X Close

UN calls out intimidation of gender-critical feminists

UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem

May 23, 2023 - 10:00am

Women who discuss sex and gender identity in the “Global North” face smear campaigns, physical abuse and legal harassment, said the UN Human Rights Office in a May 22nd press release.

Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, warned of “the shrinking space” in Western countries for women and feminist organisations “to gather and/or express themselves peacefully in demanding respect for their needs based on their sex and/or sexual orientation.

“I am disturbed by the frequent tactic of smear campaigns against women, girls and their allies on the basis of their beliefs on non-discrimination based on sex and same-sex relations,” said Alsalem, one of the UN’s women’s rights monitors. “Branding them as ‘Nazis’, ‘genocidaires’ or ‘extremists’ is a means of attack and intimidation with the purpose of deterring women from speaking and expressing their views.”

The Special Rapporteur claimed that the attempts to silence concerns about the tensions between women’s rights and gender identity are “deeply troubling, as they are intended to instil fear in [women and girls], shame them into silence, and incite violence and hatred against them.” She insisted that the social, legal, and violent censorship of sex-based women’s rights “severely affect[s] the dignified participation of women and girls in society.

“We have witnessed incidents of verbal and physical abuse, harassment, and intimidation, with the purpose of sabotaging and derailing such events as well as silencing the women who wish to speak at them,” Alsalem said.

She emphasised that those who prioritise transgender inclusion over sex-based rights “also have a right to express their opinion,” but should not be allowed to threaten “the safety and integrity” of those against whom they are protesting.

The Special Rapporteur claimed that such censorship undermined the safety and livelihood of women and girls at all levels of society, noting that even “women politicians are sanctioned by their political parties.”

Alsalem’s formal censure comes a few weeks after Kate Forbes, the SNP leadership candidate who was widely attacked for her gender-critical views, claimed that cancellation attempts like those levied against her and fellow SNP politician Joanna Cherry earlier this month have been “not about disputing someone’s views: it’s about […] sacking people from jobs.”

The UN Human Rights adviser’s warning also comes amid growing concerns about the violent rhetoric of some transgender activists, as well as the widespread de-platforming of female scholars, journalists, and public figures who aim to broaden debates around gender identity to include sex-based rights and biological considerations. Perhaps most famously, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s claim that “if sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased” has since led to years of public criticism, censorship, and organised burnings of her books.


Mana Afsari is a writer and editor based in Washington, D.C.

Join the discussion


Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber


To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.

Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.

Subscribe
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

17 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Dougie Undersub
Dougie Undersub
1 year ago

Amazing, a UN Special Rapporteur talking sense!

James Westby
James Westby
1 year ago

A broken clock and all that…

James Westby
James Westby
1 year ago

A broken clock and all that…

Dougie Undersub
Dougie Undersub
1 year ago

Amazing, a UN Special Rapporteur talking sense!

Julian Farrows
Julian Farrows
1 year ago

And in the UK a teacher got banned from teaching for refusing to go along with the transgender insanity: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12113249/Christian-teacher-suspended-misgendering-trans-pupil-banned-teaching.html
It is little wonder that men are abandoning the teaching profession in droves. These days it involves little more than coddling entitled children. The sad thing is all these children really want/need is for adults to lay down boundaries. Pushing boundaries is a natural part of childhood; as adults we do children a big disservice by letting them get their way all the time. The adults who support them in this are little more than weak enablers.

Last edited 1 year ago by Julian Farrows
Ardath Blauvelt
Ardath Blauvelt
1 year ago
Reply to  Julian Farrows

It’s called child abandonment, neglect and abuse.

Ardath Blauvelt
Ardath Blauvelt
1 year ago
Reply to  Julian Farrows

It’s called child abandonment, neglect and abuse.

Julian Farrows
Julian Farrows
1 year ago

And in the UK a teacher got banned from teaching for refusing to go along with the transgender insanity: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12113249/Christian-teacher-suspended-misgendering-trans-pupil-banned-teaching.html
It is little wonder that men are abandoning the teaching profession in droves. These days it involves little more than coddling entitled children. The sad thing is all these children really want/need is for adults to lay down boundaries. Pushing boundaries is a natural part of childhood; as adults we do children a big disservice by letting them get their way all the time. The adults who support them in this are little more than weak enablers.

