Sign to support Alexa
On Monday 21st September 21, 2020, the Newsletter printed an article attacking the director of TransgenderNI, Alexa Moore. In the article, the paper data-mined the social media history of the 20-year-old activist, while misgendering her and printing details from official company house documentation. First, we find it deeply distasteful that the newspaper considers it appropriate to launch an unprovoked attack upon a young transgender woman, including ‘historic evidence’ garnered from unsolicited data mining of her childhood social media postings. Second, Alexa's comments are based on valid criticisms of policing espoused by public figures, journalists, academics and human rights organisations.
The tweets of both Alexa Moore and her colleague Ellen Murray, in relation to the police brutality and killing of African Americans, were in this article decontextualised from the reality, which is both well documented[1] and an issue of concern spot-lighted by the United Nations.[2] The disproportionate implementation of criminal justice towards Black Americans is a recognised public health issue with the incidence of lethal-force against that group 2.8 times higher than that of white citizens [3], whilst criminalisation and mass incarceration of the Black community leads to 1 in 3 Black boys experiencing prison (in comparison to 1 in 17 white boys).[4] In fact the issue of police militarisation and the necessity for demilitarisation is globally recognised by diverse actors[5], including Oxfam[6], former President Obama[7] and the current United States congress.[8]
The article also spotlights Alexa Moore’s comments relating to global racism in criminal justice. Far from being a contested issue, this is a problem of global prominence currently being targeted by the United Nations.[9] With regards to the Northern Ireland region, we have historic evidence of sectarian misconduct and collusion[10] within policing. More recently, the racist dimensions of PSNI implementation have been high-lighted through the disproportionate response to Black Lives Matter protestors during the Covid-19 crisis, an issue currently being investigated by the Police Ombudsman.[11] Locally, immigrants suffer the highest level of immigration enforcement of stop and search in the United Kingdom, evidencing high levels of racial profiling in the region.[12]
More broadly, the PSNI is the only police force in the United Kingdom where stop and search is rising (with low arrest outcomes),[13] with disproportionate use of stop and search of young people in the region raising concerns among NGOs and human rights organisations.[14] This year alone, the Police Ombudsman has warned PSNI officers about fatal restraint techniques, following investigation into the near fatal restraint of an individual in 2018, and reported on the use of incapacitant spray, Tasers and impact rounds on a self-harming woman.[15] We need only look at our prison populations in Northern Ireland to see that criminal justice in this region is primarily directed towards marginalised working class communities, with imprisoned levels of low-risk women rising to their highest rates last year.[16] In fact, as the article author has previously noted, foreign national individuals are disproportionately likely to be criminalised and imprisoned in Northern Ireland,[17] and disproportionately likely to be held in pre-trial detention[18]
For the Newsletter to present such globally and locally prominent issues in such an individualised and decontextualised manner, to use it to aggressively target a 20-year-old transgender activist, points to the blatant transphobic stance of the publication. We question the intent of the article and the intent to undermine the TransgenderNI delivery of training to the PSNI and DOJNI, with the implication that these were misspent funds.
At a time when reported trans hate crimes are on the rise (up 81% in the UK last year)[19], there is no place for a scurrilous piece of transphobic reporting in the media. Prejudice and discrimination against trans people are still an ongoing problem, the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey in 2019 found that attitudes against trans people are becoming worse[20] rather than improving, with almost 1/5 of respondents maintain some level of prejudice. Finally, the call for training for police came from a trans community suffering directly at the hands of police violence or police ambivalence at the violence they suffered from others. Over 20million pounds has gone into training PSNI staff and yet the Newsletter are hounding Alexa and TrangenderNI over a miserly sum of under £2000 for transgender awareness training! The organisations below extend their support to the Belfast Trans Resource Centre, the larger Northern Ireland Trans community and finally to Alexa Moore.
