Armchair activism! What can we do?

[armchairactivists]

What can GC feminists do to support the cause while in front of a computer / stuck under a baby etc?!

A friend and I thought it'd be a good idea to put together a regular bulletin of all the things we can do, to make it easy to see all in one place - it gets hard to keep track of all the consultations, crowdfunders etc

So we're going to have a go at doing that and then can we can all share it in our networks.

So far we've got these, can you add any?

• Loads of crowdfunders not sure if can mention details without getting thread zapped!)
• Scottish consultation
• keep the momentum up on the #expelme hashtag (excuse the pun
• all the women's pledges for political parties
• Sending a thank you email/letter to UCL for hosting the WomensLib2020 conference
• write to your MP
• order a copy of Rachel Rooney's book
• check your council website and see if they use sex or gender when they reference the equality act

What other actions women can do from home? Are there any other consultations going?

Thanks

Great idea for a thread, thank you.

Schools. Safe Schools Alliance have a lot of advice, help and templates on their site. They are trying to induct children into this, and teach them the belief system as though it were scientific fact, because then they hope kids will grow up to abandon all opposition. Hence the desire to remove the right of parents to determine attendance at school sex and relationships ed. But parents have a right to discuss, and consider, and challenge what their kids are taught.

Write to the Women and Equalities Minister, and to Johnson. Make more noise (politely!) essentially. MP is just one step.

Donate to organisations that support women's only provision - some do exist! Karen Ingala Smith's Nia is holding the line, and it will cost them. In monetary terms, I suspect. A monthly standing order for just a few pounds can make quite a chunky donation over the course of a year, and it's money that the charity can rely on.

I recently saw a fantastic post from StealthPolarBear (below) and am planning to use it as a check list for regular letters to my MP about each individual point.

--------------
StealthPolarBear

These are the issues that lots of us are concerned about and have tried /are trying to get th e hopeful Labour leaders to address

same-sex health worker or care-givers (not same gender) especially for intimate procedures.

20/01/2020 02:21wakemewhenitsallover

I've made some suggested changes, below. I hope it's helpful. (Please ignore if not!)

These are issues that affect the fundamental rights of half the population. They are across every conceivable layer of public policy, and affect us from cradle to grave. Are you open to hearing views?

• self ID and its potential abuse: do you accept that it's inevitable that sex predators would take advantage of self-ID to gain access to vulnerable women and children? What do think should be done about this?

• Reform of the Gender Recognition Act - consultation in June 2018, over 100,000 responses , where is it now?

• There has been rise of more than 4,000% of girls referred to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock. Penny Mordant promised an enquiry. Where is it?

• Spousal escape clause (which you described as 'awful'). It is a popular misconception that this clause a "veto", but it isn't. Spouses have no power to veto sex change or GRA application. What this does is give women the right to exit their marriage before its terms change entirely. Please note at least 3 of the women who recorded their support are directly affected. How do you reconcile this with own views on domestic abuse?

• protection of vulnerable young people from those who promote transition which can sometimes include puberty blockers. Given time many would develop into healthy homosexuals, however data shows that nearly 100% of children given puberty blockers continue medical transition and go onto cross sex hormones. Medical transition leaves children sterile and can mean they never develop the ability to enjoy sexual pleasure as an adult. Vaginal prolapse is common as is hysterectomy. Do you accept that children can't possibly understand the implications well enough to give informed consent to commence such a life-changing process? Do you welcome the possibility of a judicial review into GIDS?

• Are you aware of the many ex GIDS / Tavistock clinicians and senior professionals who have resignedand.orwhistleblown over their grave concerns over the treatment regime for children and young people and culture at GIDS? Do you agree this is unprecedented and that we are failing children who identify as trans if we don't listen to the concerns of these professionals?

• social contagion aspects of gender issues in young people

• entrenchment of gender roles - boys don’t play with dolls, if they do, they're girls. Why can't we focus on removing gender stereotypes?
• the protection of natal women's rights

• trans women in sports - male bodied people competing against female bodied women - aspects of safety and fairness

• would a Parliament of 50% men and 50% transwomen be truly representative?

• the importance of teaching biological facts in schools

• what is the definition of a woman?

• the influence on policy and on institutions such as schools by mermaids and stonewall when (correct me if I'm wrong) the content is not evidence based. Schools under pressure to affirm children in social transition despite that being against NHS recommendations (reference available) .

