Jess Phillips appointed a minister to focus on tackling violence against women and girls and domestic violence.

Actually, from our point of view, you’re hijacking feminism by redefining women to include men who think they’re women.

Transwomen have their own struggles in society and deserve compassion and support. But their experiences of life are not the same as women’s. Feminism has always been about women and women’s experiences and oppression.

Women are definitely real; they have reality; and if you are going to tackle the issue of predatory and/or violent male behaviour towrds women and girls you are going to need to ensure that you protect single sex spaces, for one.....which are there precisely for that reason.

If you cannot adequately define what a woman is, clearly, in the first instance, and the law provides no clarity, either, how do you think Jess Phillips could go about her task?

Tell me, what do you see as the " reality" of women's rights? What do you mean by "women's rights"? Can you define what these rights are?

Did you read about the 4 Kent schoolgirls who were sexually assaulted in the school toilets after their headteacher decided to turn the singles sex toilets into mixed sex toilets? It was just recently?

Damn. Another podcast lost!

Seriously- it's brilliant news. Good to hear that Starmer isn't scared of strong women.

That’s what I find so depressing about gender ideology, its reliance on regressive gender stereotypes.

Fifty years ago I had a Saturday job in a wool and embroidery shop. Our customers were mostly women and girls, but one regular was an elderly man who liked doing needlepoint and often came in for supplies.

One day, a mother came in with her young son. She was nonplussed that he showed an interest in embroidery and wanted her to buy him some threads and fabric so he could try it. Ardent young feminist that I was, I told her about the elderly man who liked doing needlepoint, implying that there was nothing wrong with a man or boy doing something traditionally thought of as “feminine”.

Nowadays I suspect the poor lad would have been encouraged to think he was really a girl, just because he liked traditionally feminine things like embroidery.

Weather vane Jess. Of "spousal veto" fame, designed to trap women in abusive marriages.

<breaks out bunting>

This is fabulous news! I love Jess Phillips and really admire the work that she's done in this area. Plus she's principled and gobby (in the nicest possible way), will stand up for what she believes in and make her voice heard. Great decision from KS.

This is excellent news. So important to have a woman in this role who has a proven track record of working with victims of DV and women’s refuges. She’s clear, articulate and passionate on this issue.

It is inevitable at some point in her work, that clarification will be needed on the terms 'women and girls' and the type and nature of services needed to support them to avoid/resist/recover from and survive violence from males.

Agree.
And I think Jess knows exactly what a woman is, but she's a politician.
Sometimes it's easier to effect change from the inside.
I'm glad she's got the appointment.

I have my fingers crossed. I think her recent experiences may also clarify further for her how women are specifically targeted. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, it was appalling behaviour but I really hope she’s able to connect that with the treatment meted out to gender critical women which is vastly more vicious than that experienced by gender critical men (on the whole).

Men will bully, harrass and intimidate women to get what they want.

Absolutely.

Really? VAWG should only focus on females. If there is a concern regarding violence against transwomen, then their specific situation needs to be dealt with in a specific manner. Or are you implying that VATW is exactly the same as VAWG? Including males who identify as women in the same category as females does neither demographic any good.

This is very promising. Jess Phillips is a very forceful communicator and will make sure her brief is front and centre across Government activity.

It is inevitable at some point in her work, that clarification will be needed on the terms 'women and girls' and the type and nature of services needed to support them to avoid/resist/recover from and survive violence from males.

We will be ready to help Jess say the right words.

I'm interested in how this will play out to be honest, what with no prison space and men getting bailed left right and centre even when caught abducting young girls.

Crack on Jess and good luck.

This is a really good choice by the new govt and JP is absolutely the woman for the job. KS has been getting a lot of very sceptical side-eye on here (threads passim), not least by me.
This is good, well done KS, moar of this.

Re the gay rights thing - gender folk are really nasty to gey people.

I do not like that.

By removing their RIGHT to same sex attraction.

Not gender.

Not a spectrum.

Same SEX.

It is so agressively anti gay that I am campaigning again for gay rights.

Easy on there tiger.

That rage is not good for your health.

That marginalised group you are talking about managed to get almost every government in western world to change their method of classification from biological to gender.
They managed to get the departments of education to say that sex is a spectrum, the justice department to arrest and imprison people who questioned that, get the medical profession to join in by carving up healthy bodies and giving the ones who don't like being carved pills to do the altering.

Could you please explain how that is marginalised?

It is not genitals baby - it is ALL about gonads...

And so say all (well, most) of us 👏👏👏👏

Nope.

Actually ...no.

You are wrong.

Male privilege feels kinda real to me now that my employer expects us women (the real cunty ones) be fine showering next to male cock because he has lady-feelz. Open plan showers, you see. Can’t use them anymore.

Do you even realise how out of touch your last sentence sounds?

I would like to add a few things here.

1. Sex is the first thing that is established about a human.
2. Sex is not about genitals, it's about gametes. The producers of the large gametes are female, and the small gametes are male. This is consistent in all organisms that sexually reproduces i.e. why it is the male seahorse that is pregnant and not the female. In humans' females are born with all their gametes and males produce them after puberty. This is why humans cannot change sex.
3. The human reproduction system is based on sexual dimorphism. Part of this is that the male is on average physically larger and stronger than the female. This is likely because we have evolved from an ancestor based on polygamy and males' reproductive success depended on their ability to fight other males. This is the reason that men have beards, as it significantly reduces the likelihood jaw fractures during fighting.

I have no doubt that there are a small number of individuals who experience such hatred of their sex-identifying characteristics that they are unable to function in society as the sex that they are. However, the constant denial of sex dysmorphia and demands on society in general regarding Self-ID are the worst thing to happen to acceptance of trans-people. It requires that people have to consistently deny reality which (as demonstrated) is simply unachievable long-term.

I am glad that Jess Phillips has this role.

I am concerned that the focus on women's safety falls to much on women to solve when the issue is insecure and disempowered men who take their frustrations out on women.

I would love to see a man in a similar role to look after men and dismantle the deep misogyny that exists in male culture.