Bristol Uni SU forbids women discussing male violence without male guardians present

[severnboring]

FFS. Bristol Uni SU is disciplining Raquel Rosario Sanchez, who's been targeted by transactivist bullies there for years, because she ran female-only meetings.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/13/university-feminist-society-disciplined-excluding-trans-women/

"Women Talk Back hosted women-only meetings at Bristol University to discuss male violence against females, and argued the presence of men could make attendees fearful to speak out.

The students refused entry to male-born transgender people who self-identify as women, classed as men under equality laws unless they have changed their legal sex.

Now Bristol Students’ Union has ordered the society’s president, Raquel Rosario-Sanchez, to stand down and banned her from union leadership posts for two years.

And committee members must complete an “equality, diversity and inclusion” course."

"The society was told that Bristol SU defines women as "all who self-define as women, including (if they wish) those with complex gender identities that include ‘woman’, and those who experience oppression as women"."

Let's hope Raquel is documenting how her garden grows, so that in years, and decades, to come others may sit in the shade of an oak tree that 1 MNetter gave her the seed for.

Or perhaps another MNetter gave her an Ash seed.

Or another MNetter gave her an Elm seed.

Many others planted flowers. And herbs.

@Redshoeblueshoe

How the fuck are these students going to cope when they get into the real world ?

Plenty of jobs in the diversity industry.

And as long as you have stories like this you'll have a diversity industry.

I love growing herbs. I find them endlessly useful in the kitchen, and am fascinated by their use in other ways too. 🌱🍀

@Porridgeoat

Raquel has a crowd funding page. Presently it has about six hundred pounds but she needs about 20k to challenge Bristol uni

Gosh. That's not even close, is it? I've made a note to donate as soon as payday comes round.

It looks like the crowd fund figure is so low because she has had to start a new one because her solicitor moved practices. The old one is frozen but she links to it.
It's for her case against the university who failed to protect her against (actually enabled) bullying, and investigated her. It's a v v v good cause but I doubt the specific event that started this thread will come into it. Maybe as context, but that case won't decide the legal issues surrounding union's treatment if women talk back (as far as I can tell).

I really hope the group challenge the students union over this. I'm sure they are taking legal adive, and there always seem to be lots of stages you have to go through first before any legal proceedings start which would be public. There needs to be case law which sets out the legality of women organising & meeting as a sex (& the illegality of an org like a SU preventing its members from doing so). Why should these women have to do this on top of their studies & everything else! It's infuriating.

Case law definitely needs to happen going forward.

MNHQ: Am I allowed to ask for link to crowdfunder for RRS? That is what I asked for yesterday (Sunday) at 18.35.18.
I can only find her old crowdfunding sit. Please?

The new crowdfunder is doing fine - only went live yesterday and she's up to around £3,500. I love a bit of composting on a sunny day.

Scientist it's on the same crowd funding site as the old one. I think you might find it if you Google university challenged. Or have a look at the twitters of rrs or women talk back.

Some lovely flowers have been planted overnight

Thanks for this thread. It reminded me to do some planting

Springtime

Bristol SU continue to be ridiculous:

''Bristol SU says it is reaching out to its trans students network and LGBT+ network to offer support to students who may be affected by discussion online about this incident.''

www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/university-bristol-feminist-society-under-5188339#comments-section

They are pathetic bullies.

Little dig completed

I didn’t realise that the Bristol SU was above the law? What about the 9 protected characteristics which include sex and gender reassignment (not gender identity).

Really good point Salty

Bristol University AND SU Bristol need educating on the Equality Act 2010. Now.

I have seen that the group Women Talk Back are hoping to challenge Bristol Uni Students Union in court, over its treatment of the group. There is some digging & gardening going on. Worth looking in to.

@Manderleyagain

I have seen that the group Women Talk Back are hoping to challenge Bristol Uni Students Union in court, over its treatment of the group. There is some digging & gardening going on. Worth looking in to.

Thanks for the heads up.

Twitter link…

mobile.twitter.com/WomenTalk_Back/status/1439635347747581956

The conversation here encapsulates one of the main issues with this situation.

In ye olden days. People can and did set up effects, groups, meetings for certain groups of people.

The socially accepted and socially enforces approach was that you didn't go to things for groups you were not a member of.

