Posie putting her money where her mouth is. Lets do this.

[Fallingirl]

Posie is planning to re-build the women’s sector, starting with crowd funding for a women-only refuge.

@buggerbuggery

But Posie is not answering questions. She said she had not worked out the details yet. Just give me the money.

But what is it you all want? For Posie to put a 10 year business plan past you and all the 'right feminists' (who hate her guts)? For her to spell out all the women she's working with for you all to approve, pick over and also do their names are out there right at the start so they can abused from the off?

You're acting like all us slightly more stupid women who have little naive brains are just following Posie blindly on trust and don't have the capacity to ask any questions at a later date.

Well I don't fully trust WP and all the 'knowledgable' feminists mentioned on this thread who seems to think they gatekeep this sector. I just don't agree with all they think and say.
We trust who we want. We take a punt where we want. We fling £10,£20 at who we want.

Honestly, from an outsider looking in at thread just think how it looks. The Approved Feminism doesn't look very welcoming to all from where I'm standing.

@Floisme

'A sorry state of affairs?' I'm starting to wonder whether people immersed in the sector realise how it looks to those of us on the outside. No we don't know as much about it, but we do know abusive batshittery when we see it, which is why these calls to leave it to the experts are not convincing me at all.

That is what happened to me when my bad experience trying to get help. Still too scared to post what happened but have written evidence of messages but what can I do.

Still at risk of murder by partner and vulnerable so how can I complain or do anything. Don't even want to complain just needed help and can't get it because they close ranks and anyway they literally just don't reply just like local authorities when approach for homeless. Anyway how can I trust again. Understand if they too busy to help as I'm older and no children so low priority but they should be honest with me. Felt violated after trusting with intimate details of abuse. Feel dirty and ashamed and makes me as traumatised around women as men.

But at the heart of this are a group of very vulnerable women who deserve specialist support from women who know what they're doing. Fucking up the messaging on this may have very real consequences for women,
Happens already. Happening to me but I beginning to realise it's just that only some vulnerable women matter. Only if you fit stereotype of victim maybe. I understand if that's the situation but wish honesty so no false hope or victim blaming of women like me when we can't leave.

Some people here saying this Posie thing not needed or not enough money for refuges. Maybe if not suitable for refuge, maybe the money can go to helping with single sex safe housing after refuge or instead of refuge for women who can't go or no spaces.

At moment women like me risk being housed in mixed sex housing or not housed at all. Homeless applications literally ignored by councils. Maybe it's the law they meant to help but what can vulnerable women do if they don't reply to email and phone.

The councils hope we just get beaten and raped and not actually murdered and they hope suicide instead of murder because then council gets away with not helping. More common for it to end in suicide or just more years of abuse and early death or end up homeless than murder so councils get away with it.

@buggerbuggery

Questions should be answered publicly

Posie has been banned from pretty much all social media so that's going to be tricky for her.

@buggerbuggery

No posters are effectively saying, do not ask any questions at all, just give monet=y and trust her.

And posters who don't like Posie or want to support her are saying:

Don't ask questions of the current providers just trust them and give them money instead

Just trusting the current providers to do what is right for women hasn't stopped them capitulating and allowing men into these spaces has it?

@PatsArrow you know there is a vast spectrum between I want to set up a refuge but have not worked out any details yet....and here is a 10-year business plan.

@RedDogsBeg Current providers publish a lot of information about what they do. You can decide whether or not to donate on the basis of that information.

[quote buggerbuggery]@PatsArrow you know there is a vast spectrum between I want to set up a refuge but have not worked out any details yet....and here is a 10-year business plan.[/quote]
Yes, it's a turn of phrase. Imagine me waving my hands in an exasperated way.

Honestly this thread has put me off the Feminism board here for a bit.

I'm off back to my Discord Group.

[quote buggerbuggery]@RedDogsBeg Current providers publish a lot of information about what they do. You can decide whether or not to donate on the basis of that information.[/quote]
That flies in the face of what others have said on this thread, according to them current providers can't/won't openly state that they are for women only for fear of being targeted, they can't speak out about the need for women only services because they would lose funding - so which is it?

@RedDogsBeg I have read public annual reports which make it clear the refuge is women only. Just because they are not posting on MN saying this does not mean they do not say it.
Frankly there are a lot of people talking about this sector on this thread who know very little about the sector.

