Scottish women - actions to take

[ArabellaScott]

Hello, all.

People have been asking what can be done to protect women and women's rights, specifically in Scotland. If you're new to it, welcome, there is LOTS to be done. Every tiny little action helps and makes a difference.

I thought a resource thread might be of use. There's lots coming up just now - not least the SNP about to make a coalition with the Scottish Greens, and parliament reconvening next week.

www.writetothem.com/

Website above is a quick and easy way to find out who your representatives are and how to contact them.

forwomen.scot/

Invaluable resources for taking action.

womenspeakscotland.com/

Another invaluable resource! Details on consulations, petitions, crowdfunders, etc.

This is just a start, do feel free to add your own suggestions, letter templates, links (or descriptions of where to find them if ti's a petition or a crowdfunder that isn't allowed a direct link)

#womenwontwheesht

Thank you! Nothing to add but will follow these up - it feels so much better to take action.

Thank you. I would really like to be there on 02/09 but can't take more time off work. Glad to anything else that is helpful

Marking this to look at links later thanks

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4292006-Scot-Gov-seeking-views-on-banning-conversion-therapy

This is due tomorrow! Consultation responses, with ideas for things to include.

Some groups.and useful people:

womenvotingwithourfeet.wordpress.com/ (Sole Sisters #women voting with our feet)

www.frontlinefeministsscotland.com/ (advert in latest Radical Notion)

Murray Blackburn Mackenzie murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/
Really good thorough policy analysis

wgscotland.org.uk/
Women and Girls Scotland. Currently trying to find out which refuges / rape crisis centres are single sex.

I am sure that I have missed many more!

Thanks @ArabellaScott :)

Thank you

@WeAreTheWomen

re women only Rape Crisis support in Scotland. From the directory on SWA these 4 centres say they are women only: Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre Scottish Borders Rape Crisis Western Isles Rape Crisis Centre www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/help-local-rcc/

It may be that other centres provide women only support along with support to men and "all genders".

According to Rape Crisis Scotland, women are male and female.

Unless the website specifies that female-only support is available, women-only may mean mixed-sex or female-only.

Thank you, this is really useful

Just to let women on this thread know that Marion Millar case has been postponed again from next Tuesday until Monday 30 August! The bastards are dragging this out as much as they can.

@Rhannion

Just to let women on this thread know that Marion Millar case has been postponed again from next Tuesday until Monday 30 August! The bastards are dragging this out as much as they can.

This is just the preamble to dropping the case. It's far too spurious a charge, but it's also too embarrassing to just drop it immediately. And with dragging it out like this, it shows all of us unruly women what might happen if we don't shut up, because having a court case hanging over your head is incredibly stressful and no one wants to ever be in that position.

I've written to my MSP. Ridiculous, that guidance to schools is just ridiculous. Did they really think that the headline of 4 year old transing, without parental consent, was really going to be a good one?

On a more positive note I'm out and proud at work, more of my colleagues are expressing concerns too.

From the RCS website -

'Sexual violence is a gendered and has a disproportionate impact on women and girls; our services reflect that. Women only spaces are a core principle of the Rape Crisis movement and upheld through our National Service Standards (read these here). These spaces include women with a diverse range of lived experience and views, including trans women and girls.'

As all groups under the RCS presumably have to follow their National Service Standards, even if the group describe themselves as 'women only', it is unlikely to be the case.

Does anyone know what reasons have been given for Marion's case being postponed (again)?

Again from the RCS website -

'Rape Crisis Scotland and our 17 member centres are committed to adhering to the Rape Crisis National Service Standards (RCNSS).'

@WeAreTheWomen

re women only Rape Crisis support in Scotland. From the directory on SWA these 4 centres say they are women only: Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre Scottish Borders Rape Crisis Western Isles Rape Crisis Centre www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/help-local-rcc/

It may be that other centres provide women only support along with support to men and "all genders".

Someone is telling porkies. Gasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre website states:
Glasgow Rape Crisis Centre welcomes women who are lesbian or bisexual, and self identifying women. Many of the issues faced by LGBT survivors will be the same faced by other women. Sometimes LGBT survivors are told that their sexual orientation or gender identity is a direct result of the sexual violence that they have experienced. There is no evidence of a link between sexual violence and sexual orientation/gender identity.

Being raped because of your sexual orientation or gender identity is not only an act of sexual violence, but is also a hate crime and should be treated as such. Sexual violence as a form of homophobic hate crime can include so-called 'corrective rape' which aims to 'cure' women of their homosexuality/bisexuality/transgender identity. This can increase the sense of self-blame that many survivors feel, as a core part of your identity has been attacked. No one asks to be sexually assaulted, and the person who is responsible for rape is always the rapist. Workers at the Rape Crisis Centre will be able you to work through all the different feelings that you may have.

Statistically, transgender people experience sexual violence at a disproportionate rate and may find support more difficult to access. At Glasgow Rape Crisis Centre, transgender women will receive the same level of support as other female survivors, receiving a service tailored to their needs. If there is anything that we need to do to help you to feel safe and supported in the Rape Crisis Centre, please let us know and we will try to make it happen.

Action here to take, suggested by Sole Sisters:

'Gender reform questions politicians must answer'

womenvotingwithourfeet.wordpress.com/2021/08/15/gender-reform-questions-politicians/?fbclid=IwAR0q6uXH6CwIZGxBluOgjOWrVjxGX_GMsBfmh8x0X43lYVe13kPhdDjAEAw

Also from above page:

'The Scottish Parliament returns from recess on August 29 when the Scottish Government will announce its legislative programme for the next four years. Reform of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) to include gender self-identification is likely to an SNP priority, in partnership with its expected coalition partners, the Scottish Greens. If and when the announce on GRA reform is made, we are asking everyone to contact their MSPs to ask crucial questions about what gender reform and the effect of self-ID on service provision and on women and girls in particular will be. Here is some guidance on the sort of questions you can ask. This is a resource that we will update as more information emerges, so please bookmark this page for future use'

@ArabellaScott fab, thanks for that link. Seconding also how easy www.writetothem.com is to use. It will send out your email to all your representatives and will also come back to you to track whether they have responded.

twitter.com/legalfeminist/status/1426864933355114506

'One of the LFs is writing about Edinburgh Rape Crisis. Would Scottish survivors of sexual violence be willing to get in touch in strict confidence with their views (for or against) on the appointment of Mridul Wadhwa as CEO? Please email [email protected].'

• or you can dm them on twitter, at the above link/account.

Thanks! I have written to my msp but rather unsurprisingly no response.

I did see a ribbon in my small and very suburban village today and it made me very happy to know that there are other like minded people out there!

This is a really useful thread thank you