Issues facing woman and girls worldwide

Lass! Are you being an equal opportunities filibusterer?!

I was saying how ridiculous, petty and disingenuous I find your posts Helmetbymidnight

You introduced the nonsense about it being "one woman's issue". It clearly was not intended to be about "one woman's issue". I'm assuming you really aren't so dim that you genuinely interpreted the thread that way.

You still haven't made any substantive comments.

Many feminists feel that grass roots activism is more useful and productive than awareness. Its a different style of activism as everyone benefits, there isn't a 'donor and recipient' mentality.

Absolutely this. Vital, in my opinion.

For me, political representation and access to resources are still big issues as well:

• only 13 percent of the world's agricultural landowners are women.

• worldwide, political representation is less than 24 percent.

• in 39 countries, daughters and sons do not have equal inheritance rights.

• in 18 countries, husbands can prevent their wives from working.

www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/

smalls for all where you can donate your old underwear to help those that need it both abroad and in the UK

Earlywalker it's really important to make it clear that smallsforall DON'T want old underwear - or at least, not old knickers. They only want brand new knickers (which is reasonable). They will accept used bras, but only if they are "gently worn".

A really good rule of thumb is to consider whether you'd wear something in that condition if a stranger posted it to you. If you wouldn't wear used knickers or a greying bra sent by a stranger, then don't send your used knickers to anyone else.

One big reason why this matters is because it costs charities staff and volunteer time, and money, sorting through and getting rid of the rubbish people send them. It actively costs them money.

so youre comparing ops use of the word woman to robbie burns?

blimey.

well done op and bespin, the word women is so...passe, isnt it.

we are talking about women's issues. not one woman's issues. words have meaning, no?

Well you aren't talking about "women's issues".

And seriously are you really saying you were so confused by "woman" rather than "women" that you thought it was about one woman?

Robert Burns' line man's inhumanity to man must leave you perplexed. I mean which man was being horrible to which other man? What a puzzle.

Many feminists feel that grass roots activism is more useful and productive than awareness.
Its a different style of activism as everyone benefits, there isn't a 'donor and recipient' mentality. You are usually expected to pick an issue that has directly affected you, that you care about or are knowledgeable about.

i think it is relevant to the topic thanks.

we are talking about women's issues. not one woman's issues. words have meaning, no?

i still cant understand the ops struggles with the word. nor Bespin who seems also to be suffering from this same rare affliction.

my care about women extends to spelling it correctly yes

But still nothing useful or relevant to add to the actual topic.

You missed the charity I posted.
www.equalitynow.org/

Perhaps that statement from Lucy of the Deptford People's Project is germane to the cautioning against superficial Woke Saviourism here:

Statement from Working class community workers from Deptford. We are attending the women’s meeting at the House of Commons today. We would like to offer an explanation as to why this is necessary. See below

After many years of working at grass roots within our community we have recently been made aware of an issue that directly effects the working class and women in our area.

You must understand we are not graduate activists or or women’s rights campaigners. We are community workers and our concerns regarding changes to the GRA come from a lifetime of personal experience and having worked with some of the most marginalise people in our area.

The majority of our recent projects have been working with rough sleepers, the homeless and those that have been excluded from society. The issues they face include: unsupported/ mental health illness, sexual violence and prostitution, childhood trauma and abuse, domestic violence, poverty, ex care system issues, addiction, prison,rehab,homelessness and austerity.

The people in our community that we represent are the most likely to access/ be placed in sex segregated services.Some have and will access all of these services.

Our local political and community organisations have been infiltrated by a group of well meaning white middle class goldsmith (uni) students. These people although well intentioned have rail roaded many vital projects by introducing identity policies and intersectional thinking. They do this without truly understanding or experiencing working class issues.

Meetings we have attended for the purpose of discussing community housing projects and women’s wellness etc have been used as a platform to re educate working class people on the new academic language expected within our organisations.

As anyone from a working class back ground will tell you, these theories and ideologies rarely translate into working class communities.

The extremely small number of transsexual (I use the old term as this has a very different meaning to the university umbrella term currently thrown about) members of the community are and have always been excepted and protected by community organisations.

We are now informed that transgender people are being routinely abused (mis gendered) and should be protected above all other marginalised groups. All that has changed is privileged students have adopted a set of gender identities that allow them to be considered marginalised.

The people we encountered were far from marginalised. In fact they were highly educated, openly classist and aggressive.

This new politics doesn’t equate in our community or for the people we support. We are dealing with working class issues with severely marginalised people and the trans lobby is a gentrification of working class social and political movements. Note the difference between trans lobby and trans people who we support.

No one will discuss our concerns regarding self id. Our local Labour Party has refused to comment or debate with the working class people. We are attending the meeting this evening as this is only place that is willing to discuss theses issues.

When we are being verbally abused and called fascists because we are concerned about the effects of policy change on marginalised people it is a direct attack on working class women and grass roots organisations.

when sharing information about this event and attempt to shut it down be aware that you are complicit in the silencing of not only women but working class people who have not afforded the privileged of a safe space or university education. Thank you x

I don't trust this thread. As pp have said it's looking like a "gotcha" job.

I'm the one who raised the issue, not the OP.

And I brought it up because I was genuinely fairly appalled to receive a PM after my first post on the thread effectively telling me not to because "MN feminists don't like the OP".

You're right though, it has unfortunately derailed OP's thread, which I thought was otherwise interesting and informative - and which has led me to several new charities to consider donating to.

