# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/21 "2025-04-20T15:15:37Z")
What’s disheartening for me is the number of dopers who read an incredibly one sided article full of accusations–noticeably lacking in actual facts but brimming with incredible logical leaps supported by a lengthy list of quotes from exactly one side of the argument. Seems no other viewpoints were sought. The one fact that seems to be established is that a statute of an early suffragist was marked with anti-gay slogans during a trans-rights protest by a person or persons unknown. From this information we are asked to conclude that trans gendered people object so strongly to women having been given the right to vote a hundred years ago that they are vandalizing statues now. Having accepted that logical deduction, we must further conclude that anti-trans activists are supporters of human rights while pro-trans activists want to restrict the rights of women. @xtenkfarpl may have been a little slow realizing this but their sense of fairness eventually forced them to see through it. That is to be commended. It’s difficult to recognize our own errors and correct them but it’s essential. If only all dopers were as self-aware. ---
**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, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/22 "2025-04-20T15:45:33Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > The one fact that seems to be established is that a statute of an early suffragist was marked with anti-gay slogans during a trans-rights protest by a person or persons unknown Anti gay? From the Independent article I linked to. “On a statue of suffragette Millicent Fawcett, “f\*\* rights” and a heart were painted on the banner and “trans rights are human rights” was sprayed on the pedestal bearing a memorial to South African military leader and statesman Jan Christian Smuts.” I did not read the Yahoo link too sketchy. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/23 "2025-04-20T15:47:49Z")
So even that was too much of a logical leap given the scanty facts? Hmmm… ---
**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, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/24 "2025-04-20T16:03:07Z")
> [@chela](#): > > From the Independent article I linked to. Unfortunately that seems to be paywalled? ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/25 "2025-04-20T16:34:56Z")
Some of the feminist ‘gender critical’ groups that were celebrating this judgement have adopted suffragette colours and iconography, so it wouldn’t entirely surprise me if the statue was targeted deliberately. But given six other statues were also graffitied, it may just have been because it was there. I don’t think we can conclude the slogan was anti-gay. The actual sentiment is pro-gay rights, and ‘reclaiming’ slurs is a thing. ---
**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, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/26 "2025-04-20T16:35:08Z")
@xtenkfarpl I’m not a subscriber and I’m able to read it. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/27 "2025-04-20T16:39:00Z")
> [@DemonTree](#): > > I don’t think we can conclude the slogan was anti-gay. The actual sentiment is pro-gay rights, and ‘reclaiming’ slurs is a thing. Very well. I withdraw that claim. I assume everything else I said has been acknowledged since no one is arguing with it. ---
**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, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/28 "2025-04-20T17:09:05Z")
> [@chela](#): > > @xtenkfarpl I’m not a subscriber and I’m able to read it. 🤷‍♀️ It looks to me as if you can maybe get access by allowing ads and cookies? I don’t like to do that. But that’s a personal preference: I prefer to keep that stuff off my computer. Perhaps I’ll read it in a sandboxed virtual OS. ---
**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, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/29 "2025-04-20T17:11:11Z")
I get it. Same reason I backed out of yahoo link. Super sketch Not so much imo for the I link ---
**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, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/30 "2025-04-20T17:21:16Z")
> [@chela](#): > > I get it. Same reason I backed out of yahoo link. Super sketch I think that much of what shows up on Yahoo ‘news’ (and many other feeds) should be treated with a large grain of salt, and one should certainly double-check it against other sources. There again, where can you go to find ‘objective news’ nowadays? But we are getting into a quite different discussion with that, I think, much off the OP. Should probably be a different topic ---
**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 20, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/31 "2025-04-20T18:48:52Z")
I don’t really understand the point you were making or what the ‘everything else’ is that you’re assuming to have been acknowledged. ---
**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 20, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/32 "2025-04-20T18:53:35Z")
> [@chela](#): > > I don’t see it as a diss to early feminists. Neither do I, but I did consider it possible that it could be a jab at the subset of trans-exclusionary feminists who have been active in pursuing this judgment. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/33 "2025-04-20T19:44:12Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I don’t really understand the point you were making or what the ‘everything else’ is that you’re assuming to have been acknowledged. I took @DemonTree to be referring to my [comment above](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/21) that could be summarized as “this whole thing is a rush to judgement pushed by sketchy media.” ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/34 "2025-04-20T19:46:52Z")
To answer the OP, it really just boils down to the fact that some transgender activists don’t like it when a woman is defined as “cisgender woman.” That’s 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 20, 2025, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/35 "2025-04-20T20:01:26Z")
Your comment appears to be chastising dopers in general for not having read more than one article about the story. How did you establish this to be the case? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/36 "2025-04-20T20:38:57Z")
I apologize if I gave you the impression that I was talking about dopers in general. That’s obviously not the case ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/37 "2025-04-20T21:02:50Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > I took @DemonTree to be referring to my [comment above](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/21) that could be summarized as “this whole thing is a rush to judgement pushed by sketchy media.” > [@Mangetout](#): > > Your comment appears to be chastising dopers in general for not having read more than one article about the story. How did you establish this to be the case? I also got the impression you were talking about Dopers in general, and I was by no means intending to endorse the rest of your comment. I don’t think the linked article drew the conclusions you outlined. And I don’t believe the Dopers replying were rushing to judgement, either. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/38 "2025-04-21T00:45:38Z")
It’s really fucking annoying that The Independent doesn’t know the difference between a suffragist and a suffragette. Fawcett was decidedly the former. ---
**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 21, 2025, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/39 "2025-04-21T07:06:20Z")
Thank you - yeah, far from rushing to conclusions, I am still actually confused about who might have left the graffiti and what were their motives, and whether ‘fag rights’ is a case of a slur being used in earnest, in trolling, or being reclaimed ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233/40 "2025-04-21T16:01:41Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Your comment appears to be chastising dopers in general for not having read more than one article about the story. How did you establish this to be the case? I must say I am really sorry for having opened this Pandora’s box. My guess would be that SDMB readers are rather less likely than average to jump to conclusions based on unreliable evidence. Apart from the occasional brainfart such as committed by Yours Truly. All in all though, this seems like a storm in a teacup. There’s graffitti all over the place, it’s not worth getting worked up about. Let’s move on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trans-activists-deface-statue-of-womens-rights-advocate/1017233.md?page=1)