoving old ladies to the sidewalk. PT needs to beef up its police presence NOW, as well as the city’s earnestness to arrest and prosecute those who intimidate and/or assault innocent people….or the worst is yet to come.
Port Townsend’s leftist (yes leftist) population sided with the perpetrators on 15 Aug, given both (this time) were on the same side politically. Let’s see who they side with when Antifa (or equivalent) begins kicking doors down. PT has now been exposed as an easy target. Nothing good can come of this.
She said drop the “leftist/liberal” discussion and I’m sure she meant it. That doesn’t mean you sneak it into your conversations, here. That’s not how this works.
Thank you for engaging here, Jen, and your defense of my request. My intention was to de-escalate the debate over the labels, to get back to the topic of the articles. It’s not problematic that people express their political slant, just don’t let that become the topic.
Appreciate you all, and so grateful that you join us here in this discussion.
Hey Sinisterdreams,
I was on site, and there was indeed violence, though thank goodness it wasn’t nearly the worst mob violence we can imagine. Lee North describes very well what I and others observed and experienced. Were you there? Do you have a version of what transpired that contradicts North’s account? If so, provide it for us right here in this public forum.
In an unprovoked act of direct violence, the young guy slithering around on the ground kicked me HARD in the testicles. According to the Port Townsend police officer I spoke with, he faces multiple assault charges, along with an unspecified “more serious charge.”
As a former activist on what passes for the U.S. left, I’ve been in the streets for protests for many decades. I recognized the tactics deployed by the trans rights activists that day, and I’ll describe them here.
Their plan was to use noise and visual obstacles to intimidate, disrupt, and drown out the speech of those scheduled to speak at this permitted event. They continually invaded the space of the speakers and their audience. They attempted to provoke the speakers and audience into committing violence. They even deployed at least one child in this effort, putting that child in harm’s way in the hope that s/he would be attacked and turned into a cause célèbre.
Hope that’s clear. Also hope it’s clear that many people of almost all political orientations are not going to allow males into women’s and girls’ hard-won public and private spaces, sports, and prisons. This is dangerous, regressive lunacy, and it will not stand.
This was a clear violation of these women’s Constitutional Rights.. That the Port Townsend Police would let it happen is a disgrace and the next time they shower I think they should check themselves out, as someihing looks like it’s missing. When you let these hoodlums take over the town, does that send a message of Come to Port Townsend, we have good eateries, motels and warm freindly people. The only thing that compares with this attack is the Russian attack on the Ukriane. If I wanted go sonewhere with my family, Port Townsend would be the last place I would want to bring them. All I can say is thank God my wife died and never had to see this.
Thank you for all the comments. Annette – the articles you posted are really interesting, especially the site “Reality’s Last Stand.” Many of you might enjoy Meghan Daum’s podcast “The Unspeakable,” in particular, episode from March 20, 2022 in which she interviews a young man who has detransitioned.
To respond to the first comment: I did submit a letter to the editor of the PTL, but only learned today that it was not published. Given Sloan’s articles, it’s apparent that the Leader isn’t even attempting to portray itself as unbiased.
I see the trans-rights movement as having taken on many of the trappings of religious fanaticsim. If you are a true believer, you do not question. Further, there can be no compromise, and anyone who challenges the tenets of the religion is a heretic.
So, what do we do? In this forum, we are largely preaching to the choir. How do we crack this cult-like monolith and stay true to our values? In other words, not start courting politicians or groups that may agree with me on this issue but are not aligned with my values on way too many others. If I were a member of the Y, I would rescind my membership. But I’m not and have never had interest in using that pool anyway. Any ideas?
I appreciate your thoughts here, Lee. You may not be aware that Ana Wolpin, Stephen Schumacher and I were fully censored by the Leader, and Stephen and I by the PDN, by late fall of 2020. Long story, not for this time, but you can read a bit more about it here.
I’ve long opined that the world does not have a shortage of good people, but it has a severe shortage of courageous people. That’s never been more true than it is now, in my view. Most people I know in this community agree that males do not belong in women’s private spaces, no matter what those fellas claim to be. How many of them are willing to say it out loud? It wouldn’t take long to count them.
