This weekend played host to an almighty media bitch fight turned left-wing civil war between furious feminists and “bed-wetting” transsexuals. It all kicked off when Guardian and New Statesman columnist and heroine of the fairer sex Suzanne Moore stomped off Twitter after opining in the Staggers last week: “[Women] are angry with ourselves for not being happier, not being loved properly and not having the ideal body shape – that of a Brazilian transsexual. Moore deactivated her account, not before going out in a truly spectacular blaze of glory, telling her followers: “People can just f*** off really. Cut their d***s off and be more feminist than me. Good for them”. Quite.
Step forward Julie Burchill, Moore’s feminist friend and fellow Guardianista. Taking up arms in defence of her under fire colleague in her Observer column, Burchill went tonto. Suggesting that “a gaggle of transsexuals telling Suzanne Moore how to write looks a lot like how I’d imagine the Black and White Minstrels telling Usain Bolt how to run would look”, Burchill proceeded to launch a stinging attack against the ‘trans lobby’, denouncing them as “screaming mimis”, “Shims, shemales, whatever you’re calling yourselves these days”, and “bed-wetting transsexuals” who “have your c**k cut off and then plead special privileges as women”. Cue lefty rage.
Vile piece of transphobic hatred from Julie Burchill that should never have been published http://t.co/vuGkdbsf
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) January 13, 2013
No matter what troubles I face in future, I'm going to tell myself: "This could be worse. Julie Burchill could be leaping to your defence."
— Deborah Orr (@DeborahJaneOrr) January 13, 2013
Basking in the illiberal glow of the post-Leveson world, shouty crackers LibDem minister Lynne Featherstone went all Tom Watson and demanded Burchill be sacked:
Julie Birchill rant against transgender community is absolutely disgusting – a bigoted vomit for which the Observer should sack her. -lf
— Lynne Featherstone (@lfeatherstone) January 13, 2013
While Alan Rusbridger conveniently forgot that he is editor-in-chief of Guardian News Media as he went into full defensive mode:
As the dust settled this morning lefty commentators were still entrenched behind their barricades desperately trying to out-feminist each other. Man-bags at dawn…
UPDATE: The Guardian/Observer combine started Friday claiming it “OWNED” the weekend, by Monday it had disowned the Burchill article, self-censoring and removing it.
The Observer is a paper which prides itself on ventilating difficult debates and airing challenging views. On this occasion we got it wrong and in light of the hurt and offence caused I apologise and have made the decision to withdraw the piece.
A lack of editorial balls…
