#SexInTheSenedd (Election special!)

[MerchedCymru]

So this week, in the lead up to polling day in the Senedd election (May 6th) Merched Cymru have launched our social media Election Campaign.

Every day we're posting (in Welsh and English) about the upcoming Senedd elections using the cheeky hashtag #SexInTheSenedd / #SecsYnYSenedd. This is literally going far and wide with positive feedback, and we are encouraging women across Wales to let their local representatives know their feelings about the erosion of our rights,

Depressingly over the last week MC women have been excluded from hustings for asking entirely reasonable questions about the Equality Act. This is concerning (and astonishing tbh) especially as the events were centred on women.

Its time to hold our elected representatives to account, and as the saying goes, 'If you won't respect my Sex don't expect my X'!

Have a look at our posts on FB and Twitter, and if you're in Wales let your candidates know what you think....

www.facebook.com/MerchedCymru
twitter @MerchedCymru

[Olderbadger1]

Great campaign OP - and congratulations to your designer.
I'm in Wales and am mostly in despair at the level of anti-women bullying and silencing here, but this is cheering me up.

Haven't had a visit from any candidates yet, but I'm ready for them!

[YrHenWrach]

It's a great campaign, Merched Cymru. I'm a bit despairing with Wales at the moment - I've not had a single reply to any of my emails or tweets to candidates and was at the truly depressing Chwarae Teg hustings when our questions were ignored and some women were kicked out.

Looking for a glimmer of hope anywhere to mean that I won't need to spoil my ballot

[OhGodWhatTheHellNow]

Sadly, I'm too off the beaten track to get doorknockers but I have had a shitload of leaflets from all and sundry, and not one makes any reference to Identity Politics, CRT or anything related.

One could cynically think that they all know these are not subjects that win over rational people outside the activist bubble...

Potholes, though...

[mejon]

Excellent campaign Ferched. I'm sharing on FB and Twitter where I can.

[Olderbadger1]

Extraordinary report by a right-wing blogger about the extent to which Yes Cymru (the independence movement in Wales) is captured by the anti-women brigade.
Makes working out who to vote for even more difficult...
jacothenorth.net/blog/hopes-of-welsh-independence-being-jeopardised-by-yes-cymru/

[mejon]

[quote Olderbadger1]Extraordinary report by a right-wing blogger about the extent to which Yes Cymru (the independence movement in Wales) is captured by the anti-women brigade.
Makes working out who to vote for even more difficult...
jacothenorth.net/blog/hopes-of-welsh-independence-being-jeopardised-by-yes-cymru/[/quote]
I've been following it. One of 'our' allies has deactivated his account since yesterday, sick of all the in-fighting and insistence on 'no debate'. Plaid is the same. The hypocrisy of these YC people calling JOTN a fascist, using ageist, sexist slurs against him for having the audacity to call them out were the very ones attaching hashtags demanding the sacking of Helen Mary Jones (and continue to do so as being re-educated in the gulag isn't good enough) to every tweet - whether it was relevant or not and have been involved in the targetted harassment of several others willing to speak out. There's a very vocal minority of very unpleasant misogynists and handmaidens and unfortunately they are derailing the movement.

I spoilt my paper in the last election as there was absolutely no-one willing to support my rights. Looks like I'll be doing the same next week.

[Olderbadger1]

Interesting Mejon. I'm not surprised that the same people were behind the hounding of HMJ but I am astonished that people are so taken in by them. It's so easy to check out their assertions and prove them wrong.

Welsh politics is in a sorry state. Like you I'm having to consider spoiling my ballot paper - for the first time in my voting life.

[EnfysPreseli]

Not sure whether JotN is actually a right wing blog. He's certainly unreconstructed and writes some things that make me wince, but the way the 'fash' and 'right wing' insults get thrown in all directions by that little band of identitarian extremists render them meaninglessness. Not a fan by any means, but the comments under that blog are really, really revealing. Some of the contributors have more of a handle on things than I'd expected. It mentions other women in Wales who are being victimised for believing sex is real. I hope they have some support or that they contact Merched Cymru or one of the other GC groups if they're not in touch already.

Did anyone else see the other thread about Chwarae Teg on Twitter? They aren't about women's equality any more! twitter.com/rivier/status/1386780238609276929?s=19

[mejon]

@EnfysPreseli (great name BTW!) - I don't think he's particularly right wing either. I've followed his blog for a while and whilst I wouldn't agree with everything he says, he's perfectly within his rights to say what he does. He's long been a critic of the type of individuals he blogged about yesterday and has been supportive of women's rights. I've found his investigations into dodgy businesses quite the eye-openers. There weren't any comments on the piece when I looked yesterday so I'll have to go back and read it again.

I'd not seen that other Chwarae Teg tweet either - I'll take a closer look in a bit, but it seems par for the course. Diolch.

[Szulik]

Hopefully some of them reply. It would be nice to have some me acknowledgment of such an important issue!

