Sadiq Khan has sacked Joan Smith from the London VAWG board

[countrypunk]

Activist 'sacked after raising concerns about transwomen in refuges'
mol.im/a/9906833

Also in the Times. I'm disgusted. It's such cynical game-playing from Khan, all to appease a tiny minority of TRAs. There's no way he actually believes this stuff.

I'm going to write to him. Joan Smith is a feminist rock star.

That's a good rule on Unherd - don't read the comments on anything to do with women!

Thanks @CrossPurposes. Bunch of snivelling weasels. Contempt all round.

I know women are punished more for sticking their heads above the parapet on trans issues, but I am angrier with them than Khan. He's just a cynical little twat. I feel like these women in positions of power are betraying us, and for what? A slightly bigger slice of pie?

We would have so much more power and influence if we all banded together on this.

Good on Sadiq. You can't have someone who is not inclusive of all women in that role and there are safeguards in place and exclusions available already if a trans individual needs exclusion. Decisions taken on facts on the ground, rather than "concerns".

He is true to his agenda of inclusiveness and tolerance and should be applauded. I'm glad he is our Mayor.

There is no doubt he is true to his agenda.

I wonder if he is true to himself…

I wonder if he is true to himself

Extremely unlikely

I used to work for Women's Aid. Your jaw would drop at the number of staff who are TWAW. There's an enormous divide, mostly across age lines.

thecritic.co.uk/erasing-women/?fbclid=IwAR1aOw7kuQGfn6SilHzD6lrUZRQcQiSsRCvyYHxSuocr3fx5Db6ZPIeYnjI

Article by Joan Smith in the critic, on 'erasing women' .

The only people's opinions which should really count are the users of the service. The beliefs of the service providers should not be considered.

Indeed.

@ArabellaScott

thecritic.co.uk/erasing-women/?fbclid=IwAR1aOw7kuQGfn6SilHzD6lrUZRQcQiSsRCvyYHxSuocr3fx5Db6ZPIeYnjI

Article by Joan Smith in the critic, on 'erasing women' .

Anyone else find The Critic's typeface really difficult to read? I'm wondering if it's me or it, but I think it's it!

Decisions taken on facts on the ground, rather than "concerns".

Oh good! Another classic.

Please post all the evidence to support that gender identity exists in a way that can be accurately diagnosed by a trained medical professional so that people can make sure that the inclusion is for those who qualify has having gender dysphoria.

Can we also have the statistics that prove the 'fact' that males who transition have any decrease in the rate and the pattern of male criminality so that they should be exempt from safeguarding and allowed access into female single sex spaces?

Also, can we have the study that shows that women respond as well or better when they have transwomen included in their refuges, or group therapy sessions?

As far as 'being able to use exemptions', please also show the statistics for the number of female shelters that have been able to publicly do this without losing support in any way?

You know we love facts rather than 'concerns' so I look forward to you actually posting an evidenced post and showing just how free the women's support against violence sector is to be completely free to centre females and females only.

By the way, I wonder what the violence and harassment against women statistics would look like if they were readjusted to take into account the fact that most of us have grown up learning that we have to operate under a self-imposted curfew or take care planning our route home, especially after dark? What are the statistics of incidents calculated per 'hours of walking/travelling unaccompanied' for women compared to men?

(typo - imposed not imposted, and of course by 'self-imposed' I don't mean it's something we choose, it's something many of us know we have to do in this misogynistic society for our own safety!)

@MishyJDI

Good on Sadiq. You can't have someone who is not inclusive of all women in that role and there are safeguards in place and exclusions available already if a trans individual needs exclusion. Decisions taken on facts on the ground, rather than "concerns".

He is true to his agenda of inclusiveness and tolerance and should be applauded. I'm glad he is our Mayor.

No, you can't.

Being inclusive of 'all women' includes the female ones too. The whole issue here is that being 'inclusive' of males in female refuges excludes quite a lot of females from the care they need.

Did you hear the Radio 4 programme where a rape crisis leader talked of two women on her caseload who cannot access any services because they cannot come into a mixed sex space? And how those women are staying in dangerous situations, and how this will inevitably end in women dying?

If you're into inclusion as an actual value, then female only shelters have to be available and respected by TW. There can be mixed sex shelters. There can be trans specific shelters. There can be all kinds of diversity of male shelters. No one is saying that TW should not be able to access shelters where they feel comfortable and safe and their particular needs for inclusion can be met.

The controversial bit is women saying that female people deserve this too. And are as equally important as people born male. That's where the problem is.

Btw highly disingenuous about 'just use the exceptions' when anyone with even the most basic awareness of the situation knows those exceptions have been made almost impossible to use in practice. By trans lobby groups.

The lack of compassion for females and diversity of need and inclusion of females on the part of trans lobby groups and their political allies is utterly shameful. And no, no one this prejudiced against female humans should be in a position of public office where about 52% of the people they are responsible for are from that group. .It is a massive failure of integrity, of duty, and of basic public standards.

Artichokeleaves 💯

@Artichokeleaves Yep!

Signed.

The Guardian are extremely disingenuous in their description of the two ‘sides’ here:

while other feminists and LGBT groups argue that the rights of both groups can be respected simultaneously.

... because this position actually puts men’s rights above women’s while attempting to appear reasonable

Yes, Artichoke.

The 'inclusion' has to include women, too.

@Passmeamenuatthetottenham

So let's get this straight.

A male has sacked a female from a board dealing with violence against women and girls, because that female expressed concerns about males being allowed into female only refuges?

How fucking progressive! Well done Sadiq!

You couldn't make it up could you!

@IvyTwines2, I think it's just you... I need quite strong specs/lenses but I find it okay.

If any of you can make it to Edinburgh on 2nd September at Holyrood your voices would be welcome as we are fighting hard here to protect our rights and the rights of our children. If you don’t know already we have a male who presents as a woman as CEO of the rape crisis Centre here!