Women's Hour Tomorrow!

[MsBeaujangles]

The consultation is going to be discussed tomorrow on Women's Hour. They are asking for our views!

I did begin and end my email by saying Thanks for covering this and that I trusted WH would make sure it was a fair and balanced debate ...

Email sent.

The introduction today sounded ok, let’s hope the ‘balanced view’ remains with facts rather than the sort of emotive drivel we usually get. I’m in meetings tomorrow but will be checking in here (under the table!) for views as it airs. Given the history of GC pov being jumped on and warnings issued to presenters I’ll be fascinated to see how they tackle this.

I've emailed my comments.

I wrote in just with my anecdote about my local leisure centre going over to unisex changing rooms - which has effectively meant it has become the men's changing room, and fewer women are going swimming now the weather has changed, I was going home still with my wet swimmers on when it was hot but can't do that now.

The leisure centre could probably truthfully say there have been no problems at all since they went all unisex - so therefore self-ID will cause no problems - but that's because women like me have just stopped going.

I'm hoping that in addition to people's concerns for the future my one personal anecdote will make the WH people think about what's already happening.

It is interesting that the show is taking place at the exact same time as Womans Place UK and Fair Play For Women are having their meeting at the House of Commons. This will mean that nobody from these organisations will be able to take part in any discussion.

Of course...

I've emailed. Also included a personal angle, as I guess they'll be aware of the Karen White/Pips Bunce stuff.

The scheduling clash with the HoC meeting seems like an astonishingly unfortunate coincidence... 🤔

I emailed the following
I was delighted to hear that you are finally planning to cover the GRA consultation in your programme. Although with less than a week to go this is a little late to be covering a topic that is of great importance to women and girls.

I support the rights of trans people to live and present as they wish. However, I cannot support a proposal that will allow any man to say he is a women and demand access to safe spaces for women and girls.

I am concerned about the consequences of these proposals to women’s sex based legal rights and protections. Many organisations are acting as though it is already law, bringing in policies that encourage men to enter women’s and girls’ spaces. Examples include hospital wards, refuges, toilets, changing rooms, school and girl guide overnight accommodation, youth hostels, university rooms, and prisons. Medical treatment and research, crime statistics, programmes for women in politics and STEM subjects, and women’s sports are also affected.

We are increasingly seeing women’s language policed and are being called transphobic for discussing such things as periods, breastfeeding, cervical cancer and other things that only affect women.
Recently we saw a prominent trans rights activist tell a woman opposed to these changes that she, and by implication the rest of us that we were appropriating the word women. We have also seen the definition of women – adult human female, banned from billboards and the side of buses as it was seen as offensive.

Women who talk about this have been called names, repeatedly harassed, threatened with violence, had to deal with bomb threats, have been subject to doxing and have been physically attacked. This is not on and you have to ask why are women’s voices so scary that we have to be silenced simply for standing up for our rights.

This is already happening and the proposed legislation changes will make this all the easier. Women know what men will do to gain access to them and a law that allows them to self identify as a woman while making no physical changes nor any cosmetic ones will encourage this.

That is why I am strongly opposed to the proposed changes to this legislation

I hadn't realised they had scheduled it for the same time as the meeting that's very annoying.

Oh I so hope they have Posie on - or will she be at the House of Commons?

I told them to be brave and come out on the side of women.

done

i focused on all the attempt to prevent women meeting peacefully to discuss this

I hope Dr Nic is asked, and I hope she decides to go. There will be enough capable hands to hold the fort at the HoC. With time running out we need to think about how to reach the biggest number of people, and unfortunately MPs seem to be a lost cause. All the ground gained in this push back has been by women at grassroots level, organising themselves and talking to other women.

Sorry if this has already been posted:

[email protected]

I'm pleased they're covering it but dreading it also.

Jesus they keep getting it wrong -
coincidence? They'll just be able to say they declined the invitation to debate. Awful.

I don't think anything will allay my contempt for Woman's Hour.

I have sent a page long email
This had better not be another bloody advert for Mermaids
If so they will be deluged with complaints.

Only one representative from FPFW, WPUK and TT will be at the HoC meeting.

I could have done a long rant but decided on one short paragraph. They will go for sound bites probably.

I did however point out that 80 per cent have no treatment as this rarely seems to figure and I still think not a lot of people realise it.

Am I the only person who feels the discussion on Mumsnet is a bit one sided?
Aren't there any other trans allies here, with friends that are trans, or children that are trans or might be?
I just care about well-being for all and feel everyone has the right to make their way through life in the best or only way that they can.
I say this especially as a #SuicideSurvivor ( meaning I lost someone close to me in this tragic way, they weren't trans but they were gay which I feel may have contributed to their vulnerability, especially with possible bullying during school years)

Hi Juggling

I just care about well-being for all and feel everyone has the right to make their way through life in the best or only way that they can.

Me too, as with the rest of the posters here.

Yes there are loads of us that started from exactly where you are and thought trans rights were the new gay rights and why not just be nice, where's the harm? Then we read and learnt more about the GRA (there are some extremely patient, eloquent women on here) and now we oppose GRA self ID for many reasons mainly the harm it will do to women's and children's rights and way it is against all current safeguarding and child protection best practice.

juggling if by standing up for womens rights, you think we're one sided, then one sided I am. I will support trans people but not at the expense of women & girls.

Juggling, it's the friends with suddenly-trans children that first made me take full notice of what the fuck was going on.

When it was something rarely heard of, affecting strangers, I wasn't really paying attention. But so many little girls I'd known for years, hitting their teens and declaring themselves to be boys? Three close enough to be on our Christmas card list (and trust me, I don't have that many friends)? One more in DD's class, yet another in the year below? Nope, not buying it any longer.

It's a tragedy that these children feel they have to damage their bodies and take drugs to be 'authentically themselves'.

Juggling - How is being concerned for women's rights one-sided? No one has said trans people don't deserve rights but they shouldn't be allowed to take away womens either.

Thanks particularly to elp th for your reply.

I look forward to reading other responses.

I am more than anything a middle way kind of person and feel discussion may have been shut down on this on Mumsnet where it appears there is "the Mumsnet view"

Juggling

Most people here would support trans people in all ways except those that undermine the rights of others. Even then, posters rarely demonstrate cavalier attitudes.

This board is about feminism and for many that means centring females.

I contribute to other forums with regard to supporting others/where the rights of others are centred.