Mridul Wadhwa - Male CEO of Edinburgh Rape Crisis

Petunia, sexuality of course refers to someones sexual orientation, e.g. heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual etc. It's a dictionary recognised terminology.

I didn't expect my answer to satisfy you Doodledog , in fact I would have been surprised if anything I say satisfied you. You might of course have commented about the many inaccuracies and false assumptions posted on this thread, but you failed to do so. Possibly because they are indefensible. So rather than actually admit this you choose to attempt to denigrate me. It's an old strategy, known I believe as playing the man (or in this case woman) and not the ball.
There are enough threads on GN where I have defended women from attacks by biased posters, who are not apparently misogynistic, unless of course you are the wrong sort of woman.

trisher

Doodledog I would defend anyone if I saw that they were being misrepresented, castigated for something they hadn't said or otherwise pilloried. I don't like the fashion for simply jumping on the bandwagon and believing everything that is posted in the press or on-line. I do my own research and make my own judgements. If that person is a woman,transwoman, man, transman, or non binary it doesn't matter to me.
so look at the misrepresentation and false assumptions on this thread.
That she has ever insisted on a rape victim having a certain counsellor.
That she has ever insisted rape victims must address their prejudices in counselling
That she has ever counselled a rape victim herself (Her expertise is in training and education)
That rape victims she has counselled are afraid to complain.
If the same tihngs were being assumed about anyone with absolutely no evidence I would be defending them whatever their gender.

The question was 'Have you ever knowingly defended any woman against any transwoman in any situation on this board? Or off it, come to that?' Of course, you haven't answered it.

I asked, as it looks to the naked eye as though your misogyny compels you to leap to the defence of any transwoman, regardless of the situation, or the feelings of any woman who has suffered at their hands.

I was simply trying to give you the chance to say otherwise if I was mistaken, but it seems as though I am not.

I think where the equality act of 2010 breaks down, following the input to policies manipulated by Stonewall, is on how much employers and the public etc. rely on trust. We are not allowed to question someone who may be trans, even if it is obvious. So whether that's a job interview, public toilets, changing rooms, education, women only services, health or prisons we rely on the individual in front of us telling the truth about their sexuality. Sex is the issue here, (with very limited exceptions covered under the act) gender identity is irrelevant.

Until we can say with any certainty what the definition of a transwoman is we should not be allowing just about anyone to do whatever they want once they utter the phrase-”I'm a woman”. Even if they appear to be good at that job.

Doodledog I would defend anyone if I saw that they were being misrepresented, castigated for something they hadn't said or otherwise pilloried. I don't like the fashion for simply jumping on the bandwagon and believing everything that is posted in the press or on-line. I do my own research and make my own judgements. If that person is a woman,transwoman, man, transman, or non binary it doesn't matter to me.
so look at the misrepresentation and false assumptions on this thread.
That she has ever insisted on a rape victim having a certain counsellor.
That she has ever insisted rape victims must address their prejudices in counselling
That she has ever counselled a rape victim herself (Her expertise is in training and education)
That rape victims she has counselled are afraid to complain.
If the same tihngs were being assumed about anyone with absolutely no evidence I would be defending them whatever their gender.

Rape is not a sex-neutral or a gender-neutral crime. It is, partly at the least, an attack by a more powerful perpetrator on a weaker victim (the power may be physical or psychological) but it is carrried out by sexual means, and its lasting impact is on the sexual and gender relationships of the victim.

That is why the sex and gender of those counselling a rape victim need to be carefully chosen, including their natal sex and/or gender, if they have changed them. It may be that the gradual introduction of counsellors of the attacking sex/gender can assist the victim to relate to them again, but telling them essentially that they will just have to "man up" doesn't sound helpful.

Re Midrul
No, sadly no matter how much it (gender neutral pronoun) tries to justify its actions there is no excuse for what it said or what it has caused to happen.
Listening to the whole podcast still only allows you to hear and translate things the way you believe they are rather than the way things actually are.
Are you going to answer Doodledog’s question?
Have you ever defended any woman against any transwoman on this board? Or off it, come to that?

Have you ever ever defended any woman against any transwoman in any situation on this board? Or off it, come to that?

pinkquartz

Chewbacca

Yes it really struck me how it is about a power trip for him.
And a giant ego boost.
I really like the woman who Youtubed this. She has other videos I will watch another time.

Seeing MW speak for himself shows how mindblowingly arrogant he is.
Does he think he is safe.?
And then there is the money he is accessing via his partner setting up a company to provide what they term "inclusive" aid. hhmm. Oh Dear!
When I read that between them they have ended the Women and Childrens Help in another place I wanted to cry.

