A woman driven out of her therapy group by a trans woman's presence

[PostingForTheFirstTime]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10249633/Rape-victim-forced-quit-therapy-sessions-feels-threatened-6ft-trans-woman.html

@ClaudiaJ1

Sarah, I desperately want to wrap my arms around you and hold you tight and cry. This is not fair, it is so wrong. I really don't know what else to say to you. Except, thank you for having the courage to tell your story. This is so important, that people hear this. 🤗

Ahhh I could do with that today tbh! And the wine and cake. Thank you for being so kind x

IAmSarah well done and thank you for being so incredibly courageous. The way the staff at SN have treated you is absolutely appalling and it makes me sick to my stomach. And that fb post really is the rotten, maggot-infested cherry on the shitty, puke covered cake.

Any woman who pushes gender identity theory in this way should be mortally ashamed.

To paraphrase TT Exulansic - good men stay out of women's spaces so that bad men stand out

for you Sarah

You've done a good thing, IAmSarah

If this happens it will be true progress

@IAmSarah

@Floisme

You've done a good thing, IAmSarah

Yes. Your bravery is huge, and very much appreciated. You've spoken up and it will help other women who find themselves in that situation, and women who work in the sector who can't speak out, and women who are afraid to even look for support because they need a single sex space. It'll help so many.

Thank you.

@IamSarah I applaud you for bringing this into the mainstream. It’s absolutely disgusting that this can and does happen.

Look after yourself on twitter, it can be brutal on there

Thank you, Sarah, for your bravery. You are doing the right thing, and I admire your courage very much indeed

After all the effort to emancipate women over the centuries stories like this just make feel like we are back to square one!
How dare this 'individual' self certifying as a woman attend the support group!

Thanks for speaking out Sarah. You are absolutely right in your thoughts.

Oh, Sarah.

Your story is heartbreaking, and also has a certain sense of inevitability about it. I've been a victim of this horribly invasive crime twice. In recent years I've watched in incredulous disbelief as a particularly vociferous brand of activism has made a deliberate beeline for victims of rape and sexual assault. They homed in on us as a concerted, callously deliberate strategy, and they won't leave us alone.

We are an incredibly vulnerable group. Many of us are traumatized. The overwhelming majority of us have never received justice for what happened to us. But if I was naive enough to believe that a group of traumatized women were sacrosanct, that surely no one could stoop low enough to attack people who are in the unenviable position we are in, I was in for a rude awakening.

It started, from what I could see, with the attacks on Vancouver rape relief. I watched as other relief centres were targeted in the same way. I saw men online telling victims who were terrified at the prospect of gender neutral spaces - most of which seem to have replaced the women's facilities with the men's still left untouched - told that they were 'weaponizing their trauma'. I don't think that in my wildest dreams I could possibly dream up such a callous, insensitive, offensive phrase as that.

'Reframe your trauma' is then trotted out by none other than the CEO of Edinburgh rape crisis.

A crisis centre, set up to help vulnerable victims of a horrific crime that is known to cause long-lasting trauma. It's jaw-dropping to realize the extent to which such people really do hate women.

I'm so sorry the system has failed you. A misogynistic society in which women are fair game and easy pickings for men to rape and harm is the first monumental failing. Then the justice system fails us. Even those whose cases do make it into court have our characters assassinated there, and convictions are woefully low. Now even the resources we use to try to heal are no longer viable.

You are incredibly courageous to shine light on these abhorrent practices, knowing the extent to which they are pitted against us. It shouldn't even be necessary to ask for rape victims to be treated in accordance with even the most basic need, let alone a modicum of compassion. This whole shitshow is just horrible.

"My paranoid side makes me think they were there for voyeuristic reasons."

Absolutely not paranoid. In the good olden days, men would just ring rape crisis help lines and jerk off while graphically describing their råpe fantasy. Now, they get to show up & stare & listen while insisting the victims say "front hole" because "#triggered" by the female body parts they lust after but don't have or want themselves because #laydeepeentastic 🤬

"Sarah said there was no outward physical sign that the new member was transitioning to become a woman and the recruit did not volunteer any comment about any sexual abuse that she may have suffered."

Self ID/Gender Identity has not been passed in law here so it is unlawful, it is illegal and it is NOT a protected characteristic.

*Documented personal testimonies of volunteers and group member survivors.

Livid on your behalf and sending support, strength and solidarity, sister @IAmSarah 👏💪🙏👊✊

@MarieIVanArkleStinks

Oh, Sarah.

Your story is heartbreaking, and also has a certain sense of inevitability about it. I've been a victim of this horribly invasive crime twice. In recent years I've watched in incredulous disbelief as a particularly vociferous brand of activism has made a deliberate beeline for victims of rape and sexual assault. They homed in on us as a concerted, callously deliberate strategy, and they won't leave us alone.

