Feminist group uses false rape "triggering" claim to shut down speaker at conference

EvilPundit · 2013-02-27T19:10:50+00:00

This was a woman giving a talk on sexual safety, targeted by feminists for who knows what reason. Money quote:

I found out a few hours later that I had been targeted by a feminist organization, The Ada Initiative. I learned that the woman who smiled at me while talking to the BSides SF organizer was Valerie Aurora, from the Ada Initiative.

I also learned that what happened with my talk wasn’t a case where someone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as a survivor of sexual trauma or abuse, which is how it was presented to me. Instead, it was an organization that had planned to get my talk removed. I wonder, if I had offered to omit the section about GHB from my talk, which they did not know about, would the talk have been permitted by these people and the threat of problems for the organization lifted?

So now feminists are using false rape claims as a tactic to shut down views they don't like.

DavidByron · 2013-02-27T19:37:34+00:00

Trigger warning!

I love that whole "trigger" crap. It's a relatively new addition to the feminist victimy spin. I just love how utterly insensitive it really is and how it shows feminists as total narcissists as usual. Its real function is to prove that the feminist speaking is more of a feminist than her sisters. Kind of like pretending you've been raped. Passive aggressive bitchiness. In fact they often turn up together despite the obvious incompatibility, and that just makes it funnier again.

jolly_mcfats · 2013-02-27T20:02:44+00:00

Textbook hypoagency.

This is infuriating to me because security conferences MATTER. If you care about computer security, these conferences are important. If you don't care, it's because you are blissfully unaware of how important computer security actually is to you.

The approach of the Ada Institute is that the social norms of the community is more important than the product of the community. The idea that hackerthons- a community whose constituency is, by default, antisocial, unconventional, and drawn to controversy- should or even can be successfully tamed is laughable.

If the people who are compulsively driven to find vulnerabilities in computer systems don't feel inclined to attend a security conference, we all suffer. Security is not a field for people with a thin skin, or easy triggers, much in the same way that the battlefield is not a place for people queasy at the sight of blood.

What I find particularly infuriating about this is that an "institute" representing "women" is targeting a WOMAN who is part of the community. The message seems to be "your community needs more women, and the women you already have are the wrong women"

McFeely_Smackup · 2013-02-27T20:36:44+00:00

Let's be clear about what happened here.

A "feminist organization" didn't have her talk removed, a man who wanted to avoid conflict did. A man who was so utterly terrified of conflict that he gave in to a completely, utterly ridiculous demand without any concern of applying the same standards to any OTHER talks.

Although I do have to wonder what exactly discussions involving rape topics have to do with a conference on IT security.

5th_Law_of_Robotics · 2013-02-27T20:19:53+00:00

Feelings > facts.

Every.single.time.

Triggered my arse. If you're upset don't go. If hearing certain words causes you to collapse in to a heap of self-pity stay home.

Have feminists ever been on the side of greater freedom in the general sense rather than just for women?

PantsJihad · 2013-02-27T20:01:32+00:00

Valerie Aurora is a fucking coward. This type of censorship is EXACTLY why Feminists SHOULDN'T be allowed into tech. As if they had anything to offer anyway...

OuiCrudites · 2013-02-27T23:28:29+00:00

Whenever I hear these really over-the-top tactics from Feminists, what they are saying is: "We don't believe women can interact safely with the outside world as adults."

Nobody is saying that women should get groped or have someone speak to her in a crude aggressive manner. Men shouldn't have to deal with that either. But the extreme, hypersensitive Feminist tactics are just revealing their inherent misogyny. Plus their intentions to demonize males.

eluusive · 2013-02-28T01:25:03+00:00

The bit about "Creeper Cards" is quite irritating. If the conference has such a fucking problem with people being inappropriate maybe they should have a session on it rather than pass out those cards. I can see some guy with legitimate asperger's syndrome being given that and wanting to kill himself. Talk about triggering.

Riesea · 2013-02-27T22:46:48+00:00

Feminists lying about rape?! It must be the patriarchy!

RedditBlueit · 2013-02-27T19:24:26+00:00

Also discussed here.

The irony is that the talk was added to encourage more women to attend the conference.

masterdingo · 2013-02-27T21:49:17+00:00

That sucks. I like Violet Blue, and it's fucked up that she had her free speech suppressed by Feminists. On a related note, do Feminists understand the irony in blocking women from being able to talk at tech conferences?

