Thanks for the link Arabella - will share on facebook.
Its important to realise that this in fact is a nearly 50 year arc, and as with the Feminist Library part of the problem is that we didn't all think we need to keep being engaged at the grass roots level.
And without this local pressure on councils and MPs the very concept of women only has faded years ago. I was in a women's group that lost its funding in the late 80s (from a Labour Council) because they said women only was now a redundant concept.
Initially funding was given to groups because the very fact of their speciality was what the council was purchasing. This applied to BME groups as much as women's groups. But eventually over time funders then felt they "owned" the concept because they were financing it.
In fact there were some women who said this was in fact what funding was about. It was to undermine and destablise groups. Another tactic was to encourage groups to grow, and throw in if not free low rent council accomodation. In no time you had women's groups with a Director and tiers of staff. Then in a pincer movement funding would be cut and the council would demand commercial rent. So what had been a quite stable service was suddenly undermined but in the intervening period the fact that it appeared stable meant local support had fizzled away.
And I think it is really important to realise, however much it is unpleasant to realise, is that by and large the vast majority of people, let alone decision makers bought into the women only concept. They may have paid lip service to it, but never put any effort into sustaining it.
If only trans concepts had proved to be only a temporaty flavour of the month. In fact they may have learnt from how easily the political establishment entrapped then discarded both BME and women's groups that they set about their now decades old entryism and private networking with decision makers.
Most women's groups have survived by going under the radar. Those that have survived have done so by making compromising, or even taking on the attitudes of predatory HAs that gobble everything up. ie rape crisis provision in London, created by lobbying a Tory mayor, was in fact not reward to local voluntary groups in line with rape crisis groups around the country, but became "add ons" to the conglomorate WAs in London.
And of course added into this is the entrenched sexis that of course men shouldn't have to look after themselves, no blame should be attached to men not getting off their backsides and setting up their own refuges and support lines. It is women's fault for not doing the work for men.
How little, despite the surperficial veneer of progress, have times changed.