Turns out Hampstead swimming ponds are single SEX after all ...

@faithseed: Look, I get it. It's really really hard to claim your oppressed as a white middle class woman living in England in 2018

I was sexually assaulted at age nine and face routine sexual harassment on the streets. I've been in an abusive relationship with a man who raped me whilst I was sleeping, I woke up to find him mid-act. I live with physical injury and psychological damage even now. So you can take that statement that I'm not oppressed back.

As was discussed in another thread, even HM The Queen underwent the hazard of childbirth twice and had to navigate menstruation, with its cramps and risk of leaking whilst living a very public life. Being royalty doesn't immunise a woman to rape either: Mary Queen of Scots was abducted and raped. The idea that some females aren't subjected to sex class oppression because they happen to have wealth is completely ridiculous. Wealth might mitigate that sex class oppression, but it doesn't and cannot eliminate it.

and without seeing yourself as a victim, feminism doesn't have a lot to offer.

The aspects of feminism that appeal to me the most are the bits that let me use my privilege to help other women. Donating to Abortion Support Network so that Irish, Manx, and Channel Islander women can come to the UK for abortions, writing to public officials to lobby for women's facilities to be kept open, going to SlutWalk and TBTN to fight for our bodies to be respected: those are the bits I love. I would have gotten involved in feminism even if I had not been sexually assaulted because of abuse suffered by members of my family. Feminism has a lot to offer, even for relatively-privileged women like me.

MunchausensLovelyHorse

MunchausensLovelyHorse thank you for giving us the seed that has grown into ManFriday.

I’m sorry to hear you’ve not been well. Please rest up and look after yourself. As a fellow wombless woman I understand your frustration when that argument is wheeled out, and am also going to sternly tell you that recovery is slow so don’t push yourself too hard.

for MunchausensLovelyHorse and hurrah for your inspired suggestion!

Amy - you were fab.

Amy, i was so thrilled as I was driving along to suddenly hear you on the radio. I think you did amazingly - considering so many people who usually appear are media-trained to an inch of their lives. You were calm, stated the case, and I'm sure there were many people sitting by their radios punching the air for you!

You and Hannah and all the other women who have gone public on this are amazing. And your's and Hannah's acknowledgement of all the people who can't go public right now for so many reasons was very much appreciated.

And also raising a glass as usual for all the other contributors to these pages, and other places, who have been telling us about these issues for years before we understood. Your contributions are as important and crucial as #ManFriday's. As I know they'd acknowledge too.

You're all too numerous to mention - those who are still here and those who have left. But you know who you are.

Oh man i need to register.

Very well done for highlighting this important issue

For those who missed it, here's today's PM. Amy comes on around twenty minutes in. Well done Eddie Mair / PM for running the story and interview.

You gave a brilliant interview Amy, well done! Rational, calm, to the point. Really great stuff. I'm so pleased to see this appearing in the mainstream media now. The tide is definitely starting to turn.

One small point of interest from Jane was that it sounded like Jane conceded that an approach to prison safety might still be up for debate. New for a TRA isn't it? Though it was followed up with the reminder that as they're all criminals anyway... (Add own interpretation here) Hmmm

I was hoping up and down yelling 'bunce bunce bunce' when the nice set up was given enough about IDing on different days.

Great move.

I was asked if I wanted to do the interview by phone but I helpfully pointed out that the local BBC studio is only 5 minutes from my workplace, so they booked me in

MunchausensLovelyHorse I’m so glad you commented. I’ve been thinking lots about the MNer who came up with our name and feeling grateful for their stroke of genius Sorry to hear about all your surgery: ouch! Much love and many thanks from me.

A Heavy Breather? (Childish snigger)

Was Jane in the studio or in the phone? I'd have been tempted to make a comment along lines of 'are you quite alright? Your breathing is terribly heavy!'

@spontaneousgiventime Bless you, mate.

MunchausensLovelyHorse

Hello again, @SwearyG and Amy @Yesitsadebate

I don't know if you remember me, but back in February I was the poster who said 'I'm going to identify as a man every Friday' and 'I'll call it Man Friday' - and Amy said 'can I use that?' and wow, I'm so thrilled to be some small part of this amazing, huge thing.

Since Feb I've had medical problems, surgery, and a recovery period relating to removal of my uterus, cervix, ovaries and fallopian tubes.

I'm still a woman. I hate 'women without a womb' being brought into.play by TRAs to try to prove some non-existent point.

More than ever I want to be properly consulted on spaces and services for women. Biological women. With female biology, and all that arises from that.

And thank you. Truly, thank you.

Listening just now. Bit of an own goal from Fae I think? Saying that the gatekeeping at the moment is insufficient to stop predatory males getting a GRC...

As a pp said Camp TRA don't seem to know how to respond and are wildly flailing about hoping something will stick. Easy to see why they want #nodebate!

Nicola Williams has produced a wide range of in-depth information and resources here:
fairplayforwomen.com/reform/

including (extract):
"We recently published a post covering all aspects of UK Equality Law that relate to the rights of women. To accompany the comprehensive guide we have now made a useful factsheet.

Please share widely on-line. Print it out and give it to your friends":

FACTSHEET 1: A guide to the UK Equality law and a woman’s right to single-sex spaces and services
FACTSHEET 2: Guide to a women’s legal right to seek refuge in a space ‘for women run by women’
FACTSHEET 3: Guide to the Scottish consultation on legal gender recognition

fairplayforwomen.com/equality-act-2010_womens-rights/
fairplayforwomen.com/transgender-rights-get-part-1-equality-law/
fairplayforwomen.com/transgender-rights-get-part-2-changing-legal-sex-status/

Listening just now. Bit of an own goal from Fae I think? Saying that the gatekeeping at the moment is insufficient to stop predatory males getting a GRC...

Jane Fae was lying a lot in that. Its like the truth wouldn't wash so had to be distorted. Firstly with self id you don't have to go to court. A stat dec would be all that's needed. So that was a big misrepresentation as any local solicitor can swear a stat dec at a cost of £5. There's no going to court involved and JF must know that.

You do know that you can write your own wiki page...

Lily Madigan has a wikipedia page? Seriously? Do all the other Labour women's officers?

(see above)