Despairing (rape crisis centre and trans ideology)

[ClaraMatilda]

I recently received an email saying that my local rape crisis centre was looking for volunteers, so I decided to take a look at the application. It had this question:

Do you feel comfortable volunteering in an organisation where our volunteers, staff and the women and girls we support include lesbian, bisexual and trans women, disabled women, and women from a wide variety of ethnic groups, ages, religions and social classes? Please answer here

One of these things is not like the others.

It's fine to have a centre which is for both women and men if you make it clear that that's what you're doing. Everyone knows where they stand. Letting in men who claim to have some kind of womanly soul but not others doesn't make logical sense. Equating opposition to this to not wanting to work with people of a different social class or ethnicity is even worse.

Then I read this:

We especially welcome applications from BME women, disabled women and LBT (lesbian, bisexual and trans) women.

FFS.

Rape crisis centres were set up by women, for women, in response to the problem of male sexual violence. How has it come to the point where even they see 'woman' as a feeling in a man's head? It makes no sense to me at all. I can only imagine how awful it would be to call their helpline after having suffered a terrible experience and being met not just with a male voice, but the voice of a male who insists you call him 'she'

Is there any way back from this?

It's a funding issue, or a fear if litigation issue, or both.

Will you write to them about your concerns?

Its not whether you have a problem, it is whether traumatised women and girls have a problem.

Are they being asked the same question, in a way that would allow them to be honest. If not there is a risk they are re-traumatised. I as a volunteer would have a problem with that.

What about transmen? Do they not deserve rape crisis support?

Also, I wonder what the ratio of TW volunteers is to TW service users? I’d like to know that.

Its not whether you have a problem, it is whether traumatised women and girls have a problem.

Yes, you're exactly right - and whether being honest about it would lead to them being accused of transphobia. Compassion and just plain common sense should mean that a woman in that situation asking to speak only with female volunteers should have her choice respected. But in this climate, who knows?

Blythe, yes, I'll write to them when I'm feeling less emotional about it all and can put my concerns across properly.

Surely all humans deserve respect and support if they are the victim of rape? And surely an agency like this will be sensitive to the needs of all those humans needs to feel safe again? Isn’t this just the compassionate thing to do?

I think you are right Anne, sadly this whole debate is becoming too polarised.

Anne- i think you misunderstand the whole problem. We don’t want anyone to go without support after being raped, but no woman or girl should EVER be asked to put a male-bodied person’s needs before her own when she is trying to recover.

NO

If Rape Crisis Centres are to be for both women and men, they need to make that clear to everyone.

Likewise if their staff are going to be both women and men, they need to say so as it is not what people will expect.

Rape infers women only so centres should be renamed sexual assault crisis centres.

Anne - that's why I made it clear in my OP that my problem isn't with having centres that are open to both men and women. It's claiming that your services are for women and girls only and then letting males in if they say the magical 'I identify as a woman' words. That isn't offering support to 'all humans' either.

And sadly there are men who get a kick out of hearing a woman describe being raped. Unless you are one of the magical people that can see people's souls, the simplest thing is to have women only staff. They should 100% be centering the victims.

So you don’t think rape crisis are just asking for volunteers from a variety of backgrounds in order to support the individual needs of rape victims from a wide variety of backgrounds? Are you also worried that the English speaking victims may end up supported by someone who only speaks Spanish? Or do you think Rape Crisis, in their highly trained, specialised position, might be a bit wiser than that and use a volunteer that suits the victims needs?

Men and transwomen need support specifically tailored to their unique needs.
A rape crisis centre for women is not the place for men to counsel and support women. To suggest otherwise shows a worrying lack of concern and compassion for traumatised women.

Anne, the point is that if the center is mixed-sex they should say so, and not gaslight users by pretending they are single-sex. Abused biological and Trans men have just as much right as Trans women to access a mixed sex center, and yet they are omitted from the description:

"Do you feel comfortable volunteering in an organisation where our volunteers, staff and the women and girls we support include lesbian, bisexual and trans women, disabled women, and women from a wide variety of ethnic groups, ages, religions and social classes?"

"Do you feel comfortable volunteering in an organisation where our volunteers, staff and the women and girls we support include lesbian, bisexual and trans women, disabled women, and women from a wide variety of ethnic groups, ages, religions and social classes?"

It doesn't sound like they are offering tailored support to a variety of people.

It sounds like they are offering support to women only and are including men who say they are women.

And - they need their volunteers to believe it also.

Perhaps it's unsurprising that they are recruiting.

For God's sake Anne why are you not able to see the problem with this?

If Rape Crisis Centres are to be for both women and men, they need to make that clear to everyone.
Likewise if their staff are going to be both women and men, they need to say so as it is not what people will expect.

This.

Or do you think Rape Crisis, in their highly trained, specialised position, might be a bit wiser than that and use a volunteer that suits the victims needs?

Do you think that these individuals are somehow exempt from threats of funding being slashed or their organisation dragged through court proceedings simply because they are highly trained?

I am friends with someone on the board of trustees for a local rape crisis centre. She tells me of their funding being reduced year on year, and how there are centres up and down the country that are being threatened with further cuts - implicitly or explicitly - if they are not "inclusive".

There is a way of serving the needs of males and females who have been sexually assaulted. Lumping the two groups together and singing Shangri-la with their eyes closed is not the way to do it.

Quick google of Rape Crisis showed me that they’re an umbrella charity for hundreds of centres, half of which also support men and diverse groups. I just think that they are more than aware of the issues women might feel about asking for support and this thread is scaremongering that, if you are raped, you might turn up and be treated by a bloke in a dress getting off on your story. Besides which, this thread is based on an apparent random email drop, not a mission statement for rape crisis.

Domestic violence and sexual trauma therapy services need to be single sex. they have been single sex since they were set up and service users expect them to be.
If you don't like single sex trauma therapy services then set up mixed sex ones. No one is stopping you.

I can't tell you how angry I am about this. I know how hard it was for women to get enough funds to set up and run these services.

If biological males need rape crisis centres, they should do what females did: build them.

Yes. No-one kindly provided this, or domestic violence shelters, for women until after women had done it for themselves.

is there a way to quietly support centres which are for women only? how do you find them without bringing protestors down on them?

it's very sad.