Tag: women's rights

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Healthcare Self employed / entrepreneurs

There can be no equality; there can be no ‘MeToo’ movement, if we cannot talk about sex

I care about this issue because I know how much women have had to fight for the rights they currently hold and I can see how easily they are being eroded. Single sex spaces and the ability to define women as a sex class are both integral to being able to fight against and record male violence.

There can be no equality; there can be no ‘MeToo’ movement, if we cannot talk about sex and protect single sex spaces. As a parent, I also care about this issue because equating biological sex with gender stereotypes is regressive and endangers all our children. Children should be able to play with and wear what they want, without being told their age appropriate child development means they are ‘trans’. Further, I am appalled that an untested medical pathway is being promoted as a solution to ever younger people, despite having poor outcomes.

I have written to organisations that have elided sex and gender. I have contacted groups that have jeopardised safeguarding including the NSPCC and Girlguiding. I have completed the GRA consultations. I have contributed to crowd funders and signed petitions. I have joined feminist groups and attended events. I have leafleted. I have also discussed this issue with family, friends and colleagues. I have changed our household purchasing habits in response to companies’ capitulating to trans rights activists and sacrificing women’s rights to placate bullying campaigns.

I have had some awkward conversations with friends and received some hectoring on social media. However, generally, in real life, I find most people agree with the need to maintain the definition of woman and to protect single sex spaces.

MM, Writer, Editor, Feminist

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Healthcare Parent

I see children being pushed into unhealthy choices

This matters to me because of the gross unfairness of women’s rights and voices being erased and the gaslighting of trying to convince us a man in a dress is a woman.  It matters to me because I see children being pushed into unhealthy choices by societal pressures of the kind we have been trying to break down for decades.  This is regressive and most of the general public is unaware of this and would not even believe some of the things that are happening.

I have spoken to staff and emailed my child’s school (secondary) and been able to have a positive discussion and point them in the direction of Transgender Trend.  I have frequently contributed to crowdfunders.  I spoken to certain friends and family and at work I have spoken to some adults who I have known for some time and feel I can trust on this issue. I have sometimes liked and retweeted on twitter but I use my real name and am very afraid of attacks and abuse and so I have never written my own tweets and am very cautious.  I have written to my MP and signed petitions and letters.

I have been extremely cautious and not spoken up as much as I would like.

C, concerned parent

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Self employed / entrepreneurs

When I’m old and vulnerable I don’t want to find my woman doctor is actually a man

I believe women have the right to privacy and to spaces where men can’t go. I also believe women have the right to be treated (medically for example) by women and to refuse to be treated by men. I do not believe people can change sex, so even if a man is ‘transgender’ he is still biologically and in reality a man. I don’t believe he should be able to hide that fact in all cases. To allow that would impinge on women’s rights in many ways.

When I’m old and vulnerable I don’t want to find my woman doctor is actually a man. Also, I have stepdaughters and I don’t want them forced to accept that men can be women and to have men invade their privacy. I also fear that ‘self identification’ will provide an opportunity for any man to invade women’s spaces in order to harm women and girls.

I have responded to the GRA consultation and I wrote to others to tell them about it and encourage them to respond. I also tweeted and facebooked about it and wrote to my MP. I’ve made contact/connected with other women – inc locally – to work on this issue together. I’m also part of a group of women working to challenge the issue in the political party we are all members of. I raise the issue with friends and family when I can. I donate to crowdfunders when I can afford it. I also sign petitions and write letters to those in/with power. When I can I share letter templates and encourage others to write/speak up too.

After tweeting about the GRA consultation, a young transwoman (a trans identified male) who works in the same field as me attacked me on social media. A long, ranty thread including accusations of transphobia etc. I didn’t know/had never met this person in real life.

Perhaps foolishly I responded (I spent an hour writing three v.careful tweets in reply). There was a ‘pile on’ against me by others in my industry – including people I did know personally. I felt bullied and it was extremely stressful.

It made me afraid – and I’m not someone who’s used to that feeling. I’m mostly confident and more than capable of sticking up for myself. I lost a lot of Twitter followers (no big deal in the grand scheme of things). Then in the autumn several jobs I usually did at this time (that I’d done annually for several years) weren’t offered. I don’t think it was a coincidence – but I can’t be sure. I wasn’t offered the work in 2019 either though.

I largely stopped tweeting about gender critical things after this and blocked the person who attacked me as much as for their sake as mine. After the original incident, the following summer, I found out the same young person was badmouthing me on Twitter again but could no longer @mention me.

They’d clearly looked back through my feed to find gender critical things (inc. shock horror a RT of @glinner!) and would have seen I’d tweeted nothing on the issue for approx four months. This didn’t stop them tweeting about me, accusing me of transphobia and telling their followers to DM them so they could tell people who I was. They and a few of their followers also encouraged people to shun me and unfollow me. Several clients and contacts unfollowed me at this point. During this time I became very anxious and depressed and found it hard to work. I was afraid of losing the work I still had and too nervous to attend industry events. It took me ages to feel strong again – thanks to connecting with other GC women and a self defence course.

