Angry, Sad, Angry - What Action to take for Women's Rights?

[IloveHolby]

I'm not on Twitter.

I first became aware of the erosion of women's rights from reports in the news of JK Rowling being called a transphobe back in 2020, I read her essay, and saw a few other new reports then the government announced no changes to the GRA with regards Self ID. At some point I remember watching a documentary or reading something about the concerns being raised by some staff at GIDS. Last year I started working with a gender exploring teen and was relieved she did not want a referral to the GIDS service.

I've not been working since December, and so have had more time to read and explore, I started with Miranda Yardley, then Maria MacLachlan, watching YouTubers (Maria plus Benjamin Boyce, Kelly-Jay Keen, and others) and listening to podcasts (the Stonewall one and Gender, A Wider Lens).

I've been following the Allison Bailey trial and planted some seeds for her and Keira Bell, and also Sarah, but as I'm not working I can't give as much as I'd like. I've signed up for Women's Rights Network, but again I can't subscribe at the moment as I'm not working and am not looking for work until the Autumn. I just finished a professional qualification and had picked up enough of the silencing and verbal abuse vibe around any attempt at debate of the rhetoric TWAW to be anxious about being vocal on-line (I only use FB) in case of professional implications. When petitions come around I sign them, and when I get emails to write to my MP I have done so (never had a response though)

My kids say I've become obsessed, I am spending waaay too much time reading and watching anything on the issue of women's rights and transgender ideology. I'm not anti-trans at all, but can see how there is a conflict with the agenda for self ID and safeguarding for women and children. On top of this women have lost the constitutional right to abortion in America, and globally women and girls are still treated as second class or just as possessions in so many countries.

I just get sad and angry, I need to be doing something constructive. Can anyone give any pointers regarding women's groups to join and action to take? Thanks :)

Subscribe to www.womensrights.network/ and you will get a newsletter. You can get involved if you wish.
You will miss out on the conversation by not being on Twitter though.
It is not an obsession to want to defend our hard won rights. Sadly, it is a necessity today and we do it for our kids as much as ourselves, even though they don't appreciate it.

You are already doing quite a lot in terms of writing to MPs, signing petitions and donating what you can afford. It's more than the average member of the public is prepared to do.

Letters to MPs do make a difference even if they ignore us. They can't pretend the emails from constituents piling up in their inboxes isn't indicative of women and men from all walks of life expressing their concerns. And come election time, there should be a reckoning at the ballot box.

It can be quite an emotional rollercoaster when you first become aware of all the issues. There are so many ways women and girls are being stripped of their humanity, dignity and their rights and expected to roll over and make way for men who demand others view them as women.

The angry, sad, angry phase is quite normal! I would cry often out of sheer rage and frustration when I first started looking into all of this. It felt like I was going mad - sex offenders being sent to women's prisons! Women being called all kinds of dehumanising terms.

If you are able to, try to find like-minded women via groups like Standing For Women or Women's Rights Network. It helps a lot to know you are not alone (and it provides our family members with some respite from our rants 😆).
A local group can be a valuable source of support.

Do what you can, but don't feel you have to push yourself especially if you can't afford to donate to various funds etc.

Thank you both - I'm wondering if there are any other groups or organisations I'm not aware of yet as I'm not sure if there's a WRN group in my area - they can't verify me if I'm not on twitter so can't let me know, but I have signed up to get their newsletter. I feel like maybe I should join twitter because of this issue, but none of my friends are on it and I don't want to get sucked into the twitterverse!

Take time away from social media when you need to. It only becomes obsessive because it is so important and yet so infuriating and soul-destroying that it could ever have been allowed to get so far 'under the radar'.
If politicians and civil servants had spoken up for free speech and challenged the gender woo upfront, it would not have got this far.

sex-matters.org/about/
grahamlinehan.substack.com/

Emails and complaints that don’t get a response may feel futile but the volume of complaints is important so that none of these companies, MPs etc can truthfully say they haven't had a complaint. Eventually they will realise this is not going away.

Another activity is to try and make a complaint to the BBC everytime they show a bias on the grounds of bias as they are explicitly not supposed to show a bias. Today the headline on Sarahs request for female only rape crisis sessions has a biased headline www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61958346

this is where you go to make a complaint www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint

Agree with keeping chipping away, you can do this quietly and consistently with emails, objections, conversations with others.