Jesus_marley · 2013-02-27T22:18:43+00:00

What Ada Initiative has done here is the opposite of harm reduction. In addition, I want to state for the record that the so-called “creeper cards” are also the opposite of harm reduction.

Creeper cards? What the hell are these? Do people hand them out like white feathers?

I went looking and Holy shit! These things are fucking ridiculous.

ZimbaZumba · 2013-02-27T20:37:22+00:00

These women have effectively used the subjects of rape and sexual harassment to make anyone who would question them feel uncomfortable. There is an expectation that anything done under these banners will go unchallenged.

Pretty much sums it all up.

7wap · 2013-02-27T21:44:10+00:00

Stolen quote:

Discussing sex creates a “sexualized environment” which many people take as a signal to treat women as sexual objects rather than as fellow conference attendees, resulting in a higher incidence of harassment and assault of women. Too many women have been raped at technical conferences; we should do everything we can to prevent future rapes.

Armageist · 2013-02-27T23:09:42+00:00

Hahahahahaha, so the Feminist/SRS virus strain is now invading other other feminists and infringing on their freedom of speech. How ironic and delightful. Oh well.

Nomenimion · 2013-02-27T21:07:13+00:00

"Triggering"? What a load of crap. They just wanted to shut you up.

dionysusn · 2013-02-28T01:09:39+00:00

The title of the talk was listed on the conference’s online schedule as “TBD” until a small number of hours before the talk, when it was updated to “sex +/- drugs: known vulns and exploits”

In computer security jargon “vuln[erabilitie]s and exploits” are respectively weaknesses in computing and related systems, and ways to take advantage of them in order to break into or “penetrate” the system. The precise meaning of the title is ambiguous, but to people familiar with the jargon, a reasonable interpretation of the title might include using drugs to exploit someone into having sex without consent (i.e., rape).

The abstract of the talk was not available until after the decision to cancel the talk, and does not reflect the same topic as the title of the talk suggests.

So they had the talk cancelled because they didn't like the name of the talk, without finding out what it was actually about. Brilliant...

Source is from the Ada Initiative website.

monkeyrhino · 2013-02-27T23:10:53+00:00

Here is their side of the story: http://adainitiative.org/2013/02/keeping-it-on-topic-the-problem-with-discussing-sex-at-technical-conferences/

"Trigger Warning..." lol

Ted8367 · 2013-02-28T00:25:57+00:00

Sounds like femWars to me. Both factions are extending their influence into virgin areas. It's an example of women competition.

JamesRyder · 2013-02-28T00:38:23+00:00

The complete and utter surrender of this lady to the Feminazis is why we will continue to fight radical feminism in all of its guises, as it is becoming more and more clear that the "NAFALT" feminists are fully capable and willing to do fuck all to combat this.

thecravenone · 2013-02-28T01:32:49+00:00

"They said that if you are going to tell people how to use date rape drugs then it’s the same as rape"

Well that's news to me...

GregorPike · 2013-02-27T22:24:18+00:00

Im confused. Is this just a classic case of your rights end where my feelings begin? Couldn't the rape survivor just not gone to the talk? Letting everyone else educate themselves still? Why don't people grow a pair and tell these idiots to fuck off? So some femi-nazi group makes a stink, everyone who matters knows, when they see shit like that, that its bullshit. Seriously to me a lot of extreme feminist groups are no better than PETA.

gt_peter · 2013-02-27T23:09:58+00:00

Ugh, I read the blog, I read the Ada initiative response, and I read the conference talks list. I think they were right to pull the talk. Every other single talk is technical. The pulled talk is totally off topic for the main conference. I work in tech in the Bay Area. This is a professional industry conference and this type of talk just shouldn't be in the main talk. There were off site events more related to hacker culture (lock picking). At most her talk could be there, but its still iffy even then.

Mutant_Reg_Act · 2013-02-27T22:54:40+00:00

I may have connections to the people and place that hosted this conference... if I would have known it was happening... PM me to organize

pontifx · 2013-02-28T00:37:41+00:00

Trigger WARNING: if you hate dumb cunts ruining the cons you actually go to reading this may incite actionable rage

Arxl · 2013-02-27T21:51:35+00:00

You warn people about triggers in /r/depression and /r/survivorsofabuse. Feminists are such scum.

