...to think that if Comic Relief are going to do a "Woman Wednesday" blog about "inspirational female figures", it should have an inspirational female figure in it?

[ArcheryAnnie]

Comic Relief are doing a new weekly blog, about inspirational women.

"Women Wednesday’s is our new weekly column for Gender Justice month here at Comic Relief, where we will be giving the spotlight to one inspirational female figure per week. We focus on women who have created change and spearheaded movements for other women, and stood up against discrimination against gender and sexuality."

Fantastic, right? They've got links to all kinds of amazing women, working in very challenging conditions across the world, who are helping to create a better world for everyone, not just themselves. What a brilliant blog theme! What brilliant, inspirational woman are we all going to learn about today, I wonder?

Well. Here's who they picked as their "inspirational female figure": www.comicrelief.com/news/women-wednesdays-heres-why-lili-elbe-our-inspirational-figure-week

Women deserve better, Comic Relief. You've really screwed up on this one.

Oh and I'm on twitter tweeing, 'you could have picked x y z, you picked a man, feel free to join in

I have sent:

Have you any idea what message you are sending out to women? As in real women, natal women, born women? "Hi ladies, we are going to shout your praises every Wednesday and here, for your delectation is our inuagural truly inspiring woman, born a man, died trying to do the medically impossible. Yes ladies, YOU ARE ONLY WORTHY OF PRAISE IF YOU ARE A MAN!"

You could have chosen any of the remarkable and inspirational women who work for you, the charities you support, e.g. rape crisis centres, Women's Aid, Southall Black Sisters - all of whom are fighting nasty battle against transactivists to keep single sex spaces safe for women. Why are they not worthy of your praise? They really are brave, every single day of their lives!

If you want to support trans individuals then be brave enough to just say so! Don't collude in the erasure and vilification of women.

Oh, and please NEVER use the term 'cis' or 'womxn' - you will lose droves more doners, as you have now lost this one!

Not again.
How many times have we seen the focus of these supposed awards for inspirational women end up being about men? It is everywhere.

treaclesoda
Ironically, if an actual woman behaved like this, being so utterly self centred to the detriment of all else, sacrificing her marriage and eventually her life in pursuit of her desires, she would be roundly condemned for being selfish, not applauded for being inspirational

Totally. She'd be an outcast.

They are "having a giraffe" aren't they? 😯 I would have thought they would go for some classic mainstream examples like Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Julie Walters first?!

I can't see anyway that they are an inspirational female considering they are a make.
However how the hell us this the thing that is stopping people giving to comic relief, I stopped giving many years ago, the money they waste and corruption in projects they donate to has been well documented over the years, it is basically a publicity vehicle for celebrities

Whilst it is great that people are tweeting and emailing, can I be pedantic and point out that it's 'donor', not 'doner'? You are not a kebab. Complaints are usually taken a lot more seriously if they are written articulately and with correct spelling.

midnite

My dyslexia often shows itself when I'm agry, I think they will get the point, and I'm going to spend the rest of my day self identifying as a large kofta in naan bread

What a small minded and nasty bunch you are. What do any of you think your complaints are going achieve? How do you think they're going to be perceived?

Comic Relief have picked someone they consider to be a woman, no doubt to publicly show their support and acceptance of trans women in response to increased hostility towards them, including those calling them "men"... and you write to them to insist that woman is a man??

You are aware you're going to look like exactly the kind of hateful bully so many people already think you are, don't you? You're going to look like exactly the kind of hostile transphobes Comic Relief are standing up against by choosing this woman for their campaign?

Honestly, some of you have lost the plot. And Rape Crisis "fighting a nasty battle against transactivists to keep single sex spaces safe for women"? What a joke, you don't even know out of synch you are with women charities! Rape Crisis made a public statement that their services have always been accessible to women in the basis of self-identification, and would continue to be. Trans women welcome!

How many organisations that you respect have to disagree with you before you start to think perhaps it isn't some great big conspiracy and maybe you might just be wrong?

So who's had breakfast? I had sausages, just sausages.

I had a nutribullet but put too much ginger and turmeric in it and it tasted nasty.

So a woman can only be inspirational if she has a penis? Right that's me told

I'm about to have some porridge, with honey I think!

Where can I buy one then?

I'm having a bagel now. To get the taste of turmeric out of my mouth.

Thing is Rat, I'd possibly have agreed with you if this wasn't the first 'Woman Wednesday'.

The FIRST one.

This is bullshit of the highest order. There are so many women to choose from!

I'm going to complain but I need help with the wording - any advice is greatly appreciated ladies. Thank you

Rat You know better than that! We can have that same conversation over and over again!

I still won't accept than a person with a willy is a woman.

You can demand the erasure of science all you like.

I will repeat, I used to be accepting of any trans women in female spaces, as did many women, posters here. You know this, we have had this exchange a few times.

I have even reduced myself to the virtue signalling act of explaining that I even have trans friends, men and women, was recently MOH for one of them! I am no transphobe.

But I am not so blind as I cannot see the very real dangers of changing laws without acknowledging the real ramification - many of which are being openly displayed, prior to any law change, often by government departments seeking to show how egalitarian they are!

The very root of all of this not to hate trans individuals. But to stop the passing of laws that will change the shape of our world, for the worse!

Trans people have rights, they exist. So do women. When two cohorts with protected characteristics clash there should be no losers... that is all women are shouting, because they see that they are losing many hard won rights to men.

And no, I will never, ever accede that trans women are women!

Oh another trans bashing thread, how wonderful.
I agree that maybe they could have chosen someone else for the first women Wednesday but they didn’t. So what? No need to be small minded and nasty about it.
Oh wait.

Have complained too.

Women wanting to celebrate other women, and instead being told they must celebrate a self-obsessed male person = "small minded and nasty"?

I'm totally fine being a "nasty woman", tbf. I look at the amazing women who have worked with Comic Relief, women who have really dedicated their lives into making the world better, women who have really put themselves on the line to save other women's lives (and children's lives, and men's lives) and I think of all the opposition they must have faced, all the names I bet many have been called, and it puts it all into perspective.

Why bother with Women Wednesday at all though?

If it's about smashing gender stereotypes restricting it to just women and transwomen doesn't make sense. I'm sure there's lots of other inspirational, gender non-comforming men too.

So who's had breakfast? I had sausages, just sausages.

Ooh sausages... My local pub does an amazing veggie fry-up. Going to treat myself on Saturday.