Tag: work

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Media and Arts

I do not want to be part of a society in which ideologies may not be critiqued or questioned, under threat of violence

I care because the more I learnt about this issue, the more blatantly misogynistic and terrifying for women’s rights it became. I knew nothing a couple of years ago, but started to see words like TERF appearing online and wondered what they meant. The answer led me down a dystopian rabbit-hole, as I saw what else was happening in the name of ‘trans rights’.

Far from a mere social media issue, it is now having real world consequences. I have worked in Universities which have changed previously ‘Women Only’ toilets into spaces for ‘All Genders’ (sic) . This not only makes me feel like my personal safety has been sold down the river for an adolescent gimmick, but I also got a sense that many young female students weren’t comfortable with it either, but daren’t speak up, lest they be tarnished as “bigots”. This makes my blood boil.

I have also encountered ‘gender neutral’ toilets at a major city centre theatre which has gone full ‘woke’, despite the reality that their biggest clientele are of retirement age and are likely to be baffled by it all.

( I also had an experience last year on a freelance job, when all of the toilets in the public building being used, were temporarily re-labelled ‘gender neutral’, discriminating against the needs of the large number of female staff (who stayed silent), simply to accommodate a “non-binary” 19 year old girl, whom we had to remember to address as ‘they/them’ throughout or else, like an episode of the Twilight Zone).

I also believe this movement is totalitarian and undemocratic and I do not want to be part of a society in which ideologies may not be critiqued or questioned, under threat of violence. I do not believe it is really about trans rights at all, it is a smokescreen for the oppression of women.

I’m furious and scared that women are being made explicitly less safe, yet if we speak about it it is US who get called BIGOTS!!! It must stop. Self-ID becoming law would be the worst thing to ever happen to women.

Amongst close friends and family I have spoken openly about the issue with much agreement (and disbelief). I have signed petitions, and contributed to legal cases when I can. I have also donated to women’s groups, such as Fairplay for Women, etc. I have bought tickets to events in my area (but not always attended if I thought there may be a hostile crowd nearby). I contributed my opinions to the GRA review. I have sent supportive messages to outspoken, more confident women online so they hopefully know that someone agrees with them. I have also emailed retailers with discriminatory policies, such as gender neutral changing rooms, to register a complaint.

I never use my real name for GC activities as I fear being targeted by a misogynistic hate mob, as has happened to so many outspoken women. I also fear that if I were to speak out, in even the mildest terms, it would damage my future career/earnings. I work freelance in the “arts” where the mantra is ‘trans women are women’ with no room for dissent. To question this, is to be labelled a ‘transphobe’ resulting in career-suicide under the current climate.

Deborah, Adult human female

Categories
Media and Arts

I feel like I’m being shown the colour red whilst someone screams in my face ITS BLUE ITS BLUE.

I care because I’m a woman living in an increasingly frightening world. And I’m not allowed to say what I think. I feel like I’m being shown the colour red whilst someone screams in my face ITS BLUE ITS BLUE. Some days I feel like I’m going mad. Because I believe Biology is real I am having to defend myself all the time.

I have spoken in confidence to other friends, we are all scared to say things publicly but there are so many of us talking privately.

I have had my Wikipedia page butchered and doctored to read “is a transphobic actress’ I have been told off on social Media. Facebook and twitter. I have lost friends and dare not talk to others as I know I would lose them too. I think I have lost work over it but cannot prove it.

L, Actress, anon

Categories
Men

Stonewall etc have tried to deny same sex attraction and replace it with gender

I’m a gay male. I feel concerned that Stonewall etc have tried to deny same sex attraction and replace it with gender. I am worried that this could result in serious undermining of gay / lesbian rights which I feel are more fragile than some appear to think.

I’m very concerned that young gay men / lesbians may take hasty and life altering decisions to transition and then regret it later. I do not trust organisations like Mermaids or Stonewall not to encourage transitions in young people who might actually just need time to come to terms with sexuality.

I have put across my views on Twitter. I have spoken to various friends and a couple of colleagues about this issue. I wish I could keep my mouth shut as it doesn’t win friends, but I just feel it’s so serious.

I do wonder if I haven’t lost one or two friends about this issue, though no one has said that directly (just disappeared). I generally try to keep quiet apart from on Twitter where I am partially anonymous (though use my real name).

I worry slightly about a convo I had at work with a senior manager who runs the Pride network.

I generally keep it fairly low key though so no huge issues.

Gay Man

Categories
Media and Arts

Now males tell us we can’t talk about out experiences because it’s transphobic

I care because I know females are oppressed, suffer violence and are a long way from equality because of their biological sex and now males tell us we can’t talk about out experiences because it’s transphobic.

I have tweeted (using a pseudonym), spoken (carefully) to people in real life, shared pieces on Facebook.

I’ve lost friends after I’ve spoken up. I don’t dare to be much more vocal about it because I am a media freelancer and would lose work.

Flo, Adult human female

Categories
Media and Arts

This is not what I fought for, this is not what I marched for

I care about this issue because women, especially lesbians, are being erased.  I’m a lesbian feminist with a degree in Women’s Studies.  In the 90’s I ran a women only night in the Gay Village in Manchester.  I had to fight to keep it women only (one night out of 7 nights on the top floor of a club that was mainly male on the other two floors).  This is not what I fought for, this is not what I marched for.  It’s corruption and misogyny and it terrifies me.