But let’s see what chat makes of it

I’m not completely sure what the aim of this thread is tbh. It does feel like a bit of a virtue leaflet display

I think the women suffering from these issues have bigger things to worry about than what they identify as, personally.

Before this comment was posted, I was happy to take this thread at face value. But this is a comment used to silence women.
The implication is always that the issues women face are less important than those decided by men.
I've seen it used on Reddit, when posting about the issues refugee women face in camps. I posted about period poverty and toilet access and was told that periods would be the least of their worries.
I've seen it used repeatedly when men belittle women's concerns because women in other, non democratic countires have it so much worse.

The language we need to define and describe ourselves is critical and fundamental to our human rights. As we saw recently on a thread about lesbians being attacked at Pride for saying they are women who are attracted to other women - which is the legal definition of Lesbian - it is under constant and unremitting attack, and our rights will disappear along with it.

We can't fight for our rights if we cant define ourselves as a distinct group, or describe what we need. Legislation depends on accurate language.

Apparently small acts like helping to campaign about period poverty or retweeting the local branch of Women’s Aid will make a difference and result in some reciprocation. They want to make it look like they care about Women's issues so they don’t appear threatening.

Which is exactly why I said, earlier on the thread, that I am picky about which charities I support and that they must be female led, female centred, and bottom up organised.

So, for example: FORWARD for FGM in the UK and women's issues in the developing world, and Freedom Programme for coercive control. The latter, in particular, because women exiting abusive relationships often have very poor boundary awareness. The inclusion of anything XY in this situation is a disaster.

There are many grassroots, female led and managed orgs worth supporting. But they don't tend to get the headlines and you have to do a bit of work to find them. Threads like this, well meaning though they may be, are an inch deep and a mile wide and rarely tease out the female centred work that actually marginalised, voiceless women need.

Yes, do get this thread moved to chat. The more people are made aware of the latest tactics discussed last year, the better.
I feel the discussion reported below is also one of the issues facing women worldwide.

GETTING THE GRA WE WANT

This was a workshop with 3 experts sitting with groups and talking through activism. They were:

Helen Belcher (Lib Dems, Trans Media Watch)
James Morton (Scottish Transgender Alliance)
Alex Moore (GenderJam). Moore is from N Ireland.

James Morton gave some insight into tactics the TRAs will probably start using in England and Wales as they were successful in Scotland.

He said the TRAs need to build allies in mainstream women and children’s organisations so it looks like they care about them.

He also said what worked in Scotland's was a “constructive, friendly, innocent” tone when debating or in dialogue with the GC side. To be mindful about who is watching- essentially like what we do with the lurkers on the FWR board. To make the TRAs look like the reasonable side.

James also said that in dialect with elected officials, to clarify that the trans side aren’t silencing anyone but want to clarify the misconceptions being bandied around by GC feminists.

The Scottish GRA changes will probably be put forward in the 2019-2020 parliamentary year.

Belcher has been meeting with MPs and members of the House of Lords. Most of them don’t really understand the GRA and don’t have much time to think about it thanks to the Brexit FUBAR. “Education” of law makers is needed and that’s what Belcher is doing.

Apparently the TRAs lack the infrastructure they had in the 1990s and early 2000s so they need to think carefully and coordinate.

Belcher said to re-iterate to MPs that the EA2010 is not being affected and no one is losing any rights (wtf).

Apparently in terms of political support, the Tories are split about 50/50, Labour, Lib Dem's and SNP are all onside. The Greens were NOT mentioned.

The big fear on the TRA side is that this Government won’t survive long enough to get this through- again because Brexit.

According to Alex Moore, Arlene Foster of the DUP went to a Pink News event and didn’t seem to know much about this. In NI no one really cares about the trans issues because everyone is focused on same sex marriage and abortion.

Alex then moaned about the Together for Yes campaign’s transmisogyny and that the campaign completely erased the experiences of trans and NB people who need abortions. Alex would like a legal change of gender to be free of charge and as easy as changing your name.

Helen Belcher was annoyed at GC feminists using “emotive arguments” regards rape.

HB said that the pile ons pro self-ID MPs get from the GC side if they say something supportive of the trans side are not helping the GC cause. Maria Miller told Belcher that MPs got loads of abuse in the run up to marriage equality and that abusive messages, tweets from GC feminists will only harden MPs against the GC side.

HB also said something snide about “mouthy” female Labour MPs who speak before thinking on Twitter- especially on a Friday or Saturday night after they’ve had a few drinks.

Apparently the TRAs have civil service support and that the Stonewall report and Gov survey are strong bits of evidence they have which is helping them win arguments.

They are saying there is no risk to reforming the GRA and are asking MPs “what is the risk?”

In the group I was in they also talked about how changing your gender multiple times should be allowed and shouldn’t be seen as “bad intentions”.

James Morton talked about how they can get rid of “gender” markers on things like IT systems and places where it isn’t relevant- apparently GDPR might be able to help them here.

JM’s campaigning tips were to gain trust in the local community- and to approach moderate feminists, “correct misconceptions and forgive any ignorance they may have displayed”. They want to gain trust and make themselves likeable.

Apparently small acts like helping to campaign about period poverty or retweeting the local branch of Women’s Aid will make a difference and result in some reciprocation. They want to make it look like they care about Women's issues so they don’t appear threatening.

Back to the thread. Great charities mentioned here, they were new to me.

I for one want to be able to donate to charities that center women and girls, with healthcare, education, access to single sex toilets ( the fact this is not available everywhere is appaling and creates such as risk). Will go check these out.