Tag: feminism

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Parent

This has hit my family like a sledgehammer

This has hit my family like a sledgehammer where our vulnerable learning disabled daughter in her early 20s and away at college confessed to us that she had been on the Tavistock Hospital’s waiting list for a year to have a physical “sex change” with surgery and steroids, leading to medical dependency and worsened health.  Our daughter has been caught up in cultish behaviour with her college friends, one of the effects being that parents are regarded as “transphobic” if they voice any concern.

I have contacted and continue to contact my GP, my county councillor, my GP, my daughter’s GP, social services, myself and husband go to Tavistock Hospital trustees meetings, I write on twitter and facebook, I respond to blogs, I tried to get the “Woman” flag erected in my town for International Women’s Day, I have contributed towards the establishment of parents’ organisations and therapy groups. I have had friends criticise me on facebook, I have been suspended several times on twitter, I lie to my daughter about any involvement.

C, parent of GD daughter, feminist, ex-Labour

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Education Healthcare

Transwomen are important & in need of support, but they are not women

I care because I see the need for sex based recording, security & resourcing. We need to be able to have balanced, caring conversations in order to find solutions that respect lived experiences, fears & needs. Transwomen are important & in need of support, but they are not women. Also concerned that this ‘solution’ to gender dysphoria is not easy, simple or effective.

Why aren’t we helping people to be happy with who they are?

I have used social media to amplify GC accounts, tried to have conversations with people who think GC is the enemy, talked to feminists who only saw the trans perspective & shared concerns & examples of behaviours that damage both women & girls & transwomen. I regularly report accounts which are abusive to women & use hate speech.

I am on a block list & regularly find that accounts which used to be mutual have blocked me. I feel unable to speak because the conversation is abusive & accepts no nuance or need for discussion. I’m a middle aged peri menopausal feminist with teenage children, male & female – my perspective is not represented by any of the conversations I see.

Al, Solution driven

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Education

I no longer feel comfortable being a member of WEP

I care about this issue because I am concerned that women are losing long fought rights and the small advances achieved by the feminist movement are being threatened.

I have questioned the lack of consultation by The Women’s Equality Party on changes to gender equality law. My local group was not asked for a response

I no longer feel comfortable being a member of WEP

H, Life long feminist

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Healthcare

I’m a rape survivor and a refugee, and I know first hand how important single sex spaces are to the safety of women and girls.

This matters to me because I’m a medical doctor who swore to do no harm and to protect general public from harmful ideologies and political influences that seek to harm and profit from their healthcare. Because I saw the medical scandal unfold and institutions being complicit. Because I’m a rape survivor and a refugee, and I know first hand how important single sex spaces are to the safety of women and girls.

I’ve written extensively from a medical, feminist, ethical and philosophical perspectives. I submitted responses to all the relevant enquiries.

I petitioned politicians and medical regulatory bodies. I collaborated with colleagues to reverse damaging guidances from various medical institutions world-wide.

I have experienced worsening of my physical and mental health symptoms due to highly threatening and inflammatory environment transactivists have created and I have to take regular breaks from all this in order to keep well. None of this would be necessary in a respectful debate, which I normally quite enjoy.

la scapigliata, doctor, radical feminist

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Education Healthcare Parent

It is so blatantly misogynistic

Why so I care: so many reasons! Because it poses a seismic threat to women and children. Because it is so blatantly misogynistic. But also because it is so crazy and baseless! The sheer madness of it – I’ve never seen anything like it!

What have I done? Mainly stuff on social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Also Instagram.stories which are great because I see the same ppl looking at them – people I wouldn’t expect to be interested!

Have i faced any consequences? Yes loads. A very close friend and his husband no longer speak to me. One of my daughters is angry with me about it and refuses to talk to me about it. Other ppl.have called me mad and obsessed.

Keren, Angry old feminist

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Education Healthcare survivor

I would be halfway through my transition by now

This issue is deeply important to me for many reasons.

I learned about Self ID and was panic stricken as I have been made a victim of sexual violence by men repeatedly, and single sex spaces are vital to my ability to access public services.

I like with chronic pain and C-PTSD as a result of the abuse I have suffered, and single sex spaces help me in managing my physical and mental health when out in public.  I also am a lesbian woman, and was horrified to learn about the new ‘Woke Homophobia’, whereby gender ideology and trans activists insist that men can be lesbians, and that lesbians are same ‘gender’ attracted not same sex attracted. This erases homosexuality, and makes the discrimination lesbians face impossible to address. I am also concerned as a primary school teacher, that child psychology and development is being ignored in favour of lobby groups who have their own aims and dismiss developmental psychology and basic child safeguarding.  And finally, due to sexual violence, I had a period of time where I experienced gender dysphoria and I understand how horrid it feels to feel trapped in your own body, but I know that this condition can be managed and recovered from, and I know that the basis for my dysphoria was sexual violence and my wish to not be a woman and escape sexual violence. Were I 15 years younger, I would be half way through my transition by now and it would have been a catastrophic mistake. I am deeply concerned for young lesbians and children who are being sent down an experimental and physically and psychologically dangerous path, as guinea pigs.

I have led direct action protests, I have spoken to friends and family, I have written to my MP, I have been vocal on social media, I have written an article, I have even shared information with dates!