“Alice Brean”, Freelance writer

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Others

I am opposed to bullying, aggression, gaslighting, hatred and purposeful disruption to democratic processes

Truth matters and the material truth is that males and females differ. Women live in a male-dominated society and are oppressed as such. I care about women in general and my daughter’s future, in particular. I am concerned about the impact of certain ideologies including Queer theory on civil society and the maintenance and progress of equal respect for women in society.

I am opposed to bullying, aggression, gaslighting, hatred and purposeful disruption to democratic processes, all of which I have experienced from people advocating against women’s rights under the guise of other causes. A tolerant society has rules and boundaries for the protection of all, it also necessarily has norms and doesn’t deny female people their fundamental human rights to avoid offending a minority.

I have spoken out in the Labour Party locally and nationally and have written to my daughter’s school. I have commented on surveys and consultations and anonymously on social media. I also discuss my concerns with people face to face when I get the opportunity to do so.

I have been smeared, voted out of positions and bullied within the Labour Party and other activism. This has sapped my energy and curtailed my actions. I was dismissed and treated like a “difficult parent” by the school. I have felt fearful and threatened in meetings and other situations. I feel silenced and stigmatised for my belief in the material reality of sexed bodies and that female people are human beings with equal rights.

Anon, Female, daughter, mother

Categories
Healthcare trans familiy Voluntary sector

My sister is transitioning into a transman

I care as a woman who has been raped about maintaining safe spaces for women. I care as the mother of a girl that she will be able to fully participate in sports without being edged out by a man who was subpar against other men. I care because my sister is transitioning into a transman and I feel that she, as someone who has struggled with mental health since early teens was taken advantage of by online pressure groups and a medical system hell bent on capitalising on her pain.

I have released videos on twitter, spoken out on twitter and in person and most of all I helped found a new political party that is for Scottish independence and also pro women’s rights (Independence for Scotland Party) @IndyScotParty

I have been called a terf by my own sibling. It has caused immense pain and difficulty in my family. I have had death threats. I am contemplating moving out of the country for the safety of my children so I can continue my advocating but keep them safe from those who may do me or us harm.

V, Mum of 4, adult human female

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Voluntary sector

It has been stressful and frustrating for myself and other staff

I care because in my organisation, I have found that the constant blurring of sex, gender and gender identity in organisational policies, blogs, guidelines and training materials at best undermines their effectiveness, and at worst installs regressive and harmful stereotypes.

I care because I value the power of data to advance the rights of all, and am deeply concerned about the quality of my organisations’ evidence when we use confusing terms like ‘non-man’ or ‘woman-identifed’ in staff or community surveys.

I care because women in the UK are losing their jobs or on ‘performance improvement plans’ for speaking up.

I care because I think there is real work that must take place to fight genuine anti-rights actors and human rights abuses around the world, and until we tackle head-on the issues of conflicting rights we cannot move forward.

I have rewritten guidelines, tools, research papers and strategic documents that: used gender identity instead of sex; included incorrect or problematic definitions of gender; did not use the word women in the name of inclusion and intersectionality. 

I have carefully spoken to staff across the organisation about this issue – always from a rights-based perspective – asking questions, sharing blogs or studies when relevant. I have repeatedly attempted to influence senior managers to follow correct Equality Act legislation rather than Stonewall guidance (with partial success). I have flagged reputational risks of alienating female supporters.

I have listened to women who have been told their feminism is ‘trash’ (by men) and spent time explaining to staff why calling other staff members ‘TERF’ is unacceptable, whilst trying my best to build bridges across staff communities. I have lobbied for spaces to discuss these issues in the workplace.

The negative consequences have been opaque and veiled warnings: be careful, get in line, be inclusive.

There have been impacts on workloads – without a serious policy framework language must be agreed on an exhausting and time consuming case-by-case basis. Hours have been spent drafting detailed policy recommendations that carefully address conflicts of rights which are swiftly ignored or rebutted with the mantra ‘we will be inclusive’ with no time spent engaging in any of the substance.

On an emotional level, it has been stressful and frustrating for myself and other staff. I know a number of staff who feel silenced, and unable to discuss openly on our online work platform because of the backlash, which has included warnings by senior managers. Meanwhile, potentially negative impacts of policy capture and new strategic direction on the communities we work with are yet unknown and unexplored.

Anonymous, Working on Women’s Rights for a UK INGO

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Voluntary sector

I was born with a condition which meant my reproductive organs were not formed properly

This matters to me for two reasons; One, it’s a fundamental threat to women’s rights. and more personally, I was born with a condition which meant my reproductive organs were not formed properly. This was and has been given many names over the years but it remains and issue which is dealt with in the shadows of healthcare and support. Most people just don’t know anything about it. And that’s the way most of us have lived our lives.

