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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Woman’s place UK conference

298 replies

Silencedwitness · 20/12/2019 18:32

Is anyone else thinking or going?

womansplaceuk.org/conference-womens-liberation-2020/

OP posts:
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18
Dolorabelle · 02/02/2020 12:42

They were chanting “Trans rights. Be nice”

Hilarious.

But sad that some young activists see protesting against a conference about women’s liberation as an important activity.

What struck me was that the vast majority of the conference was about women’s issues and feminist activism in many many areas. Not much about trans stuff at all - it came up in discussions but really, we focused on women. It was a nice change to be in a room with 900 women and some men and focus on women

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 02/02/2020 12:58

It was a nice change to be in a room with 900 women and some men and focus on women

Yes, but it was the wrong type of ‘woman’, you were discussing, don’t you see? You’re not permitted to talk about trans people who call themselves’women’, but you must centre trans people who call themselves women’, when talking about women. And please remember to ‘be nice’ when doing it.

Is that clear, Dolorabelle? Do you understand?
No? Me neither. 🤷‍♀️ 😁

SauceForTheGander · 02/02/2020 12:59

Yes T0tally - the surprise wasn't so much the BBC has that opinion but that she was involved in the workshop at all at WPUK - she didn't seem to know what the day was about at all. And then there was make up advice from TV presenter. I wish I'd been at a workshop with Rad Fem experts rather than media experts. Or ideally - experts in both.

MrsSnippyPants · 02/02/2020 13:20

I was interviewed (briefly!) by a nice young woman from the Morning Star Grin

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 02/02/2020 13:23

SauceForTheGander, a conspiracy theorist might suspect that the woke crowd at the BBC were trying to gather evidence of ‘transphobia’. 🤔 Time will tell.

SoldiersinPetticoats · 02/02/2020 13:41

It was a wonderful day. My thank to everyone who came, all the organisers and the speakers. I was in Jean Hatchet and Ali from Brighton Resisters workshop. An hour was not enough time as it was so interesting but plenty of time to come away with ideas for activism back home.

ArranUpsideDown · 02/02/2020 14:25

But sad that some young activists see protesting against a conference about women’s liberation as an important activity.

As others have said, the distressing thing about this is that these are the young activists who will be filling positions in the Civil Service, political appointment, LA, and relevant organisations.

Organisational capture is a menace and happens like this.

sarvangasana · 02/02/2020 14:27

Utterly inspiring day! Such a feeling to be with so many women, such a difference from most of my working life. Took along my GC teenage dd so that she knows there is an alternative to what she hears pedalled daily and that there is a whole community of women who have her back. Big hello to OhHolyJesus who I met at one of the workshops. And the highlight was meeting Helen Steel, who I have supported and admired since the early days of the McLibel case along with her environmental activism...and I won one of the quilts! Still on a high.

ArranUpsideDown · 02/02/2020 14:27

media workshop I went to where woman from BBC talked gender not sex - and didn't seem to know the difference.

Which workshop was this? The one with Helen Joyce? (I was in the 1st one they ran in the afternoon.)

Mind, I'm deaf so it's plausible that I missed some of the presentation/discussion.

SisyphusLangClegRocks · 02/02/2020 16:04

I was at Jean's workshop too @AllAboutHallowsEve She was fab Smile

I had an amazing day and met some incredibly inspiring women. Even bumped into someone I'd met the previous year while doing work experience. Had no idea she she was as t*rfy as me Grin

CodenameVillanelle · 02/02/2020 16:05

I loved it so much!
I was volunteering so might have given some of you directions. Julie bindel asked me to connect her to the WiFi and I touched her finger! Jean Hatchet is incredibly beautiful, as is Jess de Wahls (sorry shallow)
The feeling of being with hundreds and hundreds of women and a few supportive men was just amazing. Who would have thought that from that little meeting in Brighton after the speaker's corner debacle in which Julia Long was asking us to sit near the front so it looked like there were more people there that only 2.5 years later we had 900 tickets sold and a full venue with 29 workshops...what a triumph

SisyphusLangClegRocks · 02/02/2020 16:16

I don't want to boast, but I shared a packet of Kettle Chips with Linda Bellos and her lovely friend during Julie Bindel's speech Grin

2Rebecca · 02/02/2020 16:43

Why do TRAs love "yall" so much? I've not heard it used anywhere else. It does seem cultish with their special words like yall cis and terf.

Dolorabelle · 02/02/2020 16:43

Codename the helpers were utterly wonderful. Unflappable knowledgeable and kind.

Thank you!

I’ve organised academic conferences and I know what hard work it is.

What struck me was the universal good humour, despite queues and crowds.

