Solidarity in Aldi today!

[JaneyHenderson]

This is my first thread in a very long time but I wanted to share the uplifting and fabulous experience I had today in Aldi😂

I reached 'peak' during the last lockdown and lurk regularly on here while trying to make sense of the madness.
DH is supportive to a degree but very nervous of me being vocal about my GC views as we are both teachers. I am a middle leader in a secondary school and he worries about me getting sacked
So I can't discuss this much IRL.

Anyway, queing outside Aldi today and saw a woman a few people ahead of me with a 'Woman
Noun
adult human female' tote bag. I was thrilled and as soon as there was an opportunity (by the fruit and veg) I told her I liked her bag and that I knew what it meant.
She said I had made her day; I replied I she had made mine. Then she said 'Solidarity sister and see you on the next march'
We went on our separate ways but bloody hell it was brilliant. To vocalise it and be recognised. Felt a bit emotional and even now re-writing it, am a bit teary.

Just wanted to share. It was wonderful.

@EmpressWitchDoesntBurn

A friend who used to live in Hackney went into a cafe in her AHF T-shirt & a couple of women said “We find your T-shirt offensive.”

She wasn’t sure what to say so she just said “Thank you” & that was apparently that

I realise I'm sounding a bit pathetic but this is what worries me. I get flustered and embarrassed easily and would struggle to not leg it out the cafe. Then onlookers would assume by my lack of response that the slogan was not a good one and I'd do the cause more harm than good

I hate feeling like this, it makes me do cross at myself when so many of you are proper warriors.

@MoleSmokes
Thanks for the link to www.standingforwomen.com and the reminder to purchase from there and not redbubble/Amazon or similar.

I have signed up for monthly membership and bought stickers and postcards.
Bags out of stock as are many other amazing items. Will keep a lookout for them.
The ‘mother - female parent’ items are brilliant too. Also sold out!
Still not quite brave enough for a t shirt outside of the house but have purchased a men’s size to lounge/sleep in.

I’ve posted many times before about a conference I went to, where in a workshop in gender, I was subjected to a complete pile-on because I gave my definitions of sex and gender (when asked) and didn’t give the “correct” ones.

It was nerve-wracking and my heart was banging afterwards but I was so pleased to have stood up for what I believe in in a room full of TWAT aficionados.

tellme it's good enough that you're on here. Not everyone can take big risks. I am too old to care and risk taking was always part of my life, so it isn't a big deal for me and lots of others. You support, you are valuable

I hate feeling like this, it makes me do cross at myself when so many of you are proper warriors.

I find this so hard. Shame for being afraid to contribute to the resistance for fear of the shame of being labelled a hateful bigot. Shame whatever I do or don't do.

@FamilyOfAliens

I’ve posted many times before about a conference I went to, where in a workshop in gender, I was subjected to a complete pile-on because I gave my definitions of sex and gender (when asked) and didn’t give the “correct” ones.

It was nerve-wracking and my heart was banging afterwards but I was so pleased to have stood up for what I believe in in a room full of TWAT aficionados.

Family

God I luffs you lot ❤️

I love the THOUGHT CRIMINAL t-shirt.

Great thread and lovely to know there are so many teachers looking out for the interests of girls and young women.

For those posters who are afraid to wear an AHF T-shirt in front of their teenagers I recommend a little light subversion. I bought several of the lovely pens and gifted them to the woke daughter's friends. Also when starting a scrabble game I handed out my pen with the pad for scoring to the daughter. She was too engrossed with the game to notice until my sniggering alerted her.

@HubertHerbert

I hate feeling like this, it makes me do cross at myself when so many of you are proper warriors.

I find this so hard. Shame for being afraid to contribute to the resistance for fear of the shame of being labelled a hateful bigot. Shame whatever I do or don't do.

Agree completely.

I try where I can by contributing to the funding the court cases (Maya Forster, Allison Bailey, Keira Bell). It makes me feel like I am helping a bit.

I find this so hard. Shame for being afraid to contribute to the resistance for fear of the shame of being labelled a hateful bigot. Shame whatever I do or don't do.

No. Just talking about it when you feel you can and where you feel you can is enough. Maybe you don’t see this but just this thread has brought so much support to others. I have only been posting here for just over a year and threads like this didn’t happen all that often before Joanne Rowling wrote her essay. And then occasionally since in reaction to major events. This year it is happening more often. Please don’t feel shame. Even voicing your support here helps enormously!!!

And then if you feel like it, start writing letters. No one, but you or the recipient will know but it all adds up. I have watched this in action over the past 12 months. Every email or letter is a voice. You might feel it is such a small thing, but it truly has value!

@InsideNumberNine

My GC colleague recently left and we both bought each other a little gift. I got her an AHF badge and she got me a Magdalen Berns t shirt (which I darent wear outside). With my order, I got a load of stickers so have been stealthily plastering them on lampposts. I smile every time I pick my DS up from nursery and see the one I did outside!

