Silencing Women event, Swansea University, 8 March

[pattihews]

I know Swansea's a long way from most places but please support this event if you can. Professors Jo Phoenix, Alice Sullivan and Judith Suissa are trekking out west to participate in this ground-breaking event for Wales. On International Women's Day they'll be talking at Swansea University's Taliesin Arts Centre about their struggles for academic freedom and the right to use sex-based research. Joan Smith, journalist and Sex Matters Advisory Board member will chair. This is really important for Wales, where gender ideology is backed by a Labour government that's been in power for 23 years and is so confident in its ability to win the next election that it's decided it doesn't need to consult with women and minorities affected by its plans.

As you can imagine, the pushback has started. There are petitions and protests about the safety of transpeople on the university campus. But still we persist.

Please book a ticket and come if you can. Or buy a solidarity ticket in the back few rows of the auditorium: if you talk to the box office the ticket can be offered to local women who can't afford to pay. Or circulate the publicity among all your social networks. Perhaps someone, somewhere will have a contact in Swansea who'd like to come and meet other like-minded people.
Thank you.

Ive got my ticket!

I'm going!

Can’t make it but will buy a solidarity ticket. Can you provide the link @pattihews ? Thanks

I'm just giving this a bump. I'm really interested in what's happening in Wales, more to the point, what's not happening. Labour have done a really good job of keeping this under the radar but now perhaps the Scottish GRR has opened a few eyes.

@WittynotPretty if you click on the image it will open up and you'll see various ways of booking, including a phone number for the box office and a QR code and a link (click on the www. link and it should open up.) Or use this link:

taliesinartscentre.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873643473

I'm glad that they've put this on. The university needs to hold strong, as they don't have a great record here.

I wish I lived closer

The mad thing is, it hasn't. Wales isn't as devolved as Scotland and so can't go adopting self ID in the way Scotland did, though Drakeford has suggested that he may try. But education and health and social care are devolved and they've implemented a genderist RSE curriculum from the age of three. Health is devolved too, so once they've brainwashed thousands of young Welsh children into thinking they're trans they can send them off to the Welsh Gender Service which is headed by gender ideology fanatic Dr Sophie Quinney. I know people who used to be friends with Sophie Quinney in the days before she went gender-mad. She's autistic (she talks about it openly) and she was looking for a cause — and she found it (and the adoration and prestige she craves) in gender.

Looks fab. All the best with it.

I've seen one of the petitions shared online. The wording of it defied logic. It's like a TRA bingo card.

Thanks OP, I was aware of differences but it was the capture that most concerned and you've pointed that out..

Crikey, I've just seen some of the messages that have been sent to the university and the arts centre, declaring it obscene that an event that doesn't include 'every category' of women should be help on International Women's Day. Not clear who they're from, students or staff or people who wouldn't be able to find Swansea on a map.

I've just written a quick email of support to the venue, which is under siege from frothing TRAs at the moment. If anyone else who's bought a ticket would like to give the university and its arts centre a pat on the back for hosting this event and encourage them to stand firm, then send it here:
www.taliesinartscentre.co.uk/en/

Me too, here are the emails:
[email protected]
[email protected]

Eluned Morgan needs to go! Perhaps then her eyes will be opened a bit.

Looking forward to it.

Just bought a ticket as pay it forward. Hope someone will attend for me.

I think you're really selling this event short OP. Swansea isn't a long way from everywhere, particularly when it's for an event that has the kind of panel you'd normally have to travel to London for. The Severn Bridge and Offa's Dyke is a bit of a psychological barrier, true, but in travel distance or time if someone living in the West Midlands or West of England would consider travelling to London for an event, there's no reason for them not to consider going to Swansea. If anyone needs to stay overnight, accommodation is probably cheaper too.

I'm coming from West Wales and have family I can stay with, but the travel time would be similar from Bristol. South West Wales is gorgeous too. The uni is just over the road from the beach. It's not just about breaking even, we need good numbers there to hear what the amazing women on the panel have to say. Great if people are buying solidarity tickets if they really can't come, but I hope they'll also think seriously about coming along for the sisterhood.

Bump bump

Is there a way to have a mumsnet meet up drink in the foyer before hand?

People are being encouraged to come early in order to enable security to have time to do bag searches etc, so come early and maybe hang out at the top of the spiral staircase?

The issue is that it's on a Wednesday night during the school term, so for a lot of ordinary people with jobs and children a 2-3-hour trip to attend a short event like this is a big ask. Travelling 200 miles to attend a day-long or event is something else.

I can't count the number of emails we've had from people who would have loved to be there but can't do it because of logistics.

Looking forward to it.

All MSs have been invited and we haven't had any response as far as I'm aware. Local MPs were invited too but MPs are expected to be at Westminster on Wednesdays. All MSs and MPs in Wales were invited to attend Filia and only one came — Tonia Antoniazzi who chaired a discussion on women in sport. I invited my own MS and said I'd buy her a ticket, but she's a true trans believer and declined.

We've contacted hundreds of academics at Welsh universities and now we have the beginning of a list of trans-allied academics at Welsh institutions because a number of those we invited have sent us aggressive replies calling us hateful and threatening legal action if we contact them again. Most of them are in the Social Sciences and Education departments. Those departments are advising the Welsh government and formulating policy. It's all useful info.

Just bought my ticket

Just back from this event tonight in Swansea and wanted to say hi to any fellow MNetters who were there. what a fabulous evening, very moving and supportive.