Hate Crime directed at Rotterdam Cast Members

Should this be the name of this thread?

It implies there will be lots more shows to discuss in relation to hate crimes against the performers in them?

Could we rename it "Rotterdam Hate Crime Attack" or similar?

Horrible story.

Disgraceful.

Is this utterly disgusting behaviour increasing or is it just being reported more?

It sadly demonstrates exactly why we need equality education in our schools.

I trust the perpetrators of these crimes are caught and the harshest punishment possible received. Our society must give out the strongest signal that this vile behaviour will not be tolerated.

Your chosen denomination or religion is just that - a choice.

Your sexuality isn't. Just as your race isn't.

Quite simply, anything you cannot change trumps something you choose to believe.

Intolerance must NEVER be tolerated !

EVER

You are misrepresenting what is actually being taught at that school (and indeed many other schools)

The curriculum they are teaching is based around explaining that there are many forms of families and relationships and that they are all respected by the law of the land.

I don't care what any faith group may have to say on the matter - it is the law of the land that LGBT+ relationships and families are legal, valid and protected.

It is absolutely vital that primary age children are taught to respect the law of the land. And that means all laws.

The parents and protesters (many of whom have no children at the school in question) are misrepresenting what it is actually being taught in order to push a very specific agenda based on bigotry and hate. They should be resisted. And Godsiff should have actually read what is being taught before sounding off. He didn't and has shown himself to be as much of a bigot as those protesting. The same applies to McVey and her unwelcome intervention.

No religion can over-ride the law. Schools have to take responsibility to teach how our society works - particularly when children are not getting that necessary information at home.

I am absolutely fed up with the misinformation being spread about this teaching - it has nothing to do with gay sex and everything to do with respecting the law as regards equality as it applies to relationships.

I am leaving this here - I think it says everything

Shouting and screaming outside a school isn’t helpful. They should have approached the school through the governors or the parents’ rep group and had meetings with religious advisors and educational people. From what we see in the streets and the buses the kids need early education as to what is acceptable in society regardless of their own religious beliefs. Personally I think some people have bonkers beliefs but I don’t harass them in the street or anywhere else because that would be anti social and in fact illegal. If I want them to know how I feel, should it matter, then I would use platforms of free speech, newspaper columns etc. Such platforms cause enough grief as it is but we do have free speech in this country, despite it becoming a contentious issue of definition. Now, is a play a platform for free speech? Yes of course it is. But not if it encourages illegal harassment of any group or individual. There was a play which gave a very one sided view of the Israeli/Palestinian situation recently and lots of people have objected to it but it was still produced. Similarly a play about Muslim female abuse in Birmingham, produced, yes, but taken off when the glass doors of the theatre were smashed in by objectors. So it looks like violence gets it own way. But we regularly see work in the country that highlights the abuses of other countries and that is for us, free speech. Not for the other countries. What we actually need is more education and more discussion. Understanding the nuances of Shakespeare, say, would go a long way to showing how language can be used to influence. Friends, Romans, countrymen....? Drama instead of being shoved to the sidelines and only for the kids who have showbiz ambitions should be at the heart of the curriculum. Ditto art and music of course When children are capable of arguing without fighting, listening without interrupting and expressing without offending we shall be getting somewhere.

Which radical element would this be?

Calm, respectful discussion only works when both sides will engage in that manner.

And a lot of this isn't about a difference in opinion. It is about a worldview that denies my existence has being valid and, in some instances, calls for my death for who I am.

You cannot deal with that sort of hate by respectful discussion. Reason and logic doesn't work. You cannot compromise with hate.

Sometimes you need to take a strong stand against hate.

The radical element of trans activism.

And yes - it only works when both sides engage in that manner. As is well demonstrated by moderate voices in the trans community who, while striving for recognition of issues affecting trans people, understand that bullying or shutting out others from the conversation is not helpful (so long as those others are similarly moderate and understanding, of course).

I make no excuses for so-called ‘TERF’ behaviour - I merely point out it is a term often misapplied to those raising valid concerns to try to deny them a voice. Often these moderate voices have a range of even more unpleasant words applied to them, too, which is equally unacceptable.

Hate is wrong, whoever’s practising it.

If this is about the 'TERF' comment, I've unfollowed two Twitter followers in the last fortnight for tweeting with approval 'shoot a TERF' memes. I didn't know these were a 'thing' until recently but if you twitter search "shoot/punch/choke a TERF" it's pretty shocking and post Jo Cox I do think that language and atmosphere needs policing.

Some of the trans activists have become truly scary - and chilling of free speech. Even discussing established feminist theory about what gender *is* as an idea - the classic Butler-esque concept that gender roles are not innate and are created by society - can get you shouted down as a TERF who should be shunned/sacked. It's actually really concerning when people are trying to teach classic feminist theory and they're getting abuse thrown at them.

There are times when anger is a totally appropriate response, and there are times when it's not.

Oh, absolutely!