I have had a Twitter ban, for a tweet that explains queer theory, which was bizarre. I have also had difficult conversations with friends who misunderstand the issues, many however, now support me due to their own observations. The most negative consequences have been during direct action protests where I have been intimidated, spat at, screamed at in my face by trans activists. I was also followed by a trans identified male, and was very unsettled. I am mostly concerned about being harassed by previous abusers, and by male trans activists. I feel frightened attending talks, in case someone is intimidated or violent.

Sofia, lesbian radical feminist activist

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Education

I was teased at work for days for objecting being referred to as cis

I care because I do not want women’s hard won rights to be given away because of the current trendy identity politics and to accommodate perverted men.  

I have joined a women’s group, written letters to MSPs and MP, met MSPs and MP, talked to people at work, got training video changed at work from gender to sex in “protected characteristics” , talked to HR manager about using the term gender instead of sex, talked to friends and family, filled in GRA consultation, posted on twitter, distributed leaflets and talked to shoppers, written to M and S written to Weatherspoon’s, written to local councils, written to schools, refused to attend a further Stonewall training at work

I have been laughed at at work for objecting to being referred to as cis and then teased for days after.

The HR manager was also highly amused during our conversation about why sex and not gender should be on a feedback form about diversity training,  Mind you – he’s a bit scared of me now!!   So – win! 

I am ostracised by some team members who believe “Trans Women are Women”. Needless to say they are woke beardy dude bros.  I have had to work with trans boys and refer to them as he and vice versa. I  tried  to speak to team members /teaching staff about how I felt about this but was shut down. I couldn’t push as fear about losing job. Not the child’s fault of course but it really got to me psychologically -especially  the young trans boys who were on testosterone and wearing binders and EACH and EVERY one of them was on the spectrum. I could not say or do anything except affirm. I am supposed to be a support worker – its so incongruous. to have to work like that. I have fallen out with my bestie over the trans issue which was horrible but now she agrees with me on most of it.  

Mabel Frances, Reawakened radical feminist

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Education Healthcare Parent

I was forced to speak a lie

I care because I teach and am a mother. My children had a trans pupil at school (where I worked) and without consultation the other children had their right to privacy taken away in toilets.

I was forced to speak a lie, every day, in using an incorrect pronoun, all while trying to teach pupils right from wrong. The pupil was deeply troubled but no counselling was offered, simply the ‘magic bullet’ of a new name and pronouns.

I spoke up at the time. I have met 2 MSPs, one now a cabinet minister who does not support the Scottish Government’s line , the other pretty much accused me of transphobia. I have written to my SNP MP who was rude and arrogant.

I have supported the work online of several women’s groups but I have mostly hidden who I am, afraid of losing my job for speaking truth to power.

My name was leaked from a private Facebook group so I have become ultra careful online.

Have you had any consequences? Accusations of transphobia by an MSP. Being outed as party if a feminist group. Being afraid to attend public meetings for fear for my job.

Mandy , Teacher in Scotland

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Education survivor trans familiy

If we cannot name our oppression, we cannot fight it

This feels like such an important issue for me for several reasons.

I have personally experienced the ways in which trans identifying males entering female only spaces completely changes the dynamic, effectively silencing female voices, even when the purpose of the space has been designed precisely to elevate women’s voices.

I see the violence and hostility directed at women for wanting to talk about our sex based rights as yet another iteration of male aggression, entitlement and dominance. Furthermore, I can foresee the long-term consequences of allowing gender ideology to supplant biological sex as effectively undoing all of the work of the women’s movement of the last century. If we cannot name our oppression, we cannot fight it.

Initially, I started posting articles and my own opinions on this issue on social media. I have also attended several events and protests that have sought to highlight or discuss this issue. I have also attended meetings for women only with a similar purpose. I have had private discussions offline with friends and family. And finally, I chaired a meeting on the sex based rights of women and girls.

Personally, I have lost several friends over this issue, or experienced others distancing themselves from me over it. I have also had disagreements with family members.

It has been scary, as a survivor of male violence including family violence, and having ptsd symptoms associated with it, to be confronted with shouting and aggressive posturing from masked individuals at the protests and meetings I have attended.

It has made me feel incredibly ‘unsafe’. It has also been unpleasant to be accused of bigotry, transphobia or branded a terf in online spaces. Lastly, my teenage niece is talking about her desire to transition, and this has adversely affected my relationship with her, and caused deep grief and stress to herself and other members of my family at a very uncertain time.

Jo , Concerned auntie, educator and advocate for women and girls

Categories
Education Healthcare

Almost everyone I’ve spoken to has been in agreement

At first it was astonishment that something so obviously real and true – that there are two sexes, male and female, which cannot be changed – was being denied. As I found out more it was fear of the damage to women’s rights, the damage to children and adolescents and then outrage and fury that we cannot speak the truth anymore without fear for our jobs.

I have spoken about it to friends and family, cautiously to colleagues at work. I spoke out in an LGBT training session at work to query the suicide statistics.  Written to my MP, posted on twitter and Facebook, attended a meeting, contributed to lots of fundraisers, bought books by gender critical feminists.

I haven’t had any consequences so far – almost everyone I’ve spoken to  has been in agreement.

I have a couple of  friends who obviously think I’ve got a strange bee in my bonnet and am an anti trans bigot but they still talk to me!! However I’m training to be a counsellor and therefore have to be v careful not to say anything on social media which could prevent me from qualifying. I was looking at volunteering for an organisation yesterday but put off because they were seeking people “who identify as male”.

C, Gender critical truth seeker radicalised by Mumsnet