Elderly women didn't rock up to groups set up for elderly men (there's one of those groups locally to me).

People who were not refugees from Syria didn't go to groups for refugees from Syria.

Men did not go to groups for women to meet and socialise with other local women.

Etc etc

Unless they were like Marla from fight club which I imagine was uncommon but they would have been given short shrift.

Those social conventions all remain in place bar one. One. Not two. Elderly women in I'm sure wouldn't attend a group for elderly men. Wouldn't think if it.

But for one case the convention no longer holds. And the change in convention came suddenly, with no discussion, and with massive backing for anyone who got told no.

Policies were changed across the board. GG, YHA, sport, school facilities, who goes to a female prison, prized and competitions for women, all women short lists. Language, definitions, law was misrepresented/ lied about. History was rewritten without a second thought (GG has apparently always been single gender not single sex!!!???!).

And so on.

In ye olden days men who were enraged by women being allowed to have 'special treatment' by having things away from men used to eg complain about the being an hour swimming for women only. And sometimes this led to then being cancelled even though they were totally lawful and presumably attended well enough to make them worthwhile.

I've heard plenty of bog standard middle aged white blokes (work) complaining about 'hang gliding clubs for Muslim women' (imaginary), how women are being unfairly advantaged over men at work (40% pay gap about 80% male workforce, male CEO etc). Etc etc

Loads of men have always resented women doing things or our issues being discussed. See the ddos attacks, the invasions from male dominated sites, etc etc for years and before this particular issue was even on the agenda.

Now, and only with things for women and girls. Males shout for and get access.

They don't set up their own things oh no. That's not their job is it. Women are the ones who are expected to drive volunteering, charity, helping others etc etc. And it's not right to have stuff for us which leaves men out. Bloody selfish who do they think they are?

So now tada! No problem. Go where you like and join whatever you like. If challenged then they are exclusionary, bigoted. And their group or whatever should either change or close. Fast.

The approach that males being denied is the worst kind of hate extends to contact sports, prisons and secure mental health wards.

The fact that this is what loads of males have always wanted, is a handy coincidence as that's what the trans activists with support from everyone to the police, the NHS, schools, clubs, etc etc have given them.

*PurpleHoodie
NeedToKnow101

This is awful. Im so ashamed that so many of the ongoing attacks on women's rights have been by white males on black or brown women. Can't they see how fucking awful (racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic) they are being?

This cannot be stated enough.
It can't, resposting.

No doubt the people trying to silence these women consider themselves the last word in tolerance and free-thinking. All while behaving like a totalitarian mob.*

Absolutely this! 🤬😤😖😡

My point with that post is re the law.

Student Union is not an employer (well it is but their meetings aren't covered by employment laws iyswim). It's not a provider of goods and services it's an interest group for students.

I would imagine (but will check) that student unions have to abide by some kind of rules from some Central group or similar? Seems likely.

So no I don't think it's illegal.

In ye olden days not even a few years ago. A group for young women (female) to discuss male violence. Would have angered plenty of male students. Misandry. Not fair. Etc etc.

Now the doors are open.

And make no mistake. As with the swimming pool women's sessions stuff. Men don't want their own groups as well. They just don't want women to have anything just for them. Snoffair. They go to disrupt.

With an SU group for women to talk about MVAWG.

Other groups who want to talk about male violence can and should form groups. Women won't mind. Women won't care at all. It's fine.

groups for trans males, or trans people. LGB men. Men in general. Go for it. It will be more productive as the reasons for and experiences of male violence have different characteristics and it's all important.

But no. Obviously not. Men don't like it. So here we are.

Yes su England scrutiny council

www.nus.org.uk/national-scrutiny-council

I will disagree slightly having just heard about the experience of a student who dared, in a department wide student group chat, suggest that there could be more than one view on Palestine. Without actually revealing what their view was. Cue a pile on, and some offensive direct messages. Other students obviously agreed and were concerned about impact on Jewish classmates, but had no wish to stick their heads above the parapet and be called out in the same fashion.

Social media seems to allow small groups to dictate group thinking and crowd out other voices, whether these be women, or those who believe there is room for debate and compromise in the Middle East.

Bristol U is in the education business and should be concerned at any attempts to use bullying tactics to close off debate and to silence legitimate views.