As Oxford Pride unites, LGBTQsoc is marred by in-fighting
By Abbas Panjwani
By Matt Stokes
A presidential candidate in this Sunday’s LGBTQsoc elections has pulled out after his comments on trans issues provoked a spate of online mud-slinging.
Alex Bramham, a second-year at Wadham, wrote in his manifesto: “Issues involving gender are different to issues involving sexuality. I support separating into an LGB society for sexuality based socials/ welfare and a Trans* society for gender based socials/welfare.”
“Trans*” is an umbrella term which covers all forms of gender dysphoria.
Allegations of transphobia intensified after he posted on Facebook: “I’ve had a lot of guys in me, but not a tranny” and Bramham was called an “idiot” and a “disgrace”.
The resulting controversy spawned hundreds of comments on Facebook and Twitter. Bramham said he counted “at least 1,000”.
One member wrote in support of Bramham: “None of this [Bram- ham’s use of the word ‘tranny’] ex- cuses calling Alex an ‘arsehole’, ‘a dick’ and a ‘crotchnugget’ does it?
Or do members of the OU LBGTQ society feel that some types of vulgar abuse is perfectly acceptable but other types are not?”
Bramham then posted on Face- book on Monday: “I have well and truly had enough of LGBTQ soci- ety student politics. I will not be standing for election this Sunday. [...] Can’t say I care for it anymore, it’s wearisome.
He added that the society was “full of tensions and vitriol” and “militant infighting”, and was now widely seen as “the great tranny freak show [which had] alienate[d] the mainstream LGB student population”.
He also justified his comments on trans people, saying: “The UK’s largest gay rights activist charity Stonewall are ‘working for equality and justice for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals’.
“Trans issues are different and more complex, warranting separate representation within the University.”
He added: “We should be proud of who we are, that means less elections more erections. Good luck to whoever gets to clean up this mess, but there’s no honour in the position. How many letters should the acronym have? Easy – call it FreakSoc, you’ll attract the same bunch.”
Simone Webb, a first-year PPEist at Hertford, will now run unopposed for President unless an- other candidate puts forward a candidacy.
She said Bramham’s decision to withdraw was “the right one”, but that she “applaud[ed] the courage which it took for him to do so.” However she added that she would “rather not run uncontested.”
Webb admitted that “people on all sides have crossed lines” and that if elected she would draw up guidelines about “how debates should be carried out”.
Sam Weinberg, the current president, said: “I suspect some people are taking things too seriously.” Calling the society “a fairly infor- mal organisation”, he said he would be surprised if events had “any real impact” on the society.
The divisions in the society came to light only days after Saturday’s successful Oxford Pride Drag Race, which saw several people run in fancy dress from Cornmarket to the Westgate Centre.
Yewtree
24/05/2012 at 16:16
Allegedly he also said that he didn’t get genderqueer or bisexual issues either. So it is not only trans issues that are at stake here (important as those are, obviously).
Cobblepot
25/05/2012 at 02:01
“great tranny freak show”
“freaksoc”
Oh dear… This isn’t exactly going to endear Mr Bramham to many more people in the Soc, is it? Fair enough dropping out, that takes some courage, but his response quotes are so immature it’s hard to see him as a serious contender.
Don’t know how he would have dealt with being President if every criticism towards him gets a response like that.
Also re: Yewtree, his ideas about bisexuals were basically “a bisexual does heterosexual and homosexual acts, bisexual is a made-up identity, but they’re welcome as they do homosexual things sometimes”. Not ideal either!!
another soc person
25/05/2012 at 03:58
yeah, there was a lot of other issues as well (like saying people protesting the homophobic conference at Exeter college should ‘grow up’ because protesters are unnecessary if i remember) but the trans stuff was the worst. definitely not the whole issue though.
another soc person
25/05/2012 at 04:08
also lol at anybody who thinks ‘arsehole’ or ‘dick’ is even close to equivalent to ‘tranny’.
Femme
25/05/2012 at 11:37
I find the word “cunt” deeply offensive and degrading to women, actually.
It just looks like such a nasty, pedantic and hypocritical society…
Cobblepot
25/05/2012 at 13:50
I sort of agree with you, Femme.
I get that seeing stuff like “tranny” is horrible and things will get heated, but it reduces the high ground the other side takes if they also use stuff like “cunt” and “crotchnugget”
I’m not a linguist, can’t make a judgement on whether anything should be seen as more offensive than another… I think using personal insults should be kept out for any discussion to be taken seriously.
Tom Oakley
25/05/2012 at 14:51
Oh my god he really does need to not talk sometimes because he says a lot of really stupid stuff. He’s right that trans issues are different and more complex than LGB issues, but there’s also a lot of overlap and you’d hope that there would be some solidarity amongst those of us who are sexual minorities or trans.
The other big reason why he’s wrong to suggest that there should be separate societies is because basically there aren’t really that many trans people, so if they were effectively kicked out the LGB society there would not be as many people for them to socialise with at their new trans-only events.
I think his attitude stems from the defensive and aggressive nature of some of the online discussions to do with the society. I think it’s extremely likely that he didn’t even realise he was being offensive by using the word ‘tranny’.
His comments were idiotic, but a lot of the hatred directed towards him has gone way too far. Simone Webb (I believe) has suggested that she wants to kick him out of the society. (I really can’t be bothered to trawl over facebook to check this is definitely true and it might be totally incorrect so don’t quote me on this).
If you’re gay there is only one specific society you can go to for being gay so if you balls up your reputation in lgbtqsoc it is not the same as falling out with your sports team (You can’t just think whatever I’ll take up a different sport instead).
I’ve literally never met Alex Bramhan and he has said a lot of very very stupid stuff, but I don’t think the appropriate response is for the whole of lgbtq soc to exclude him.
Cobblepot
25/05/2012 at 15:19
I agree Tom. At this point its just getting dug into a deeper and deeper pit and it’s not going anywhere
However, it wasn’t Simone who said he’d get kicked out. I think it was someone called Katherine? She put it forward when she responded to someone else who doesn’t go to Oxford who asked if he’d face anything for his comments.
I think Simone has said she will listen and put forward any requests to ban him (it would need to be put to a members vote to bar him, not just committee) so its pretty unlikely, but she had to be “diplomatic”.
I don’t think he should get banned from the group – although he might not want to associate with “FreakSoc” anyway by sounds of it
SocMember
25/05/2012 at 15:58
Katherine Catchpole suggested, and argued for it. Nasty piece of work.