• treatment of lesbians at Pride

• Need for sex segregation in women's refuges

• Mixed prisons - we know women have come to harm, and the 2016 PSI on Care and management of Transexual Prisoners has been withdrawn as a result

• Mixed sex hospital wards generally (there have already been sex assaults).

• Vulnerable/elderly people treated or provided intimate care by a person of the opposite sex on the basis of their gender - unable to complain. Social care in home - how will we ensure the safety of these people?

• Mixed sex locked psych wards (there have already been sex assaults).

• Police recording non crimes in databases that may be reported on a DBS check as a crime.

• police recording crimes by Gender rather than sex, so particular crimes are apparently rising by women offenders

• Free speech generally and on university campuses.

And

• attempts (on social media in particular) to silence women who raise concerns about the above

• people being disciplined at work or losing their jobs (e.g. Maya Forstater) for stating their views/biological fact

• are concerns always prejudiced, even if lots of people share them?

Definitely respond to the Scottish consultation on GRA reform, and encourage as many people as possible to do so too - it's open worldwide. Closing date 17th March.

See forwomen.scot for guidance and link to the consultation form.

Card of support to Selina Todd?

Lots of brilliant ideas here.

Some of these literally take only minutes, and when it all gets overwhelming and feels like we never seem to get anywhere, sending off a quick email can make a difference.

Drip, drip, drip, even stones wear away under that.

Thank you for this post armchair (and everyone who contributes)! It's reassuring to know there is lots I can actually do as a WAHM with zero childcare and two children with SN. Especially as these are things I can do without putting myself in the line of fire, so to speak.

This is excellent

What does everyone do with politicians they have written to been to see etc just keep writing? My MSP knows it’s bollocks but won’t say so (shocker ) my MP thinks the nice trans ladies are far far more important than women

Place marking.
This is a really useful thread.

Great post by Stealth; thank you for sharing.

Mixed sex wards in psychiatric hospitals equalling significant levels of sexual assault for women - this was reported last month, I think? But this is not a new issue - the Independent appear to have forgotten that they mounted a campaign for the first ten years of this century, because of things such as this. That story is almost 30 years old, yet we seem to be suggesting that we make unisex provision the norm.

Unisex settings are grossly unsafe for vulnerable women.

Great idea for a post OP.

Agreed with the above.

Other everyday things too:

• discuss with your friends / family / work colleagues about the issues and why they are important - if/when you are able

I.e Friend is a senior school teacher - 4 x trans boys (girls) in his school - he didn’t have a clue about affirmation, puberty blockers, Tavistock issues, detransitioners etc. Now he does.

• Correct gender with sex when you see conflation and sex is what is actually meant.

Sunlight is an important strategy.

I think it is also important to act locally. So if you have a local paper or local facebook group, its worth monitoring them. The spread of for instance talking about gender rather than sex is something a quick email can bring attention to. And local toilets of course!

Sorry - should have said, good thread. We cant all be at the forefront but can take small local actions. If we are all doing that it helps create a context for the bigger actions.

It may even be as simple as "liking" certain groups on facebook as it shows the level of support they have.

Today i have donated to 4 women's orgs - small amounts but important if you can - women's place, nia, southall black sisters and centre for women's justice.

I have also finally dared to contact friend who i was pretty sure was gender critical - and had a positive response!

Am going to email my mp, lisa nandy and keir starmer.

I'm also going to start the sending thank you cards to women who do speak up abd venues that support us, like ucl. This is a great idea that i hadn't thought of.

Talk about it with everyone you can. Put links to useful articles on your FB and Twitter accounts and any other social media to signal that you're GC to others. Form your own online GC women's circles to keep each other informed and keep your spirits up.

You can email the BBC every time you hear someone use the word 'gender' when they should have used the word 'sex'.

You can email congratulation to people like Justin Webb and Jenni Murray and Jane Garvey and Emily Maitlis every time they chip anoher hole in the protective wall the BBC built around the trans issue.

You can email or write to all the potential Labour leaders who've signed up to the trans-rights charter and ask them to define a woman and explain how they believe TWAW.