EDIT: On Wednesday 23rd September the Newsletter also named people in support https://donotlink.it/X6ealG
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/585152/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-race/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/series/counted-us-police-killings
[2] https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1065572
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6080222/
[4] https://www.aclu.org/issues/smart-justice/mass-incarceration
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/08/yes-american-police-act-like-occupying-armies-they-literally-studied-their-tactics
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2020/06/09/daily-202-demilitarizing-the-police-could-be-a-more-fruitful-rallying-cry-for-reformers-than-defunding/5edf0e54602ff12947e87c9e/
[6] https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/how-demilitarize-police/
[7] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/05/18/obama-to-visit-camden-n-j-to-tout-community-policing-reforms/
[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/us/politics/police-military-gear.html
[9] https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066722
[10] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/23/ruc-cover-up-inquiry-documents-book
[11] https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/police-ombudsman-to-probe-difference-in-psni-approach-to-black-lives-matter-rallies-and-belfast-cenotaph-protest-39293099.html
[12] https://thedetail.tv/articles/concerns-over-disproportionately-high-levels-of-immigration-checks-in-belfast
[13] https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/sep/04/stop-and-search-northern-ireland-psni
[14] https://www.thedetail.tv/articles/psni-urged-to-reconsider-use-of-stop-and-search-on-children
[15] See Police Ombudsman Interim Report 2020 (https://www.policeombudsman.org/About-Us/Publications)
[16] https://theconversation.com/the-problem-with-womens-prisons-and-why-they-do-more-harm-than-good-120922
[17] https://www.newsletter.co.uk/education/foreign-nationals-northern-ireland-are-more-likely-be-young-offenders-prison-or-womens-jail-2878036
https://www.prisonstudies.org/country/united-kingdom-northern-ireland
[18] https://www.fairtrials.org/wp-content/uploads/A-Measure-of-Last-Resort-Full-Version.pdf
[19] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48756370
[20] http://qpol.qub.ac.uk/attitudes-to-transgender-people-in-northern-ireland-the-importance-of-survey-data/
Organisations Signed:
Abolitionist Futures Belfast
Alliance for Choice
Array Studios Collective
Belfast Feminist Network
Cara Friend
End Deportations Belfast
HereNI
In Her Shoes NI
Queertopia NI
Reclaim the Agenda
Reclaim the Night
Sex Workers Alliance Ireland
The343
The Rainbow Project
Ulster University Pro-Choice Society
United Against Racism Belfast
University of Atypical
WANDA Film Festival
Women’s Resource and Development Agency
Individuals Signed:
Helen Crickard
Emma Campbell
Gillian McNaull
Hamsavani Rajeswaren
Patrick Scullion
Rachel PowellVirginia Mendez
Kathryn McGrane
Patrick Hickey PhD Researcher UU
Beverley Irving-Edwards PhD Researcher UU
Fiona Ferguson PBP
Gerry Carroll PBP
Katrina S. Smyth PhD Researcher UU
Claire Thompson PhD Researcher UU
Dr Fiona Bloomer, Senior Lecturer UU
Jill McManus QUB
Ivanka Antova
John O’Dohery - The Rainbow Project
Grian Ní Dhaimhín - Students' Union President
Emma Wallace
Elaine Crory
Vic Loughran
Will Jordan
Cian Smyth
Katie Ní Chléire
Rachel Millar
Stevie Maginn GPNI
Chris Greer
Dorothy Hunter
Tanya Jones
Dara Caskey
David Campbell
Vanessa Colquhoun
Sarah Wright
Aoife McTaggart
Edel Murphy
Kim Mcaleese
Eoin Dara
Mary Culbertson
HELEN MCBRIDE
Remco van Straten
Rebecca Robson
Úna MacNulty
Amy-Louise Merron
Mark Adams
Aaron Savage
Aileen Gallagher
Steve Williamson, Director, Cara-Friend.
Comments of Support
Please add my name in support of Alexa and Transgender NI.
Solidarity with Alexa
I stand in solidarity with Alexa.
Solidarity with Alexa. This is a violent, unwarranted, unethical attack by a major newspaper against a young activist that does not qualify as 'journalism' in any way. Alexa, Ellen and TransgenderNI have my full support.
I encourage The Newsletter to retract their article and issue an apology to Alexa and the wider trans community immediately. The grounds upon which this article are based do not stand up to the rigour and diligence standards of good journalism require and bluntly expose transphobia by both the journalist and the editorial policies of the publication with an intention that can only be considered to motivate hatred. Cian
Alexa is an incredible, dedicated, powerful activist, who has done outstanding work for LGBTQ+ people in NI and beyond. We will not allow media to target and harass individuals who have done nothing but good for the community in NI, and we will not stand for the blatant transphobia demonstrated by certain media outlets.Alexa, we stand with you now and always.
Alexa and TransgenderNI have always been a force for good here. I was disgusted to read the piece in the Newsletter.
No-one should be the target of such a piece of "journalism" where the aim was and is quite clearly to instigate social media bullying and trolling. Alexa and the others mentioned in the hit piece have done fantastic work in a multitude of areas with little to no praise. That this was thought of a worthy article is an affront to those of us that believe in and stand up for the written press.
I support Alexa and reject such cynical hateful “journalism”
solidarity x
Solidarity and support
Shameless hit pieces are not journalism.Solidarity Alexa ✊🏻
Please add my name in support of Alexa and Transgender NI.
The article lacks integrity and truth and goes no way to protect the dignity or humanity of its subject. I would probe the paper to utilise its resources to give meaningful and balanced commentary on an already vulnerable and marginalised group.
This is so disgraceful, signing in solidarity.
With love & rage & solidarity
Solidarity with Alexa Moore and all the staff of Transgender NI.
Love to all trans people reading this especially Alexa xx
I stand in solidarity with Alexa.This is a hit job. Seems that the journalist has form.
The Newsletter could be on the right side of history, but apparently decides not to be.Solidarity with Alexa and Ellen.
I stand in solidarity with Alexa
Solidarity with Alexa Moore and all those named by the newsletter.
Solidarity with Alexa Moore x
Defund the police though
My message to the media is to be respectful. Stop attacking people, stop misgendering Alexa and all trans individuals. This is not professional journalism, this is pure hate speech propaganda!
I support alexa