Feminist student society sanctioned by Bristol University

[ArabellaScott]

Currently crowdfunding to protect their right to maintain a single sex space.

This looks pretty important, to me. Crowdfunder on Crowd Justice, if you search using the title of this thread you should find it.

'Our case could be the among the first brought by women who were directly prevented from or sanctioned for using the single-sex exemptions under the Equality Act 2010. The rights everyone has to single-sex spaces mean nothing if public bodies and institutions, such as the Bristol SU, can override and dictate which rights women should or should not have.

All we want is to hold our women-only consciousness-raising meetings where we discuss our lives and unapologetically centre ourselves. We simply want the BSU to abide by the law and recognise that their sanctions against us were unfair and discriminatory. We want to continue operating using the single-sex exemptions for our restricted consciousness-raising meetings, and to continue holding our successful public feminists events where everybody is welcomed'

[KaycePollard]

Thanks for this @ArabellaScott

I know you can’t give a direct link to the funding page, but could you give us the full official name of the group do we can support if we wish?

Autumn gardening in the hope of spring.

[YesDearNoDear]

Surely Bristol SU's definition of a woman is discriminatory: a man could claim discrimination as some men have been admitted while others excluded.

I've dug in support. This does seem a really important test of the EqA.

[ArabellaScott]

I think so! It's 'Women Talk Back' and Rachel Rosario-Sanchez is the chair.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/13/university-feminist-society-disciplined-excluding-trans-women/

[ArabellaScott]

Hmmm. Not sure if that is coming up in search.

Link was posted on A Woman's Place UK facebook today.

www.facebook.com/womansplaceuk/

[KaycePollard]

Thank you! I’ll check in there.

[GreekTragedy]

Also a link on their Twitter

go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=mobile.twitter.com/WomenTalk_Back/status/1439635347747581956

[GreekTragedy]

Ignore my link!! Not sure what's happened there!

[ArabellaScott]

Thanks, Greek.

[ArabellaScott]

• link worked fine for me?

[SpindleWhorl]

Thank you for the heads-up on this.

[Manderleyagain]

This must be really important. The union don't want to allow any group to be female only even though that is allowed under the EA. So I guess the question for the court will be is the su allowed a blanket ban on any affiliates using the single sex exceptions to run s genuinely female only event or service. Does that discriminate against who need it (yes would be my answer).

[Gingerkittykat]

I've seen a few single sex male spaces pop up recently, things like men's sheds and Andy's mans club which meets every Monday in loads of locations. I've seen women be really supportive of these groups and completely understand why men sometimes want a single sex space.

I'm a member of a woman only MH support group. Instead of trying to invade Andy's mans club a group of women saw how successfull it was and set up a similar group for women.

I've lost count of how many times i have seen this group attacked online for being women only. The latest one was from a man who wanted to come along because he didn't want to go to the men's group since men are mean to each other! The attacks have been from men as well as women.

[Carriemac]

That's outrageous

[MrsOvertonsWindow]

Don't worry everyone - Ed Davey is running round the country personally disrupting every single incidence of women meeting without the supervision of men. He'll be in Bristol to give the boys in the Bristol SU his full support after he's finished all his current car crash interviews the Lib Dem's conference on planet Zog has finished.

[Abhannmor]

Thanks Arabella.

[Stealhsquirrelnutkin]

Delighted to be able to chip in and support the legal challenge. Bristol University has been getting away with discriminating against women for far too long.

After our women-only society became affiliated in 2018, the Bristol SU changed its bylaws to modify it's definition of ‘women’ to mean: “All who self define as women, including (if they wish) those with complex gender identities that include 'woman', and those who experience oppression as women.” This definition is not in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 which defines “sex” as meaning “man or woman”. “Man” is defined as “a male of any age” and “woman” as “a female of any age”. Neither “gender” nor “gender identity” are protected characteristics under the Act. Furthermore, there is no definition of the word ‘men’ in the BSU bylaws.

They don't get to rewrite the Equality Act to suit their bonkers religion, female students have the right to single-sex exceptions under the Equality Act 2010. These exceptions allow for groups to be single-sex (in this case women-only) when being single-sex is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. A consciousness raising group for females to discuss issues that only females experience is clearly a legitimate aim.

[BlueistheNewme]

Thanks for this, I’ve just donated.

[LizzieSiddal]

What an important case. I will donate.

[MonsignorMirth]

modify it's definition of ‘women’ to mean: All who self define as women, including (if they wish) those with complex gender identities that include 'woman', and those who experience oppression as women.”

And how are the words 'women' / 'women' defined?
Argh at least TRY!

[SaltySheepdog]

.

[LobsterNapkin]

@MonsignorMirth

modify it's definition of ‘women’ to mean: All who self define as women, including (if they wish) those with complex gender identities that include 'woman', and those who experience oppression as women.”

And how are the words 'women' / 'women' defined?
Argh at least TRY!

I know, right, you can't include the word you are trying to define in the definition!

But it just shows that their definition really just means, anyone.

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

Thanks for alerting us, Arabella. I've dug up a donation. Shame on Bristol university for allowing the Students' Union to harass women for wanting an entirely legal single-sex group.

Mind, since it's the same university that has allowed the harassment of Raquel Rosario Sanchez to continue for years, standards are pretty low. This has reminded me to send another donation to Raquel, whose case is also continuing.

[EarthSight]

@Manderleyagain

This must be really important. The union don't want to allow any group to be female only even though that is allowed under the EA. So I guess the question for the court will be is the su allowed a blanket ban on any affiliates using the single sex exceptions to run s genuinely female only event or service. Does that discriminate against who need it (yes would be my answer).

@Manderleyagain Depends what they mean as female though. Does the Equality Act mean biologically female, or legally female? If it's legally female, then that would have include anyone who has a gender recognition certificate (unless I'm mistaken)?

[AnyOldPrion]

I’d take bets on the fact that the males who are demanding access to a student women’s group remain legally as well as physically male.

Though it specifies in the EA that the protected characteristic is sex, so the implication is that all males can be excluded, GRC or otherwise. Though you are probably correct that some might try to challenge the definition.

[ArabellaScott]

Fund is halfway there.