Author: Maya Forstater

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Parent

I have been permabanned from Twitter for saying a male cannot be a lesbian

I care because I’m a woman and I have a daughter. As a mother I want to keep woman’s rights protected and ensure she’ll have even more safety and opportunity than I had.

I’ve been very active in social media and building up a network to take action in my home country.

I have been permabanned from twitter, losing my personal account of 7 years for saying a male cannot be a lesbian. I lost every subsequent account I opened with the reason being ‘banned for running multiple account for the purpose of hateful behaviour’.  All appeals denied.

Jane, Proud Irish mom and feminist

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Parent

I worry about the erasure of women

As a woman and as the mother of daughters I worry about the erasure of women. I also worry about what is happening to young girls who feel they are ‘in the wrong body’.  This could have happened to one of mine.

What have you done? Talk to friends and family. Constantly argue with my daughters (ages 16-20) who think “transwomen are women”.

My daughters are embarrassed and would not want me to voice my opinions in front of their friends. They prefer that I don’t express these opinions on social media in case it backfires on them in some way.

K

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Healthcare Parent

We…should not be gaslit by those supposed to care

This matters to me for several reasons.

I spent several years in women’s refuges with my child and realising that women and children like us, full of trauma, could be forced to accept having males as residents or staff no matter how they identify is deeply worrying and upsetting.

We need this environment to be female and children only and should not be gaslit by those supposed to care. I worry about vulnerable women in prison, in hospitals, on closed wards. I worry that women’s spaces are no longer women’s spaces and that we won’t know until it’s too late. I am deeply concerned about the huge amount of young people who now say they identify as trans and the way they are being constantly affirmed.

I have written letters, attended one meeting, distributed literature, had conversations with refuge staff, I am active on social media under an assumed name, I have spoken to some people in real life, I’ve donated to as many fundraisers as I can, translated information from Scandinavia alongside other small actions

I have been threatened and abused on Social Media and have been unable to speak in my own name through fear of doxxing. I am unable to speak about this socially as it could affect my sons education as we home educate, so since leaving refuge I have chosen to only speak to those I know share my views.

Leonora Christina

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Healthcare Parent

It is conversion therapy

I care because over the course of my life, I’ve experienced a lot of harassment from strange men, who followed, intimidated, groped, flashed and grabbed me, most of it in public. I’m therefore under no illusion that there are men who behave this way and therefore women need single-sex spaces to minimise risk of it (or worse) happening to them.

Men have physical advantage over women, and that is why sports have been segregated by sex and must remain that way.

I’m also aghast at the science-denialism that is at the core of this movement and that children are taught it at school.

I have an autistic child so know how dangerous it is to teach autistic children that they could be “born in the wrong body”. We know that brains don’t mature until we are 25 yet we allow children to make such a huge decision – it is conversion therapy.

No one who is considered an authority on child psychology  has written or researched gender identity yet now it is pushed on children by adults with the view of legitimising their own agenda.

While I believe dysphoria is real, for some men it is clearly a paraphilia.

What have you done? Mainly donated and discussed it anonymously online, and with a couple of trusted friends. I’m on some kind of Terfblocker, but because I’m careful under my own name, I have so far avoided anything worse

Lizzie Strata

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Healthcare Parent

I loathe the anti-science being broadcast

This really matters to me – I am a mother, with a post-graduate degree level education in biology, and I do some work, plus volunteering, in schools. And I have friends who are major activists & champions for trans-rights, who I see actively misleading us all, and actually being disingenuous to some perfectly lovely local trans-folk.

I am genuinely fearful of being shouted down, labelled a ‘bigot’ or ‘transphobic’, being removed from friendship groups, being excluded & misrepresented.

I fear that in I speaking up, my views will jeopardise my work, and trash my other community activities.

As someone who lives life as ‘evidence-based’, I loathe the anti-science being broadcast.

I dislike the cherry-picking of poor quality data. I hate the deliberate confusion of sex and gender everywhere. 

