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Guest post: "I'm marching because Trump's presidency will affect us all"

157 replies

MumsnetGuestPosts · 19/01/2017 13:18

This Saturday, the first day of Donald Trump's presidency, I will join the Women's March on London. I will march as a US voter who tried and failed to keep Trump out, and as the co-founder of the UK Women's Equality Party. I will march alongside thousands of party members and a wide range of other organisations and individuals. We will march in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington and at least 386 sister marches taking place across five continents.

It is already clear how women in the US will suffer as a direct consequence of Trump's election. Plans are gathering pace to defund the largest US provider of family planning services, Planned Parenthood, and to restrict abortion rights. At least 46 states are already debating anti-abortion bills. This is only the tip of the iceberg. For many women, the impact will be harder still, because of their race or sexual orientation, because they are differently abled or from a religious community or of an age or social class that is already subject to systemic discrimination.

Some people question why we should have a London March. It's true that we on this side of the Atlantic already have a lot to worry about, with the pay gap still at 19%, 77% of mothers subject to maternity discrimination at work and the UK hurtling towards Brexit without any clear focus on mitigating the repercussions for women. On average women are poorer than men, earn less if employed, are more likely to be caregivers and therefore rely more heavily on public services routinely targeted for cutbacks by governments in times of upheaval. And upheaval is coming. The female half of the population will bear the brunt.

I will march because what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas. The US is the world's largest economy and its largest exporter of ideas. The misogyny, racism and homophobia that marked Trump's election campaign is poisoning discourse everywhere and emboldening extremists in many parts of the world. His denial of climate change will affect the very air we breathe. We cannot allow ourselves to treat Trump as if he were a normal President. To do so would be to misunderstand the nature of the beast.

The London March creates a platform to discuss local and national concerns as well as international issues - and it's pretty hard to disentangle these things anyway. Everywhere, mainstream politics is letting women down. Economies that harness the productive power of women perform far better - yet here we are at the beginning of 2017 and there still isn't a single society that is fully gender equal. The many men who will join the marches understand that Trump's war on women is part of a wider reality that hurts them too. Gender equality remains a distant dream and, increasingly, the rights and protections we do enjoy are coming under attack.

Yet another answer is that the London March and sister marches aren't primarily protests. They are affirmations of the things we hold dear. They are about creating alliances and movements. The London March came about because women in the UK heard about plans for the Washington event and independently put out calls for action in solidarity. The Women's Equality Party, contacted by some of these women, alerted them to each other's initiatives and agreed to help with logistics and organisation. As a young party - registered with the Electoral Commission in July 2015 - WE have had to learn very quickly how to do such things and we believe in sharing the benefits of that experience.

Like the Women's Marches, we are collaborative and non-partisan. WE do not believe that the struggle for gender equality belongs to one part of the political spectrum. Only by working together, by combining our voices, can we make real and lasting change.

Of course, the marches cannot halt Trump's presidency or alleviate specific injustices. What they can and will do is help to demonstrate where the vast majority of public sentiment lies. A false narrative has gained currency with Trump's victory—that this was a popular victory, when in fact he didn't even win the popular vote; that the prejudices to which he gave voice are shared by most of us.

It is important to puncture this narrative because mainstream politics is apt to accept dominant narratives and then to try to curry favour with voters rather than interrogating and challenging their presumed views. It is important to ensure the political mainstream knows that most of us don't want any part of the polarised and polarising world of Trump. We want a society in which every one of us, and our children, can flourish. Let's make our voices heard.

OP posts:
roseshippy · 19/01/2017 21:20

sorry I meant to say Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, neither of whom identified as women.

Prawnofthepatriarchy · 19/01/2017 21:24

Do you think OP is going to come back? This is just like the previous thread. Try to get a proper answer and they slope off.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 19/01/2017 21:25

I am also deeply uncomfortable about a march against a democratically elected leader of another country. I would be infuriated if people in other countries thought their opinion counted over our democratic process and am not sure I want to assume I have that right for the USA

Seconded (or possibly thirded)

MercyMyJewels · 19/01/2017 21:26

Beyond
I can't really make it out (old and blind). What is it about?

BeyondCanSeeTheEmperorsBellend · 19/01/2017 21:28

Huh, interesting that disabled women aren't listed.

Anywho. I'm sure OP will send along an ill-prepared lackey, should this stay in active for a few hours...