It’s newest name is Intersex, which is an umbrella term and doesn’t really accurately reflect any womans experiece and has also had the misfortune of sounding like we are some hybrid between two sexes. Needless to say this misnomer has been a gift to the ‘gender’ movement.

Now I have to read about how our complex health and in some cases mental health issues somehow ‘prove’ that biological sex doesn’t exist. And if I speak up I’m a ”TERF’

I work for a charity and whilst it hasn’t really been a major focus. We have had one diversity training session which spent a lot of time on trans issues but at that time I wasn’t really focused on it. Now I dread a Stonewall type session- I really don’t think I could stomach it without possibly getting in trouble.

The only saving grace of this pandemic is that the focus will be on financial survival and other health strategies for my employer for the near future.

I’m a coward and don’t speak up. That said I used to be able to talk online in a private forum about my condition, but there’s nowhere safe to do that now.

Rena, in the shadows

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Healthcare Others

I’m grateful my daughter is grown up and not the toddler that insisted she was a boy

I care about women’s rights, freedom of speech, democracy. I dislike and fear authoritarian and violent nature of trans activism. I care about democracy and rights of women to meet, right to speak out. I care about accurate use of English language. I care about accurate data. I care about safeguarding children, and vulnerable women. I’m against gay conversion therapy whether it’s psychological by churches or medical and physical by voluntary organisations and the medial establishment. I’m grateful my daughter is grown up and not the toddler that insisted she was a boy.

I responded to consultations on reform of GRA in Scotland and Westminster, to implementation of Gender Representation on Public Boards, evidence on conflation of sex and gender to Scottish Government, responded to Hate Crime consultation. Write to MP, MSP, Cancer Research UK of effect of self ID on clinical trials. I’ve talked to friends and family and small group of people and arranged talk for same group. I’ve attended meetings. Left leaflets in books, metro on buses other public places.

I’ve had some angry messages when I arranged discussion of issues to small group.

Luddite, born in 60s, grew up 80s.

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Others

I’ve been blocked on Twitter by Frankie Boyle, Jolyon Maugham and John Nicolson MP – is this a negative?

This matters to me because it has revealed to me how fragile women’s rights are. The attempt to redefine us out of existence is the biggest threat to the rights our foremothers fought for. We mustn’t let them down.

I’ve spoken to friends, relatives and colleagues, I’ve written to political representatives, I’ve donated to crowdfunders, I’ve met MSPs, I’ve responded to Government consultations, I’ve badgered friends and relatives at home and abroad to respond to consultations, I’ve joined a campaign group, I’ve delivered leaflets to people’s doors, I’ve leafletted in the street and at football matches, I’ve set up stalls on high streets and talked to members of the public, and I’ve been to demos.

I’ve been blocked on Twitter by Frankie Boyle, Jolyon Maugham and John Nicolson MP – is this a negative??? When leafleting with a friend we were abused by a group of people who called us terfs. A meeting I attended was aggressively protested by transactivists. To be honest though, any negative consequences are massively outweighed by the positive. I’ve loved the campaigning and I’ve loved meeting some fantastic women. I’m still terrified at the assault on our rights, but I love my terfy friends!

Kate

Categories
Public Sector

When I can’t use the words women or woman, how can I work in a feminist way?

As a woman and long-time feminist I need the language to be able to describe the sex class I belong to and the issues we all face as females. To have this language taken from us, to be silenced in this way, is profoundly disturbing and authoritarian.

Knowing the harsh and unfair consequences that some women face for speaking out has had a chilling effect on me. I am otherwise an outspoken woman but working in local government, I know I cannot question the gender ideology that is prevalent these days.

I risk being labelled a bigot at best and facing official censure at worst. This means I cannot work as I would like to further the cause of women’s liberation. When I can’t use the words women or woman, how can I work in a feminist way?

I have done all my activism in a very different way to usual. It’s been filing in consultations and getting informed. I’ve only spoken about the issue to my male partner and had one or two tentative conversations with friends.

At work, where our ‘diversity and inclusion’ officers have removed women from campaigns against violence against women and have widened International Women’s Day awards to men (not just those who think they’re women), I have had to be very careful.

I edit with caution, use words that can’t be argued with (for example, quoting external official bodies that haven’t totally erased women). But mainly I stay away from work fighting for women’s rights that in previous years I was driving within our communications team in local government. I am so disappointed in myself for this but I also don’t want to take on the bullies in my organisation who I know will attack me if I stand up for women’s rights and against gender ideology.

I haven’t really spoken up yet. I am slowly building my confidence and being inspired by vocal women who have. Like you Maya.

Sarah, local government worker, Australia