How are we going to wake women up to the emergency we are now genuinely facing!

I don't know OP, I have thought this many times myself over the last few months. I don't know what will wake people up, if they can't see the problems inherent in this crap, it's because they don't want to see.

If you think about it, even on a majority female website like MN, when we try and bring this out into Chat or AIBU, we get told by many women to go back into our grubby corner - they don't want to hear it.

Maybe it's too big and scary to think about, or it hasn't penetrated their protected bubble yet. I can't understand how and why women aren't angry and scared that our legal status is under threat. The media have really done a number with this one, painting us as hysterical harpies to be ignored or ridiculed.
I do think unfortunately it will have to get much worse before it gets better. And the claw back will be painful and difficult.

@IIwantToRetire the problem is that when we do state that we are single sex we lose a lot of funding, firm many funding streams, get special attention from some very determined people.

And many single sex organisations have been 'infiltrated' by those who were awakened and emboldened by Stonewall before many women's centres became aware.

We remain on the back foot. No matter what the Act actually says.or how robustly we defend ourselves.

Currently the starting point in any formal debate is not that single sex means single sex but that it would always include some men, because.....

The problem is not enough groups who could implement the single sex exemption bother to do it, too many groups have had Stonewall like training which wrongly states that a TW has the right to access single sex spaces, and too many groups are for ideological reasons deliberately misusing the EA - eg Edinburght RCC.

I think the bigger problem is funding being dependent on "inclusivity". Many women's organisations would like to remain single sex but their funding will be pulled if they try to do that so they either capitulate and hope they can manage men accessing women's services or they stand their ground, run out of money and cease to offer any services.

It doesn't, though, does it? That's the problem. Lady Haldane ruled just a few weeks ago that if the people who wrote the Act intended "sex" to mean "biological sex" they'd have written "biological sex".

This is just more bullshit isn't it? The act didn't specify "biological sex" because until about 5 minutes ago no one thought sex was anything other than biological. What other kind of sex is there?

I don't know what the answer is, but I share your concern, OP.

the new Scottish law makes no difference to the EA which is UK wide, and it is the EA that allows single sex spaces, and it clearly says single sex spaces refers to biological sex.

It doesn't, though, does it? That's the problem. Lady Haldane ruled just a few weeks ago that if the people who wrote the Act intended "sex" to mean "biological sex" they'd have written "biological sex".

The lack of clarity is why there's a petition to ask parliament to clarify that "sex" in the Equality Act means "biological sex".

If we keep fighting with ourselves then we are doing the trans right activists work for them. They can just point and go don't listen to them they can't even agree amongst themselves what they stand for and what they want.

It all needs stripping right down, right back to the only thing that matters.

We have one thing in common every one of us is a woman.

And for this battle that is the only thing that matters because it is the one thing that binds us.

I think a lot of groups of women are going to have to stop with the oh we can't support that woman she's got the wrong insert issue of choice, politics, connections, political persuasion.

There's a poem on the FWR women of the year thread that is written by another poster, I'd post it here but, sock puppet and all that. It's not the best but it's about the fact that all of us politics, religion, blah blah blah all of us:

We are woman.

And we need to remember that and come together and support our sisters

Or we are doomed.

I think the first problem is this is presented by the other side as an insignificant women's issue that only a small number of feminists care about.

The second is that to everyone out of the loop, we sound like insane QAnon adjacent alarmists. I've spent some time especially the last few days talking to people on SM, and they are very badly informed. They can't grasp the consequences. The issues sound extreme to them.

They don't want to think about it or have to do anything, they want to hide in the crowd and hope it will turn out OK.

While gender recognition is devolved to Holyrood, the Equality Act - which the new law will interact with – is reserved to Westminster. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/tory-mp-claims-opposing-gender-141259085.html

There is a thread on this, but the real threat is if, and more likely when, the TRA's come for the EA www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4703437-whilst-we-are-being-told-that-gra-will-make-no-difference-to-women-please-remember-what-stonewall-are-currently-campaigning-for

And I dont think the fragmented campaigning is helping. And even if it was, unless something really remarkable happens the Tories will lose the election, so Labour will get in whatever their politics. And women will be expected to take our place in the queue, ie at the back, whilst other "more important" issues are prioritised. ie what men say is important.

@Appalonia the new Scottish law makes no difference to the EA which is UK wide, and it is the EA that allows single sex spaces, and it clearly says single sex spaces refers to biological sex. Having a GRC saying you are a woman does NOT allow you access to women only spaces.

The Act is perfectly clear.

The problem is not enough groups who could implement the single sex exemption bother to do it, too many groups have had Stonewall like training which wrongly states that a TW has the right to access single sex spaces, and too many groups are for ideological reasons deliberately misusing the EA - eg Edinburght RCC.

And it is probably against the EA for funders to say they will only fund trans inclusive services because they are depriving women of the right to single sex services when there is a need for them. That is why the case Sarah is bringing against the survivor's network will be the most significant for women's sex based rights.

We need to be campaigning for more single sex services as allowed under the EA.

Just think if everything that could be a single sex service was made single sex under the EA from toilets and changing rooms to prisons, having a GRC would count for nothing.

I think there is a "strategy' emerging. There's Sex Matters, Fair Play For Women, Transgender Trend, Keep Prisons Single Sex, Safe Schools Alliance, For Women Scotland, Conservatives for women, WPUK plus all the groups focused on supporting families (Bayswater, Genspect etc). Plus Fair Cop, Free Speech Union, the Glinner update plus so much of the press stepping away from the grip of the trans groups. All challenging issues in different ways, holding institutions to account but all recognising the importance of maintaining women's sex based rights and safeguarding children? I know there's considerable cross over and co working with some of the individuals and groups.
Not meaning to be complacent - it's terrifying how some of the most dodgy groups / individuals in the world have been given such power to turn society upside down in this way. But I'm also hopeful - maybe naively - that there's such a head of steam building up, aided by the complete lack of self control in every way on the part of trans activists that things will change - albeit after massive damage to so many individuals.

This needs killing with fire by everyone-both women and men. The kool aid nutters have had a free pass for about the last ten years, sneaking stuff under the radar as per Dentons, but sunlight is now pouring in and no debate is the deadest of dead things. I think it will take all of us to talk and hopefully peak as many people as we can. Bullshit cannot stand.

I agree OP it's an emergency. It would be a big mistake to be complacent, to think surely no-one would vote for a party that supports this, and that we still have plenty of time. They would, and we don't.

I think the tide has turned on people being able to speak more publicly. There will still be some industries where the price for being vocal is too great but in everyday life most people think the whole thing is crazy so starting conversations should be easier.

I think if the GRR has planted a seed of doubt then every news story about the consequences will drive home just how bad this legislation is. Sadly women being harmed in some way is inevitable.

A lot can happen in two years...