[Olderbadger1]

Welsh MNers...
Merched Cymru have put out an urgent call for help in asking Senedd election candidates if they support women's sex-based rights. Please get involved... our politicians need to know that this matters.
merchedcymru.wales/2021/04/30/activism-ask-your-candidates-if-they-support-womens-rights/

[Olderbadger1]

The levels of cognitive dissonance among our would-be politicians is disturbing. So many who seem to see no conflict in supporting women's single-sex rights AND supporting men's right to identify as women and use female-only provision.

It's like trying to discuss philosophy with a gerbil.

[MerchedCymru]

[quote Olderbadger1]Welsh MNers...
Merched Cymru have put out an urgent call for help in asking Senedd election candidates if they support women's sex-based rights. Please get involved... our politicians need to know that this matters.
merchedcymru.wales/2021/04/30/activism-ask-your-candidates-if-they-support-womens-rights/[/quote]
Yes! Get this out far and wide. I cant believe that so many manifestos are completely avoiding mentioning womens rights, when we know women have been writing, e mailing, meeting with politicians to talk about the subject. Time to ruffle a few feathers and let them know they can't hide from this topic. We will still be asking questions and holding them to account.

[mejon]

I've emailed all of the 6 standing in my constituency this afternoon. I'll let you know if I get any response.

[Olderbadger1]

Me too. Had 3 replies to date - enthusiastic (but maybe not entirely convincing) support for women's rights from two right-wing parties; all-women-are-women-including-everyone from the Lib Dems. Sigh.

[daringdoris]

Adam Price is coming to my town this in the next few days!! I reckon I could be close enough to ask him. Should I???? (I mean, I'm pretty sure I can can guess what he might say, but could be interesting to see what he does come out with.)

[Olderbadger1]

You need to check out your escape route first. Or maybe wear a false beard. Price is sexist enough in his own right but his followers - especially the young ones and the Yes Cymru crowd are off the scale.

Actually, maybe wear two beards.

But yes please. Do ask him!

[OldCrone]

@daringdoris

Adam Price is coming to my town this in the next few days!! I reckon I could be close enough to ask him. Should I???? (I mean, I'm pretty sure I can can guess what he might say, but could be interesting to see what he does come out with.)

Adam Price has said: “Our party has passed policy that clearly says, as a point of principle, trans women are women, trans men are men."
www.thenational.wales/news/19140607.adam-price-responds-candidate-quits-transphobia/

While I was looking for a quote from him, I also found this article from 2019.
Plaid Cymru: Adam Price 'horrified' at abuse of women in party

And now, two years later, he's participating in the abuse directed at Helen Mary Jones for daring to step out of line on this issue.

[daringdoris]

Oh god. I should be ok, I'm on home terf turf, and any strange young Yes Cymru-ers, well, either I was at school with them and I'll give them a piece of my mind, or they'll have been mini-bussed in from elsewhere and I'll stand very close to the local candidate who likes me (well, he does at the moment! ) and let him tell them to pipe down - or indeed, see how he does react.
It's quite a small place here, I'm going to need more than 2 beards to pass unoticed!

[daringdoris]

OldCrone I know about Adam Price, I know...

I knew when I joined the party - I joined after asking Helen Mary Jones's advice about it, and she said, yes, fight from the inside, but so far, I've been feeling completely stuck.

[Olderbadger1]

It's depressing isn't it? I have been a Labour/Plaid voter since forever but I just can't see myself voting for either of them this time. Turkeys and Christmas come to mind.

[daringdoris]

I've had my plaid poster for weeks now. Every day I think I should put it in the window.
I just can't bring myself to do it.
Maybe I'll get some closure after Adam Price's visit .

[Olderbadger1]

I've been going round at night with my 'adult human female' stickers and sticking them on Labour signs in people's gardens. I imagine most people are entirely confused as to why that particular message has appeared in this rather elderly suburb!

[kittenkipping]

I'm Young enough to have spent the last few years active yes Cymru and very pro to independence. But as I've grown up the movement leaves me behind. There's no where for me to go. Trans women shouldn't be deliberately mis gendered and I'm certainly in the camp of grey areas. But, the denial of science? They aren't biological women. They can't play in our sport. We can't keep on down the path of ignorance of biology. I'm at a loss as to why my generation who are ALL ABOUT acceptance of mental health disorders, don't accept gender dysphoria as just that- it's hard and we need to be understanding and supportive- but WTF?! Pretending it's not a mental health issue and is in fact, FACT, is, forgive the pun, mental.

[Olderbadger1]

Yes Cymru do seem (to my elderly eyes at least) rather intolerant in their views - not only about the trans debate/no debate, but in all aspects of the movement. Seems to be a whiff of purity politics with little room for nuance or challenge even about the complex economic or border issues.

But the direct and very evidently misogynistic attacks on often older women who merely seek to speak up for their rights are really off-putting. Why do you think this has happened Kitten?