Last edited 1 year ago by Julian Farrows
Samantha Stevens
Samantha Stevens
1 year ago

The pervasiveness of the gender ideology is beyond horrifying. It must have been happening for some time before we took notice.
I am a 25 year veteran HS English teacher at a public school in New York State. In the past 2 years, I have seen a dramatic increase in trans identifying students, and students identifying as non-binary. At the same time, mental health diagnoses are through the roof. The kids are not alright. What has shocked me recently has been the way the school and local community have been complacent and seemingly on board with all of this.
As an English teacher, I am loathe to ban books, but some books have no place in the school library. Two of those books are the graphic novel Gender Queer and the “reference book” Let’s Talk About It – Teens and Sex. Gender Queer has drawings of sex acts, sex toys, and a depiction of Plato’s Symposium with a nude man and BOY touching each other as the narrator attempts to pleasure him/herself. It’s disgusting.
Let’s Talk About It – Teens and Sex has drawings of naked adult bodies, including trans bodies, butt plugs (hadn’t heard of them myself and was quite blissfully unaware), threesomes, and recommends kids use the internet to research their “kinks” and “fetishes,” join likeminded “communities,” and buy porn to learn more. It also reassures kids that STI’s are no big deal, even AIDS!
Both of these books are in school libraries. Gender Queer has gotten a lot more attention, and been removed more. But many adults and parents have fought hard to keep it in school libraries. Same for Let’s Talk About It, and I fear with this book, many parents don’t know it’s there. In some districts it’s in elementary and middle schools.
Certainly gay and lesbian teens need representation, but why not a nice love story? And shouldn’t teens have a reference book with healthy information about respecting one’s body and the emotional impact of sexual activity.
I know I’m old now, a 57 year-old woman, and perhaps out of touch. But this can’t be normal. Why don’t these parents want to protect their children’s innocence? What in hell is going on in the world? How can these perverse forces have gained so much power and influence, and normalized such deviant things as fetishes and kinks marketed to children? I’m heartsick over it.
https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Talk-About-Teens-Relationships/dp/1984893149/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=UhEgS&content-id=amzn1.sym.bc5f3394-3b4c-4031-8ac0-18107ac75816&pf_rd_p=bc5f3394-3b4c-4031-8ac0-18107ac75816&pf_rd_r=W055KPQNGN4RJTAJ1XYR&pd_rd_wg=wCz1k&pd_rd_r=87ee1cb1-6b5a-4c30-9c39-17b7e7bd6585&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m

Last edited 1 year ago by Samantha Stevens
Nikki Hayes
Nikki Hayes
1 year ago

Those books sound truly horrifying!

Patti Dunne
Patti Dunne
1 year ago

I could not agree with you more and heartsick is a good way to describe how I feel. My kids are all grown, so I am a little out of touch, but i looked online at one of the books you named and was in total disbelief.

Tom Graham
Tom Graham
1 year ago

I saw the content of this book that someone posted on Twitter.
There is no way the person who wrote it isn’t a paedophile.
The same goes for anyone who wants to put it in a school.

Nikki Hayes
Nikki Hayes
1 year ago

Those books sound truly horrifying!

Patti Dunne
Patti Dunne
1 year ago

I could not agree with you more and heartsick is a good way to describe how I feel. My kids are all grown, so I am a little out of touch, but i looked online at one of the books you named and was in total disbelief.

Tom Graham
Tom Graham
1 year ago

I saw the content of this book that someone posted on Twitter.
There is no way the person who wrote it isn’t a paedophile.
The same goes for anyone who wants to put it in a school.

