Time to homeschool the GVMT?!

[CJA37]

Hi everyone,

I'm a member of WEP and on their Policy Committee for equal parenting and caregiving.

We're launching a campaign to homeschool the government as they don't seem to realise:
12 hours caring for young children + 6 hours teaching older kids + 8 hours working = >24

We're asking everyone who cares about this to take a photo/make a short clip of how you'd homeschool the government to be better for women. Share it on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #homeschooled at 3pm on Saturday 30th Jan.

We're aiming to create an impact so that we can show that there are ideas for better eg legal right to furlough for parents, nursery bailouts etc. More info: www.womensequality.org.uk/home_schooled_action

We know that Covid is having and will continue to have a massive impact on equality so we want to keep that conversation going.

Cheryl

Admirable and important, but I have to ask why you didn't answer this:

I'd be interested in what your thought are in this Cheryl, given the WEP's inclusive stance and definition of 'woman' (though I'm not sure what the WEP's definition is of mother).

What is a woman?
What is a mother?

@MaudTheInvincible

I never see the WEP mentioned without feeling sad that they've let us down so completely, especially when I was so filled with hope when it launched.

This is it in a nutshell. I'd love to support WEP, and did consider joining and setting up a regular donation to them - but their inability to actually stand up for women means I can't. And the worst thing is that I am politically homeless, I can't vote Labour, I won't vote Tory or SNP, Greens are out (I'm not a non-man thanks), so I will have to hope for an independent candidate

@sosotired1

Admirable and important, but I have to ask why you didn't answer this:

I'd be interested in what your thought are in this Cheryl, given the WEP's inclusive stance and definition of 'woman' (though I'm not sure what the WEP's definition is of mother).

What is a woman?
What is a mother?

Hi @sosotired1 - whilst the members consultation is in process, committee members aren't sharing personal views on these questions. We'll have to meet back in here once it's concluded if you're still interested in my personal thoughts .

I acknowledge all of the disappointment and frustration with WEP that many of you are expressing here. And I'll take that back to the party. I understand that if you've been letdown or feel deep sadness at the stance that the party takes then it's hard to be involved in any capacity. That's completely fair.

And for others, who do want to be involved then opportunities like this are small ways to use our voices for good. If we're not all united on every point, so be it.

While the current government continues to make decisions that widen inequality, disrespect children and generally f*ck things up, then I'm looking for any small thing I can do to stand against that.

"I acknowledge all of the disappointment and frustration with WEP that many of you are expressing here. And I'll take that back to the party. I understand that if you've been letdown or feel deep sadness at the stance that the party takes then it's hard to be involved in any capacity. That's completely fair.

And for others, who do want to be involved then opportunities like this are small ways to use our voices for good. If we're not all united on every point, so be it.

While the current government continues to make decisions that widen inequality, disrespect children and generally f*ck things up, then I'm looking for any small thing I can do to stand against that."

@CJA37 Very well said!

Politically homeless thanks to WEP. Sorry not interested in your (self) publicity campaign.

I'm sorry to hear that @TeaAndStrumpets. I've had that same politically homeless feeling over the years and it's hard. To be passionate about change but not having a group to work with it on is frustrating. I hope that you find other organisations/independents that allow you to keep getting involved and shaping the world for the better.

If the Women's Equality Party can't define "woman" it's pointless. I was excited when the WEP started but almost immediately totally disillusioned. Sorry, OP, but your party is a bad joke.

No need to apologise @PrawnofthePatriarchy. If it's not for you, it's not for you. There are many ways to work for equality other than supporting a political party.

I too am disappointed in WEP and can't support an initiative that may help women now but not in the long run. I am still politically homeless. If we can't define what a woman is then we cannot protect women. Definitions matter and sex matters.

Like others I was excited about WEP and was a founding joiner, but then I left.

How can you talk about campaigning for fairness for women when you literally think anyone can be a woman? It makes absolutely no sense. It is our sexed bodies that make us women and are the basis of the unfair treatment. If you really can’t see that, what exactly re you campaigning for?

Didn't the WEP kick Heather Brunskell Evans out of the party for speaking about the harm caused by puberty blockers / cross sex hormones? She spoke up for the safeguarding of young girls and was kicked out of the party. I was a paid up member but was shocked by that as I always am when I see people working against safeguarding.

Heather was right wasn't she CJA47, time for an apology maybe.

When your party of men and women decide what they think a woman is and are allowed to talk about it in public do get back to us...

Heather's open letter after she was kicked out, really worth a read.

@LumpySpacedPrincess

Heather's open letter after she was kicked out, really worth a read.

Great letter. Thanks to sharing.

