Tag: safeguarding

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Academics and researchers Healthcare

I have watched the equalities structures within my organisation become distorted to the point of total ineffectiveness

I work with students, and see them deeply affected and often damaged by their experience of gender dogma, with no neutral sources of help and advice to turn to. I work with colleagues who have been bullied, disparaged and left without support because they have raised safeguarding concerns.

I have watched the equalities structures within my organisation become distorted to the point of total ineffectiveness because of the inability of key officers to handle language, concepts, and legal duties with any clarity.

I have watched my workplace union disintegrate and lose any ability to hold on to the concept of solidarity as it rushed to scapegoat women who questioned its transactivist positioning.

I have children who I wish to protect, and weep for those, not mine, who have not been protected.

I have helped to organise events at my workplace and seconded and spoken to motions in my union. I have tried to bring problems and misconceptions in workplace policy documentation to the attention of the Equalities officer, with no positive result. I have attempted to build alliances with colleagues in order to strengthen our hand. I have spoken to friends, but only when I felt there was room to do so.

I have lost friends, and been warned off the subject by others; I have been forced into painfully uncomfortable workplace dynamics; I have lost work opportunities and chances for advancement because I was unable to comply with the gender ideology of others.   

Katie, Academic in Scotland

Categories
Education

I was forced out of a voluntary role as domestic violence safeguarding coordinator

I care because I understand, through my own experience, that women are oppressed, harmed and killed for being female.

I have posted on social media, written to MPs, renounced my membership of the Labour Party, been to events, spoken out in real life.

I was forced out of a voluntary role as domestic violence safeguarding coordinator for my church because I tweeted about DV, its impact on women and girls, and why we must fight for our right to name ourselves and our oppression. I was doxxed and was dragged in front of the Diocesan safeguarding team so they could “assess my suitability” for the role. I resigned.

Vicky Miller, Teacher and trade unionist

Categories
Education Healthcare

I could not be complicit in socially transitioning a very young child at my school

This matters to me as a parent, educator and former mental health professional.

I don’t want children who don’t conform to rigid stereotypes of dress or personality to feel they don’t fit in and are therefore ‘trans’. I could not be complicit in socially transitioning a very young child at my school (after a trans charity trained senior staff).

I think that much better attention should be paid to children’s social adjustment and mental health, and to tackling bullying and gender stereotypes,  before taking such radical steps, based on what I consider to be a belief system. I don’t understand how Safeguarding can be so easily discarded.

I have written to newspapers and contributed to BTL comments, donated to crowdfunders, campaign groups and signed petitions, communicated with my MP and members of the House of Lords. I have attended meetings and a court case. I have become a feminist because, in middle age, I hadn’t fully understood how a concept so dismissive of women (the idea of innate gender identity; the idea that being a woman is a nebulous ‘concept’ that is up for grabs) could have gained so much traction.

The negative consequence has been that I resigned from my job – a job I had loved and been effective in. It’s had a chillling effect on my sense of security and justice to feel that something so unproven and potentially damaging to the rights and wellbeing of women and children has had so little scrutiny.

I have become aware that certain people feel themselves to have an unviolable sense of having the ‘correct’ views, based on the way they vote, and how unwilling they are to listen once they have placed a label (bigot) on others.

Gemma, Adult human female

Categories
Healthcare

The trans movement is a men’s rights movement

I care about this issue because I am a feminist and have spent much of my working life supporting girls and women in empowerment.

I was a social worker latterly and also fostered girls so am fully aware of the damage that had been done to them, emotionally, physically and sexually. 

I feel that the trans movement is a men’s rights movement. More importantly I believe that it is covering up for paedophilia. It is dangerous.

I have raised awareness of the harm the trans movement does to girls and women. This is to my family, friends, groups I belong to and to my MP. I have written to the safeguarding leads in every school in my local town and the surrounding villages raising safeguarding concerns. I have attended events regarding women’s sex based rights. I have completed consultations on self ID and have written to English and Scottish MP’s to either raise awareness or to thank them for their intervention. I have leafletted a local school to inform them of the threat to children. I regularly share relevant stories or information on Facebook. 

Lastly I have donated to crowdfunding ( including your own) and have signed countless petitions. I am lucky as I no longer work so have not had to deal with any issues in a workplace. However I have found that some people have either not believed what I am telling them or have stated that  they do not want to know. Family sometimes ask me not to talk about it at social events.