I am deeply concerned at nonsensical concepts being integrated into my children’s life, school & social groups (e.g. Woodcraft Folk).

I have re-tweeted lots of informative articles to friends, and personally discussed lots of issues with a larger group, on- and off-line. I have challenged & discussed the sex-gender & ‘born in the wrong body’ concept with medical professionals (who seem to agree with me!). I am planning to write a personal, in-depth and explanatory letter to several friends to explain ‘the other side of the story’. Some friends are politically active, but just state ‘transwomen are women, no debate’ without seemingly understanding that they are hurting their own lefty, feminist supporters.

I have felt silenced. I have had to tolerate misogynistic nonsense on my social media and can’t remove or challenge it (yet). In real life I’ve had upsetting arguments and felt belittled or misrepresented. I await more serious consequences as my anger grows, compelling the need to speak.

Scared woman., Gender-rejecting, not-cis, large-gametes

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Parent

It feels dehumanising and mysogynistic

I care about these issues as a woman, and mother of a daughter. Female only spaces, protections and boundaries should be preserved – and it should be based on biological sex rather than gender identity.

I believe my daughter and I have the right to change in an area accessible to natal females only, use female only toilets, and be on a female only hospital ward.

She should not have to give up her space on a girls sports team, girls school or any other space reserved for females, to a male. And this goes for all women and girls.

I have discussed anonymously on social media, and with (trusted) friends and family in real life. I do fear speaking out in my own name, as I have witnessed the unbelievable abuse that numerous other women have been subjected to after speaking out.

Some abuse on social media – which even when posting anonymously is distressing. I’ve been called a “TERF,” a nazi, a cunt, amongst other things… I’ve been told I want trans people “to die” – just by speaking up and saying biological women matter.

I was sent private messages: “Liar Liar, cunts on fire” – It feels dehumanising and misogynistic.

Sabrina, Woman, daughter, mother

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Parent

I have grown up with misogyny

This matters to me because I have grown up with misogyny and I have two daughters that I would like to not have to face the misogyny and harassment at work and socially that I have had. Both my daughters play sport to a high level and I see the strength, resilience and confidence this gives them. I don’t want female sport ruined by having to compete against men.

I feel I haven’t raised my voice enough and I need to

I have lost friends

Alison, Mum of teenage girls

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Parent

If you can’t talk about women, sexism cannot be stopped

If you can’t talk about women, sexism cannot be stopped.

The existence of single sex spaces is for a reason, mostly safety, and as long as the reason for them exists, so should they.

I am concerned because I don’t want my gender non-conforming child to be told he is in the ‘wrong’ body, I just want him to dress and act as he likes as himself.

What do i do? I ‘like’ as much as I can that I agree with, so that support becomes more evident and let people know that I share their beliefs.

No one should feel like a lone voice just because many gender critical people are scared of the threats they know they will receive.

Also I have begun challenging people in online spaces, presenting my side of things and emphasising that women should be free to talk.

Any consequences? Not yet. But I only got brave a day ago. Personally I give it about a week. However, I have been blocked by politicians and women’s representatives for FOLLOWING the ‘wrong’ accounts.

Femineminism, Fed up feminist who believes in observable reality

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Parent

No one has asked me or my generation what we feel

I worry about the erosion of women’s rights and safety. I’m upset because no one has asked me or my generation what we feel about these issues.

I have defended other women like JK Rowling on twitter and Facebook and voiced my concerns to family and friends who all agree that the current situation is out of hand

I’ve been abused. Told to go fuck my self and called a TERF ( which I had to look up)!

Mary W, Mother, retired nurse

 [RH1]Left Mary in parents section as her comments don’t refer to healthcare and she’s named herself ‘mother’

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Parent

Women have enough to deal with

Women have enough to deal with. Men being in our spaces is an additional burden and intrusion. After all most are still biologically men

I have Tweeted, joined small groups, contacted my MP, Local Authority, attended meetings

Any consequences? Not at all

Ecuadorian Mum, I stand with JK Rowling,