I had no idea there were such things as Magdalen Berns t-shirts.

Where did you get them?

theres gorgeous stuff on thefamousartist birdy rose website.

i got prints but might get t.shirt soon

I'd love a Magdalen Berns shirt too.

For those who are nervous about what reaction they'll get (and I am more worried now than I was when I bought my first tshirt from SFW) may I suggest a lapel pin? Or keyring perhaps

www.standingforwomen.com/product-page/enamel-pin

thefamousartistbirdyrose.com/products/magdalen-t-shirt-vest

voila!

Lovely story.

I wear my tee shirts and hoodie regularly. I've had a car slow down and shout "well done!" with a man grinning widely.

I once wore my ManFriday tee shirt and ended up in a long conversation with the security guard who was curious. He ended up being as big a t**f as I am.

Would I care if I got a negative response? Probably not now as I've been twitter hardened with a sharp answer for everything and a devil may care attitude.

@Winesalot

I find this so hard. Shame for being afraid to contribute to the resistance for fear of the shame of being labelled a hateful bigot. Shame whatever I do or don't do.

No. Just talking about it when you feel you can and where you feel you can is enough. Maybe you don’t see this but just this thread has brought so much support to others. I have only been posting here for just over a year and threads like this didn’t happen all that often before Joanne Rowling wrote her essay. And then occasionally since in reaction to major events. This year it is happening more often. Please don’t feel shame. Even voicing your support here helps enormously!!!

And then if you feel like it, start writing letters. No one, but you or the recipient will know but it all adds up. I have watched this in action over the past 12 months. Every email or letter is a voice. You might feel it is such a small thing, but it truly has value!

I did this and wrote to my MP and got the predictable but no less depressing respond of "Be Kind but not to women and girls ".

I think you're all right though, many small actions can add up.

As a pp up thread said, when we're out of lockdown (😁😁😁 WHEN!) I feel movement will begin and I'm so bloody up for it ...

@MoleSmokes

*It would be best to buy direct from Standing For Women because the proceeds are used for campaigning.

Some of the outlets posted (like the Red Bubble one) look like they might be “knock off” designs. If so, the vendors would be ripping-off Standing For Women and it would be money lost to campaigning.*

Also, RedBubble sell the opposite messages of I❤️JKR and the woman definition. They're not taking a stand either way, just cashing in on the gender wars. Which is fine, but it's good to let those just getting into the GC side of things know who or what they're supporting.

By the way. Here is a thread that might be useful. There are a number of threads going where questions are being asked but this is a good place to start asking.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4165041-Q-A-thread-for-New-Posters?watched=1&msgid=104660120#104660120

Lovely! This made me smile, thanks Op... I'd be so pleased if this happened to me!

Jess De Wahls makes beautiful GC embroidery patches for sale. They might be a bit more subtle for those who want or need that.

I'd like to echo Winesalot and say every voice matters. Every letter to your MP, every small act of resistance is incredibly important and will add to the weight of evidence that women do not consent to this.

Regarding the fear of being labelled a hateful bigot, as far as I'm concerned the hateful bigots are the people doing the pointy finger of shame at women who are trying to defend their rights and objecting to the appropriation or erasure of the language they use to describe themselves, their bodies, and their experiences. Every time someone accuses a woman of being a terf or transphobe they are making clear their own bigoted gynophobic misogyny.

Thanks Helmet! Lovely design. I'm a bolshy type so I'm going to wear it everywhere and people who don't like it can lump it.

My own MP writes very polite emails back but is very much following their party line.

It doesn’t matter, I tell myself. I am just one of a gazillion constituents and likely to not meet her irl.

However I did write to my councils safeguarding team about some of the guidance and was well received. And the school.

It makes up for the rudely phrased messages from some of the corporates.

Also, if you are up for helping behind the scenes even if it is just for a hour every so often Or just once. Just letter writing or adding information to spreadsheets. Please write to Baroness Nicholson and get on her list. She has achieved some great things over the past year since she became aware of them. She is an amazing woman.

[email protected]

I love this thread! I’ve put one of my T-shirts on today though I feel I may also need to purchase a hoody, it’s freezing!

I wore this T-shirt out a fair bit last year (when we were allowed out) and have not yet had any negative response. I had a woman approach me, also in Aldi , I’d caught her looking at me several times as I shopped and after we’d both gone through the checkout and I was packing my shopping she came up and said “excuse me, your T-shirt”, at which point my stomach dropped and I thought oh God here we go... “I think it’s wonderful, where did you get it from?”. Whoever upthread said it’s like the Handmaids Tale in the grocery store that’s exactly what it feels like.

If you see someone wearing a T-shirt or carrying a bag or wearing a pin and there’s an opportunity to acknowledge it please do, it feels fantastic!

Standing for Women always put plenty of free stickers in when you buy from them too.