Shall we start a feminist think tank?

[Newuser123123]

There's lots of clever, knowledgeable women on here. Perhaps we could have a space for gathering research, ideas and policy proposals?

I'm in. Retired accountant.

@stumbledin excellent post, thank you.

I think you're right, we don't have time to reinvent the wheel and there's no point duplicating work of other groups.

I definitely think this is an important, active and knowledgeable group of women, with an appetite to do more, whether that is providing research, support etc for other groups, or as a pressure group on its own.

I can't claim to have thought this through and formed a concrete plan, but I'm learning from everyone's posts and excited by the prospect of working together

@Newuser123123 Yes, lawyer here

I am in too. ;

@ChampagneCommunist great, we obviously want to make sure we don't say or do anything inadvertently that could get us into trouble. Did you see the faircop article about the college of policing?

@Newuser123123 No, I haven't- do you have a quick link?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3744177-Fair-Cop-College-of-Police-Guidelines

I'm in. Politically homeless and in despair.

I completely hear what you say about duplicating, but there is so much work to be done which isn't happening that I hardly know where to begin.

I started the thread about play equipment for teenagers the other day. While I can do some useful stuff in my own town (aka driving the council clerk mad because I am right and he is wrong), a think tank can do way more. For example - get legal advice as to why only providing stuff for boys is against the equalities act and then spread that knowledge both through formal bodies like whoever they are who represent local councils, but also the press.

There is a lot to be said for taking on an issue and pushing it, because every single thing raises consciousness of just how sexist (mysogynist) the world still is.

Oh, but what I also meant to say is that I also contacted one of the quangos which advise on play. They had done nothing on gender, but straight away got the problem, and are debating it at their next meeting.

So much of it is about lobbying in that kind of way - not just making a noise, but co-opting other bodies and changing their minds.

the other thing I would like to investigate is how Stonewall got so much sodding influence. Is there a gender-critical investigative journalist out there?

@artisanparsnips.

The Morning Star has GC investigative journalists and published this article

morningstaronline.co.uk/article/labour-activists-launch-declaration-women%E2%80%99s-sex-based-rights#.XcnfR1NKoaA.twitter

I also happen to know a journalist who works for the Morning Star.

Sorry not RTFT can we start to use the thread to decide what questions we want the think tank to tackle? For example:

Short of legal cases to point to, how do we best explain to UK institutions and organisations etc how to use the exemptions that there already are in the GRA around single-sex spaces and services?

What should replace the gender recognition act that would not disadvantage women and respects everyone’s human rights?

What change is needed to agree a definition of biological sex, (..ain’t nobody got time to try to define ‘gender’..) and to make it absolutely unacceptable for any public or private body to use ‘gender’ when they mean ‘sex’?

What regulation should there be for offering kids blockers, hormones, surgery if they are under the age of 25? My suggestion was case by case regulation on licence from a specifically expert body- but I notice the court cases currently being brought suggest only a judge should decide. Women need to be proposing an alternative model, what should it be? Same for any vulnerable adults who are over the age of 25. What would work and have safeguards?

How do we make political parties actually make good on the promises they have made about female representation in party politics?

How do we best embarrass the actual institutions that should already be doing this work? How do we make them listen to women?

I have more!

I’m in.
Politically homeless academic in Social Sciences/ Childhood Studies.
My top 3 concerns are:

1. Self ID and the consequences of this upon safe spaces for girls and women
2. Lack of consideration about the long term impact of medical interventions with young people who may, or may not have gender dysphoria
3. The damage being caused to some women’s sport, especially for young women. It enrages me that girls, who need all the encouragement they can get to participate in sports, have this to contend with.

I’m beginning to feel increasingly fearful of what I say about these issues in my teaching when quizzed by students. And, I fear my Union would send me up the paddle without a creek if I came out as full on GC in my institution 🙁

I'm in.

I’d love to join in. Happy to work with women from all political parties and the homeless, as I am.

I’ve moved gradually to a position though where I would challenge the current GRA. I think it was a huge mistake to write gender into law in the first place. I believe the original GRA was to allow same sex marriage as long as one individual reassigned gender so as not to frighten the horses.

Homophobic, unworkable as well as leading to the current mess with self ID.

One unique thing we do have here, is a huge collective ability to join the dots and bring together insight over a wide range of topics affecting women.

We might never have the ability, or even the interest, in getting behind one issue or focused mission. But we are an incredibly powerful source of experience and our potential to network is massive. That network is powerful.

If we joined up with existing think tanks, organisations or new movements such as LGBAlliance I reckon we could be formidable.