7wap · 2013-02-28T00:54:17+00:00

Quote from another discussion:

The gist of it is that people attending this conference were expecting it be about computer security. One of the invited speakers decided to make their talk about drug use during sex, and didn't let anyone know about this until a few hours before they were scheduled to present. The conference organizers asked the Ada Initiative what they thought about this, and they told them it would make the women at the conference uncomfortable, so the conference organizers canceled the talk.

Looking past all the sociology/feminist terms, this is what it boils down to. The woman there just wanted to go to a technical conference and talk about technical things, and be treated like professionals. Putting sex on people's mind takes the focus off technical things, and onto sexual things. It does so regardless of whether the talk is pro-women or not. It will make interactions between the men and women at the conference more awkward at best. It will take what should be a comfortable professional environment, and make it less enjoyable and welcoming.

There was nothing wrong with Violet Blue's talk in general, if it was given in an appropriate setting, and people attending knew the subject of the conference. But springing it on people when they are trying to avoid people thinking of them sexually isn't cool.

themountaingoat · 2013-02-27T19:29:51+00:00

I am finding the formatting of this makes it impossible to read.

chillmonkey88 · 2013-02-27T23:42:17+00:00

what is "B-side"? just scolling through and I can't comprehend

baldylox · 2013-02-28T03:22:08+00:00

I'm not sure that 'feminist' and 'man-haters' are the same thing. Are they? Oh they are? Carry on...

2013-02-28T04:56:11+00:00

Feminists love to censor, bully, and lie, lie, lie. I've seen so many examples of similar behavior from feminists that I agree with Paul Elam's notorious quote that feminists love to pass around as evidence of hate speech.

I hate when feminists use the term "trigger warning." Are you so neurotic and hypersensitive that you can't handle reality, and reality should change to suit your feelings?

thingamabobby · 2013-02-28T05:13:38+00:00

Besides the whole 'my feelings might get hurt' part of this, like a few people have said, what the hell is someone trying to introduce a sex talk that involves drugs at a technical conference? I wouldn't be offended if I heard the talk, but I'd be a little WTF if it was presented, considering the topic at hand.

As much as the group keeps on putting their foot in their mouth in regards to the reasons why they stopped the talk, a little common sense from the presenter of said talk wouldn't have gone astray.

french_toste · 2013-02-28T13:44:09+00:00

she couldn't present because she was talking about sex? that's some kind of bullshit.

EDIT: omfg it gets worse. Discussing sex creates a “sexualized environment” which many people take as a signal to treat women as sexual objects rather than as fellow conference attendees, resulting in a higher incidence of harassment and assault of women. Too many women have been raped at technical conferences; we should do everything we can to prevent future rapes. (one of the many excerpts with confusing logic)

2013-02-28T14:21:57+00:00

What the fuck is a Trigger Warning? Is that some kind of disclaimer they have to put on a gun like the McDonald's coffee cups that say "Just a reminder, coffee is hot!"

Who the fuck are these people who can't manage to go through life without having a disclaimer on everything that might upset their precious feelings? Grow some fucking skin! And if you don't like it, LEAVE!

jack_el_destapador · 2013-02-28T21:00:31+00:00

Incredible story! So if someone doesn't like rap music, they can say rap is only one typing mistake away from rape (rap + e = rape) and have a rap concert banned.

Note: the person giving the talk was a man. Had the talk been given by a woman, it would've been OK. Women can't compete with men for jobs and assignments, so they're resorting to foul play.

Purpledrank · 2013-02-28T06:35:31+00:00

San Francisco

I had given at Security BSides Las Vegas in 2012

Aye. Sadly that beautiful city has become overran with white male hate. My relatives who are gay men get along fine there I suppose or don't care, but when I was there it was just mean looks everywhere.

Title	Feminist group uses false rape "triggering" claim to shut down speaker at conference
Author	EvilPundit
Upvotes	537
Comments	149
Date	February 27, 2013 7:08 PM UTC (13 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/mensrights/comments/19cd6v/feminist-group-uses-false-rape-triggering-claim-to/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/feminist-group-uses-false-rape-triggering-claim-to.1607138 https://theredarchive.com/post/1607138

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