SoldiersinPetticoats · 02/02/2020 16:45

As well as being inspired by the conference, what’s stuck with me was how relaxing and reasonable it was to be discussing our rights in the presence of allies, without policing our own words or couching our phrasing incase of being accused of being a terrible person.

RadFemsUnite · 02/02/2020 16:49

Please everyone give more highlights! I was there but of course none of us could get to every session. Even in the bar afterwards me and my friends ended up meeting totally different people and having different nights (all equally amazing!). Mine: Pragna Patel, Julie Bindel, the policy panel session - Alice Sullivan, Lucy Blackburn and Mary Ann Stephenson explained everything so clearly (but seems wrong to them single out, as everything I attended was amazing, speakers were all terrific), and the women who contributed from the floor were honest, clear, no one hogged the time, but everyone said something thoughtful that I learned from. I thought Kiri Tunks' closing address was magnificent. God knows how exhausted she and the other organisers must have been by then, so well done Holly Smith for chairing so calmly and Kiri Tunks for such a rousing and inspirational ending! Social highlights: watching young women talking to older women, meeting the inspiring Charlie Evans and seeing Samira Ahmed and Julie Bindel laughing together, god knows they deserve a laugh!

ElfrideSwancourt · 02/02/2020 16:55

I had a ticket but I was ill yesterday and couldn't go - so disappointed but sounds like everyone had a brilliant time.

FloraGreysteel · 02/02/2020 16:57

@CodenameVillanelle touched Julie Bindel's ginger? Bwahaha haha! I know what you mean though Grin

FloraGreysteel · 02/02/2020 16:57

OMG FINGER I'm so sorry

GenderCriticalFeminist · 02/02/2020 17:09

The surprise wasn't so much the BBC has that opinion but that she was involved in the workshop at all at WPUK - she didn't seem to know what the day was about at all. And then there was make up advice from TV presenter.

I was also at the workshop with the BBC women. There were four women giving advice on different aspects of engaging with the media - writing press releases, using social media to promote your cause to the media, giving media interviews and how to present yourself if doing a tv interview. (Think I've remembered that correctly.)

The one on presenting yourself while doing a tv interview just gave sensible advice such as wearing a block colour rather than patterns, because it works better on tv, wearing a jacket so you could attach the mic to it rather than threading it up under your clothes, wearing some foundation and powder if you didn't normally wear makeup (also the case for men), brushing your hair and then stuff about looking at the interviewer rather than the camera. If you were interviewed on Skype, make sure you look directly at the screen and don't have anything distracting in the background. That all seemed to me to be pretty uncontroversial and also helpful for anyone doing tv interviews.

One of the women is involved in an initiative in the BBC called 50/50, which is about getting equal proportions of male and female interviewees. She brought a document with her that used the word "gender" and when it was pointed out to her she promised to change it to the word "sex".

I found the workshop really useful.

SoldiersinPetticoats · 02/02/2020 17:23

Did anyone attend the ‘biological sex differences talk in the morning’?

Katie Allcock’s research on children and how and when they start recognising the differences between the sexes was a real lightbulb moment for me.
She explain how young children see the sexes in highly gendered stereotypes (eg doll with short hair is a boy but put a dress on the same male doll they see doll as a girl) and how that changes as their brain develops as they get older.
Remember those stats from the Tavistock saying children as young as 3 are turning up at their door?
The penny certainly dropped with me.

WorkingItOutAsIGo · 02/02/2020 17:23

One thing that struck me was how little time was spent discussing any issues to do with a clash between trans activists’ demands and women’s rights and needs. It was as a PP said much more just focused on women.

I went to the very moving session on violence against women, where Hibo Wardere talked about her campaign to stop FGM. And to a very feisty and interesting discussion about issues in higher education. And to one about the law. Incredible to be in the presence of so many women and especially so many women whose name I know from twitter etc, all supporting each other.

CodenameVillanelle · 02/02/2020 17:57

Yep, this was a WOMEN'S conference. The trans issue came up inasmuch as it is a huge issue for women but the vast majority of discussion was about women. As it should be.

Stuffofawesome · 02/02/2020 18:03

I went to a fab workshop where we all just sat and spoke about what we each had down to make a difference. The women in the room were incredible. One has helped organise the Ruskin conference, one has got the law changed on lesbian adoption among many other things, women from Greenham common, ones who had opened rape crisis centres, changed policies, influenced school equality. Truly felt in awe of the women who have been doing this since the seventies.

Cuntysnark · 02/02/2020 18:35

Ooh I forgot-I had a hug from Charlie Evans. I may have a tiny sob in her shoulder...