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.

If anyone is interested in some visible peaceful direct action these are fun to do!

#Ribbonwoman for those of you on twitter

I could coward for Britain, so hugely admire all of you with your bags and t-shirts!

I thought I was making headway with my suffragette striped masks! I'll keep trying - keyrings and pens might be within my grasp!

Love this. ❤️

So cheering to read this thread! I’ve now ordered a black t shirt with the woman definition in gold, a key ring with the definition (can’t wait to hoik that out onto the shop counter when I’m paying when we’re allowed in shops again) and some stickers- ‘This is a single sex space’ with EA definition. I’ll be covertly putting them in public loos.
Can’t wear the t shirt on work zoom calls as it’s the same industry JKR is in but I might brave it on the school run and see how it goes. I don’t care if it changes anyone’s opinion of me for the worse because I don’t want to be friends with that person if that’s how they feel.
Will wear the t shirt with pride in my house. My 8year old is aware of how I feel and has an age appropriate understanding of biological sex and GC opinions. (Younger ones fairly oblivious but 5 year old knows only women can have periods. Husband firmly GC).

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'
Good for you. It is scarey tho! Ive had a few rants at work after Stonewall 'training'
Lots of faces but later a couple of female colleagues sidled over to my desk and whispered they agreed with me.

@Daughterofmabel

If anyone is interested in some visible peaceful direct action these are fun to do!

What does the card say? I can't make it big enough to read without the writing turning into a blur. Thanks

OP I loved reading this. It would make my day if this happened to me - I have a lot of clever, thoughtful, educated friends who are full on twaw. I say friends, but honestly over the last 3 years those friendships have slowly died a death because I am so saddened by their views. It cuts deep. I am making new ones but it's a very strange feeling when they're all people I have been the same page on regarding other issues.

@ACovidofWitches

OP I loved reading this. It would make my day if this happened to me - I have a lot of clever, thoughtful, educated friends who are full on twaw. I say friends, but honestly over the last 3 years those friendships have slowly died a death because I am so saddened by their views. It cuts deep. I am making new ones but it's a very strange feeling when they're all people I have been the same page on regarding other issues.

I imagine you're not alone in that feeling. There must be huge swathes of people who were branded bigots practically overnight when the gender creep took hold. Not sure how the allies can square that up really.

I've gone through it with a FB acquaintance, something they posted about evil Tory scum. I commented that I didn't know who to vote for as no one seemed to know what a woman was anymore.

It's amazing how many supposedly otherwise intelligent people have unquestioningly drunk the gender koolaid. And you can tell they haven't given it proper thought because they're never able to answer the hard questions.

Daugher love that ribbon but I can't see what the note says (gorgeous hand writing though) can you tell us what it says?

I was listening to a talk on the radio this morning about the witches of Scotland

And hearing the fear here about how scary it is for it just to wear a T-shirt that says women are adult females

It seems we have returned to these days especially in my country Scotland

A quote below from the website witchesofScotland.com

They have a petition running for the thousands of women and some men who were executed to be pardoned

“The signs associated with witches (broomstick, cauldrons, black cats, black pointed hats) were actually things those of “alewives” – women who brewed weak beer in medieval times, as a method of combatting the poor water quality at the time. The sign above their door was a broomstick to let people know they could buy beer, they used large cauldrons for brewing, cats were kept to keep the mice at bay and the black pointed hats were used to make themselves easily identifiable at market. Brewing was seen as “women’s work” it was not until the craft of brewing became a profitable business that women were ousted from the role. It may have been the very process of removing women from that role by making people suspicious of their “brews” that caused the link to be made with witchcraft and the brewery symbols to become those of witches. “

www.witchesofscotland.com/about

Thanks for that, littlbrowndog

What is the significance of the ribbon colours, I've googled but can't find anything.

@littlbrowndog

I bought this book for DS1 (8) who has ASD and ADHD: A Kind of Spark https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1913311058?ref=ppxpoppmobappshare

It's written by an autistic woman from the viewpoint of an autistic girl who realises that the witches that were murdered in her Scottish village were probably also autistic women. She campaigns to get a plaque to remember them.

It is so lovely.

@TartanLassie The colours are the colours of the suffragettes.

@littlbrowndog, that is really interesting!

Just wanted to go back to the ‘Thought Criminal’ reference upthread. I didn’t know why that sweatshirt was called the ‘Emily’ so was interested to read that.

In general, it is a reference to Orwell’s 1984, where citizens were constantly monitored for signs of ‘wrong think’ and ‘thought crime’. This has relevance in this debate because some of the more extreme TRAs have sought to control what others think as well as what they say. For these TRAs, it is not enough to simply say ‘TWAW’, you must also believe it. Quite how they expect to be able to detect whether someone really means ‘TWAW’ or whether they are just saying it, is another matter.

I have to assume that the majority of the people who say TWAW either don’t really believe it, or have a definition of ‘woman’ that differs from the dictionary one.

I realise none of this is new information for most of us, but just wanted to say it as it seems we have a number of newbies on the thread who are still getting up to speed on the ins and outs of this debate.

Lockdown would be such a good opportunity for people, especially teenagers, to read 1984 and maybe the Diary of Anne Frank. Instead of inane SM.

I'm fully aware of the issues involved and 100% on the GC side but .....

There is a video link up thread which explains it ⬆️

Haven't rtft so it may have already been said but this is really quite unhelpful. Why not just explain in a few words. It doesn't take much.
If someone wants to watch a video for a deeper understanding all well and good but as a first port of call... no .... I don't want to spend time/data attempting to access a video which may not have subtitles so I need to fetch my earphones etc etc.

If you're linking a video, please always explain as well.

Just a thought.

@MiddlesexGirl

I'm fully aware of the issues involved and 100% on the GC side but .....

There is a video link up thread which explains it ⬆️

Haven't rtft so it may have already been said but this is really quite unhelpful. Why not just explain in a few words. It doesn't take much.
If someone wants to watch a video for a deeper understanding all well and good but as a first port of call... no .... I don't want to spend time/data attempting to access a video which may not have subtitles so I need to fetch my earphones etc etc.

If you're linking a video, please always explain as well.

Just a thought.

Fair point but you know that saying "a picture tells a thousand words "? well in this case it's a video. And it's an incredible illustration and worth the time, I promise.

Otherwise there are a fair few explanations up thread but you need to find them.

Haven't rtft so it may have already been said but this is really quite unhelpful. Why not just explain in a few words. It doesn't take much.

'It doesn't take much' depends on how often you have to repeat it. It's quite poor of people to ask for explanations of things that actually have been explained, without having bothered to RTFT. If you want an explanation of an acronym then opening the thread in a browser and doing a text search is maybe the best thing to try first. You may be the first to ask, but if the thread is too long for you to have read it then there's a fair chance your question will already have enough asked and answered. Just a thought.

Does anyone know the corresponding sizes of the t shirts? About to make an order

KitchenFairy - I have just bought the same t-shirt in black. Too cold at mo, but I bought the hoodie as well. It feels silly that I’m a bit scared to wear out! I’ll wear indoors to start and build up ......

The v neck is a fitted style t shirt - M is 12-14 I think. So S 8-10 and L 16? I’m a 14 and got a M which fits (snugly). I think the round necked ones are more man- fit style.

Just got an email. The tote bag is NOW back in stock!

www.standingforwomen.com/product-page/tote-bag-with-logo?utm_campaign=74c66f78-6843-4332-8f3a-c5f9fff8b21c&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=0fc4e5b7-bb34-4e9e-ab28-ff5e3d03c00f