Samantha Stevens
Samantha Stevens
1 year ago

The pervasiveness of the gender ideology is beyond horrifying. It must have been happening for some time before we took notice.
I am a 25 year veteran HS English teacher at a public school in New York State. In the past 2 years, I have seen a dramatic increase in trans identifying students, and students identifying as non-binary. At the same time, mental health diagnoses are through the roof. The kids are not alright. What has shocked me recently has been the way the school and local community have been complacent and seemingly on board with all of this.
As an English teacher, I am loathe to ban books, but some books have no place in the school library. Two of those books are the graphic novel Gender Queer and the “reference book” Let’s Talk About It – Teens and Sex. Gender Queer has drawings of sex acts, sex toys, and a depiction of Plato’s Symposium with a nude man and BOY touching each other as the narrator attempts to pleasure him/herself. It’s disgusting.
Let’s Talk About It – Teens and Sex has drawings of naked adult bodies, including trans bodies, butt plugs (hadn’t heard of them myself and was quite blissfully unaware), threesomes, and recommends kids use the internet to research their “kinks” and “fetishes,” join likeminded “communities,” and buy porn to learn more. It also reassures kids that STI’s are no big deal, even AIDS!
Both of these books are in school libraries. Gender Queer has gotten a lot more attention, and been removed more. But many adults and parents have fought hard to keep it in school libraries. Same for Let’s Talk About It, and I fear with this book, many parents don’t know it’s there. In some districts it’s in elementary and middle schools.
Certainly gay and lesbian teens need representation, but why not a nice love story? And shouldn’t teens have a reference book with healthy information about respecting one’s body and the emotional impact of sexual activity.
I know I’m old now, a 57 year-old woman, and perhaps out of touch. But this can’t be normal. Why don’t these parents want to protect their children’s innocence? What in hell is going on in the world? How can these perverse forces have gained so much power and influence, and normalized such deviant things as fetishes and kinks marketed to children? I’m heartsick over it.
https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Talk-About-Teens-Relationships/dp/1984893149/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=UhEgS&content-id=amzn1.sym.bc5f3394-3b4c-4031-8ac0-18107ac75816&pf_rd_p=bc5f3394-3b4c-4031-8ac0-18107ac75816&pf_rd_r=W055KPQNGN4RJTAJ1XYR&pd_rd_wg=wCz1k&pd_rd_r=87ee1cb1-6b5a-4c30-9c39-17b7e7bd6585&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m

Last edited 1 year ago by Samantha Stevens
Alison Wren
Alison Wren
1 year ago

It wouldn’t surprise me if she is sidelined soon. The trans lobby is amazingly powerful and very very well funded (including from my taxes in U.K. which I find infuriating!)

David Kingsworthy
David Kingsworthy
1 year ago
Reply to  Alison Wren

Right, sidelined or simply ignored. Or, perhaps this will be an application of weight to the rudder that steers the great decrepit UN ship in a different direction.

Penny Adrian
Penny Adrian
1 year ago

We will not give up. We cannot allow biological sex to be erased from law.

Penny Adrian
Penny Adrian
1 year ago

We will not give up. We cannot allow biological sex to be erased from law.

Janet G
Janet G
1 year ago
Reply to  Alison Wren

All the more reason for those who welcome her words to spread them far and wide.

David Kingsworthy
David Kingsworthy
1 year ago
Reply to  Alison Wren

Right, sidelined or simply ignored. Or, perhaps this will be an application of weight to the rudder that steers the great decrepit UN ship in a different direction.

Janet G
Janet G
1 year ago
Reply to  Alison Wren

All the more reason for those who welcome her words to spread them far and wide.

Alison Wren
Alison Wren
1 year ago

It wouldn’t surprise me if she is sidelined soon. The trans lobby is amazingly powerful and very very well funded (including from my taxes in U.K. which I find infuriating!)

Marita Rawsthorne
Marita Rawsthorne
1 year ago

A significant win for common sense

Marita Rawsthorne
Marita Rawsthorne
1 year ago

A significant win for common sense

Roxanne Deslongchamps
Roxanne Deslongchamps
1 year ago

Where are my salts?!

Roxanne Deslongchamps
Roxanne Deslongchamps
1 year ago

Where are my salts?!

Russell Sharpe
Russell Sharpe
1 year ago

I particularly appreciate Ms Alsalem’s use of the term Global North as an alternative to the Chinese term baizuo, to signify the abode of overprivileged virtue-signalling wankers. More of this please.

Russell Sharpe
Russell Sharpe
1 year ago

I particularly appreciate Ms Alsalem’s use of the term Global North as an alternative to the Chinese term baizuo, to signify the abode of overprivileged virtue-signalling wankers. More of this please.

Jacqui Ford
Jacqui Ford
1 year ago

Reply to Samantha Stevens:
The world is sick!

Jacqui Ford
Jacqui Ford
1 year ago

Reply to Samantha Stevens:
The world is sick!

Nicky Samengo-Turner
Nicky Samengo-Turner
1 year ago

BORRRR…..ING

Nicky Samengo-Turner
Nicky Samengo-Turner
1 year ago

BORRRR…..ING