Self Identifying Women wanted

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

Our local Rape Crisis Centre is advertising for volunteers to be trained to respond to peopl calling for help. The advert stipulates that you've got to be over 18 and that you self identify as a woman.

So if I were the victim of a horrendous sexual assault I would phone for help/ support and possibly end up speaking to a "self identifying woman" who has a penis.

I have emailed them

Out of office, Not back till 13th July 🤪

As someone who has "womanned" a crisis helpline for both sexes and listened to men's perverted, abusive fantasies, including many from men who cross-dressed and others who call themselves women - both nowadays under the "trans umbrella", I am utterly DISGUSTED that Rape Crisis defines women in this way. As operators of a free helpline, they know the types of male callers they get, plus^^ obviously who carries out rapes and the majority of sexual assaults.

The fact that they'd rather open the potential to the type of person who views rape as WANK FODDER over a biological woman who doesn't bother with labelling herself as female is horrific.

Why is the possibility of this not considered a problem?!

If this rape crisis centre is inclusive of trans women than it makes sense to ask for trans women volunteers. However, how are they going to ensure that when a woman calls she will be put through to another woman (a biological one)? Press 1 to speak to a woman, press 2 for a trans woman?..

@LardiLaLardiLi

If this rape crisis centre is inclusive of trans women than it makes sense to ask for trans women volunteers. However, how are they going to ensure that when a woman calls she will be put through to another woman (a biological one)? Press 1 to speak to a woman, press 2 for a trans woman?..

I'm betting most who term themselves trans women would actually prefer to have a woman answer. In my experience, if there's a male voice many callers for rape, sexual assault or nasty sex calls, will actually hang up. All three will call back looking for a woman's voice.

Rape Crisis know women prefer to speak to a woman, which is why the lines have women listeners. Sadly, so do most of the perverted sex callers. So a male voice on the line just means the line is essentially closed to nose callers while they're there.

Not exactly supporting vulnerable women any way you look at it..unless centering the validation of certain men counts as supporting vulnerable women.

*closed to most callers

Eufff. So depressing.

Thanks for replying. I haven't thought of it.

Can you say ‘i self identify as’ if you are or are they purely advertising for people who say they are?

And here’s the thing - I can imagine that anyone who has been through a sexual assault would prefer to speak to a woman.

Maybe because they will have been assaulted/ raped by a man, and a woman would be less scary to them?

Why take this away?

This is really depressing. I can see why lots of women aren't bothered about sharing public toilets with trans women but rape crisis services are entirely different.

This stuff matters.

Why is this surprising? One of the Rape risks centres in Scotland is RUN by a Transwoman who lied at interview about being male.

All Rape crisis centres have be 'inclusive' to get funding from the government

What the fuck do you think women on this board have been talking about for the last 5 years?

Crisis not risk obv

Yes the one linked. Forth Valley

#BeKind

To fucking WHO?

We especially welcome enquiries from Black and minoritised women and LBGT+ (lesbian, bisexual and trans) women.

How on earth do we fight this? I know we have to, but it’s so depressing.

(Just to be sure, I’m obviously not referring to the lesbian and bisexual women - ie the actual women).

Fight it with sunlight as ever.

Rape crisis services exist to support women and girls who have been raped. Not to validate someone's 'gender identity'.

There is a need for services to support male people who have been sexually assaulted or raped, but that's beyond the remit of a feminist service (as it calls itself).

But yes as Dances says, it's all about accessing funding for your 'inclusive' service.

Their are discriminates on the basis of gender reassignment; by accepting men who identify as women it means they are not using the single sex exemption given in the Equality Act but by requiring men to identify as women in order to apply they are discriminating against other men.

There was also Devon Rape Crisis last year www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3675976-Devon-Rape-Crisis-advertising-for-self-identified-women

And some of us did contact the Brighton Group because they talked about the EA.

But I see that Cambridge RC doesn't.

However they say their service is for women and girls so surely the question to ask them is given the EA how do they ensure that women survivors who want support from a woman get it? They actually say:

"It is always your choice about who you talk to and when to talk to them. If you don’t feel that there is anyone in your life who you can talk to at the moment, are trying to decide whether or not to tell someone, or would like additional support, our helpline and email services are here to support you. All the women who answer the phones and emails are trained in supporting survivors of sexual violence."

So one would like to think they give women the choice to talk to another woman.

Also I see that they have the "Rape Crisis Professionally Approved" logo on their web site. So could maybe ask Rape Crisis themselves if they "approve" of this service. (Unless of course it is another Rape Crisis service that has approved them.)

I've just checked the logo is from Rape Crisis England and Wales rapecrisis.org.uk/about-us/national-service-standards/ who also talk about providing services for women and girls.

If anything makes it clear a transwoman is a transwoman (even if they pass in all other ways) it is their voice. I'm pretty sure most TW know this. Why on earth would you want to work in a position that so clearly needs a female voice when you know you don't have one? Any TW who actually cared about the feelings of women needing to access these services would not look to do this job. Only people whose main concern is the well-being of their potential service users should be doing the job!

Surely the people running these services can figure that one out?

Have just had a look at the web page for the National Rape Crisis Helpline and they say their service is for women and girls and is staffed by female Helpline workers - which means?? Is this code for saying biological women??

But additionally says it is LBTQ friendly .....

www.rasasc.org.uk/helpline/

I think that a lot of charities and 3rd sector orgs get funding from a variety of sources and need to adhere to stuff to get the funding.

Some of this may come from there. Part of the stipulations to apply for funding may be demonstrating diversity etc and so they have little choice.

I don't actually know, but I used to work for a third sector org and bidding for funds is tough with much hoop jumping etc.

As with all other things. If you are, as we are constantly told, just trying to quietly live your life, and you are a woman with all the socialisation etc, then the last thing you would do as a transwoman is want to answer the phone to women who have been raped, surely?

[quote Butterer]My local service say they are for trans and cis women - this includes service users, employees and volunteers.

supportafterrapeleeds.org.uk/about/sarsvl-why-women-only/[/quote]

They also say they don't include anyone who identifies as a man. So if a transman is raped then they can't work with then. But if you are a man and identify as a woman then come on board!

If you are non-binary and can identify with the approach that they only accept people who identify as women then they will work with you.

This place is totally fucked up.

The other thing is that there are plenty of reports etc about trans people being especially at risk of sexual assault etc.

I have no doubt that young people who are confused and looking for acceptance are vulnerable, at risk from predators etc

We also know that trans men have been raped by men who saw them as women.

Are there any plans to set up trans helplines about this? I would think that would be really beneficial. As the trans experience is different, and talking to someone from the same group would be much more helpful, to my mind.

I'll have a Google actually as that is a service that I would totally get behind.

There’s an advert for a rape crisis worker in Northamptonshire currently and they specifically want a female.

Incidentally their services cater for all people that have suffered from sexual assault, male or female.

www.northamptonshirerapecrisis.co.uk/2020/02/vacancy-children-and-young-peoples-support-worker-counsellor/