AIBU to think that women should be able to request same-sex provision?

[Glinner]

The tweet below is astonishing for two reasons. First of all, as the poster points out, this is the NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL saying that one's sex is 'assigned' at birth. They said this out loud! As part of their evidence to the GRA enquiry!

But aside from that nonsense, what stood out for me was the number of nurses, midwives and nursing associates whose 'gender identity' does not match their sex. 4,484! That seems like a high number, does it not? I wonder how many of that number are fully intact males?

You might remember when Clare Dimyon requested a same-sex nurse to attend her during her mammogram, the NHS responded in the most extraordinary way--they took her name off the letter and published it in official literature as an example of a 'bigoted' request.

One thing for which we should be grateful to Eddie Izzard: Now we are under no doubt that in many cases 'trans' means, simply, 'crossdresser'. Are these 'trans' nurses, midwives and nursing assistants crossdressers? Are women within their rights to request that crossdressing men not be present during intimate exams and so on? If a woman makes this request, will she be committing a hate crime?

Here's the Clare Dimyon story

glinner.co.uk/interview-with-clare-dimyon-mbe/

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/patient-branded-transphobic-after-asking-for-female-medic-3jh3snddt

twitter.com/Sexnotgender_/status/1357034763039686662

Wendy there’s research doulas use that shows for every extra woman present instead of a man the average woman’s labour reduces by 90 minutes. Almost like our bodies know whose a woman.

IWillSqueakAgain
when I get bp tested its always fine if a woman does it and goes through the roof when a man does, even if a woman is in the room at the time or if it’s one of the male gps who I am especially comfortable with. It’s just an innate bodily reaction to a man doing these things. And that remains the same if the man presents as a woman.

This comes as no surprise to me whatever. It's funny, but women so often can tell when they are being lied to, even if they are too polite to say, "Oh, come off it, Maisie, I know you when you were Michael and whilst I am prepared to humour your silliness I am not in the least deceived."

What makes it especially interesting is that is a concrete and reproducible reaction, not "just" something about a woman's feelings and therefore to be ignored.

Being ignored by male doctors when I recount symptoms I am suffering is the story of my life: in fact, thinking about it, I have yet to have a male doctor diagnose anything right.

Women should have the right to ask to be treated by another female .#sex not gender

I'm absolutely fascinated by the fact of labour slowing or stopping altogether if the woman feels unsafe.

Miraculous.

Isn't it? It makes so much sense though, for a mammal. Labour, once it's got going, stops you from running away. Labour is noisy too, as are babies.

We really are still just animals, even Judith Butler!

@Datun

I'm absolutely fascinated by the fact of labour slowing or stopping altogether if the woman feels unsafe.

Miraculous.

I’m very pregnant and reading a hypnobirthing book. The research into it is absolutely fascinating.

I love it.

I know its nature, and we didn't actually invent it, but nonetheless - proud!

Not so great if what you wanted was a home-birth, what you get is early labour and compulsory hospital (and the reason you wanted home-birth was that hospitals terrify you), so the labour then stops and has to be induced. Which is terrifying, like suddenly getting onto a galloping horse, so your body tries to stop it...

The whole hideous business went on for 42 hours, with threatened caesarian for no medical reason they were able to explain. Thank god for a sensible anaesthetist whose words I shall never forget: "Caesarian? Rubbish. Gi' her an epidural and let her get on wi' it." Which worked.

@Datun

I'm absolutely fascinated by the fact of labour slowing or stopping altogether if the woman feels unsafe.

Miraculous.

Sexnotgender, I found hypnobirthing enormously helpful, to the extent that I wasn't really aware I was in labour at some points, actually enjoyed the ... can't remember the terms they use .. surges? Yes. It was all happening, but I was sort of cocooned from it.

All the very best with the birth.

Sorry, Datun, didn't mean to quote you there!

Thanks Arabella I’ve done it before, however there was no slow build up. It immediately went to 100 from zero so I never really got a chance to get in the zone. Whole thing was over and done with in 3 hours. Second stage took 4 minutes 😱

sexnotgender hypnobirthing is ace! Make sure your birth partner firmly advocates for you when you go into labour though. It can make you totally zone out & not seem very far along.... Which is great but reading how quick your first was & based on the experience of a couple of my friends, your second labour could be extremely quick.
Good luck!