We are an incredibly vulnerable group. Many of us are traumatized. The overwhelming majority of us have never received justice for what happened to us. But if I was naive enough to believe that a group of traumatized women were sacrosanct, that surely no one could stoop low enough to attack people who are in the unenviable position we are in, I was in for a rude awakening.

It started, from what I could see, with the attacks on Vancouver rape relief. I watched as other relief centres were targeted in the same way. I saw men online telling victims who were terrified at the prospect of gender neutral spaces - most of which seem to have replaced the women's facilities with the men's still left untouched - told that they were 'weaponizing their trauma'. I don't think that in my wildest dreams I could possibly dream up such a callous, insensitive, offensive phrase as that.

'Reframe your trauma' is then trotted out by none other than the CEO of Edinburgh rape crisis.

A crisis centre, set up to help vulnerable victims of a horrific crime that is known to cause long-lasting trauma. It's jaw-dropping to realize the extent to which such people really do hate women.

I'm so sorry the system has failed you. A misogynistic society in which women are fair game and easy pickings for men to rape and harm is the first monumental failing. Then the justice system fails us. Even those whose cases do make it into court have our characters assassinated there, and convictions are woefully low. Now even the resources we use to try to heal are no longer viable.

You are incredibly courageous to shine light on these abhorrent practices, knowing the extent to which they are pitted against us. It shouldn't even be necessary to ask for rape victims to be treated in accordance with even the most basic need, let alone a modicum of compassion. This whole shitshow is just horrible.

One of those posts that should be in a national newspaper. Women's voices. This is not working for us.

Hi Sarah. Thank you for sharing your story. I was in a similar group which I asked if it was all female before I joined and I was told it was.

There was a transwomen in the group who had only recently stated to transition so was visibly male. She made a comment in the first session which made me feel uncomfortable. She dominated the discussion every week but odly did not talk about abuse she had experienced. I am sure that she did need support but I don’t think the group helped her. Some of the things she wanted to talk about were so completely at odds with what the other women in the group who were predominantly mothers of babies and very small children were very different and I think that she thought she would feel more female by being in the group but didn’t. She left program before the end but by then most of the group had left.

Most of the group members did leave. Some members of the group had been told to complete the course by social services as it would prove that they were able to keep their children. I was going through the family court at the time and had been advised to do it so I did.

Trans-inclusive feminism is key to our values and central to our services as a Rape Crisis Centre. Nearly 1 in 5 trans people have experienced sexual assault or the threat of sexual assault (Galop) and we are committed to supporting our trans siblings in their survival journey.'

How many women have experienced the same?

Pretty sure that research found that 97% of women have been victims of sexual harassment. Rather more than the less than 20% of trans people who are victims.

Another big hug for Sarah. The more women speak about this awful situation the better. So brave to do it too.

@GreenWillowTree I'm so sorry, those people put you through such abusive, gaslighting bullshit. It is absolutely despicable.

I'm not surprised the person in question left. Women only spaces only appeal when they're full of women. I just hope that the women got the help they needed

@DdraigGoch

Trans-inclusive feminism is key to our values and central to our services as a Rape Crisis Centre. Nearly 1 in 5 trans people have experienced sexual assault or the threat of sexual assault (Galop) and we are committed to supporting our trans siblings in their survival journey.'

How many women have experienced the same?

Pretty sure that research found that 97% of women have been victims of sexual harassment. Rather more than the less than 20% of trans people who are victims.

A brilliant woman has written a blog about the very poor research done by my local rape crisis service.

Most tellingly they have compared the sexual violence experienced by trans women with the sexual violence experiences by 'cisgendered individuals' which includes men.

They haven't even mentioned the shockingly high rate of sexual violence against females.

rebelyarn.wordpress.com/2021/01/16/in-search-of-evidence-based-policymaking/

@GreenWillowTree I'm so sorry you had a similar experience

IAmSarah, just another one here who wants to say how incredibly brave you are.

What they have done is completely unacceptable and I hope that they get into oceans of trouble for accepting funding for women whilst excluding their very target group from their services.

I wish I could give you a big hug and sit you down in our (slightly messy) living room with a blanket, a fire and a cup of tea/glass of wine. You have been through hell

Thank you for speaking out Sarah. I hope you find the right place to get counselling x

The, 'we just want to pee' is such a red herring.

Gosh you are all so kind. Thank you. It's been an intense day for lots of reasons.

This is just day 1, there is going to be a proper campaign to get our female services back. Will keep MN updated.

I’d love to hear an update of how that campaign goes. I used to work in women’s services and can’t believe this is now going on.

These women's orgs are going to make themselves redundant.

@felulageller

These women's orgs are going to make themselves redundant.

Yes they are.

But that also disadvantages women.

We need challenges like this one to address this and not loose vital services that took generations of women to set up.

We need to fight for these to return to being women only services.

Which is why @IamSarah has done such an incredible thing.