That’s how “we crack this cult-like monolith and stay true to our values.” Defend Julie Jaman in your out loud voice. She is defending us without concern for her own personal well-being, without hiding behind an army of supporters or cover of a pseudonym.
Maybe the future belongs to those with a backbone. But we’d better hurry. The gaff-hook is already being set in the kids.
I am sorry for you,,, Men have failed in their duties as Men and as a result many women are in fear and are abused… Men have been beat down and removed from their position of authority as the protectors of women and children.. Men are at fault because they have allowed it… Men have been bribed,, broken down and compromised so that they can no longer live in the truth,, be truthful,, hiding in the shadows because they are in fear of their own lies,, no good to anyone,, not even themselves…
To be frank most all of humanity has failed in their human experience and as a result we are in the position which we are in,, constant fear,, cannot be themselves,, cannot be the protectors they were instructed to be… Remember God made Eve from the rib of Adam… Adam had to sacrifice part of himself so that Eve could be made,, its to show us that we are all part of each other,, men and women,, that we rely on each other,, are supposed to support and protect each other… Women have strengths and so do men,, the roles are different and compliment each other…
Men have failed in their role as leaders and protectors… If Men were doing their job,, we would never have even gotten close to the lesson we are in now…
I am anti fear but also anti stupid… I am warning you because I can sense the danger,, I have strong instincts and enough courage to tell you the truth…
I tell you to stay away from these situations,, non organic,, controlled situations so that you can avoid being controlled/manipulated/used for a lower frequency agenda…
Lee North,
I commend you for writing such an earnest article about your experience. I think that’s the most important step we can take is to listen to genuine experiences and cut down on the heavily leveraged conjecture. Your writing here has been the most compelling thing I’ve read on this ongoing drama. I’m going to use it as a model for my own communication on this topic, as much as I can, anyway.
At first, I was happy to see so many people come out in support of what some of us see as one of the most vulnerable and precarious branches of the greater project for human rights. (I believe one can feel this way without demonizing Julie or “TERFs” or sacrificing women or children to the cause.) And most of those people that came that Monday evening were good people from the community who care about others and are reflexively protective of rights for other people. But I saw the scrum around the press conference and was dismayed at what we’d let happen. I came to listen to a message I disagree (though not completely), but the strategy by many in the counterprotest was to drown out and silence the voices. That was bad, but the intimidation, and attempts at humiliation were sickening. It was hard to watch and I second guess now what I should have done. I was really taken by surprise.
I have no interest in any flavor of fascism (to use the contemporary meaning of this word), even if I were to agree to all the tenets. But I wouldn’t even then, because free speech is probably my highest ideal, because without that, human rights that we so would slowly erode away, never to return.
Thank you, Ben. I really appreciate this comment and share your concerns about the silencing of dissenting opinions. Free speech is a cornerstone of democracy. To witness so many people who do not recognize its import was truly heartbreaking. I hope others are as alarmed and will take it seriously. Anyone who has spent any time in a truly autocratic society can appreciate how precious and fragile it is.
Warm regards,
L
Six months ago I had never heard more than few words on this subject. Now it seems society is expected to get it, process it, act on it and change “over night”.
The digital age young people grew up in has made them think everything happens fast and at once. I think people don’t realize how long it takes to achieve societal change. This is the beginning of a change and people want it to be a done deal. There is a very long way to go and if people are not allowed to disagree without being punished or persecuted than the cause is at risk of being lost before it gets its feet wet. Some of the comments I have read on facebook about fellow citizens are quite surprising and make me think the Zeitgeist has made people …different.
I am very glad to find your free press newspaper. I live in rural Oregon. The nearest town has a population of about 2,500. The county is conservative. A couple of years ago there was a BLM antifa demonstration in Coos Bay. I went to it just to test the obedience training of our German Shepherd dog. Trans people dressed in black came over to scream in my face. The dog calmly looked from their faces to mine. Finally, I spoke quietly and said If you lay a hand on me this dog will get a piece of you. They backed off. I am a woman and I don’t want men going into our rest rooms and locker rooms. Anyway, I thought your readers would enjoy this song called Try That in a Small Town.