@lawyles

Women should have the right to ask to be treated by another female .#sex not gender

YES - female, xx-chromosomed practitioner

@Datun

I'm absolutely fascinated by the fact of labour slowing or stopping altogether if the woman feels unsafe.

Miraculous.

Or speeds up to get the birth done - this happens to animals too. Tho I am sure I read in every horse book and Enid Blyton to be fair that horses gave birth at about 4am and the foal would be on its feet and able to move with its mother at dawn should they need to

Or speeds up to get the birth done - this happens to animals too. Tho I am sure I read in every horse book and Enid Blyton to be fair that horses gave birth at about 4am and the foal would be on its feet and able to move with its mother at dawn should they need to

Fairly sure I've read that most humans are born at night too.... Or perhaps just first labours.

docs.google.com/document/d/1oDtkH6d7gK8c3DqoiOtMga0m4Bnvntm8qpaZPGAaTLE/edit?usp=sharing

Too many Health boards conflating sex and gender. The above document constantly refers to same gender wards. Also in section 12 actually states that they might put male sex offenders on female wards.

For those of you wanting single sex provision, you might be interested in this thread about SW health boards policies.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3784009-Are-you-in-Devon-Bristol-North-Somerset-or-South-Gloucestershire-Tell-NHS-your-view-on-trans-guidelines-NOW?pg=1

My infertility doctor was a man as was my midwife with DC2. I didn’t care at all. All that mattered was that they could do their job and I ended up with a healthy baby. Male midwife was much better than the female butcher I had with DC1.

There should be a law that all GP practices must employ 50% female GP's. My surgery is split 54:46% female/male patients with only 1 female GP & 9 male GP's. You have little or no chance of getting to see a female doctor & the reception staff take great delight in making you explain exactly why you want a female GP.

There should be a law that all GP practices must employ 50% female GP's

Right, yes that would work well Huge shortages of GPs in many areas, but let's rule out 50% of potential applicants. What a very practical suggestion.

Get on with it then.

@Lalliella

My infertility doctor was a man as was my midwife with DC2. I didn’t care at all. All that mattered was that they could do their job and I ended up with a healthy baby. Male midwife was much better than the female butcher I had with DC1.

I'm alright, Jack!

When looking at childbirth it has been the case for most of history the midwives are female and doctors are male so both have are are involved in intimate procedures.

That's not true, at least not in the West. Up til the 18th century, women were assisted by female midwives. During the 18th century, male doctors professionalised/medicalised birth and relegated the female midwives to assisting.

@Lalliella, I’m working with women with fertility issues.
For various reasons, they also have to under when they come to see me. Only legs up to the knee though and maybe a bit of abdomen.

Most if those women apologise if they have ‘hairy legs’ (often I wouldn’t even have noticed they were hairy because .... there was so little hair showing).
These are the same women telling me that they’ve lost any sense of ‘being prude’ since starting ivf etc....
And I’m a woman.

It matters. Women still feel very self conscious. Women still feel uncomfortable. Even at a time when they know this might give them that one chance of being a mother.
It still matters.

But because they have no choice (I haven’t met yet a fertility consultant who isn’t a man...) they put up with it. Just like they put up with the sneaky comments etc... (yes quite a few of them are also unprofessional).

This doesn’t mean it’s right.

[quote 334bu]For those of you wanting single sex provision, you might be interested in this thread about SW health boards policies.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3784009-Are-you-in-Devon-Bristol-North-Somerset-or-South-Gloucestershire-Tell-NHS-your-view-on-trans-guidelines-NOW?pg=1[/quote]
Good point. I checked my local hospital trust and they had a good single sex accommodation policy. Unfortunately I then checked the transgender patients policy and that completely overrides the other policy.

In fact it states that if there is a conflict in needs (women needing a single sex space or safeguarding), the needs of the transgender patient will take precedence (even if they only id as a woman part time - this is stated in the policy).

No data is being gathered about this at all because although any breach of the single sex accomm is recorded in order to improve things, breaches caused by placing a male transgender patient a female ward is not recorded.

Bearing in mind there was a fairly recent arrest of a male-bodied transgender person who policy allowed to be placed on a female ward (the newspaper report was deliberately vague as to whether they are but it is highly likely) for downloading thousands of serious csa images, this policy throws up some concerns.