We need Womens' safe spaces possibly more than ever due to the recent "incel" murders.

I''m posting this quote for anyone who CBA hunting for it.
Firstly there is an entire misconception about what was actually said. (And I listened to the whole podcast).
Anyone who doubts that people in call centres enjoy excercising power hasn't used them much. Why should Mridul be different?
But the power she refers to is the power Louise had to help her change her life. Louise was an aspect of her character she hadn't known existed and certainly hadn't used. It is something she still refers to when she feels threatened.
She goes on to discuss the work she did at Shakti,training professionals in the areas of immigrant and minority abuse, fored marriage and violence in relationships where closed communities mean women cannot escape or seek help.
If she wasn't good at her job the people she trained could speak out.
So instead of listening to a few chosen clips listen to the whole thing for a balanced view.
It seems to me that the outspoken and transphobic comments about her also contain an element of racism. She has undoubtedly extended the services available to women from different cultures. She speaks several languages. There are few women in the field who could do this.
Finally here is a quote from her
Sexual violence is part of systemic sexism and inequality – knowing this can help us through trauma.

I, the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre or the Rape Crisis movement in Scotland is not looking to re-educate survivors when they come in for the urgent, potentially life-saving support they may need – that would be inappropriate. What we can do, when they are ready and if they are interested, is to help them take part in wider discussions about how violence against women is a cause and a consequence of a deeply unequal and sexist society. Seeing it through this lens can, potentially, empower survivors to not feel alone (which is so important when they may be feeling blame or shame) and to understand and progress their recovery. These conversations can happen as part of support, if survivors are looking to have that conversation with their support worker; or they can join groupwork or workshops. This is what is meant by “reframing trauma”

Oh, you're back, trisher. I thought you'd accepted that defending the indefensible is pointless.

I've got very used to not getting answers from you, but if you fancy a change of tactic, can you please give a straight answer to the questions below?

Why do you think that someone with the personality and character traits described in pinkquartz's post is remotely suitable as CEO of a rape crisis centre?

What makes you think that anyone who thinks for a minute that Wadhwa is suitable for that role can also call herself a feminist?

Have you ever ever defended any woman against any transwoman in any situation on this board? Or off it, come to that?

It is one thing to defend a group of people with whom you feel an allegiance, but it is quite another to defend anyone who belongs to that group against any criticism 'just because'.

What does Susie Dent know, right trisher?

Checking it out, mumpsimus seems to mean generally clinging to a mistaken or wrong idea, not only an old idea.

Anyway, back to the subject, what evidence did you have in mind to show that some of the posts on this thread are wrong or unreasonable

Ah you see how Twitter distorts. The real meaning of mumpsimus
a traditional custom or idea adhered to although shown to be unreasonable.
a person who obstinately adheres to old customs or ideas in spite of evidence that they are wrong or unreasonable
So appopriate for most of the posts on this thread from those who are not of course transphobic.
.

A Mumpsimus! Very apt * Aveline*. Definitely keeping that for future use.

Saw this on Twitter and it rang a bell.

trisher neither I ( or anyone else on this thread by the sound of it) is transphobic, just very concerned by what is happening generally and this case in particular.
Do you have personal reasons ( you don’t have to say, of course) why you are taking this stance?
Trans people can safely do all sorts of jobs, but when an organisation stipulates the position is for women only there is a good reason for that.
I can see that trans people could do a good job with grief counselling for example, but not as a rape counsellor for women, and that’s without the arrogant comments and the trans pushing agenda that goes with this case.
In my view, organisations and even politicians are afraid to speak out against this, and women really really need them to.

Chewbacca

Yes it really struck me how it is about a power trip for him.
And a giant ego boost.
I really like the woman who Youtubed this. She has other videos I will watch another time.

Seeing MW speak for himself shows how mindblowingly arrogant he is.
Does he think he is safe.?
And then there is the money he is accessing via his partner setting up a company to provide what they term "inclusive" aid. hhmm. Oh Dear!
When I read that between them they have ended the Women and Childrens Help in another place I wanted to cry.

We need Womens' safe spaces possibly more than ever due to the recent "incel" murders.

One word only sickening sums him up Chewbacca

Surely you cannot sympathise with him after this trisher ?

That interview was just 8 months ago pinkquartz, when he'd been working at Edinburgh Rape Crisis for years!!! He openly admits to feeling powerful by having full charge as to whether people got their food stamps or not. Of all the emotions he could have expressed, it wasn't compassion, concern or sympathy; it was power. This is all an ego trip for him isn't it?
The narrator's observations that he's a con man, who has used ERCC to gain access to vulnerable women, is sickening.