I forgot to add also: can the think tank work with others who want to talk publicly and be visible, in order to raise up their voices, eg detransitioned people, lesbians who have lost or are losing all their women only spaces. parents of ROGD children. health care professionals, researchers and academics who are concerned about the culture of silencing concerns and stifling research, women expected to share changing and toileting and whatever with men in public and professional spaces, sportswomen objecting to males in their competitions and so on? All these crucial voices seem to be missing from the debate so far.

Media coverage is needed to inform public opinion and that also means finding women willing to talk as case studies to put them in touch with journalists. Anonymously if needs be. The think tank needs a big media team to do all this.

Reach out to schools offering an alternative to the Stonewall- Mermaids- NSPCC triad; organisations are already doing this but I think a mum angle may get a better foothold in schools and what we want is local mums to offer the training with a balanced perspective centring the welfare of all children equally. I was speaking with a few teachers last night and there is increasing concern around the changes being pushed through- link up with SSA etc to provide volunteers to deliver training in their own locality - local mums who know the teachers and schools.

That's a super idea Getbusy I'm s primary teacher, and primary schools are very careful to listen to parents- Mums are more involved generally at this age, so there's a need to keep them happy/ onside.
It's not an issue that comes up as much at this age, but it does happen.!

I would want any group to be clear that there are no defined political allegiances, and that the role is to inform all parties of issues that affect women. (Sort of like how Stonewall manages to operate across political divides.)

Of the various people who have spoken out I feel politically most comfortable with James Kirkup, with my primary concern the silencing of women via #nodebate. Though obviously the more I learn, the more I am worried about safeguarding. I realise that others come from different places with different priorities. This should not matter provided there is sufficient common ground, understanding and respect.

Just a question, though I know nothing about this, might it be possible to speak to existing respected think tanks, including the one run by Kirkup, and ask if they would be interested in a parallel, funded, womens issues reasearch area. It would shorten the learning curve.

Mum's voices need to be empowered, definitely.

Unfortunately the new RSE guidance and pshe schemes which are being developed by a range of charities and organisations are including a certain slant on 'trans.' That children are born in the wrong body.

This is going into schools via training as accepted mantra and one they have a responsibility to actively support and teach.

As SSA uk are finding out, mums aren't always being listened to, especially as any questioning is labelled phobic. Charities with trans agendas are holding a lot of power in some areas.

A think tank would have to be able to carefully spell out, with evidence and research, the links between and impact of overly heavy gender stereotyping and children feeing they're somehow 'wrong.'

There are many crossovers to online harms and body image and acceptance so it shouldn't be difficult to join the dots and communicate them, but it is.

It is unfortunately likely to become worse too due to the way primary schools are going to be organised and judged under the new ofsted framework. Heads are less in control of curriculum content and design, this is increasingly placed on the shoulders of subject leaders. (Individual teachers.)

Safeguarding in schools and of gender querying children and referrals to GIDs and CAHMS is a huge priority. Research of and use of that research to inform policy and also educational policy on this. Safeguarding policy around the messages children get from the trans ideology online and in increasing numbers of books is also a priority of research and political lobby.

This think tank does need to know what's already happening in organisations.

There's a massive hole in safeguarding policy wrt the messages children and parents get from media, online and books.

Also wrt to trans widows and children of trans parents.

They're not acknowledged and the harm is not acknowledged.

a massive hole in safeguarding policy

Caused not by a gap in legislation or awareness but by an active dismantling of the safety net on every level.

Also wrt to trans widows and children of trans parents. They're not acknowledged and the harm is not acknowledged.

True, detransitioners and their regrets are also blocked from the public's view and presumably therefore from the mental and physical support they need.

active dismantling of the safety net on every level

I do agree, at the same time all this as an actual issue is completely off the radar of school leaders and educational Lea advisors unless they're involved in any of this.

I've seen safeguarding policy being delivered from its very beginnings as that's when I started teaching. I only became aware of the whole debate over the last 3 years. I've tentatively asked questions and I've been sent on several mandatory courses recently and it's simply not an acknowledged area. The nearest is radicalisation- except some (TRAs) would view the rad fem view as the radicalisation- and online harms, which is starting to include body image impacts, and manipulation online.

And toilet policy is woolly. Privacy for girls is not mentioned, but I feel this is because the deliverers aren't aware it's even an issue.

For the scientists of the think tank: free media training acmedsci.ac.uk/grants-and-schemes/mentoring-and-other-schemes/sustain/media_women