Let's call Any Answers on R4 to debate GRA Tomorrow

[DJLippy]

R4's Any Questions talked about transwomen in women's spaces. Tomorrow is Any Questions. They usually respond to caller demand. Let's bombard them with calls. I am not the most informed but I am sure some of you have a lot to say. It starts at 2.30pm tomorrow

03700 100 444
To have your say on the issues discussed on Any Questions? Call: 03700 100 444 (Calls will cost no more than calls to 01 and 02 geographic landlines.

You can also send an email

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qmmy/contact

If anything it will show the producers how important this issue is.

Oh ReluctantCamper that was a very good effort. You managed to introduce concrete and easy to grasp problems that will have made some of the audience think.

In terms of their handling of you, did you get any sense of where the researcher/producer stood on this issue?

Well done Reluctant camper, you kept your cool and got your points across. Really, you sounded rational and sensible.

Oh Reluctant cross post! Well done, good to hear voices that are balanced and reasonable and sensible and calm, makes a lie of the rhetoric that would like the general, uninformed, public to believe we’re screeching harridans.

ReluctantCamper Well done. I’m so pissed of with the BBC but so glad you and Dr Nic got to speak.

Reluctant lovely job!

ReluctantCamper

You were stupendous.

I spent a half hour practising out loud walking up and down the kitchen, I just got to the bit where I was saying something about menstrual blood turned round and my son was watching me.

He's 19, and it says a lot that he raised an eyebrow and said mumsnet.

Well done. It's heartstopping, I know.

The original question was asking whether the panel agreed that many women want and need single sex spaces......well done to those who managed to get through and speak on this. But why is it that so much more air time was given to the views and feelings of trans people than those feeling thretened, vlunerable or disregarded by the proposed changes to self ID? Come on BBC this is not balanced is it?

ReluctantCamper Well done!

The women who called in were fantastic.

Weren't given enough time to speak, as the transcult were too busy peddling their emotionally manipulative bullshit that completely ignores the issues women are trying to address.

BBC view of balance is a flipping joke.

Anita did as well as she could. I think she gets it. She said about the smear test thing being common sense as that's a legitimate reason to require a female - yes. It is. Bit apparently we aren't allowed to say that anymore, and that's the fecking point!

If anyone else gets to talk and they are speaking about toilets and rapists will rape anyway, it's useful to bear this list in mind:

Things men do in the toilet:

Number ones
Number twos

Things women do in the toilet:

Number ones
Number twos

Buy and dispose of sanitary protection.

Rinse menstrual blood from clothes, particularly underwear.

Rinse mooncups and blood from hands.

Miscarriages. Most miscarriages happen on the toilet.

Morning sickness. Sometimes on the hour every hour.

Pregnant women's waters breaking. The first place a woman will frantically run to is the nearest bathroom.

Not all these things, all the time. But almost every woman would be able to pick several, a number of times.

Men don't get this. Particularly transwomen. To them, being a woman has nothing to do with biology and doesn't occupy their mind.

It needs pointing out, every single time, in all its gory detail.

This is why the it's just a place to pee argument is nonsense.

reluctant - YWVVVVV good.

Well done!

Totally agree, Datun.

For TW, the most important function of the women's toilets is to feel 'womanly'; reapply lipstick, zhuzh your hair and check out your sass in the full length mirror before re-emerging to the anticipated admiring glances from all those men shackled to their dull biological women...

They literally do not have a clue.

@Datun something else women and girls use the toilet for is escape from men!

@camper very well done to you

Datun something else women and girls use the toilet for is escape from men!

Absolutely. Unfortunately, that sets off the whole domino effect of NAMALTING.

Something that is impossible to apply to biologically related functions.

But yes, I completely agree!

Datun is right. Public toilets for women are more than a place to pee (and not just make up) and this is about more than safety. Women’s public lives were (and in some places still are) limited by the lack of female only places to pee and deal with all the issues that come with being a woman. An actual, biological woman. It’s that pesky thing biology, you just can’t opt out of or change it.

I am the person who asked the question last night.
I had actually also submitted a second question which also made the production team's shortlist 'What is a woman?'.
I am not a political activist in any way shape or form but I was 'peak transed' by the thread about girl guides.
I am sure a number of you would have been more articulate than I was, but as I happened to have a ticket I thought I would take the opportunity.
As my username says I am still shaking from asking the question and the complete lack of the panel in accepting that women need safe single sex spaces. I wasn't going to respond but DA annoyed me and the others were so weasle worded, which is why I maybe wasn't as coherent as desired.
I haven't been able to face listening to Any Answers, but my DM phoned and said it took up over half the program, so thank you to anyone who submitted a comment to make that happen.

@ReluctantCamper well done it sounds like you did wonderfully  Will listen on catchup when I get home.

Desperate to hear @Datun speak to see if she's as eloquent on the radio as on here. Datun podcast, anyone?

In fact if this were a less scary issue to discuss, in terms of violent threats from TRAs, a podcast would be amazing, loads of brilliant women on here who should be guests, and then you'd get invited to talk on the radio rather than having to ring and get in a queue.

I thought you did great ShakingAfterAllThis. Direct and clear. Your follow-up comment about male genitalia in women's safe spaces was excellent, even though it went down with the hall like a cup of cold sick.

@ShakingAfterAllThis I thought you were very coherent, well done!

I found it hard going on any answers once about 20 years ago but it's understandable that this particular issue is more scary due to fear of being labelled 'phobic,' getting a point across that seems to be ignored or people are ignorant to and also due to any possible misogyny as a result. It shouldn't be like this. And we shouldn't be afraid. Well done you.

I thought I shouldn't say penises.
What I should have said was 'I am disappointed that the panel have turned a question about women's safe spaces into discussing trans rights' or something.

well done. shaking

Well, there's opportunities for other questions in the future and these lines can be used then. Interesting and positive your second question was considered.

I think that two key phrases help make people think: what is a woman? (Qualifies you as, make you etc) and that this is effectively a debate about male violence.

Just to add to Datun's post about things women do in public toilets - breastfeeding. I have done many times when I've been made to feel embarrassed or I've felt too self conscious to feed my baby. It's bad enough sat on a public loo trying to latch your screaming newborn...without the possibility of a bloke outside the door.

Desperate to hear @Datun speak to see if she's as eloquent on the radio as on here. Datun podcast, anyone?

I'm more eloquent writing than I am speaking. Possibly something to do with the fact that I can delete anything I write, rephrase it, and then post it!