#AskRapeCrisisScotland

Wadwa is "steps back" from the bigot comments. Front page on the Times online page, my share token isn't working at the moment:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rape-crisis-chief-mridul-wadhwa-steps-back-from-bigot-comments-2b9kdvc75

Brendan O Neill.

No. He thinks feminism is ' about policing men'. So this is quite encouraging.

I doubt that they could explain what feminist means. I expect they vaguely thinks it’s something to do with being anti Tory.

Not feminist, and as for ‘woman led’ and ‘woman only’? 🙄

Aye and ma heid buttons up the back...

From the Rape Crisis Scotland website -

• We are feminist. Our work is underpinned by a feminist understanding of violence and inequality and our services are committed to being women-led and the provision of women only spaces and services. We are proudly diverse, intergenerational and inclusive and strive to ensure that all survivors in Scotland receive the response and support that they need and deserve.

But...

Sexual violence is a gendered and has a disproportionate impact on women and girls; our services reflect that. Women only spaces are a core principle of the Rape Crisis movement and upheld through ourNational Service Standards(read these here). These spaces include women with a diverse range of lived experience and views, including trans women and girls.

Crux of the matter really. But how darewomen criticise it?

This is not compatible with our view of a feminist Scotland.

Gaslighting traumatised women by telling them they are bigots and need re-ducating to accept men as women is deeply abusive behaviour and not compatible with feminism at all.

They, and their supporters are angered that they are being criticised (or, as they have claimed, abused). We understand this. Yet, what they fail to acknowledge is that the most angry, devastated voices are from the women they were set up to help

THIS ^^

We hear often from survivors that engaging with Rape Crisis support saved their life

Then perhaps worry about the women who you know will not come to you and will not leave their situations because they cannot use a mixed sex space. (And ask your CEO to stop laughing about it, openly on camera during filmed meetings.)

and we would urge people fearmongering about services

Telling the truth and sharing your own words? Were they not supposed to be shared with the general public? Is it a secret?

to consider the impact that dissuading people from accessing support has on survivors.

Ah. If we don't tell women they're going to a mixed sex space and will be forced to have male counsellors or be punished then there is no problem? Seriously? If we pretend it isn't happening there won't be an impact? How about actually addressing the problem for females instead of trying to stop them talking about it?

This is not compatible with our view of a feminist Scotland.

Where feminism has been warped to mean 'male centred'.

Just in disbelief at this.

For Women Scotland wrote a statement prior to the most recent statement from Rape Crisis which addresses the 'abuse' they have received -

'RCS and other groups like Scottish Women’s Aid and Engender feel under attack. They, and their supporters are angered that they are being criticised (or, as they have claimed, abused). We understand this. Yet, what they fail to acknowledge is that the most angry, devastated voices are from the women they were set up to help and, in some cases, the women who did build the shelters and centres, who counselled, or sat on the board. These women, along with ourselves, take no pleasure in criticising these services. We want services that centre victims and support women. But these survivors know – none better – that erasing the relevance of sex in conversations about male violence or the trauma reaction of victims is counter-productive, dishonest and harmful to women.

We know they can, and perhaps should, support other groups – although perhaps these would work better as stand alone services. We know that one doesn’t have to be female to understand male violence and respond sensitively or help victims. All we ask is that a woman who only wants to speak to other females, be they counsellors or other members of a group session, can be guaranteed this. Surely that isn’t too much to promise women who have suffered so much?'

I think this post has been posted already on this thread but the whole statement is here -
forwomen.scot/10/08/2021/the-real-crisis-at-rape-crisis-scotland/

"Coordinated"

No, just women who are upset, offended and angry that they're being called bigots for wanting same sex services and that if we request those services we should expect to be "educated" out of those views because apparently being raped by someone with a penis doesn't mean we get to say no to any other penis!!

Any other group rising up to speak like this, they would be listened to. Heck, you see companies Twitter accounts on their knees from one tweet. But not women, no. We're "harmful".

They could have just clarified that women's requests to be seen by a female is absolutely fine, sorry for the confusion. But no, reframe women as the attackers, that'll fucking help matters won't it 🙄

It’s a very odd and disorientating feature of this debate that I find myself agreeing with people, particularly men, who I otherwise can’t stand.

Let’s face it, they have a very low bar to clear - they just need to appear vaguely aware of the reality if sex.

I think Brendan O’Neill is a vile individual generally - his past comments about racism, homosexuality and climate change disgust me. But that article is really good.

It’s a very odd and disorientating feature of this debate that I find myself agreeing with people, particularly men, who I otherwise can’t stand.

relevant threads:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4234774-New-CEO-of-Edinburgh-Rape-Crisis

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4318605-I-think-Ive-figured-out-why-the-Guilty-Feminists-feel-guilty

He did a really good interview with Helen Joyce too.

I never used to be able to stand him, but I think he actually started listening to women in the last couple of years, and it shows.

I've been reading alot of Brendans articles on Spiked over the past few weeks and agree he is spot on most of the time

The Brendan O'Neill piece for Spiked is excellent. I can't honestly say that I've ever thought of O'Neill as a feminist - far from it - but he gets this exactly right.

Apparently it was moved from AIBU and back again, so I guess that must have coincided with when I was trying to click on the link

Is there an HQ message? I can't find one.

If the monitors asked for it to be moved and it wasn't they won't be happy.

[quote Tesla73]The Critic covering this too

thecritic.co.uk/reframe-your-trauma/[/quote]
And Brendan O Neill for Spiked

www.spiked-online.com/2021/08/11/now-even-rape-victims-are-being-called-bigots/

The Critic covering this too

thecritic.co.uk/reframe-your-trauma/