From the author's bio,
"Rebecca Jane Morgan
Historian of modern Britain, popular culture, and queer identities. PhD student, trans activist"
A PhD British history student should recognise the importance of historical accuracy and be capable of basic research.
(extract)
In March 2018, a small group of cisgender feminists gathered at a south London swimming pool, announced that they ‘self-identify’ as men, and gate-crashed a men-only event.¹ Some wore fake beards. The pool’s regular patrons were more confused than outraged.
The group had met and organised the stunt on the Mumsnet message boards. It was intended as a protest against trans women using women-only spaces, and, more generally, against potential reforms to the UK’s Gender Recognition Act 2004 that would enable people to self-identify their legal gender. (continues)
There are a number of factual inaccuracies.
The action at Dulwich swimming pool was carried out by two women, Amy Desir and Hannah Clarke, in protest against Swim England's self id policy. The policy was discussed with the leisure centre management beforehand. Neither wore a beard. Amy Desir wore a pink hat. Swim England's policy was withdrawn shortly afterwards.
On Spring Bank Holiday (May28th 2018) ten women identifying as men for the day used the Hampstead Heath men's pond. Some women wore beards.
June 5th 2018 Government responded to the petition by #ManFriday and other grassroots women's groups. It committed to a consultation on self-id and that no changes would be made to the Equality Act provision for single sex spaces.
petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/214118
None of the women involved are 'cisgender'
MARK WOOD and JOANI WALSH FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
18th March 2018
"Feminists 'self-identify' as males... to infiltrate men-only swim session
Women hit back over proposals to make it easier for people to change gender
Amy Desir wore just trunks and pink cap to swim session at south London pool
Another woman told staff she had every right to join session because she 'identified as male'
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5514231/Feminists-self-identify-males-infiltrate-men-swim-session.html
June 1st 2018
"The Battle of Hampstead Ponds: Meet the women who are willing to don mankinis and fake beards to protest against rules that let men say they're female and use the ladies' changing rooms
Ten women gatecrashed male-only bathing pond in North London this week
It was the most decorous of invasions. They were not strident or impolite
Their method of drawing attention to their cause was a novel one
They said they were ‘identifying’ as men for the day to highlight problems"
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5796701/Hampstead-ponds-row-continues-transgender-demands-going-far.html
Hannah Clarke
text of the speech made by ManFriday’s Media Officer at a Women’s Place UK meeting on 17th May 2018.
(extract)
"I’ve called ManFriday a movement, I think a better word might be concept. We are a loosely organised group of women who are horrified by the implications of self identification and the resultant erasure of women. We are making a stand against what is happening by self identifying as men on Fridays. We show how preposterous it is to be able to self-declare as the opposite sex by doing exactly that.
This all came about when Amy Desir took it upon herself to address the ludicrous guidance Swim England produced to engage trans people in swimming. This guidance, soundly rejected by the good ladies of Mumsnet, included such gems as telling us women who object to penises in their changing rooms require education, whilst our boobs should be covered at all times for fear of causing offence. Amy started a Mumsnet thread one Friday morning in February telling us that she had arranged a meeting at her local pool to discuss her inclusion in men only swimming sessions as a self identified man in accordance with the guidance.
This thread inspired a whole lot of us – around 160 at the last count – to get behind the concept and thus ManFriday was born. We started with a Facebook page where we plan our protests and share resources and now have a website, a very active (and funny) twitter account, and a whole load of unconnected women joining in on Twitter every Friday using the hashtag ManFriday.
I joined after seeing Amy’s thread coincided with me wanting to be able to do something. I had attended the Woman’s Place meeting in London in February and was in awe of all the women there. I was too shy to put my hand up and talk – I didn’t feel like I had anything to say at all, but I think might make up for that now." (continues)
manfridayuk.org/2018/05/18/why-manfriday/