Amnesty says feminist resistance to self-ID "is misguided and not based on evidence"

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

I wrote to Amnesty explaining why I had stopped sending them money, as their support for self-ID was harmful to women and girls. Their reply has just hit my inbox:

"We are sorry to hear about your concerns but Amnesty International is committed to campaigning for the rights of transgender people to live freely, authentically, and openly, and to have their gender legally recognised without having to go through a dehumanising, long and costly procedure.

"We do not believe this goes against our campaigning for women’s rights. We feel the current conversation, in particular on social media with regards to self-identification, is misguided and not based on evidence. Restricting the rights of transgender people will not advance or protect women's rights.

"Our campaigning on this issue is based on Amnesty’s research on legal gender recognition in multiple countries and on existing human rights standards. It also draws from our long-standing work on violence against women and its root causes. We do not launch campaigns without solid research and consideration for the human rights of all groups concerned, and we dispute any assertions that self-identification will be used by men in order to access spaces where women are vulnerable to abuse or harassment. There is absolutely no evidence that this would happen.

In countries where self-identification is already the process (Argentina, Ireland) the policy has had absolutely no impact on anyone other than trans people, making their lives easier."

So doing a bit of paperwork, rewarded by an unprecedented right to change your birth certificate, is "dehumanising". But opening women's single-sex spaces to all comers is just fine?

I think Irish women on MN have recently contradicted claims that everything in the self-ID garden is lovely.

As for we dispute any assertions that self-identification will be used by men in order to access spaces where women are vulnerable to abuse or harassment. There is absolutely no evidence that this would happen -- I'm now going to try to compile a list of TW attacking women in public loos, masturbating in women's refuges, posting their fetish play online from their workplace at a children's charity, etc etc.

I know Amnesty is just sending out a standard letter, but I’m still going to send some of the evidence they deny. MN’s ‘This never happens’ threads will be a good start. All other evidence welcomed.

Suzanne Moore tweet:
And this is where the gender woo goes. Amnesty cannot say ‘ I stand with women in Poland’ you know the people who actually need abortions . I won’t donate to an organisation that cannot name me

WHY has Amnesty changed the language? Following Stonewall orders? or is it a deliberate move to get 945 replies instead of the usual 4 replies?? why remove 'woman' after using the word woman before? see the earlier tweets on abortions in Poland.

tweet:
Amnesty International @amnesty
23 Oct
Women and other people who might need abortions in Poland have sustained attacks against their rights again and again, and will not stop fighting for their right to abortion care. We stand with them every step of the way. #Poland

Amnesty International @amnesty
26 Oct
Women and other people who might need abortions in #Poland have sustained attacks against their rights again and again, and will not stop fighting for their right to abortion care. We stand with them every step of the way.

Amnesty EU @AmnestyEU
23 Oct
Women in #Poland
We hear you Ear
We see youEyes
Until you get your fundamental rights Hourglass with flowing sand
We stand with you
#StrajkKobiet

Also this tweet

Amnesty International @amnesty
20 Oct
summoning circle, hope this works

                    🕯
          🕯              🕯
    🕯 No toxic tweets 🕯
          
 🕯          Sent to          🕯

    🕯     Any women   🕯
          🕯              🕯
                    🕯

Interesting, FindtheTruth — 12 days ago Amnesty could at least manage to include the word “women” in “Women and other people who might need abortions”.

But now even that has been deleted. They are very committed to our erasure as a class. The women and other people of Poland are very clear that the abortion ban is an attack on women.

So Amnesty stands with the Polish government in oppressing women.

I saw this on a Twitter discussion. I am very literal and definitely need phrases like "women's rights" to understand what is being spoken about. Plain language is so important.

If I saw a discussion on "reproductive rights" I would think it meant anyone's right to reproduce. Which would definitely include men not being sterilised or castrated against their will.

I am very literal and definitely need phrases like "women's rights" to understand what is being spoken about.

I agree. The other phrase is very vague. To me.

@testing987654321

I saw this on a Twitter discussion. I am very literal and definitely need phrases like "women's rights" to understand what is being spoken about. Plain language is so important.

If I saw a discussion on "reproductive rights" I would think it meant anyone's right to reproduce. Which would definitely include men not being sterilised or castrated against their will.

The person who tweeted that are probably unaware of how much they're privilege is limiting their view. They probably don't think they know anyone who has barriers to accessing the kind of euphemistic and coy language they advocate. It excludes some women for whom English isn't a first language, or who have learning disabilities, as just two examples. Just because their experience doesn't include these women, it doesn't mean those women don't matter. It's such an exclusionary point of view.

It's going outside of freedom of conscience concerns that is there real problem. As soon as they started trying to tell countries that they needed to recognise other rights that are fairly indirect to that - even if the population as a whole strongly supported them - they were in trouble. And had a good chance of getting into self-contradictory advocacy.

Shit - I mean "their real problem" obviously. Not there

I wrote they're when I meant their in my post above, Goosefoot solidarity