Op I agree that we should be doing what we can and I’ll have a look at your links but again, it’s disheartening to feel anything we do for women (money raised, awareness raised, laws sought, medical research etc) is all undermined if we don’t know what a woman is (and if we’re called bigoted for simply doing things for women)

That letter! What a horrendous way she was treated. If this is the action that WEP wants to represent them it's clearly not representing women at all!

If we're not all united on every point, so be it.

How can a party supposedly for women not be united on the definition of a woman? Do you seriously think it’s ok to have some people in a party for women who think the sex class of women includes men?

That isn’t not being united on every point. That is an outright denial of science, biology and fact, not to mention a complete shafting of women and girls and their rights. Your party is a joke.

I agree whole heartedly with this point: If we're not all united on every point, so be it. But can you not see that by on the one hand trying to support women by pointing out burdens that fall unequally heavily upon women, while on the other hand undermining women by saying that men can be women if they say they are, you are doing exactly what you accuse the government of?
... make decisions that widen inequality, disrespect children and generally fck things up*

a Party which had set out to be revolutionary for women has highlighted the very weakness of its own approach. The result of aligning itself with transgender identity politics is to obfuscate, drown out and suppress the very voices the WEP set out to listen to and to promote, namely the voices of women.

How true. How sadly, disappointingly, bitterly true.

The so-called Women's Equality Party having a consultation to decide what it thinks a woman is really does sound like something out of Monty Python.

(Of course, if it were, it would be funnier and less depressing.)

Hi Cheryl/ @CJA37
I don’t understand why you think a party purportedly for women that can’t define the word woman would have any credibility trying to raise issues that affect women with the government

Oh they will be able to define us Northern, after the men and women have had a debate they can decide if we deserve to be defined separately men from. Shhh, wait quietly and they will get back to us.

One thing WEP, if you decide women are not adult human females, if you decide women are male and female, then tell us why. We will need your definition of women.

Every right you fight for makes no sense if you deny that group so much as a name.

While the current government continues to make decisions that widen inequality, disrespect children and generally fck things up, then I'm looking for any small thing I can do to stand against that.*

That is interesting Cheryl. So far, this government has also done some things that I cannot imagine Labour doing and things I saw no support from WEP for.

Just one of those things was in at least making an effort to make education around the issue of gender and sex age appropriate and at least staying the whole ‘wrong body’ idea should never be uttered. Where was the WEP placed on supporting the government on that issue? I and many others here on MN were directly writing letters and contacting schools. What action did the WEP take or was the WEP fully in support of groups such as stonewall and mermaids setting the education direction of our children?

We did not do a virtue signaling social media campaign as someone quite rightly points out is good publicity for a membership drive. We actually worked behind the scenes en masse to improve the life of our’s and everyone’s children to let them express themselves how they wish and to never be told by a teacher they might be the opposite sex and ‘in the wrong body’.

And what was the WEP submission to the government in regards to self ID please? Even though you cannot inform us what the WEP definition of the group you seek equality for is, I would like to know what the party did to support women of the female sex during that consultation.

Because really, that is the crux of the situation.

Here is a poll running at the moment about allowing access for males into toilets and showers.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4148800-AIBU-to-think-women-should-not-be-banned-from-Social-media-for-asking-the-question-Thread-2

And the first thread that filled up

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4148030-AIBU-to-think-women-should-not-be-banned-from-Social-media-for-asking-the-question

If your party is a gender based equality party, working to progress women’s hard fought rights to anyone who says they are a woman. You are directly working against the women who need those rights to remain as they were, for females. And we need them still because we had not achieved equality. And now we have males in women’s policy roles proclaiming to be women but with no focus on the issues that are important to us.

Frankly, we don’t need another party telling us that we are transphobic for working to see our needs are met by working to make sure that conflicts of the trans rights don’t reduce our protections. They need their own rights that suit their specific needs but do not dilute the legal protections for us.

I agree this government has made some disastrous decisions. Absolutely disastrous. They should definitely have the home schooling situation highlighted.

However, while you say you feel getting active in the ‘small things’ can help, I feel that you need to make those small things actually count. I don’t feel a social media campaign is anywhere near enough. I assume the party is doing something else, please tell us what else are you doing to enact real change?

If the WEP can't define us how do they expect to be able to ensure our current legal protections are upheld? How can they work to dismantle the systemic misogyny women need legal protection from, if they believe the term 'woman' encompasses some men? They can't.

I believe the WEP are actively harmful to women's interests.

Yup, I think the WEP are actually harmful, hugely sad.

You need to change your name from the WEP, as the way you're using it, it's and oxymoron.

I will not take part in your play.

*an

@CJA37 opportunities like this are small ways to use our voice for good

I don’t want a Woman’s Equality Party to be seeking out the small opportunities. I want them to be tackling the major threats to women’s equality. And right now in this country it’s the push, by males, to change the definition of the word woman from the definition that has served for as long as we’ve had a formal definition to one where any male can say they are a woman.