I did some reading last night that included a link to a Youtube video where an American woman is playing a podcast by MW and inserting some of her own comments.
One time when MW was working in India he had a job in a call centre. Not one of those annoying bank ones but for a company that had outsourced FoodStamps for Americans in poverty.
It was for the southern states so MW gave himself a "drawl" and American accent while naming himself Louise.
In the podcast he talks about how powerful he felt as Louise. "Louise" can do anything! This refers to the fact that he could then cause a lot of misery by refusing to correct the problem a person was having. He liked the power of having a chance to make other people suffer.
Food Stamps, of course being food. So he had the ability to make innocent people and their children go hunry and desparate.
He also seems to really enjoy pulling off deception.
He does think anything is wrong in lying.
Not all cultures are rooted in Judeo-Christian values. I spent some time in India a long time ago and I could see that it is a very different culture. I cannot say their ways arew rong, and I do not think that, but they are different.
This MW person loves power as well as money. He probably can't believe how he has fooled so many and pulled off this plum of a career!

Anyway this is in his own voice and can be looked at. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktaU8byjqyI

and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHhOugmuhKk GB
7
MRIDUL AND POWER. HAVE YOU HEARD THIS, EDINBURGH RAPE CRISIS?

I hope this works I ma not so good with the links

A genuinely concerned counsellor of whatever gender would know this, as, IMO, would any decent human being - particularly one who will have been on a difficult road to find acceptance as a transperson.

A hypothetical question that brings the above quote into sharp relief. The question is: What if an Asian woman was violently raped and assaulted, by an Asian man, and she was referred to a rape crisis team for help. She's presented with an Asian man and he wants to physically examine her and explore, in detail, the nature of the assault. The woman is traumatised by the rape and is further traumatised that she now has to face the indignity of further intrusive physical and emotional violation by another Asian man. She feels that, due to their shared culture and background, no matter how sympathetic her counsellor may appear to be, he will stigmatise her. She is so frightened and upset by what has happened to her, she doesn't want to be in the same room as a man, especially an Asian man. She asks if she can be seen by a female, preferably not an Asian female because she's afraid that "word will get out into the community and her reputation will be tarnished forever".

By asking for this, is she racist? Sexist? Or, in view of the assault and the resultant terror, should her request be honoured? Who's rights are the most important in this situation?

'Some women orgasm when they are drunk' wrote trisher
Really? I don't think any of your posts are from fact or experience,

Good post DoodleDog

Absolutely. Rosie51 and Doodledog I cannot add anything to those excellent posts.
GG13 that tweet is horrendous. That the murderer actually used his lack of social success as excuse to kill was bad enough. For someone else to blame it on women and teachers? shows just how far down things have fallen.

Excellent post Doodledog and especially this A genuinely concerned counsellor of whatever gender would know this, as, IMO, would any decent human being - particularly one who will have been on a difficult road to find acceptance as a transperson.
That has been my stance throughout to the "how would you police it" question of places transwomen should not go. Any decent transwoman would police themselves, being sufficiently in touch with being a woman to consider the feelings of natal women.

If only we had a decent search facility! It has been said time and again on threads on this subject that a transwoman in a rape suite would be an issue, but the concerns were poo-pooed as an unreasonable, with the usual 'who will police it?' and 'I am not going to look under people's clothes!' retorts.

My view has always been that nobody has an inalienable right to follow a particular career. If they did, there would be no entry qualifications, and no interviews as they would be seen as discrimination based on intelligence/subject knowledge and perceived suitability for coping with the demands of the role. If someone is afraid of violence, it is not a good idea for them to join the police, and so on.

Most people grasp this at a young age, and find a career that is suitable for their temperament and abilities. There may be many frustrated astronauts and ballerinas around, but on the whole we adjust to our disappointments and get on with it.

If someone is transexual and realises this after starting a career in medicine, would it not make sense to diversify into one of the numerous areas of expertise that is not gynaecology or obstetrics? Or go into research, or teaching, if it is too late to change path? Similarly, if someone is an excellent counsellor when they transition, why not go into a less contentious area than rape counselling?

Doing this would not be life or career limiting in either case, but it would respect the fact that there are times when women don't want men around them - even men who have transitioned to transwomen. That doesn't make those women bigots - many women who have been raped don't want to be intimate with their husbands or partners for a while afterwards - it makes them traumatised and in need of non-judgemental consideration and care.

A genuinely concerned counsellor of whatever gender would know this, as, IMO, would any decent human being - particularly one who will have been on a difficult road to find acceptance as a transperson.