Times article on YHA 8.10.18

[FlowersAndHerts]

Apologies if there's already a thread on this, but I couldn't see it. Anyway, there's a new article in The Times today, by Lucy Bannerman and Rosemary Bennett, entitled "Youth Hostels Association allow trans guests to use female dormitories"

To quote the article:
The YHA said that the policy had been “in use since 2016 without any concerns or complaints”. One member in her 60s, said that when she complained she was told that there had been no “significant incidents”.

I commented, but as usual on these articles, all comments still seem to be pending. That stifles debate in itself. Why can't The Times get the comments out sooner???

I'm constantly staggered that safeguarding no longer means 'we try to keep people safe by doing all we can to prevent assaults'.

The issue of privacy, of course, appears to have turned into 'You're going to have to accept that you cannot keep yourself private from men. You no longer are entitled to any boundaries.'

What the hell is a 'significant incident'?

They won't have any statistics on the number of women and girls who've decided not to use the YHA, I suppose.

Just need to unpack this bit:

"The YHA said that the policy had been “in use since 2016 without any concerns or complaints”.

One member in her 60s, said that when she complained she was told that there had been no “significant incidents”.

So: (a) there have been complaints, but these are ignored because - apparently - there have so far been reported no significant incidents.

'no significant incidents'?

That is an alarming statement. Because that implies that there have been incidents. What sort of thing do the YHA define as 'not significant'?

Lucy Bannerman on Twitter:

twitter.com/TimesLucy/status/1049208091483557889

"The @YHAOfficial could not provide any evidence of risk assessments, before getting rid of its “single sex” dorms.
It declined to say which “outside agencies” advised this.
And it said there had been no complaints - odd, as I’ve seen a written complaint and the YHA response."

You'll all be shocked to hear that Jane Fae, when allegedly boasting about "talking to Girl Guides" at the #StillHere trans conference, also allegedly claimed to be talking to YHA. Amazing coincidence that eh! I guess those "experts in the field" like to go hosteling in their down time when not volunteering at Guides.

Of course they couldn't provide any evidence of risk assessments. Because no one anywhere is doing risk assessments on this.

More:

twitter.com/TimesLucy/status/1049202969131077632

"When a volunteer asked @YHAOfficial what to do, if a woman in female dorm expressed unease re sharing with biological male, volunteer was told to accommodate the #transgender guest and move the woman elsewhere.
Member: "They have withdrawn from me the possibility of saying no."

The YHA said that the policy had been “in use since 2016 without any concerns or complaints”. One member in her 60s, said that when she complained she was told that there had been no “significant incidents”.

"No complaints because we don't log them"

Curious comment on the second Twitter link about 'what happens if it's a coloured trans?' Not heard 'coloured' in the context of humans for quite some time now, seems to me the person using it must be living under a rock somewhere. Of course, again conflating us not wanting male bodies in our sleeping etc spaces with racial discrimination. Have these people no brains?

The advice seems very similar to advice we've seen elsewhere (was it GGs? or schools?). If a natal female complains, she's shifted off elsewhere and educated, while a trans person remains in the female space.

This does remind me of an email I sent to YHA Scotland, or whatever they call themselves these days, way back in the summer. I asked them directly if I would be expected to share a dorm with a male bodied person - no reply.

Obviously, burying your head in the sand is the strategy du jour.

@Juells can I point you to my post 👆

Explains a lot...

There is a hierarchy in women's spaces.

Men come first. Always.
Women are always the least entitled to be in women's spaces.

Man Friday in action in YHA (or, in this case SYHA)

www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/1502868/woman-gets-key-to-highland-hostel-dorm-after-self-identifying-as-male/

It's hardly surprising to see the same policies being implemented if the same small group of people on one side of the issue are being the only group consulted by organisations. And as those identikit policies are taken up again and again it becomes the norm.
What happened with the ManFriday YHA booking in the end? I can't remember off the top of my head.

Xpost tin thanks!

So women no longer have a right to single sex accommodation but must use mixed sex-that’s crap.

Who the fuck uses the term ‘coloured’ anymore? Gross

Jane Fae. That doesn’t surprise me. What does still surprise me is that any organisation that needs to be aware of safeguarding, would take advice from an advocate of extreme pornography, with a vested interest in removing the sex based rights of women and girls.
So another thing my daughters won’t be able to do, stay in a Youth Hostel, along with go on a sleeper train, join the Girl Guides etc.
Our world gets smaller.

They've done the same thing as the Girl Guides in NOT BEING HONEST about it.
If you want to go back on the YHA's longstanding tradition of removing single sex accommodation, at least do so openly and INFORM THE MEMBERS.
This slimy mealy mouthed 'actually we've already been doing it for years' response is disgusting.
I am 100% sure the women who have paid for single sex dorm space during that time have not done so with the knowledge that actually a biological male could have been in there too.

Yup. I was saying exactly that to my husband... his world will be the same but mine and our DD won’t be, less freedom yet again

This is so upsetting. The only time I have been in a mixed dorm, the man next to me kept on masturbating- I didn't get any sleep as I was scared. I want single sex to mean single sex.

Kewqueue

That's appalling. And he was almost certainly doing it because he was in a bed adjacent to you.