Sadiq Khan has sacked Joan Smith from the London VAWG board

She's right about the need for the police to identify sexual predators in its ranks.

and why they get off even when caught, like this Police PR chief John William Green, 42, spared jail for possessing indecent pictures of children
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9922867/Police-PR-chief-42-attacked-outside-court-avoiding-jail-possessing-child-abuse-images.html

Sorry don't want to be derail. Just need to confirm that the National Domestic Abuse Helpline really good and kind.

Problem is they have to refer you to local organisations unless for refuge search. London VAWG don't think does enough to help. Victim Support in London 2 month wait for help. No good if more urgent stuff you need support with. Other London wide services is two split between the boroughs. The one for my borough on website they offer advocacy but they turned me away more than once. They say waiting lists closed. Been closed long time or only open short time before closing again.

Officially London offers VAWG support but reality is not good. Long wait or closed waiting list for support when women going through serious violence and abuse is dangerous. Please am not saying they bad people. Just wish was more support cos is badly needed. Also wish was more honesty cos will never be better support if people think support already good enough. Also false hope dangerous for women in vulnerable situations.

Sorry. I bad for derailing. Saw thread after just this week being turned away for help. Maybe it's cos funding problems don't know but it's so frightening being without advocate when you so frightened and vulnerable and up against places like councils breaking law.

Please definitely don't want to say they bad people working there. Suspicious cos the website says open for support and she only told me lists closed in my borough after speaking her manager. Maybe I'm too not trusting but when feeling more paranoid about trust, maybe their lists are open but they don't like me for some reason. Lied cos didn't want to help me. Know probably me being over sensitive cos of the stress and fear. Probably just they need more funding and staff and training. It's hard to trust anyone now. Sorry again for derail.

I saw a post on Twitter that this is impacting on Joan's mental health but the positive messages help.

I hope she's OK. It must be so hard to stand at the front of what is effectively a furnace of hate and take the TRA flames full on.

I think more people are seeing and more understanding though, I'm hoping the furnace impodes.

London VAWG support very bad. Outsider non victim maybe you look at websites of a London domestic abuse organisation. On surface looks like it offers lots of help and support. Not just the basics of advocacy. Extras like specialist counselling too. Wish was real and not fake false promise website. You can't even get advocacy the basics. Without an advocate willing to fight for you, you no chance of safe place to so no way of permanently leaving. They list the boroughs they apparently help. Reality is when you call desperate for help, they say their website isn't updated and waiting list for help closed. Truth is don't trust what they say. Maybe they pick and choose who they decide to help cos person who answers phone goes away to ask manager if they can take you on. Happened more then once. If lists full they'd know without needing to speak to manager. If they really are full, they been mostly full for at least two years so fake and London VAWG just pretending to help victims at risk. Another time I called was told something different. Was told couldn't be helped cos no physical violence in past few months. Also not allowed a sexual violence advocate cos though been raped and and other abuse that was sexual apparently not eligible cos my main issue is domestic violence. So left with no help. London victim support 2 month waiting list. Maybe ok for other types of crime or historical but not ok when you in domestic violence risk and could be killed and the mental health and damage of having to live with that risk. London very bad place to need help.

Joan Smith? THE Joan Smith?

What a world we are living in...

If any of you can make it to Edinburgh on 2nd September at Holyrood your voices would be welcome as we are fighting hard here to protect our rights and the rights of our children. If you don’t know already we have a male who presents as a woman as CEO of the rape crisis Centre here!

@IvyTwines2, I think it's just you... I need quite strong specs/lenses but I find it okay.

Yes, Artichoke.

The 'inclusion' has to include women, too.

The Guardian are extremely disingenuous in their description of the two ‘sides’ here:

while other feminists and LGBT groups argue that the rights of both groups can be respected simultaneously.

... because this position actually puts men’s rights above women’s while attempting to appear reasonable

Signed.

@Artichokeleaves Yep!

Artichokeleaves 💯

Btw highly disingenuous about 'just use the exceptions' when anyone with even the most basic awareness of the situation knows those exceptions have been made almost impossible to use in practice. By trans lobby groups.

The lack of compassion for females and diversity of need and inclusion of females on the part of trans lobby groups and their political allies is utterly shameful. And no, no one this prejudiced against female humans should be in a position of public office where about 52% of the people they are responsible for are from that group. .It is a massive failure of integrity, of duty, and of basic public standards.

Being inclusive of 'all women' includes the female ones too. The whole issue here is that being 'inclusive' of males in female refuges excludes quite a lot of females from the care they need.

Did you hear the Radio 4 programme where a rape crisis leader talked of two women on her caseload who cannot access any services because they cannot come into a mixed sex space? And how those women are staying in dangerous situations, and how this will inevitably end in women dying?

If you're into inclusion as an actual value, then female only shelters have to be available and respected by TW. There can be mixed sex shelters. There can be trans specific shelters. There can be all kinds of diversity of male shelters. No one is saying that TW should not be able to access shelters where they feel comfortable and safe and their particular needs for inclusion can be met.

The controversial bit is women saying that female people deserve this too. And are as equally important as people born male. That's where the problem is.

(typo - imposed not imposted, and of course by 'self-imposed' I don't mean it's something we choose, it's something many of us know we have to do in this misogynistic society for our own safety!)

By the way, I wonder what the violence and harassment against women statistics would look like if they were readjusted to take into account the fact that most of us have grown up learning that we have to operate under a self-imposted curfew or take care planning our route home, especially after dark? What are the statistics of incidents calculated per 'hours of walking/travelling unaccompanied' for women compared to men?

Decisions taken on facts on the ground, rather than "concerns".

Oh good! Another classic.

Please post all the evidence to support that gender identity exists in a way that can be accurately diagnosed by a trained medical professional so that people can make sure that the inclusion is for those who qualify has having gender dysphoria.

Can we also have the statistics that prove the 'fact' that males who transition have any decrease in the rate and the pattern of male criminality so that they should be exempt from safeguarding and allowed access into female single sex spaces?

Also, can we have the study that shows that women respond as well or better when they have transwomen included in their refuges, or group therapy sessions?

As far as 'being able to use exemptions', please also show the statistics for the number of female shelters that have been able to publicly do this without losing support in any way?

You know we love facts rather than 'concerns' so I look forward to you actually posting an evidenced post and showing just how free the women's support against violence sector is to be completely free to centre females and females only.

Indeed.

The only people's opinions which should really count are the users of the service. The beliefs of the service providers should not be considered.