Author: bomp123

Categories
Self employed / entrepreneurs

I am self employed, and also too old to worry about my career

As a parent of a child who was somewhat gender non- conforming as preschooler and at primary school .. . As an elderly feminist who hated many aspects of ‘becoming a woman’ myself (and still do) with lesbian friends of my own age who have said openly that growing up in the current climate they would have believed themselves aged 14 or so ‘ a boy’, no question – rather than the adult lesbians they became. It was immediately clear to me that the basics of feminism as I understood them were being undermined.

I cancelled Guardian subscription (over (non) reaction to your case Maya and JKR’s response) and retweeted the editorial response to Glinner and Mumsnet. Written to MP. Got into a couple of Facebook arguments. Retweeted and shared a number of articles. Had serious email exchange with my very serious but uninformed sister (with lots of woke friends) when she put a trans tenant in to live with existing female tenant in our deceased mother’s house. She agreed existing tenant should be informed her new co-tenant was trans. (She was fine about it apparently . . But may have felt she had no choice).

I have been called a transphobic bigot etc of course!  And I’m sure I have been blocked by some on social media. But I feel able to speak my mind partly because I am self employed, and also too old to worry about my career!

Sarah G, Writer, dancer, musician, mother, feminist

Categories
Education

I have seen badly drafted laws passed, with negative consequences

I care because I see an undermining of the very concept of truth. Certain truths have become unspeakable because groups of activists have deemed them hateful or distressing. I care because I have seen badly drafted laws passed, with negative consequences. Even worse, I’ve seen interested parties covertly undermining the laws that help to keep women and girls safe. I have two daughters. I do not want them to have fewer legal protections than I have had, and I do not want them to be silenced from speaking the truth.

I have shared my concerns with friends and family, and had very positive discussions with each of them. I have introduced several people to WPUK (Woman’s Place UK) and brought my daughter and a friend to the Women’s lib 2020 conference. I have challenged my daughter’s school about their mixed-sex toilets, supported safe schools alliance, and contributed to many crowdfunders.

There have been no negative consequences so far, possibly as a result of not being on social media. I am concerned as to potential reactions of my colleagues, should this issue be discussed at work.

Diana, Teacher

Categories
Self employed / entrepreneurs

I could not work out how it was supposed to be ok for an adult male to bash an adult female in the boxing ring

Fairness and safety are the main reasons for my involvement in the issue. Fallon Fox was my entry point to the debate and I could not work out how it was supposed to be ok for an adult male to bash an adult female in the boxing ring. Not fair nor safe for most female sports. Nor is it safe to allow men into women’s single sex spaces like prisons or hospital wards. It certainly is not fair to allow men to take political spaces reserved for women when we have such shockingly low political representation anyway.

I support all the fabulous GC women on Twitter and occasionally on Mumsnet. Support entails sharing information, writing comments, meeting radical feminists in my locality for meetings and talks, attending two WPUK meetings as well as their awesome conference. I did lobby my MP several years ago about the objectification of women in the British press and think the huge underlying problem of male violence against women is why we are pushing back so damn hard.

I am an early career researcher and have remained semi anonymous as Universities seem particularly susceptible to the GenderWoo. Totally dreadful bullying of current female academics just makes me think I will never get employed in an already difficult competitive field if my views are widely known. That said it is obvious to those that do know me who I am online and I lock my account when applying for jobs.

KB

Categories
Parent

I have a daughter and I want a world that respects her boundaries

This matters to me because I have a daughter and I want a world that respects her boundaries and gives her equal opportunities to those born male. I believe feminism should centre females (those born female) always. Women’s sport should be protected for the 51% born female. We should not be compelled to say things we do not believe to be true.

I’m mostly too afraid to raise such a controversial subject. But it matters when I vote and I changed the way I planned to vote in the last election.

I have done very little that would draw attention to me.

S Jackson, Self employed mother of two

Categories
Healthcare Parent

I see children being pushed into unhealthy choices

This matters to me because of the gross unfairness of women’s rights and voices being erased and the gaslighting of trying to convince us a man in a dress is a woman.  It matters to me because I see children being pushed into unhealthy choices by societal pressures of the kind we have been trying to break down for decades.  This is regressive and most of the general public is unaware of this and would not even believe some of the things that are happening.

I have spoken to staff and emailed my child’s school (secondary) and been able to have a positive discussion and point them in the direction of Transgender Trend.  I have frequently contributed to crowdfunders.  I spoken to certain friends and family and at work I have spoken to some adults who I have known for some time and feel I can trust on this issue. I have sometimes liked and retweeted on twitter but I use my real name and am very afraid of attacks and abuse and so I have never written my own tweets and am very cautious.  I have written to my MP and signed petitions and letters.

I have been extremely cautious and not spoken up as much as I would like.

C, concerned parent

Categories
Self employed / entrepreneurs

I suspect that I am getting less freelance work from one particular organisation as a result of being gender critical

I was formed by 1970s and 80s feminism. Women had – and/or made – their own spaces. A couple of years ago I became aware that this now was seen as ‘exclusionary’. As a survivor of sexual abuse the idea of men being able to easily access spaces by saying they ‘identified as a woman’ is very frightening to me. It seemed vital that self-ID should not be introduced via reforms to the Gender Recognition Act.

As a lifelong socialist I am appalled by the way in which the Left seems to have abandoned any kind of recognition of sex-based inequality. It frightens me that girls and young women are labelled transphobic for trying to protect their own dignity, privacy and safety. It frightens me that women from conservative religious groups risk being further marginalised if they cannot access female-only spaces.


