JKR opens a new support and advocacy service for women in Edinburgh

[ArabellaScott]

Amazing.

Suzanne Moore reports on the opening of 'Beira's Place':

'Beira’s Place is not a shelter or a drop-in. Rather, women will come, their needs will be assessed and then the appropriate therapy and help will be found for them. For free.

Sex-based crime in Scotland has been rising since 1974. Jo Rowling talks of answering unmet needs “As a survivor of sexual assault myself, I know how important it is that survivors have the option of women-centred and women-delivered care at such a vulnerable time.”

There are clearly so many unmet needs – waiting lists are huge for rape crisis centres all over the UK. Lack of funding is a key issue.

What Rowling has done here is astonishing. She has not only bought the building but is funding the entire service. This is not a charity. It does not depend on the whims of whoever is in power. While Rowling is covering the core costs, if people want to support it, they possibly could do so in future by donating towards extras such as service users’ travel or childcare expenses.'

....

'These women are fighting against male violence, and they really know what they are dealing with. Kerr and Domminney have between them more than three decades’ experience of running Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis. And Rowling has handpicked her dream team of board directors to support them: Rhona Hotchkiss, a former nurse, prison governor and advisor to the Scottish Government; Johann Lamont, Labour and Cooperative MSP, and a lifelong campaigner for the rights for women; Dr Margaret McCartney, a GP, academic and broadcaster; and Susan Smith, co-director of For Women Scotland, the largest grassroots women’s organisation in the country.'

suzannemoore.substack.com/p/an-exclusive-interview-with-jk-rowling?publication_id=22356

JKR gives the women of Edinburgh a wonderful early Christmas present. Thank you, JK. 🌟

Exactly. No-one's id should be lying.

Problem solved.

sorry but you can always tell because men have an adams apple in their throat and women don’t.

Mridul Wadwha successfully lied and deceived his her way into being CEO of Edinburgh rape crisis. Wadwha doesn't have a GRC.

That is the issue, not just that Nicola Sturgeon thinks she is on to a vote winner

I don't think she does. It's mostly to please the Green Party, isn't it? The majority of Scottish voters weren't clamouring for this law.

I'm sure Beiras place is prepared for people not eligible for their services to present themselves, either by accident or design. I would imagine they will be treated with kindness and dignity and signposted to an appropriate service.

This.

I think she also hopes that the UK govt pushes back.

She can then blame Westminster.

If she gets her messaging right, then it will surely increase the annoyance at Westminster and the support for independence.

Nothing matters more to her than independence and playing games with Westminster.

It is crucial that if UK do push back, they win over the Scottish public with their messaging - this bad law is not what the people of Scotland wants.

This is not true.

Mridul Wadhwa has been out and proud as trans since long before 2015, the year when MW received an Outstanding Campaigner Award at Scotland's first LGBTI Awards. Even MW's acceptance speech was all about being trans.

Rape Crisis Scotland knew from the beginning that they were employing a male person (for a total of three different jobs within the network).

It is true that as an immigrant whose country does not have an agreement with the UK Government about recognising each others GRCs, Mridul Wadhwa cannot get a GRC in the UK and remains legally male.

It is crucial that if UK do push back, they win over the Scottish public with their messaging - this bad law is not what the people of Scotland wants.

Yes, that's an important point, Abccde.

There has been some unhinged online teeth bared spitting in rage against women daring to create the only female only safe space in a field where all other options include and centre male users. I think this will open rather a lot of eyes.

I sincerely hope it's a massive own goal for Sturgeon.

Agree - this is really important.

I think assuming this report is correct www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/9918769/trans-women-seats-public-boards-scotland/ that everyone, especially trans activists crowing victory, shows that the ruling merely upholds the existing law.

ie anyone with a GRC is for legal purposes recognised as having "changed sex" so being on a board or an all female short list.

But the news report says that the Judge said that where provision of sex based services, such as health (and rape support) single sex provision is okay.

This is what we have now. The excemption under the EA that allows for single sex services.

The problem we have now is that too many women's groups (particularly in Scotland) dont want to utilise that. We know that complaints were made about how the post at Edinburgh RC was advertised as single sex, but then they breached it in legal terms. I think this was done to set a precedent.

So the real problem is that other women are deliberately underming the EA rights to single sex services, and are giving Nicola Sturgeon that she is on to a vote winner.

What we need is a petition, or open letter with as many signatories as possible demanding that women's groups apply the law correctly.

Unfortunately, but obviously, with the exception of "Sarah" survivors of rape seeking support aren't likely to want to go public. So it is up to us to challenge the women who are damaging other women through being captured.

And then repeal the GRA.

The EA exemption allows for women only spaces, services, roles and activities so males can be excluded from the board or shortlist if appropriate.

https://fairplayforwomen.com/equality-act-2010_womens-rights/

The Independent jumps the shark:

www.independent.co.uk/voices/jk-rowling-trans-sexual-abuse-victims-women-b2244829.html#Echobox=1670953772

JKR's latest venture is 'a monument to hate' says this article.

'like one day she mixed up a news article with one of her manuscripts and got the whole thing backwards, and now she’s sat there wondering why there are so many columns out there defending the rights of trans people when all they want to do is trap our children in their webs, and lay eggs in our mouths.'

And finishes off with this:

'it’s like opening a whites-only orphanage'

What the... ???? What?

They've lost their minds.

Jaysus! What's happened to the Independent???

It actually reads like an extreme TRA twitter thread!

I hope she sues.

The Independent revealing that it's not very..well... independent!

I'd like to say I am shocked.

Yes, Gasp0de. Me too.

WTF, a "monument to hate"?

Outrageous though that article is, I'd like to think that anybody who has somehow missed this entire issue/ is genuinely undecided is also going to think "WTF, a "monument to hate"? Why can't female humans have a single-sex refuge, just one FGS, in the whole country?"

God, yes.

...but for me at least, a point has been reached where her stance on trans people makes her pretty much irredeemable.

I think Rowling’s latest venture more or less solidifies her heel turn: Beira’s Place, a women-only service for victims of sexual abuse that will be located in Edinburgh. The service is described as being “set up by women, for women”. Its website reads: “There are a number of services in Lothian, and indeed across Scotland, that provide support to male survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. However, there are few, if any, that are strictly women only.”

Early reports had indicated that the service may still be open to trans people despite suggestions to the contrary, but that no longer seems to be the case.

Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News, a spokesperson for Beira’s Place said: “We believe that women deserve to have certainty that, in using our services, they will not encounter anyone who is male. Where appropriate, we will refer men or individuals identifying as trans women to other appropriate services”. "

so JKR is beyond the pail for legally, there's a provision in law to allow this, opening a centre for survivors of sexual abuse, and he completely missed the point that transmen will actually be allowed you know cos they are female. It's just the male of the species that can't come in, nothing to do with them being trans gender, everything to do with them being male.

Another person wilfully being blind to what is going on. They don't give a shiny fucking shit about women do they.

Same writer sang the praises of Daniel Radcliffe 🙄

Sad little individual who seems unable to comprehend the fact that women (the old fashioned female kind) are also human beings who deserve to be treated with decency and given privacy and space to recover from trauma.