Women’s Aid considers employing self-declared transwomen [i.e. men] in women's shelters

[cromeyellow0]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/womens-refuges-may-get-transgender-staff-3txhcr8mb

The review of women’s refuges, which is not dependent on any government reform, was agreed last week by the board of the charity Women’s Aid, a federation that oversees more than 300 shelters.

Mary Mason, the board’s interim co-chairwoman, said: “We have agreed to start a review of our whole transgender policy, including the possibility of employment for self-declared transgender women without a gender recognition certificate.”

Describing it as “an extraordinarily difficult discussion,” Mason said the review, by Women’s Aid’s director of services, Nicki Norman, would take three to four months. Another board member, Sarah Forster, confirmed the move.

Where did the impetus come from? It shows yet another institution "getting ahead of the law", as a Labour MP would phrase it.

And of course there will be no predators who self ID to gain access to vulnerable women. No no no, that would never happen

Jesus, I'm so fucking mad.

All you fence sitters lurking, it's time to speak up

Are there refuges which already allow TIMs to work in them? I looked at my local Women's Aid refuge and it features some job adverts. I looked at them and the job description and they aren't specifying female applicants.

Sorry again , but what's self ID?

I read my employer's trans policy this week. It says that if someone is in transition that they may be fluid from one day to the next and thereby choose, for example, which toilet to use on a daily basis. It includes a quote from Stonewall to the effect that the person in transition will know which toilet to use depending on how they're feeling on the day. The policy also seems to take the view that a person is in transition, and therefore may be recognised as the opposite gender as well as their own, from the moment he or she declares it so - no consideration to be given of "is this person genuinely transitioning or not, or simply playing the system?
I do feel a lot of this is about deleting women as a group.

Gender Self identification drinks. So a male saying he is a woman mean that he is one

DrinksWine

There will be a coordinated campaign, we just need to get our bearings. Two things, WA HQ set the overall tone of policy but shelters are individual organisations, so they are like the umbrella.

Secondly, we need to find out if they are trying to get a 'feel' for what women think about this (ie being canny now ahead of the juggernaut looming) or have drunk the KoolAid as that will inform how we go about any coordinated efforts. But for now by all means write and log your objections.

Woman's Place on FB and twitter good places to follow, as is the FairPlay for Women website.

drinkswineoutofamug Here's an example from Canada, which has embraced self-identification:

torontosun.com/2014/02/15/a-sex-predators-sick-deception/wcm/127b4003-d06d-489d-9679-861651dd3160

Sex is eradicated. You can declare your gender, which may be anything (man, woman, non-binary, etc) and may change from day to day (gender fluid).

Thank you for the information, sorry if I came across dim.
I'm so angry with it this morning, trying to catch up with everything
And yes @GirlScout72 I will be contacting them

How the fuck does 'changing your gender day by day' even work?

What one day I wear a dress, paint my nails and wear a flower in my hair and the next I wear jeans, DMs and drink beer?

Cos if so, that describes me!

Maybe I'm gender fluid and just haven't realised it yet...

Well, given as how vicars believe in the Great Sky Pixie, I am not surprised that a female vicar is incapable of critical thinking on other issues, such as gender.

I think we established a while back that the majority of us fit into one/several/lots of the gender pick'n'mix categories, so we're all actually under the trans umbrella(according to Stonewall) .

All you fence sitters lurking, it's time to speak up

Not a fence sitter but apart from re-tweeting a couple of articles I've just been horrified in silence - no more! I have daughters and grand-daughters and this scares the bejesus out of me. After reading the thread on WA today I've had to put my head above the parapet and join the TERF club. I would never forgive myself if the GRA is allowed to just sail through and woman lose all their safe spaces because I was too afraid to speak out.

I do have the badge of honour of being blocked by that sickening little squirt L Madigan.

Drinkswine

You are not dim, we've all been where you have, and had the sudden scales fall from eyes moment - we call it Peak Trans. I've been a lifelong feminist, I never thought TW were actual women but honestly, I had NO IDEA that what I thought were a few harmless transsexuals had suddenly morphed into an aggressive men's rights movement. Until two years ago, BAM! OMG, I was flabberghasted. The thing is, this is not really a 'feminist' thing, this is about all women, this is about your elderly granny getting her catheter changed by an actual woman, if you, have a family, have requested that. This is about your teenage daughter being able to try on jeans in topshop without some pervert sticking a camera phone under the changing room door, this is about us saying (mad as it sounds) WOMEN need maternity services and abortions, and WOMEN need domestic violence shelters. This is about all women.

There's lots to take in. Take your time.

MRAs masquerading as transsexuals are very reductionist (I think that's the right word). Being a man means wearing trousers and little adornment; being a woman means wearing bright patterned dresses and earrings. Minor little things like biology, fertility and women being oppressed by men for thousands of years are irritating little details,

We live in a world where having a vagina doesn't make you a woman but wearing a dress, make up & heels does.

Is 2pm too early for ..?

I have emailed women's aid to share with them my experience of leaving an abusive ex and how the overwhelming fear of men has shaped my life for the last 7 years. I have told them if it had been a male person who welcomed me into that shelter i would have left. I've asked them to please listen to other women about this. I'm scared of the reply I will receive but I can't do nothing anymore.

Dear Sergio, I suspect that is exactly the sort of evidence and experience that they would need to justify keeping women only spaces.

for you DearSergio hope you're in a better place now and brilliant that you've felt able to speak out with your own experiences-it's so important to do it if you can.

is there an explanation anywhere for why women's aid currently do not employ men in shelters?

I would assume that all of those reasons would apply equally to a trans identifying male as to a bog standard old fashioned 'man'.

Sorry, correction to my Twitter link for the vicar who doesn't get it - it's @sallyhitchiner

Ruby
Please listen to morningrunner

The WA are wording job ads as women only, which is going to attract TRAs on principle to ensure that by 'women' they mean transwomen first and centred.

I wonder if WA are thinking if they make it clear that 'women only' includes allowing transwomen to apply/interview, they still can appoint whoever they want. The chances of a TRA candidate having the relevant background, experience and applying for the post due to a genuine interest in doing the work and rescuing/supporting biological women is pretty much zero, so they won't interview well and wouldn't be appointed.

However we said that about TIM nurses doing smear tests and one not only went to do a smear for a woman who had requested a female HCP, but argued for his right to do it.

Myunicornfliessideways, do you have a link to an article regarding that nurse?