I have been fairly vocal on social media – FB and Twitter. I’ve gone to a Woman’s Place UK meeting. I made a submission to the consultation about possible reform to the Gender Recognition Act. I also wrote to my MP about this topic. I’ve also raised this issue within the religious group I belong to – the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).


I suspect that I am getting less freelance work from one particular organisation as a result of being gender critical. This annoys me hugely as I have done a lot of very good work for them. I’ve been barred from a Quaker FB Discussion group whose moderators all support gender identity theory. I’ve lost one FB friend and for a while my daughter – then a student blocked me.

Sibyl Ruth, Writer, library worker, parent and step-parent, gender critical feminist., SibylWrites

Categories
Others

We can’t discuss the ways in which women are oppressed based on our biology

I care because I see women and their biological reality being erased. We can’t discuss the ways in which women are oppressed based on our biology if we can’t talk about it. Trans ideology reinforces harmful gender stereotypes and I feel strongly that these stereotypes should be abolished not upheld. I am concerned about the rise of trans ideology affecting young women.

I have a gender critical Instagram account to raise awareness.

I have been harassed and threatened on social media.

Helen , Irish woman living in the U.K., athenasowl

Categories
Healthcare Others

I am outraged at the lies the gender lobby tell about female athletes

I care very much about the girls and women who are being mistaken or rumour mongered  as masquerading as female , the hurt this causes them , the danger this puts them in.

I am outraged at the lies the gender lobby tell about female athletes and the pretence that males entering female sports is harmless and fair .

Further to the female athlete point I’m also outraged at the lies the gender lobby have been spreading about Michele Obama , the pretence she must be a transwoman or at very least is intersex and must have used surrogates etc. And now the cover up that this was a Republican plot . Trump might be lots of things but he isn’t pretending men can be women or that any girl or woman as tall and intelligent as Michele Obama must therefore be at least a physiologically masculinised female if not a full blown male.

I do not want sex based words to be redefined or the theory that sex is on a spectrum taught in schools. I worry that sex spectrum theory is being /will be used to shame and humiliate girls who are taller than average or have facial features which have been deemed ‘masculine’ by genderists.

I am concerned the whole thing is an attempt to establish a big bad rational dominant men , little good irrational submissive women norm and destroy feminism once and for all along with naturalising male aggression and hiding female passive aggression too.

I’m also concerned about children being manipulated into damaging their bodies and having their wombs removed. And young men being tricked into sexual activity with other men and then being demonised for reacting badly to such abuse too.

I have been posting on social media and newspaper comments sections , supporting crowdfunders , fighting the good fight whenever I get the chance. Since 2017 mainly on Twitter.

I’ve been blocked and given verbal abuse.

Mary, Middle aged mother

Categories
Self employed / entrepreneurs

I am passionate about speaking out to end the shame, stigma and silence surrounding sexual violence

I am passionate about speaking out to end the shame, stigma and silence surrounding sexual violence , Silence harms victims and protects perpetrators.

TEDx , changed my job from psychotherapist to speaker, written and published my story (Unbroken).

MB

Categories
Self employed / entrepreneurs

When I’m old and vulnerable I don’t want to find my woman doctor is actually a man

I believe women have the right to privacy and to spaces where men can’t go. I also believe women have the right to be treated (medically for example) by women and to refuse to be treated by men. I do not believe people can change sex, so even if a man is ‘transgender’ he is still biologically and in reality a man. I don’t believe he should be able to hide that fact in all cases. To allow that would impinge on women’s rights in many ways.

When I’m old and vulnerable I don’t want to find my woman doctor is actually a man. Also, I have stepdaughters and I don’t want them forced to accept that men can be women and to have men invade their privacy. I also fear that ‘self identification’ will provide an opportunity for any man to invade women’s spaces in order to harm women and girls.

I have responded to the GRA consultation and I wrote to others to tell them about it and encourage them to respond. I also tweeted and facebooked about it and wrote to my MP. I’ve made contact/connected with other women – inc locally – to work on this issue together. I’m also part of a group of women working to challenge the issue in the political party we are all members of. I raise the issue with friends and family when I can. I donate to crowdfunders when I can afford it. I also sign petitions and write letters to those in/with power. When I can I share letter templates and encourage others to write/speak up too.

After tweeting about the GRA consultation, a young transwoman (a trans identified male) who works in the same field as me attacked me on social media. A long, ranty thread including accusations of transphobia etc. I didn’t know/had never met this person in real life.

Perhaps foolishly I responded (I spent an hour writing three v.careful tweets in reply). There was a ‘pile on’ against me by others in my industry – including people I did know personally. I felt bullied and it was extremely stressful.

It made me afraid – and I’m not someone who’s used to that feeling. I’m mostly confident and more than capable of sticking up for myself. I lost a lot of Twitter followers (no big deal in the grand scheme of things). Then in the autumn several jobs I usually did at this time (that I’d done annually for several years) weren’t offered. I don’t think it was a coincidence – but I can’t be sure. I wasn’t offered the work in 2019 either though.

I largely stopped tweeting about gender critical things after this and blocked the person who attacked me as much as for their sake as mine. After the original incident, the following summer, I found out the same young person was badmouthing me on Twitter again but could no longer @mention me.

They’d clearly looked back through my feed to find gender critical things (inc. shock horror a RT of @glinner!) and would have seen I’d tweeted nothing on the issue for approx four months. This didn’t stop them tweeting about me, accusing me of transphobia and telling their followers to DM them so they could tell people who I was. They and a few of their followers also encouraged people to shun me and unfollow me. Several clients and contacts unfollowed me at this point. During this time I became very anxious and depressed and found it hard to work. I was afraid of losing the work I still had and too nervous to attend industry events. It took me ages to feel strong again – thanks to connecting with other GC women and a self defence course.

“Alice Brean”, Freelance writer