Author: bomp123

Categories
Lesbians

I have tried to bring it up but they won’t listen – even the ones who should know better

I am a lesbian and a radical feminist. And a biological woman. Obviously!  

(I’ve come back from the last page on the form to note that there isn’t a box under Politics to tick “radical feminist”!)

I have mainly talked about it, written about it and shared ideas and written work with other women who agree with me. I am aware that many people in my friendship groups (especially the ones local to my area) are very liberal (or think of themselves as such) and pro-what-they-think-of-as-“trans-rights”. With some of them, I have tried to bring it up but they won’t listen – even the ones who should know better.

Not experienced negative consequences yet, but I have been a bit of a coward to be honest.

Sam A, armchair activist

Categories
Healthcare Public Sector

As an HR professional I feel for colleagues trying to navigate through this

I guess I would have called myself a liberal feminist, a live and let live type.  I thought trans people had GD and medically/ surgically transitioned.  I once worked with a very nice transwoman  who presented as a woman, was called she, but used the men’s changing room and toilets.  When JK Rowling tweeted in support of Maya Forstater, I wanted to know why someone has lost their job over what seemed a non-contentious issue.

The ideology revealed was frightening.  The aggression of TRAs (trans rights activists), and their determination to open every area of female lives to male people, was worrying.  There are deliberate attempts to erode safeguarding and stifle any discussion of how conflict over rights and safety can be addressed.  

The disproportionate influence of lobbying groups like Stonewall on public sector organisations and politics is unacceptable.  Looking further, the concept of the cotton ceiling was abhorrent. 

Although I am not lesbian, I believe that LGB people have an absolute right to their sexual preferences without being labelled transphobic.

I am concerned about the teaching of gender theory to children.  I don’t really understand the science, but see no consensus that would justify teaching that sex is a spectrum.   How the huge growth in the number of “trans” children being referred for treatment is not ringing alarm bells is beyond me.  I am fortunate, I had to retire from work for health reasons, but as an HR professional, I fear that if I was still working, I would not be able to express my concerns freely in this repressive climate.

I am not a great social media user, but I have supported GC voices, mostly with likes and retweets and some not very articulate comments.  I have completed the Scottish Govt GRA consultation survey, have donated to a couple of crowdfunding requests, and have written to my MP.

I am fortunate, Having taken Ill-health retirement, I am immune from threats to my livelihood.  As an HR professional, I feel for colleagues trying to navigate through this, and am sure that if I was still working, I would not feel free to express my concerns, particularly if working in the public sector.  This is a repressive, toxic culture.  I’m sure many people are being prevented from expressing valid, non-hateful opinions and that should concern everyone.

Alison G, Into my 6th decade, married, no kids, TERF, apparently

Categories
Healthcare survivor

It’s rape culture writ large

I care because I’ve experienced decades of male harassment and abuse so I understand fully the need for safe spaces for women and girls. I am also deeply concerned about children’s natural explorations of their world and themselves being medicalised to the extent of preventing puberty, having dangerous surgeries, and potentially shortening their lives.

Telling anyone, especially a child, that their body is wrong is incredibly cruel.

I care because women and girls have our lives so restricted and policed as it is without what few rights we do have being erased or curtailed.

I care because women of certain religious beliefs are finding their ability to participate in public life restricted by their right to privacy being eroded.

I care because women and girls who’ve been abused (and those who haven’t) are being bullied into sharing spaces with men no matter how vulnerable and/or terrified they might be by this. I care because women are being hounded, gaslit and silenced, deprived of their careers and incomes, bullied in real life as well as online.

I care because men’s rights activists and fetishists are running the trans rights campaigns and damaging not only women and girls but trans men and women too.

I care because young women are asking whether they should date a trans woman even though they don’t want to because if they don’t they’ll be bullied and harassed. And I care because gay people’s, especially lesbian women’s, rights to set boundaries in their sex lives are being eroded. It’s rape culture writ large.

I have responded to posts and shared information on social media. I have built a database of relevant articles to share to back up the women’s rights case and I follow gender critical accounts and people. I have challenged companies like M&S and organisations like HeForShe with regard to their TWAW rhetoric and associated abandoning of women’s rights. I have helped fund various campaigns to challenge the dismantling of women’s and girls’ rights. And I participated in the government’s GRA survey to stand up for women’s rights being retained while promoting additional safe spaces for trans people who need them.

I have been gaslit, bullied and blocked. I’ve also been stalked by TRAs and put on TERF lists. In real life I’m unable to work so have suffered no consequences there, while the very few people I have discussed the issues with have been understanding.

Maat, Human and animal rights activist

Categories
survivor

I was attacked by a Trans neighbour in Women’s Housing

I was attacked by a Trans neighbour in Women’s Housing.

I told people, and tweeted.

I received foul tweets.

Melissa M, Incredulous that I have to do this

Categories
Education

Very mentally unwell girls were identifying as boys and as their Biology teacher I was told I had to go along with this

I am a graduate biologist, and a science teacher in secondary schools. because I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with schools, and science being a shortage subject, I have always been able to take other jobs which I was interested in. this included working at Chiswick Women’s Aid, after which I had my first child as a single mother and became very involved in the second wave. having taken an MSc in Health Education I met one of the founders of Terrence Higgins Trust and worked as an AIDS/HIV educator for the NHS where of course I learned a lot about sexuality.

I went back into schools where I taught Biology for GCSE and A level, and spent some while teaching various subjects in FE colleges. I volunteered at a charity for street sex workers.

I eventually ended up teaching Science in an adolescent psychiatric unit. which was where the issue finally reached me as very mentally unwell girls were identifying as boys, and as their Biology teacher I was told I had to go along with this.

