Daily acts of feminism - a thread for ideas

[teawamutu]

Pinched the idea shamelessly from another thread after an hour of speechless rage reading the papers and Twatter. I need to DO something.

I pledge to do something positive every day to stand up for women. Deeds not words.

Today was taken care of for me - a subscription to The Radical Notion for Mother's Day. I'm also going to fill out the VAWG consultation.

Thought might be good to share anything else we come across here, so anyone in need of ideas could check?

I noticed the local supermarket now has a food bank box for a local refuge and I now give things to that rather than the general food bank box.

It's always full actually.

If your supermarket doesn't have something like that or favours other charities, now would be a good idea to suggest they have one for a local women's refuge

@WarriorN

I noticed the local supermarket now has a food bank box for a local refuge and I now give things to that rather than the general food bank box.

It's always full actually.

If your supermarket doesn't have something like that or favours other charities, now would be a good idea to suggest they have one for a local women's refuge

I'd love to do that, but our women's refuge had to close when they lost their main funding a few years ago. I don't think they've managed to reopen yet. The nearest one is now a long way away. I have no idea how women manage to escape DV here now, I hope they are supported to find their own place. Maybe that's something I could do, find out about women's options in that regard in my area.

Oh that's so sad :(

Thank you for starting this lovely thread OP.

My answers to your question.

Don’t even read posts or threads started by those with clear intentions of derailing, goading, pushing for deletions. Never engage with community disrupters. Scroll on by.

Buy books for DC by Onjali Rauf as previously mentioned, Gillian Philips and Rachel Rooney.

Open accounts on feminist and women centric platforms, the better to keep the conversation going with any sisters banned from here for clear and insightful posting in plain English.

Sign up for podcasts such standing for women.

Buy and read the work of feminist authors, Hibo Wardere, Nimco Ali, Kathleen Stock, Selina Todd, J K Rowling, Helen Joyce, Jane Harris, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Milli Hill.

Use sex specific language where appropriate, resist compelled speech.

Never vote for any candidate or party if that candidate or party cannot understand why sex matters.

Brilliant idea for a thread, here’s a government call for evidence on women’s health:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/womens-health-strategy-call-for-evidence

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-call-for-evidence

Fill this in and let them know how bad the problem is.

If writing to your MP, one subject is how the word gender is being used instead of sex in relation to the Equalities Act, see this thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4177292-Call-to-Action-please

Thanks for starting this thread. I think it was my idea you saw on another thread and I'm very happy it appealed to you!

Today I have donated to For Women Scotland

Tomorrow (more scarily) I will challenge the school where I teach on some of their Pshe materials.

Start playing Patriarchy Chicken.

The rules are simple - stop moving aside for men. You probably don’t even realise you’re doing it. Pavements, footpaths, supermarket aisles.

Be prepared for them to get very, very angry when you don’t immediately clear a path for The Mighty Penis.

“I suppose I’ll move then” muttered the male jogger when I didn’t.

“One of us has to, might as well be you.”

But he clearly expected me to clear the way for him.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4158554--DontSubmitToStonewall-suggested-quick-action-by-Legal-Feminist

Maybe consider doing this?

I always try to support other women to be heard in work meetings and I am increasingly (politely) calling out my male colleagues who make assumptions based on people’s sex.

Buy books for DC by Onjali Rauf as previously mentioned, Gillian Philips and Rachel Rooney.

Thanks for the book recommendations! Love RR's my body is me, so do my girls. Can anyone recommend the best Gillian Philip book to start with? I know she writes YA books - are any suitable for an 8 year old?

Great idea to support writers like Rachel Rooney and . Gillian Phipps. Any other suggestions?

When I start working with a new organisation, i always check their policy to make sure it lists protected characteristics accurately. Councils are quite bad for this. A quick letter pointing out the law is all it takes.

If you can, talk to other women. It is easy to forget that not everybody is even aware of what is happening. I have a relative who always votes Lib Dem - until I pointed out their stance on this matter - which they then took up with the local candidate at the last election. It might not seem like much it can snowball. A chugger asked me to sign up for Amnesty International donations and I very politely explained why I wouldn't be doing that. She said she had no idea - who knows whether she will pass that information on?

Join decision making groups - or talk to people who are on them:

become a school governor - they will make decisions about sleeping on residential trips, RSE, etc
join your workplace womens/diversity group - put your point of view across
become a parish councillor - they make decisions on planning and open spaces (so possibly leisure centre plans etc)

Join decision making groups - or talk to people who are on them

Good thinking! I would add, even if you don't want to be a parish councillor, have a look at what they are doing in the area. If they are planning new playgrounds, for example, check that they are taking girls into account. (There are some excellent posts on mumsnet about this but I have temporarily forgotten the name of the poster who is working on this - sorry!)

Flying under the radar was the real motivation of " No Debate" U nfortunately still works as Johann Lamont who tried unsuccessfully to get sex added to Scottish Hate Crime And public Order bill had an interview cancelled on radio because they couldn't get someone to debate. BBC playing into hands of no debaters. They should have just gone ahead without them.

BBC playing into hands of no debaters. They should have just gone ahead without them.

Agreed. They do it often enough on consumer programmes when whoever is being criticized "declines to comment". They should start recognising the no debate tactic for the underhand manoeuvre that it is.

I'm on a village hall committee which is dominated by the only two men on it. During discussions, you can see the women on the Committee despairing at ever getting a turn to talk. At one meeting, I had been waiting for a while to talk and when I finally got a chance, the men said 'well, I think we've spent enough time on this now' and I said 'no, I haven't had a chance to talk at all'. I'm going to address this more at future meetings and encourage the other female members to do so as well.

I'm going to start challenging the use of cis whenever I come across it, particularly when it is used deliberately and rudely while speaking to women who have expressly said they object to its use.

I ribbon the sufragette colours everywhere, whenever I'm out.

I have given to women's causes recently but am going to step it up, especially to Fair Play for Women, For Women Scotland, Make Space for Girls and Keep Prisons Single Sex.

I ribbon the sufragette colours everywhere, whenever I'm out.

what do you mean exactly?

@Shizuku

Wear a badge like this to show that your feminism is inclusive.

Nah. I don't need badges, I'll be wearing my Thought Criminal t-shirt and Adult Human Female hoodie.

Not sure if anyone has posted this, but it is worth contacting the Baroness to see if she still needs letter writers or data gatherers. Even just an hour.

Or get your name on list for next time she needs a group effort.

[email protected]

@ValancyRedfern

Thanks for starting this thread. I think it was my idea you saw on another thread and I'm very happy it appealed to you!

Today I have donated to For Women Scotland

Tomorrow (more scarily) I will challenge the school where I teach on some of their Pshe materials.

I'm glad you found it, you definitely deserve the credit for the idea

@Gerla

I ribbon the sufragette colours everywhere, whenever I'm out.

what do you mean exactly?

I got ribbons in purple, white and green, cut lengths of each and tie them around lampposts, trees, etc whenever I'm out on a walk. I've seen other people who are doing this who add labels with an explanation or with a slogan such as 'women won't wheesht' or 'women are watching'. There's a lady in Edinburgh who is known as 'the slate lady' who writes beautifully worded slates and leaves them in public parks and similar.