I spoke up! I actually did it!!!

[WineAndHobnobs]

Sorry for the self-indlugent post, but I did something today that I have wanted to do for ages. I spoke up about my concerns regarding Self-ID. I was met with a barrage of 'TERF' but I stood my ground, presented reasoned arguments and did not allow the abuse to shut me down.

I am scared but I am so glad I did it. I am an older lady. I used to buy Spare Rib, which tells you how old I am. I thought we had won years ago, we didn't need Feminism anymore. I was wrong, we need it now more than ever.

Thank you FWR for being here, for educating us and for looking out for all of us.

Thank you for speaking up and standing firm.

Thank you. Not just for speaking out here, but for being one of the generation who, through activism (and Spare Rib!) secured so many rights, and so much change, for us. I promise that not all of us are intent on pissing it away.

It's awful that it takes such courage to speak up for women in 2020, but it does. Thank you.

I admire your courage. Thanks for speaking up.

Thank you

It shouldn't take bravery to speak the truth, but we know it takes a lot when faced with the TRA toxicity

I spoke out and was met with lots of anger and odd arguments too. I focused on the freedom for women to be able to discuss their concerns, of course I was told it is transphobic and ‘literally kills’ people
I was asked to highlight these concerns and when I spoke about women being sexually assaulted in prisons I was told ‘biased reporting, trans people are more likely to be sexually assaulted in prison’ oh well that’s ok then! Just tell the female victim ‘but if she wasn’t here sexually assaulting you she might have been being sexually assaulted herself!’ The makes it fine.
This was from an intelligent person too! Not one thing I mentioned about women’s concerns was addressed, not one. So weird. Glad I spoke up though.

And well done OP!

Nice work OP!

Good for you OP! And Smellbellina too!

Well done, make yourself a chufty badge. And thank you.

Thank you, from me and my DDs. I wasn't old enough to buy Spare Rib but I used to read my sister's copy and think we need that strength and those priniciples more than ever now.....

Well done OP, you'll find it easier from now on and I suspect you'll also find the the arguments you're met with are easier to deconstruct than once thought.

If you get stuck do come back to MN and you'll likely find resources and text that will help. It's all built on sand and it's easier to wash away when you have a bucket of water.

Thank you OP! And Smellbellina.

Thank you, OP.

Oh well done! I'm dipping a toe here and there - can't be too strident because of work. So far largely supportive and often unaware...

Well done! I've recently joined this forum, asked work about EIAs and erasure of single sex spaces, written to a paper about 'woman' being replaced with 'menstruator ' and asked a question about the same on a webinar recently. I've seen some stickers mentioned on another thread which look good so I plan to start stickering too :) I struggle with coherency at times especially if stressed but there's so much helpful information on here, lots of other people have spoken out and if all else fails I reference JKRs tweets. If it makes just 1 person think 'wait, what?' and do some research then it's worth it.

Bloody well done! I so admire you. I like to think if it wasn't for my contract I'd do that same, but I might be kidding myself.

Well done, WineAndHobnobs!

I’ve realised one of the good things about getting older is that we don’t have to worry about trans-trolls blighting our long-term future career, or social media turning antisocial on us.

Raising my glass to you and all Mumsnet feminists

Well done! I so wish I had kept my old Spare Ribs!

Thank you! Well done

Thank you x

Well done you - I’m still too scared atm, having dipped my toe in the water with some close friends and got enormous push back - unfortunately one of them is an education professional who is helping to trans a child against the parents wishes so there will be an understandable level of commitment there - she is such a lovely person but has not questioned the ideology sadly.

What Tra’s never mention is that the greatest violence against trans women is domestic abuse, much higher than against straight and lesbian women. It’s safer for a trans woman to go into a men’s toilet than to go home.

Well done!

Brilliant!

If people come back with variants of it's worse for transwomen I usually argue that's why we need separate mechanisms for women and transwomen. Ones that focus specifically on the problems that they uniquely face

If they are at all receptive I talk about the difference in sex based and gender based discrimination

No one will ever refuse to employ a transwomen because they could get pregnant
Medicine is safer for men and transwomen than women because of the way drugs are trialled
PPE , car seats etc is safer for men and transwomen than women because of the use of the male default during design
FGM affects only people with female bodies

That's all sex based

Gender based
For women...being talked over , because the gender assumption with women is that we are dumb
For transwomen...bullying and violence on account of dress and social presentation

In short
Women experience sex and gender based discrimination
Transwomen get gender based only

The nature of the gender discrimination is different

Therefore different solutions are needed, and we need to remember that sex discrimituon still exists

Well done WineandHobnobs.

sashh: A 'chufty badge' should definitely be a thing.