@buggerbuggery

This whole thread is slagging off other women's services, by women who from what they say on this thread, do not understand the need or sector at all. Most women do not go out of their area to access a refuge by choice. Most women want to stay in the same area and send their children to the same school. It is the severe shortage of beds in refuges that means they often have to go out of area. Only those with the most dangerous partners choose to go out of area.

I felt sick with fear leaving local area but had no choice as very violent partner who nearly killed me in the past. Don't understand how women can stay in same area if same school or work as makes me feel unsafe if sharing a refuge with them. If their partner husband genuinely a danger, scared he'll follow children from school or her from work to find the refuge and then puts all women there at risk. I don't understand it or feel safe with that situation but actually think most women do stay local especially because I found it very difficult finding a refuge space because so many wouldn't take someone from outside local area. They said they funded by local authority and only limited space for people not local.

I don't think I have a way out and obviously posting makes it worse as now they very angry with me for posting but also it was so hard finding a refuge space and now I know what might happen after refuge, I don't know if can even risk trying.

Don't want to upset or make them angry but how is it right to pretend everything is ok and it isn't as that doesn't help women get safe. All it does is leave us still in violent abuse relationships but also feeling gagged and like a horrible bad problem person who they probably find convenient if was killed just so we shut up.

I don't think anyone in the sector is going to know who you are, nosafeguarding. You've been careful not to give away personal information.

Even if not appropriate for Posie money to be for a refuge, still needed for safe single sex places after refuge.

@nosafeguardingadults

Even if not appropriate for Posie money to be for a refuge, still needed for safe single sex places after refuge.

This is a great suggestion.

Why a refuge? Especially as she's been so scathing about women who have been abused and said they've brought it on themselves.

Why not a cafe? Much less emotive

[quote buggerbuggery]@RedDogsBeg I have read public annual reports which make it clear the refuge is women only. Just because they are not posting on MN saying this does not mean they do not say it.
Frankly there are a lot of people talking about this sector on this thread who know very little about the sector.[/quote]
I'm not asking them to post on MN about it, however, if you have a list of organisations that are single sex women only excluding all men however they identify then can you tell me which ones? If they are prepared to publish that information in public annual reports it is not a secret and there is no need not to give that information out is there? Yet we keep being told by others in this thread that that information cannot be made available, they'll be targeted, they'll lose funding.

I checked Women's Aid, guess what they are no longer single sex as TW are included, many refuges may well state they are women only but are hiding behind the TWAW mantra, to me that is disingenuous. Think about the poster who posted on here and was finally brave enough to call for help only to hear a male voice on the end of the phone line, that poster hung up and stayed put, failed by the very service that should have been there for her.

Nia

I have read public annual reports which make it clear the refuge is women only.

Of course they say that....but when you're sitting in front of a man who's ID all states "sex - female" what are you going to do?

Frankly there are a lot of people talking about this sector on this thread who know very little about the sector.

Equally, there are a lot of people contributing who have been deeply involved in the sector for many years and understand all the issues.

There is a massive need for unequivocally single sex refuges that will support and employ women only. If nothing else, Posie is shining a light on this.

I know about Nia, the only one seemingly brave enough and resolute enough not to capitulate, any others?

SBS are not purposely women only, but always have been.

Rise is in Brighton and has pioneered LGBT services there. There are a lot of LGB and T people in Brighton, it's appropriate for the local DV services to cater to the local population.

However their website states they provide specialist services for mothers and children. It is possible to provide both.

RISE don't guarantee single sex for childless or if children grown up.

Pankhurst Trust, there are many local ones.

Nia only for women in their area. Spoke to them once and they were very kind but couldn't help as only help local women. Not their fault because council funding.

[quote buggerbuggery]@RedDogsBeg I have read public annual reports which make it clear the refuge is women only. Just because they are not posting on MN saying this does not mean they do not say it.
Frankly there are a lot of people talking about this sector on this thread who know very little about the sector.[/quote]
Surely that depends on the definition of women.

so you read something and you think oh a women only place, we read it and wonder who might be a woman.

Could we put a list here of all the women’s aid or women’s refuge services with a link to their websites? As ppl rightly say, they’re nearly all charities so their accounts and annual reports are publicly available and then we can all check for ourselves

This seems to be where to start www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-abuse-directory/

And exactly Congress!! That work bloody brass knobs on!

Do they mean woman as in adult human female? Or do they mean women and TW ie men who identify as women?