Luckily I was planning to retire soon anyway but that was really the catalyst, and then the JamJar happened although I wasn’t there I was firmly hooked into this cause.

I have emailed various people, met my MP (no joy there) read a huge amount, contributed to many discussions on social media particularly in my area of expertise which of course is the objective Biological reality of sex. I wrote a submission for the Oxford case (guidance now withdrawn). I have attended many events, and contributed to all the crowdfunders for legal cases. I also attend Raquel Rosario-Sanchez ‘s feminist meetings in Bristo (or did, before lockdown). I am a member of a small group affiliated to Safe Schools Alliance who are trying to get the Bristol secondary schools to look at the materials they use for PSHE, looking at their equities policies etc, and contacting two of the most worrying schools directly to ask to meet.

Stymied by Covid at the moment. luckily I have not been in danger of losing my job as I am retired. I have been shouted at in my NEU Samba Band that I have to agree TWAW, several people I know have been distinctly cooler in their reactions to me, local Labour people have accused me of being a bigot, and “knowing nothing about Biology”……

Some of my closer friends have asked me to not go on so much as I am passionate about getting the information and implications out to the public.

Alison W, Biologist, Health Educator, Teacher, Mother Grandmother

Categories
Men

This is extremely unfair and unsafe for all the women and girls who compete

As a husband, father and grandfather I am really concerned about the safety and the safeguarding of all women and girls in what must be maintained as all female areas and environments. These areas have been hard earned by women over the years and must not be given up. Also as a follower of sport all my life , I am concerned when men who self identify can grossly unfairly be allowed to play in women only sports.

This is extremely unfair and unsafe for all the women and girls who compete in the hope and reasonable expectation of a level playing field, and without the risk of being injured by male bodied opponents.

I have attended a function and have written to my MP. I have also contacted the ruling bodies of 2 sports to make my thoughts clear and express the hope that the reviews that are in progress will not give way to lobbying and pressure, but take what I believe is an obvious and clear decision to maintain the integrity of women’s sports.

I have not suffered any negative consequences.

M, Grandad

Categories
Healthcare Others

I have autistic grandchildren and I genuinely have concerns for their future wellbeing

I was made aware of this issue by the now banned from Twitter wings over Scotland, regarding the bullying of Joanna Cherry and Joan MacAlpine within the SNP. This quickly escalated to bring defamed by Fiona Robertson ( SNP women’s officer). I have autistic grandchildren (three) and I genuinely have concerns for their future wellbeing.

Being housebound I have done as much as I physically can to raise awareness. Delivered For Women Scot GRA leaflets around my village, donated to a few things.

I’ve lost a fair few friends in the Scottish independence movement, been threatened online.

M L

Categories
Others

We are losing rights to sex segregated spaces

This matters to me because the language policing of trans activism is making it harder for women to talk about their lived reality and experiences (oppression , biological issues etc) without repercussion. This matters to me because we are losing rights to sex segregated spaces , which puts women and girls at risk of sexual violence.

I have talked about the idea of “what is a woman?” on social media.

I have been accused of being transphobic and have been blocked by people who I thought were friends.

R

Categories
Others

It’s time to reclaim the HUMAN RIGHT to expression

I care about this issue as it affects every single indefinable human beings existence.  UNTIL humanity accepts that every individual person who has ever existed has been robbed, to some extent of complete subjective human expression and in effect self actualisation, under the guise of the dominant MANMADE  Patriarchal CONstruct, of the intentionally divisive fallacy of GENDER. Inequality, prejudice discrimination abuse and violation of basic human rights will continue to persist and proliferate through the fabric of every culture. The ludicrous terms MASCULINITY and FEMININITY were intentionally constructed for the division of power and control between the sexes. The misappropriation of human traits, qualities and expressive characteristics should never have been permitted. It has always been a COMPLETE IMPOSSIBILITY for someone’s subjective sense of self concept to be externally defined as a result of the opinion of another human being. WOMAN adult human biological female, MAN adult human biological male. GENDER masculinity/femininity a fallacy which enabled power based characteristics to be cherry picked and assigned to boys/men and passive subservient characteristics to be assigned to girls/women. Generational imprinting and all social control measures thus could police conformity and Matriarchy and Patriarchy foolishly believed this ridiculous travesty. It’s time to reclaim the HUMAN RIGHT to expression of all universal human attributes traits qualities and characteristics irrespective of any other external factor, the way it should always have naturally been.

I have written an extensive blog of my views,  following lengthy personal reflection on the subject, in an effort to  put forward suggestions which I believe would honor the human right of subjective individualised  self expression whilst upholding the protected category of sex based rights.  I have sent letters to the Scottish government, Human Rights Council, politicians, women’s rights organisations. I have posted my blogs online and tagged many people and organisations to disseminate my views further.

I have received tweets from unwanted people often with inappropriate images. I have witnessed the onslaught of harassment and abuse many people face when trying to discuss the topic online.

As a Christian I know there are only men or women.

M 💙, M💙, the patriarchal CONstruct of the fallacy of MASCULINITY and FEMININITY breeds anguish misery and dysphoria in humanity

Categories
Healthcare Parent

We must give children who may grow up to be gay the time to decide for themselves their own path

I fear many children are being exposed to ideas and views that would have constituted child sexual abuse just a few years ago. The drive to normalise medical treatment using hormones on children is experimenting on children for the warped ideology of adults with little understanding of the long term side affects. We must give children who may grow up to be gay the time to decide for themselves their own path. Children are not able to make informed decisions on serious life changing treatments.

I’ve spoken to people, posted on FB and Twitter.

I have been called TERF and other such nonsense on twitter.

Jo, So afraid for my daughters having to wade through the lies to get to the truths we all knew to be true just a while ago