# Trans activists deface statue of womens rights advocate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 19, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233 "2025-04-19T19:40:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/1 "2025-04-19T19:40:34Z")
This seems a bit paradoxical to me? > **[Trans activists deface statue of feminist hero Millicent Fawcett](https://uk.news.yahoo.com/trans-activists-deface-millicent-fawcett-160810164.html)** > > Trans rights activists defaced a statue of Millicent Fawcett during a protest against the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of a woman. They are attacking a symbol of a champion of a formerly disenfranchised group of people who now have an equal right to vote. What are they thinking? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/2 "2025-04-19T19:42:28Z")
Just making that click bait. Getting in the news is better than being ignored. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/3 "2025-04-19T19:45:09Z")
It is impossible to reply accurately under current SDMB rules. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/4 "2025-04-19T19:45:39Z")
I’m enough of a cynic to consider that these are faux trans activists, just as there were rabble rousers in the MAGA opposition who smashed windows and set fires during the Black Lives Matter protests and claimed themselves to be “antifa.” ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/5 "2025-04-19T19:48:51Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Just making that click bait. Not quite sure what you mean? Of course, there is the Oscar Wilde quote “There is only one thing worse than being talked about. And that is NOT being talked about”… Ah, I see you edited before I replied. Quite. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/6 "2025-04-19T19:51:03Z")
Oh great, now we’ll never hear the end of how awful all pro- trans rights people are. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/7 "2025-04-19T19:55:22Z")
The graffiti saying ‘trans rights are human rights’ seems to align with what trans rights protestors are protesting about; the graffiti on the actual statue of Millicent Fawcett - which says ‘Fag rights’, doesn’t. Or am I missing something? I don’t think that’s a trans rights protest slogan, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/8 "2025-04-19T19:56:09Z")
Moderating: > [@colinfred](#): > > It is impossible to reply accurately under current SDMB rules. If you believe that is true, then your remedy is to say nothing at all. And if you wish to dispute the rules as they are currently written, the place to do that is ATMB, not in this thread. Drop it here. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/9 "2025-04-19T20:08:08Z")
I must admit I have not seen an image of the actual graffiti. Does anyone have one? But it does seem to me that a champion of formerly disallowed rights is an odd target for protest by people who feel disadvantaged today? That’s the only thing that struck me. Speaking as a fairly strong liberal myself who believes that government should absolutely not legislate personal morality or sexual behaviour. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/10 "2025-04-19T20:09:54Z")
It’s in the article you linked ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/11 "2025-04-19T20:11:42Z")
I’m not entirely surprised that statues of feminist heroes might be the target of trans protest, given that the court ruling in question was cheered on by TERF groups. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/12 "2025-04-19T20:14:11Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s in the article you linked So it is, I hadn’t noticed. Given that, it seems more like a troll rather than a statement by any extremists. Hopefully sane people will ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/13 "2025-04-19T20:18:58Z")
It may be a piece of anti-trans graffiti. There is a tendency for bigots to lump all categories of people that they see as ‘sexual deviants’ into one big category, so using that slur to lash out at trans people would fit. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/14 "2025-04-19T20:41:52Z")
Big crowd! > **[Statue of suffragette defaced as thousands of trans rights protesters march...](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/trans-rights-protest-supreme-court-gender-ruling-b2736158.html)** > > The Met Police has launched an investigation over the ‘very disappointing’ damage to the statues ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/15 "2025-04-20T11:36:08Z")
Revolutions tend to eat their own. > **[Barack Obama warns progressives to avoid 'circular firing squad'](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/06/barack-obama-progressives-circular-firing-squad-democrats)** > > Remarks from former president at an event in Germany come as Democrats battle for 2020 presidential nomination ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/16 "2025-04-20T12:06:42Z")
It kinda just looks like that’s what was there, so that’s what got defaced. There were a lot of feelings going around that day, and angry crowds (whatever they’re angry about) aren’t well known for their discretion and tact. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/17 "2025-04-20T12:08:02Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > it seems more like a troll rather than a statement by any extremists. Hopefully sane people will ignore it. Acyually this is an object lesson to everyone, especially me, about not going off half cocked and checking one’s sources. While it is obviously true that the statue was defaced, there does not seem to be any reliable evidence that this was done by ‘Trans activists’ as the headline claims. The headline in question comes from The Telegraph. Which, decades ago, was considered a serious and reliable newspaper, on a par with The Times for example. But these days it seems to have rather degenerated into a right wing propaganda rag. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/18 "2025-04-20T12:53:53Z")
This is popularly known as the ‘Teatowel Statue’ since it looks like what she’s holding up. The one of Jan Christian Smuts looks like he’s having a crafty fart. ---
**Author:** ![DETXL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/detxl/32/19366_2.png) [@DETXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DETXL)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/19 "2025-04-20T14:28:41Z")
Note that by “defaced” the _Telegraph_ appears to means “drew on with chalk” which—irrespective who the perpetrators of this heinous act turn out to be—I would describe as perhaps, ah, a _little_ precious of a term for them to be using in this context. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/20 "2025-04-20T14:44:22Z")
It seems more likely the tagger chose that historical statue to further highlight the ongoing fight for equal rights for LGBTQ people. Shine a light on this historical struggle of a 100+ years ago and link it to the current struggle experienced by trans people. I don’t see it as a diss to early feminists. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233.md?page=2)