The Gender Dissidents SurveyI have benefited from single sex services as a small girl with a learning disabled mum.
I’ve mouthed off on the internet and hounded local politicians.
I have not been threatened. apparently I am intimidating. I think my age and youthful photo aid that. I’m actually very nice.
Emma M
As a woman I care about this because women’s hard won rights are being eroded. We need single sex spaces and sports to ensure safety, dignity and equality. I’m worried that children are being pushed into irreversible medical procedures without the knowledge or maturity to make a wise decision. Men are still telling women what to think, in fact what we are, it’s the same old misogyny as ever.
I have attended Woman’s Place UK meetings. I submitted evidence to the GRA consultation. I’ve written to my MP about my concerns. I’ve spoken to friends and family about the issue.
I’ve been very careful about who I speak to and what I say so I haven’t personally experienced negative consequences.
As a 63 year old woman I have a lot of older friends, all the women I know in this age bracket are very concerned about this issue, especially about children being pushed into irreversible medical procedures.
I’ve heard a lot of stories from other women about the abuse they’ve experienced in the past which makes them particularly anxious to maintain single sex spaces for girls and women as an urgent issue.
Maggie, Woman
This matters to me as a mother of both sexes and as a domestic violence survivor.
Maintaining single sex spaces is important for my sense of dignity and safety. As a parent, it matters that my children, both male and female, are able to use single sex spaces for their privacy and dignity, but especially to protect my daughters from sexual harassment.
I am deeply concerned that children are allowed to make decisions that can have serious long term consequences and that we as adults allow them, when as adults we should be collectively protecting them from harm.
I have discussed at work, with friends and on various social media platforms. But I have to be careful, because of my work and my volunteering. I believe I can equally raise my voice in giving girls confidence to question the stereotypes society presents and to remain true to their own beliefs. I have a few friends, ironically one with two pre-teen daughters.
I know the consequences if i spoke up to the wrong people, and i have to be careful, which makes me very cross.
FR, Mother of 3
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
I’m a senior doctor, who qualified into a very male dominated profession. Sexism (even when inadvertent) was & is the norm, and difficult to get addressed. As it is, female patients’ problems can be dismissed readily if the diagnosis isn’t obvious.
My biggest fear is that predatory men will take advantage of “gender identity” rules to assault vulnerable women in hospitals, as they have in prisons already.
I have started to engage on Twitter: the pile-on to JK Rowling’s tweets have been galvanising for me on this issue. It took a while for me to understand that “transwomen” had extended beyond the realm of people who had actually transitioned (or were in the process of it) to people who are male-bodied and not committed to transition.
I have also contacted my medical indemnity association: the NHS guidance is very woolly on what happens if female patients object to the presence of an obvious man in a hospital ward.
Essentially, the staff are told to try to justify it to the other patients and if all else fails, find a single room for one or other of the parties.
I have been told that I should be ashamed to be a doctor, that they feel “sorry for patients” having to deal with me. I have been placed on a “TERF” blocklist. I have been called racist, homophobic, and inevitably “transphobic” (and that was after bringing up examples of women prisoners being raped).
I have had to lock my account, particularly as I am worried that I will be reported to the regulator for being critical of gender-identity, and could face sanctions on my career.
N, Doctor
This matters to me because female rights are slowly being diluted by a small majority of misogynistic men. As a survivor of sexual assault I cannot stand by and allow men to invade the spaces where women should feel safe.
I feel angry that these groups of men feel that they can appropriate female language and can call people who are standing up for their rights as Terfs, transphobic, or other derogatory terminology. Mansplaining at its finest, a very dangerous path we are heading down.
I have drawn the attention of friends who were not even aware of what has been happening. I have provided evidence to family and friends about the proposed changes to women’s rights and the dangers that come with allowing men to identify as female. I would like to raise my voice more and am considering an anonymous blog or twitter page so that I can contribute to this safely.
In terms of my friends and family I have found that they have been open to the information that I have provided. However, I am currently employed in a profession that certainly promotes inclusivity and an understanding of the feelings of others so I would be worried about the consequences if I was to speak of these things on a higher platform.
A, Feminist
I am a woman. I am a mother to a daughter, and I don’t want her to feel she must accept male bodies near her in toilets, changing rooms in school and elsewhere and I don’t want her to be forced to compete in unfair situations in sport.
I have an elderly mother and I fear for her dignity in healthcare provision. I fear for women for whom written language is a problem who don’t access healthcare because they don’t realise they’re people-who-menstruate, etc. I feel bad for women who will be excluded for public life due to religion or disability who can’t access gyms, loos, shop changing rooms, etc. I feel bad for women who miss out from all-women shortlists, etc, because of men taking their place.
I worry about young people being subjected to experimental treatment. I worry for the mental health of those who aren’t resilient enough to cope with words like ‘woman’ without self-harming or committing suicide. I worry about crime stats, and male crimes being recorded as female. And I’m angry that our centuries of shared experience of constant male subjugation and harassment is, apparently, forgotten.
I have only discussed this with a few close women friends or anonymously online. All I have spoken to in real life have expressed the same concerns, including an experienced clinical psychologist.
I haven’t spoken up in my own name. I frequently opt out of the conversation online because I find it distressing and frustrating. Thank you for this opportunity.
WildRedWord, Woman
I don’t want my daughters to feel like they can’t do something because they are the ‘wrong’ sex. Also I want to feel safe in single sex areas.
Suzy
This matters to me as a rape victim, I don’t want people with penises in my changing rooms, in my toilets, in women’s prisons. And as for biological men (who identify as women) competing in women’s sports that makes my blood boil, I know as a female I can’t throw as far, run as fast, lift as heavy as a biological male and it makes me so mad that women, no matter how hard they try will never be able to compete.
I have also been looking into autogynophilia and it scares me, I think a large number of these men have this. I honestly have no problems with people that have fully transitioned. And the vile abuse that people get on Twitter for saying all this is scary.
I’ve liked things on Twitter. I’m too scared to even retweet. I refuse to be called cis, I’m a woman.
I have been called a transphobe by my good friends. I change the subject now because it makes me uncomfortable.
Moonface , Not cis
I care because I am concerned that changes to the GRA could result in predatory males having easier access to hurt women and girls. I am concerned because ‘Trans’ no longer seems to mean ‘transsexual’ but anyone who ‘cross-dresses’. I am concerned because women can no longer say ‘woman is adult human female’ without being accused of transphobic and biological sex classes are now up for debate. The whole gender identity issue is full of men hating on women and women being forced out of their jobs for speaking about their sex based oppression.
I have donated to crowd funders. Tales to friends. Communicated on Twitter in a Locked account.
I refused to deliver LGBTQ sessions in my place of work which conflate sex and gender. I discuss the issues with work colleagues
I have had arguments with others and have blocked people on Twitter and FB.
The Gender Dissidents Survey