BeyondCanSeeTheEmperorsBellend · 19/01/2017 21:29

I was clicking on a new post in tio, being brought to the page where no such post existed. Refreshed a few times, still no post. But it's showing now

MercyMyJewels · 19/01/2017 21:33

Lass et all - I agree
Much as I despise Trump, it's really out of order to march against a democratically elected leader of another country. Think what you want about him but we have no right to march against him. At least not yet. It's not fucking Apartheid

venusinscorpio · 19/01/2017 21:47

I agree, I wasn't really thinking about that aspect of it when I posted.

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 19/01/2017 22:17

Reading some of the points listed in the OP, not knowing the back story, I might be interested in WEP.

Reproductive rights, maternity discrimination at work, the pay gap, women being more likely to be caregivers.

But then they make a nonsense of everything by refusing to define women as adult human females and insisting on referring to gender identity instead of biological sex.

Can you not see the contradiction there, Catherine Mayer? If being a woman has nothing to do with having a specific type of body then why are you picking these as women's issues? Coincidence?

MercyMyJewels · 19/01/2017 22:26

Yes me too Empress

But it's always the same. To do otherwise could be construed as FEMINISM and who could admit to that?

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 19/01/2017 22:35

Everywhere, mainstream politics is letting women down.... increasingly, the rights and protections we do enjoy are coming under attack.
Mainstream politics is apt to accept dominant narratives and then to try to curry favour with voters rather than interrogating and challenging their presumed views.

Like the current transactivist doctrines on gender identity and the growing erasure of women as a biological sex class?

Prawnofthepatriarchy · 19/01/2017 22:56

Very nicely put, Empress. The harm being done to women in this Trans New World appears to be completely invisible to the WEP.

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 20/01/2017 07:13

If WEP really wanted to go out on a limb they could ask why so many girls are saying they don't want to be women.

They could be pushing for gender-confused children to get support that doesn't push them towards irreversible physical changes and a lifetime of medication.

They could be supporting the detransitioners who realise they never wanted to change sex only after they're left with mastectomy scars and male-pattern facial hair.

But that would mean going against the dominant narrative.

MaryTheCanary · 20/01/2017 11:33

They should have decided whether this was going to be an "speaking out against Trump march" or an "assortment-box of left-wing causes and group" march. One or the other, please.

By starting off with a march against Trump (and of course it is--look at the timing), and then allowing it to turn into the usual thing of uber-progressive political beliefs and shouty hard-left groups, all this march is doing is reinforcing the idea that "being against Trump is just for ultra-PC liberals who spend their lives whinging on about racial micro aggressions and checking your cis privilege and open borders and blah blah blah."

Whereas what people who don't like Trump should be doing, is sending out a message that "being against Trump is for anyone, of any political persuasion, who doesn't want their country turning into a banana republic."

Prawnofthepatriarchy · 20/01/2017 11:43

I'd imagine that MN is the largest predominantly female forum in the UK. Seems pretty poor that the WEP is only prepared to put up one guest post with no follow ups addressing the comments. They don't seem to be a serious body.

And posting to encourage women to march on Thursday, only two days before the march, seems poor timing. Rearranging your Saturday isn't always easy, particularly for parents of younger DC. A week - or even a fortnight - ago would probably have been more effective in getting bodies onto the streets.

To be fair, there was an attempt to publicize the march in Feminism Chat on 14th January, but it didn't get a very enthusiastic response.

While the purpose of the march remains such an ill thought out ragbag - against all bad things and for all bad things, as another poster said - I can't see the point. A real feminist event would have been great, so long as its purposes were clear.

Prawnofthepatriarchy · 20/01/2017 11:44

For all good things, it should have read.

venusinscorpio · 20/01/2017 11:45

I liked your version better Grin

MercyMyJewels · 20/01/2017 11:45

This is going well isn't it?

Batteriesallgone · 20/01/2017 11:47

Nobody bothers to return to guest posts nowadays.

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 20/01/2017 11:55

Given the results of Sandi Toksvig's guest post, I would honestly have assumed that WEP would have had some idea of the responses they might get and been ready for a discussion.

Apparently not.

HairyLittlePoet · 20/01/2017 12:01

Hello Catherine! How do you do? We first met Sophie, and now it’s you
I penned for Sophie a little ditty, but she didn’t much like it, mores the pity
Still, this is now, and that was then. Second attempt, I’ll try again.
There’s a lot of points in your opening post; it’s hard to decide which I like the most
A March for Women? Spiffing idea! But the concept of “woman” is a little unclear
Help me out ‘cause my dictionary’s outdated, it mentions biology which is so overrated
I’ll try to infer from the words you say, which women are affected, and in what way.

