Onwards women!

[VeniceAllan]

I've decided to follow the trend and change my MN name to my real name. I apologise for my last comment on the JH thread. I ❤️ MN But it is a different format to the other platforms and I still haven't quite got my head round it yet!

Bloody hell, the last few weeks have been extremely stressful and divisive for all of us! A sort of crescendo of all the behind the backstabbing that I've seen going on since I got involved in this movement in July 2017 and from what I'm told, has always been part of any women's movement. Sheila Jeffreys told me that back in the day, women even threw bricks through each other's windows.

Does it matter if Posie is more working class than Bindel? That some women are just fighting against self ID while others reject transgenderism in its entirety? That some are staunch socialists, others politically homeless and our movement even includes religious conservatives?

Personally I think our diversity is our strength. We are not all friends or even comrades and we may viciously disagree. With this multi pronged (haha) approach we have achieved amazing things in a very short time here in the UK and women all over the world are now speaking and standing up to misogynistic gender ideology.

While social media is amazing for networking and sharing ideas, I honestly believe that the best way to get things done and make a positive change is to get together in real life. Who is up for a big social event in London soon? Post edited by MNHQ at OP's request to correct an inaccuracy

I'd think it more odd if all women (or even all feminists) got along with each and all activists were best friends, TBH. I like that there is a diversity of women fighting for our rights, and I am proud that women with whom I have nothing in common except for my chromosomal make up are willing to fight for my rights too.

This is our strength, not our weakness

Hi Venice,

I feel a bit starstruck and out of my depth replying to you but my simple message is that I'm bowled over by what you and the others have achieved. Keep it going

Sheila Jeffreys told me that back in the day, women even threw bricks through each other's windows. shock

Really - well, I don't think we're quite there yet! I hope!

Totally agree that we're in this for the women - all of us, even the ones we don't like, or don't agree with. It saddens my soul to see the TRAs rejoices over the fallings out - but, hell, women do fall out.

My contribution is tiny, but I have given to numerous fundraisers, and commented online and tried to raise awareness with my family and friends. Bought Posie's Tshirts. Every little helps.

Thanks Venice.

Another one ✨⭐ struck. Goodness. Fantastic work and amazing work.

It's just a bit of a repetition of the Suffragists and the Sufragettes. History repeating.

Just keep doing what you're doing

See? I'm not the most articulate at the best of times but I've broken a writing rule I used to teach to six year olds in that last post 😁

I'd love to come!!

This is so true about the women objecting to the theft of women's rights. The supporters of this thievery are as diverse as those being robbed, they span the same spectrum.

The best news is though, that the pool of fools willing to pretend they believe that they can look in someone's eyes and see a soul (thanks for that idiotic gem on which you wish to base legislation, Layla) appears smaller by the day.

Yes! Women were silenced and our concerns dismissed but thanks to the efforts of a huge swathe of women, light is beginning to be shone on this issue. I am very grateful for everyone’s efforts, no matter how big or small and am amazed at the power of women

There are few issues which unites us all. How can we argue about period poverty (for example) when we can't even define who we are targeting campaigns at.

I vote for a knees up after the IWD march!

Hey Venice (if that's you! Who knows on this wonder that is Mumsnet. You could be an airbourne legal eagle with shit blusher for all I know!)

For me, a small poster on this site:

Transwomen are not women.

Children's health and sense of self is at risk.

Women and girls' privacy and dignity are at risk.

Women in prison are at risk.

Women seeking safety in refuges are at risk.

Women's confidence in their own self, is at risk.

Women's ability to name and define themselves as women is at risk.

Some people (men) want to divide, shout down, ridicule my concerns I have about the above. They grab hold of understandable political divides that have happened recently, and hold them up as if I'll run away, agreeing they're right because I'm on their political 'side'.

They (mostly men) grab with glee the divisions and disagreements, without realising that many women can disagree, debate and still see the commonality that inspires us to stand up for women.

I stand for women. Wherever they are on the political spectrum (note, political spectrum, not the other fictitious one!!)

I will not shy away from this issue, even when people try to hound us away from it.

Count me in.

Count me in too please!
Thank you Venice, for all that you do.
Putting your head above the parapet isn't easy in the digital age, but thank goodness for WOMEN like you x

Thank fuck for a positive thread!

I'll repeat myself from earlier today:

Think about this: the only thing that connects women on Mumsnet is that they are women. That's what makes it so dangerous in the eyes of the fundie genderists. That's why they have to lie and pretend we're a hive mind/coven of witches - but we're not: we're rich and poor, lefties and righties, graduates and non-graduates, old and young, professional and manual. We have a single voice on absolutely nothing at all, even trans issues.

And that is why it is so great. What's the odd arse-handing between friends compared to the fact that we're all women with all the shared context that implies?

I'll drink to that Lang

Lang

I will fight for the rights of women. Even those who may disagree with me. Even those with whom I disagree.
I stand with women.
Also yes to meeting and drinks! Women meeting in friendship and solidarity is a very powerful thing.

I'm up for a London event. Not followed the fallouts particularly but experienced it myself campaigning in another area. It's so draining. And futile.

So let's stick together and stick it to them, en masse, in London.

👋 for realisies?

Great post Venice

I think the difference between now and back in the day is that we now have tras sticking their oar in and stirring, stirring, stirring and ramping it up. There was that mad gun-toting one recently on twitter who even posted their methods (sorry don't have a link to hand). Let's not let them do that.

Definitely up for any london meet-ups I can make it to.

There have always been fierce and sometimes painful debates on MN but also lots of very nuanced productive discussions. This is the only forum where I've ever seen people change their minds about something and publicly say so.

What helps is the lack of a 'like' button. People aren't herded into agreeing with any particular viewpoint just because everyone else is.

And what Lang said!

Venice Yes as always am totally up for a London meet

Much support for all women as women, standing for the rights and protections of women. If I have literally nothing else in common with a woman but shared sex class, I will still fight to protect her rights.

That really is all there is to it for me. Women have diverse opinions, personalities which clash with other women's personalities, yada yada yada, because women are whole human beings and while that still goes unrecognized, it's just another symptom of women's liberation not being complete.

I really want to pick up Women's Liberation again.

We are not free to speak our minds, to talk about women as a sex class, not free to talk about our bodies and biology using language that we have always understood to be about women.