A criminal investigation launched against a columnist in the United Kingdom who was accused of “misgendering” a child, that is, describing the child by a gender other than what the child believes, apparently is being dropped.
Faithwire had reported only days ago that police were investigating a Catholic journalist.
“Caroline Farrow was contacted by authorities after making an appearance on ‘Good Morning Britain,’ in which she engaged in a debate with a transgender activist, Susie Green, who has a trans child,” the report said.
Farrow explained on Twitter:
Had a message from Guildford police tonight about my tweets following an appearance on @GMB with Susie Green and Piers Morgan. Susie Green has reported me for misgendering her daughter.
— Caroline Farrow (@CF_Farrow) March 18, 2019
I have pointed out to the police that I am a Catholic journalist/commentator and it is my religious belief that a person cannot change sex. That we are in the middle of a national conversation about what it means to be male and what it means to be female.
— Caroline Farrow (@CF_Farrow) March 18, 2019
Now Green has informed the BBC that she is dropping her complaint.
“Every day my daughter is misgendered online… this was a journalist who had a public platform who used that to send very deliberately malicious nasty messages,” she told the agency. “It’s not just the misgendering, it’s actually the context that she puts it in to, and that she calls me a child abuser.”
She said that her action to complain to police was the “appropriate course of action,” but then changed her mind so that Farrow no longer would “have a platform.”
Green runs Mermaids, a transgender lobby group that supports medical intervention for transgender children.
Her son, Jackie, was born male and known at first as Jack. But he began puberty blockers at 13 and went to Thailand at the age of 16 for surgery, a procedure that now is illegal in the U.K. for those iunder 18.
The social-media commentary site Twitchy wrote Farrow was being interviewed “under caution.”
Farrow explained: “I can’t sleep I am so furious. According to the police I ‘misgendered’ which implies that I used the wrong pronouns/nouns and this potentially constitutions a criminal offense. Let that sink in.”
Commentator Piers Morgan, who had interviewed Farrow, appeared surprised, writing via Twitter, “WHAT?????”
“Oh, and if I don’t go for an interview about some tweets that allegedly misgendered, I will apparently be arrested. Which is nice,” Farrow continued.
And she pointed out how important pronouns are to police. But not threats. They apparently can be ignored.
“Meanwhile a group of people have terrified and harassed my family. Doxed my children, made violent and sexual threats, signed me up to porn accounts, did the same to my husband, threatened to visit here.”
Police, reported Faithwire, “appear unbothered by this onslaught of cyber abuse.”
Farrow posted the interview that apparently triggered concern about the criminal pronouns:
Here’s the GMB interview the police referred to. From what I understand this wasn’t illegal but some follow-up tweets were. https://t.co/suOELE7aSK
— Caroline Farrow (@CF_Farrow) March 18, 2019
The Christian Institute noted that while Green dropped the complaint, Surrey police could not confirm they had dropped their investigation.