Abortion rights? Well that one’s easy: Uterus-owners! No wait, that’s cheesy
And anyway the occasional bro gestates like a pro, or didn’t you know?
(They lactate quite well in addition to breeding, which is why we’re now needing to call it chestfeeding )
And ask Martha Plimpton who got herself schooled, vaginas aren’t female, that’s been overruled
Did I say vagina? Forgive me that slip. I meant to say “front hole”. Must get a grip.
So abortion’s not really a women’s thing. Put a pin in that, Cat, what else did you bring?

The Pay Gap. Oh yes, a jolly good point. Equivalent work, financial disjoint.
But here’s a wee puzzle, I must confess; HOW do they know WHO they want to pay less?
I’m no statistician but here’s my suspicion, it correlates well with maternity attrition
The people who bosses prefer to oppress are the ones with the wombs, not the ones in a dress
Which brings me right back to the first point I made – we can’t say it’s women that get underpaid

Moving on quickly then. Point number three. Women are poorer than men, I see.
Absolutely. Indisputably so. Although there’s this rich woman CEO
And Jennifer Pritzker’s a Billionaire! They lived once as men but that’s totally fair
There’s a new type of woman who’s closing the gap, she’s breaking new ground for us, what a good chap
The new improved women are sorting this out, they’re stronger, and richer and carry more clout
They’re clearly superior, we all can observe it, so if we are poorer we probably deserve it.

Before I move on though, I thought I’d advise; you used the word ‘female’. Probably unwise
That tends to mean sex and not gender identity, please go check your privilege and cisnormativity
And as for “the female half of the population”, please visit this page for your re-education
You don’t want to tarnish your good reputation with gender conflation and trans-elimination

Where are we up to….the emboldened extreme. They do seem to pick up their cue from mainstream
I sometimes think ‘mainstream’ did Not Think Things Through. Don’t worry though, nutters aren’t copying you

Oh I do so agree to deny climatology, is utterly barmy – like ignoring biology!
Oh wait. Take that back. That’s a dodgy example. I’ll think of another, the options are ample.
The truth sets you free if you only will seek it. Unless we don’t like it, in which case we tweak it.
Like “we believe ‘woman’ is all self-defined. The reason you suffer is down to your mind.”
“It’s nothing to do with your actual anatomy. Say that again and we’ll call out your bigotry.”
Science denial from Trump’s a damn shame. But when it’s by us it is totes Not The Same.

A couple of points that I’d like to unpack, “our rights and protections are under attack”
And how mainstream politics is prone to endorse falsehoods and narratives as a matter of course
It’s a little bit ironic, as Alanis would say, that the WEP is the party that would give away
The rights of my sex to a true definition, to group as a SEX without prohibition
The right to reject this idea that ‘identity’ is something we share like a hive personality
The right to speak truth of the cause of this sexism, the root is in SEX so that’s what needs protection
For as long as we advocate nonsense like gender that lives in our brains in pink sparkly splendour
And gender identity is legally forced, you cannot opt out, its compulsory of course
A belief that we legislate, the choice is capacious, but you cannot reject the whole concept like atheists
And what if the whole thing is purely constructed? Comply, or we’re transphobes, so we do as instructed
Bully a sex into quiet submission, replace it with gender without their permission
And lo! All the sexism vanishes away! (And so do our rights, as a sex, but hey)
And here’s an example of how this works, like a golden ticket presented to jerks
The law gets to say “there’s no discrimination, if ‘men’ do this too. For example: Lactation
This woman got sacked and Judges decreed that this was not sexist because MEN breastfeed
This sleight of hand, this new definition, embraced as ‘inclusive’ by each politician
Is the get out of jail pass mysogynists needed, sex is no longer, it’s been superceded

And later this year when they pass legislation to abolish SEX as a categorisation
Replaced with identity in the Equalities Act – we ratify myth in place of fact.
But don’t let that worry you. At least you can say “But I marched for WOMEN so I’m OK!”

I still have a hope that something we’ve said might ring an alarm bell somewhere in your head
And acknowledge that gender identity wrecks the rights and protections of the female sex
Please think again. Be brave. Be true. Stand up for Women. We need rights too.

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2017 12:04

All that's great, OP, but what we really need from WEP is for you people to sit down and define the word "woman". Which you refused to do during your webchat on here IIRC.

BeyondCanSeeTheEmperorsBellend · 20/01/2017 12:08

Hairy, I am in awe. 😍

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 20/01/2017 12:08
CoteDAzur · 20/01/2017 12:09

Applause for Hairy! Flowers