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Original poster

Bristol Uni SU forbids women discussing male violence without male guardians present

82 replies

severnboring · 13/03/2021 20:04

FFS. Bristol Uni SU is disciplining Raquel Rosario Sanchez, who's been targeted by transactivist bullies there for years, because she ran female-only meetings.

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

"Women Talk Back hosted women-only meetings at Bristol University to discuss male violence against females, and argued the presence of men could make attendees fearful to speak out.

The students refused entry to male-born transgender people who self-identify as women, classed as men under equality laws unless they have changed their legal sex.

Now Bristol Students’ Union has ordered the society’s president, Raquel Rosario-Sanchez, to stand down and banned her from union leadership posts for two years.

And committee members must complete an “equality, diversity and inclusion” course."

"The society was told that Bristol SU defines women as "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"."

OP posts:
BoomBoomsCousin · 13/03/2021 20:40

@CharlieParley

As we are often told, it's true that no one is obliged to hold a female-only meeting who doesn't want to, no matter who they are, but under the Equality Act we have the right to hold female-only meetings.

It doesn't matter how Bristol Students Union defines women. The Equality Act cannot be overridden by an association. (Imagine a student union defining adults allowed to drink as 15+. That would have no more legal standing than this.)

Sadly, this analogy does not hold.

The equality act allows organizations to use single sex exemptions that mean single sex, but it does not require them to allow them. Bristol Students Union does not breach the act by telling their own members that they may not use this extension within the union as there is no requirement to use the single sex exemption. Whereas there is a legal requirement not to serve 15 year olds beer.

Bristol Students Union may be breaching the equality act if, by not allowing the use of single sex exemptions and all the other actions they take or don’t take they create an environment that is discriminatory towards people who are legally female, but that’s a much more complex argument.

I’m not saying I agree with Bristol Students Union - I think this is a chilling attempt to shut down organizing by women as a sex class and it’s politically really dangerous for us. But I don’t think the law as it stands supports us in this instance.

PurpleHoodie · 13/03/2021 20:25

*fundraiser

PurpleHoodie · 13/03/2021 20:24

Bristol SU is breaking the law.

Which reminds me, Raquel's dundraiser/crowdfunded is still open if anyone wants to contribute.

I'd suggest these young women move their meetings to private premises....as private non-university meetings for the time being.

Still advertised their meetings, but through private channels.

Flowers
persistentwoman · 13/03/2021 20:20

As this forum regularly evidences - certain men get very upset when women speak our truths without their presence or permission.

CharlieParley · 13/03/2021 20:14

As we are often told, it's true that no one is obliged to hold a female-only meeting who doesn't want to, no matter who they are, but under the Equality Act we have the right to hold female-only meetings.

It doesn't matter how Bristol Students Union defines women. The Equality Act cannot be overridden by an association. (Imagine a student union defining adults allowed to drink as 15+. That would have no more legal standing than this.)

Original poster
severnboring · 13/03/2021 20:08

@Redshoeblueshoe

How the fuck are these students going to cope when they get into the real world ?
They'll be the ones running the equality, diversity and inclusion courses.
OP posts:
Redshoeblueshoe · 13/03/2021 20:06

How the fuck are these students going to cope when they get into the real world ?