I'm currently involved in a little project contacting the police forces in my area and asking to know how they record crimes committed by transwomen and transmen – by sex at birth or by stated sex? We will be demonstrating outside those police HQs that record crimes committed by self-IDing transwomen as crimes committed by women. You just phone and email and fill in FOI requests.

I will be stickering in Starbucks shortly – but I suppose I'll have to get out of my armchair for that.

Great thread. This one had some good ideas too
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3329362-Get-offline?pg=1&order=

Brilliant suggestions, thank you everyone!

Keep 'em coming!

Every time you hear the phrase 'assigned male/ female at birth' leap in/ write an email/ send a complaint. Now I'm over my initial fears I say 'What on earth are you talking about? Were you just randomly assigned male at birth?' and it surprising how far you can get from there because of course everyone has to acknowledge that it's a stupid thing to say. So many complaint to the BBC about it but now Justin Webb and Jane Garvey at al are challenging it too. It works, steering people back to reality.

There was even talk of setting up a new think tank/lobby group a while back
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3744217-Shall-we-start-a-feminist-think-tank

Though with left wing party politics eating itself at the moment, we should probably be aiming to form a new political party

Also going to sticker in Starbucks and order a coffee, ask about the biscuits and say "huh Mermaids, didn't a judge ban them from having contact with a child? Oh yeah and they had a male predator contact kids on the private chat room..."

I write to my MP all the time, it is best if you can see in person.

Even sending off quick emails to libraries on DQST or FOIs on WhatDoTheKnow can be a way of taking action.

I often can't get to protests so I send money and share loads on FB.

I recommend asking schools exactly what their policies are and what lesson content covers. I honestly think schools and libraries are so key to this, they serve children and the wider community and if we can target this, sort of from the bottom up, by asking questions about safeguarding I think those in power won't be able to ignore multiple complaints or questions.

However if asking basic questions around safeguarding becomes a hate crime it's going to be harder to challenge but challenge we must.

Can anyone recommend a way to find likeminded people in your own local area? I would very much like to be more active - from an armchair or otherwise- but have really really struggled to find groups near me. Google turns up.... nothing really.

Write and share standard answers to often stated questions/stuff. I find I get flustered and irritated.

@WellWellWellWhatHaveWeHere Safe Schools Alliance say they can put people in touch with one another, as there's support in numbers. If you contact them with your details they can facilitate contact.

I think the most positive thing we can do is sign up to the existing orgs, rather than creating new ones. Sign up to FiLiA and attend their meetings - they're broad church feminism, which is wonderful and also what we need, because our case is solid, and in a calm, open environment the opposing arguments melt away. And even if they don't - other women retain the right to hold them. Still sisters, even in disagreement. What matters most is that there are no claims of bigotry, all positions welcome as long as they are women-centred.

Women's Place UK is clear that trans rights must be protected alongside women's sex-based rights. They also have a mailing list and meetings that need women to vote with feet (as we are doing - and it's hardly a hardship!) That's another thing we can do: show we won't back down in claiming and asserting our rights to organise as a female collective. Screw male tantrums.

I think there's a risk in creating too many orgs and thinktanks. We have plenty of brilliant women with vast expertise across so many areas involved now. We need to support en masse, so we can become a force that must be reckoned with. Women do, as one amazing speaker put it, have skill in getting things done. We can channel that here. We also have a skill in collectivism, and we can channel that.

Supporting the groups that are fighting for us is the biggest way we can turn the ship as a group. That means supporting and turning up and donating, where we can. Individual action is also key, but there's power in numbers.

Also- responding to public consultations is really effective. Most of the government ones only give three months to respond at the most, so it’s worth keeping an eye on what’s coming up.

In mid- 2020, the Law Commission will be consulting the public on whether protected characteristics relevant to hate crime should also include sex. The Law Commissioners will then make recommendations to government for law reform. The LC are very influential with the government so really worth making our voices heard to them, also copying in our MPs so they know their constituents’ views. MPs will ultimately be the deciders on this.

www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/hate-crime/

WellWellWellWhatHaveWeHere

Have you tried the Resisters web site? resistersunited.org/ they have a list of groups.

And there was a thread on here about joining up locally. NOt sure if anything came of them
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3747490-Any-radfems-in-Notts
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3567713-Anyone-up-for-a-Glasgow-Gender-Critical-Coven
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3691286-How-to-meet-like-minded-GC-women

Or you could post on here giving an idea of the area you are in?