You need passionate people who want to seize this subject and write letters, talk to their electives or wannabe electives. Most people moan and do zilch. Embrace what you are feeling and take time off when you need to.

When I 'got it', I cried on and off for a few weeks! Particularly after seeing Lia Thomas story.

I actually feel sick over it all, I don't feel I'm doing enough right now. I'm very very thankful for all the amazing women and men out there fighting for women's rights and safeguarding children. The TRA lobby has done so well keeping this all from the public - most people i know have no idea what's been going on.

If they do it's been through the sports issues, and they'll say it's not right, but wouldn't take any action or make any connection between women's rights and trans ideology. That man shouting in the background of Standing for Women in Bristol was saying 'We aren't taking your rights away, we aren't taking women's rights' but that's exactly what they're doing. Even though it isn't even law Stonewalls institutional capture means it's already happening.

I do recommend complaining, because I have been told that trans activists do that in concerted group efforts and so their voice is more likely to be heard. No one complaint makes a difference, but if the BBC, say, gets a hundred in a few hours they might register that there are people unhappy with their bias.

I have made a few short 'form complaints' which I can quickly adjust to fit a particular purpose, as well as a longer explanation of the reasons why it's not okay to ask everyone to pray in a certain secular religion. So the complaints don't take much time at all.

I also send compliments, the same way, when someone covers a topic properly.

Yes, important to also compliment those politicians, head of organisations, journalists etc who show signs of standing up for women. They need positive reinforcement to know their actions are appreciated and to help them be bolder in future.

That's great advice about complaining and complimenting @nepeta , @NotAGirl & @NonnyMouse1337 - it sounds stupid but I hadn't thought of that at all! Thank you :)

Can I just ask about complimenting politicians? I'm happy with what Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorres have been saying on this issue, but am not a Conservative supporter. Sadly another politically homeless person as I've always been Green or Labour. I live in a safe seat though so it always feels a wasted vote. They may be speaking out in support of women, but I am suspicious of their motives....

Just be honest in your email or letter / postcard. You can say that although you are not a Conservative voter, you appreciate what they are doing on this particular issue and you hope they will continue to speak out about it and keep listening to the women who have been raising concerns for a long time.

Go and see your MP and councillor. Book a slot at a surgery and actually sit there in front of them and talk about what you see going on. Print up articles by Janice Turner or Transgender Trend or a copy of this:
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10964083/Sajid-Javid-promises-REVERSE-gender-neutral-language-NHS-advice-MailOnline-story.html

This is a huge issue that's wormed its way into every corner or our lives, so decide which particular small part bothers you personally the most and then arm yourself with the facts and go an present your case. Make it clear how angry you are about it.

The other thing you can do if you're seeing your councillor is go to your council's web page and run searches for 'gender', 'transgender', 'non-binary', 'single-sex', 'gender identity' and so on. It can be a few hours' work, reading through all their publications and policies but if you find they're misquoting the Equality Act 2000, or they've changed the protected characteristic of Gender Reassignment to 'Gender identity', you can tackle them on this and ask them who is doing it and why.

I think one face-to-face meeting is worth a dozen letters. I managed to make my MP listen and he now knows there's a problem and agrees with me, even if he's too cowardly to do anything about it.

come to FiLiA's annual conference - its in Cardiff this year. 3 days in October

www.filia.org.uk/

Its an amazing event & you will feel more inspired & connected afterwards.

Thank you for the link @TheClitterati - I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to Cardiff but that’s given me another resource to look at 😊

I have just watched the debate on RSE in schools which is now uploaded on YouTube (sorry I’m on my phone so can’t upload the link but it starts with CFW Miriam Cates). It is worth a watch and if you look at the playlist attached there are several other clips from other MPs who are concerned about GI in schools. I think if you want to find some supportive MPs this is a start.

There's an interesting discussion of Roe v Wade here and towards the end Mary Lou discusses what actions women can take. Choose a path that works for you is her advice ie campaigning is great for those who love it but not for others, some women may seek to find other ways to offer support.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/feminist-current/id603245791?i=1000567941186

I will say some of her views are a bit unconventional from a British point of view - we have easy access to safe, FREE, contraception here (and abortion obv). Women in the states don't. So they seek other methods which as someone who works in the NHS cause a bit of a raised eyebrow but that's the point. Thankfully we don't have to resort to DIY measures. So it's an interesting listen.