I’ve spoken out with friends and anyone who knows me will know my position.  I also donate and try and bring the issue out into the conversation in my sad attempt to get friends and family to take notice.  But that’s it because I work in media and currently looking for a job.  I will not get hired.  It’s f*cking insane.

Friends for decades are gone.  I don’t miss them.

Donna C

Categories
Media and Arts

It feels like the biggest attack on women’s rights I have seen in my lifetime

This matters to me because I am extremely worried that young women in particular are being led down a medical path that includes surgery and hormones. Lots of adolescent girls go through a phase of being unhappy about their bodies or anxious about their sexuality, and instead of being helped to come to terms with that, they are being told that they are “really” boys and that they should irreversibly mutilate their bodies. I find that absolutely shocking.

I am also hugely concerned at the idea that men, simply by claiming to identify as women, should be allowed into women’s refuges or prisons, into women’s changing rooms or toilets, or to compete in women’s sports. It feels like the biggest attack on women’s rights I have seen in my lifetime. It’s horrifying.

I’ve written articles, I’ve donated to crowdfunders, I have spoken out on social media (though not much in real life), I’ve written to my MP, I’ve written submissions to public consultations (e.g. on the proposed GRA changes), I’ve attended a trial of a woman prosecuted for wrongthink and I’m involved in one of the campaigning groups for women’s rights.

I’ve had people be a bit rude to and about me on social media, but no actual threats. I am self-employed so it’s possible I’ve lost work, but I can’t be sure.

Hannah, Writer

Categories
Healthcare Media and Arts

I can see women’s safe spaces being eliminated

I can see women’s safe spaces being eliminated, loss of legal rights and opportunities, abuse of children.

I’ve talked to lots of people, given money.

I’m terrified of raising concerns officially at work – a Stonewall-captured organisation.

Nicola, #WarInWomen #CisIsASlur

Categories
Healthcare Media and Arts

Something is very very wrong

Women been oppressed as a class throughout time and across the globe because of our biological sex. The hard won rights that have been fought for by generations of women are at serious risk of being completely eroded overnight by manipulating reality through language.

I care about this because I care about all women and I also care about all the young gay boys and lesbians who feel transitioning is a way out of homosexuality. I care about the young women who hate their bodies and are being encouraged to mutilate them.

I care about all the children who are now being told that they have some magical essence of gender that exists on a spectrum between GI Joe and Barbie. Will my nephews be told they might be girls if they wear pink??

I cannot and do not talk about this issue with anyone other than those closest too me, namely my mum and sister. I do not engage online as I would lose my job I am certain. Maybe not overnight, but it would happen eventually.

4 years ago I moved from London to a small rural town where I run a community arts and entertainment venue

This issue is so contentious and comes from such a conservative starting point but is masked as liberalism that I know my view would be considered hateful, improper and bigoted despite everything else I hold dear and am active and vocal about demonstrating the opposite.

It’s just incredibly dangerous and in a world where I’m setting up an anonymous twitter account and shaking doing it simply to state that biological sex is real and to ‘like’ a tweet without fear of losing my job, something is very very wrong!

I dare not speak out.  But, things are changing in my work and I fear that soon I will have to and I genuinely don’t know what will happen then.

Woman

Categories
Media and Arts

My agent is a trans woman who I love and respect and I felt our relationship may have been damaged

I care because I can see where self ID will lead in terms of the erasure of women as a sex class and the threat to our basic rights even under the law.

I have engaged in what I thought was debate on Twitter.

I have been piled on by abusive people. Gay Star News contacted my agent for a comment and made me out to be a terrible transphobe. My agent is a trans woman who I love and respect and I felt our relationship may have been damaged. 

People also contacted a theatre where I had worked to put pressure on them and an actress that I follow – a woman with Down’s Syndrome who I admire. She doesn’t even know me. I had to contact people and ask them to delete stuff about me. I took the offending tweet down immediately I discovered it had caused trouble but they took screen shots and taunted me with spreading it.

I had to spend a long time blocking all the responses. I was left very shaken and fearing for my good name and my integrity. I am not the things I was being called. It was horrible and could have been damaging to my work.

Jan, Actor

Categories
Healthcare Media and Arts

I see girls being told that there is something fundamentally wrong with them,

I care because I see girls being told that there is something fundamentally wrong with them, at a time when they should be being encouraged to explore themselves and come to like and love themselves. What’s worse is that they are also being put on a path to unnecessary and hugely damaging medication and surgery. I also care because I believe the truth – and freedom to talk the truth – matters. I should not have to refer to a man as “she” or vice versa, any more than I should have to refer to a white person as black.

At the moment, I have not done much; I have discussed with friends and a few colleagues at work. I have refused to fill in diversity questionnaires because they ask what gender I was assigned at birth, without giving me the option to say that I was not assigned a gender at birth. I have written to the organiser explaining why I could not fill it in and asking that the questionnaire be amended to allow me to fill it in. I have contributed funds towards people taking legal action to prevent the medicalisation of children.

I have been deliberately low key about my views so far.

Kate