 Sara S, Retired Social Worker

Categories
Healthcare

I am gay and I also see the damage done to my community

This matters to me mostly because of the safeguarding of our children, particularly young girls. I am gay and I also see the damage done to my community.

Gender non conforming kids (like many of us LGB) are told that they are in the wrong body, based on sexist constructs, that our mothers fought to get free of. Not only that, they are doing irreparable harm to their body. A whole generation of lesbian is being erased. My sisters.

I have mostly talked individually to people and in non gender related FB groups I am part of.

I’ve presented research a psychological point of view of the gender ideology. I just can’t do it under my name yet, for fear of retribution in my work and loss of my license if I say that I won’t affirm at all costs.

I have been mostly followed and harrassed in my private message. My main profile on FB got reported and I had to start over with another profile. But the most disheartening is talking to smart people and being told that it just doesn’t affect them or they don’t see how such a minority could change laws.

DR, Gay gender critical, Canada

Categories
Healthcare

I have been utterly disillusioned by many organisations who should have safeguarding at their core

This matters to me because of the many very serious safeguarding implications. It has illustrated the multiple points of failure of safeguarding frameworks & it will always be the most vulnerable children & adults who will bear the consequences. It is ethically impossible to ignore these. I have been horrified by the treatment of those who are whistleblowing the issues.

I have contributed to the knowledge base of women who are raising their voices. I have ensured that I am very well informed.

There is so much misinformation. Evidence based responses are crucial as well as helping people feel more confident to dispel the avalanche of myths.

I have been utterly disillusioned by many organisations who should have safeguarding at their core. The safeguarding issues I raised with my MP were dismissed out of hand. She did not provide any evidence as rebuttal.

S

Categories
Healthcare

Women’s rights were hard won. They shouldn’t be dismantled as though granting them was a favour

Women’s rights were hard won. They shouldn’t be dismantled as though granting them was a favour. I’m sick of black women being used as evidence that black people are not really people. I’m personally insulted at the racist, homophobic and misogyny of most trans narrative.

How have women’s rights and needs advanced incrementally by millimetres, but trans issues are now forefront of public and private policy?

I have shared schools guidance with friends worried about the school decision to turn toilets into mixed sex areas with no consultation.

I have challenged at work (raising safeguarding implications), discussed with family and friends, donated to crowdfunding and amplified the voices of those doing the hard work on social media.

I have been warned off for flagging implications for other protected characteristics. I’ve also been accused of attacking a trans person in a private and left-politics Facebook group for providing alternative information to challenge the statement that trans people started Pride and Stonewall.

Barbarara, Sister, not Cister

Categories
Healthcare

I’ve been cautious, but find colleagues interested and in agreement

I work with women and children, have a safeguarding role, I’m a survivor of sexual abuse and domestic violence.

I have spoken up to my work colleagues about my concerns re self ID, puberty blockers and stated I’m shocked our profession isn’t more informed.

I’ve been cautious, but find colleagues interested and in agreement.

A, Health Visitor

Categories
Parent

My granddaughter deserves the right to grow up knowing she is female and what that actually means

I care because women’s biological reality is what has been used as an excuse to oppress women – not how we ‘identify’!

It is very important to me to regain women’s right to their own spaces (including but not limited to refuges, prisons, healthcare, social matters, and sexuality), words that describe us (including but not limited to ‘women’ ‘female’ ‘mother’), and the right to discuss what is important without being shouted down, threatened or assaulted.

My granddaughter deserves the right to grow up knowing she is female and what that actually means, without being confused by ‘gender identities’ or by the lack of safeguarding that comes with the TRA agenda.

I have emailed my MP, attended a WPUK event, highlighted the GRA (Gender Recognition Act) consultation on social media, queried myths on social media, supported those who speak gender critical truths, and liked JK on Twitter!

I’ve experienced some vicious attacks on social media, with the loss of some friends.

CE, Woman, mother, grandmother

Categories
Healthcare

This matters to me personally, as a gay man, and professionally as a social worker

This matters to me personally, as a gay man, and professionally as a social worker. I see the erosion of women’s rights and LGB people’s rights happening before our very eyes, and do not want the country to be taking such a regressive step.

I have raised my voice at work with certain colleagues, though they have largely been in agreement and supportive.

I have been called a TERF on social media and blocked by various people online. My main fear is a complaint to Social Work England, the regulator. While I find it ludicrous that someone would complain when a social worker raises legitimate concerns about women’s rights, LGB rights and child safeguarding, I have seen it happen already to a social work academic.

BF, Social Worker