Today is a horrendous day for women.

[Catsanfan]

I haven't the energy to explain, just skim Aja's twitter this morning. So much there, I am losing heart. Especially the police thing.

Bit more of a clue needed - can’t remember her full twitter handle so can’t find her

Ah google Aja the Empress

Thanks - I had it in my head she was Aja the warrior

Please can you explain what this is about? I'm not on Twitter.

This story?

The majority of police forces allow trans-identifying biologically male officers to strip-search women, research has found.
Of the 43 forces in England and Wales, at least 34 have either implemented the policy or intend to, a report from the Women's Rights Network revealed.
The feminist group's founder, Heather Binning, said the guidelines would lead to 'state-sanctioned sexual assault', and police leaders had failed the public by pandering to vocal lobbyists.
'Self-identification is not UK law and women should not be paying the price for policing beyond the law,' she said.
'Police chiefs have failed us again. This is not reasonable or lawful and we do not consent. It is state-sanctioned sexual assault, and it must not be tolerated.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12936281/Most-police-forces-allow-trans-officers-strip-search-women-campaigners-warn-lead-state-sanctioned-sexual-assault.html

Strip searches?

If a woman refused to be strip searched by a trans officer and requested a biologically female officer, what would the consequence be? Would she then be charged with a hate crime as well?

@RethinkingLife . That is a very gross story but I think it is when Aja expressed concern about a gay bloke being beaten up and was accused of contributing to widespread homophobia by putting reality in her bio.

I think the person who assaulted the man has been arrested and Dennis Kavanagh for one has offered to assist legally if the victim wants to sue his attacker (assuming the police do fuck all).

I'd happily contribute to a crowdfunding to help tbe victim. And people having a go at Aja need to fuck off.

Mainly yes.

Also Andrew Tate, surrogacy, a paedophile doctor. Also (can't remember where I saw it) someone called Alok Vaid-Menon saying little girls are kinky. What is up with the world?!

Glinner posted 'another day in hell'. Does feel like it today.

The male searching has been a thing for ages I believe, it's what we have been shouting about? I guess anything that draws more attention to this is good (not able to go through Twitter) but it's a bit depressing if we need to keep spelling this out as one of the many things that happen if you say male people are women.

Yes, this has been known about for ages on here but it's good there's a report and hopefully a lot more publicity. I think the general public are waking up the repercussions. I like the clear language - it IS state sanctioned sexual assault and on the back of so many male sex offenders being enabled by being police officers, it's an important time to raise this again.

I said on the other thread, police forces having this policy as well as being illegal in so many other ways essentially means that many religious women are prohibited from being police officers - because their religion (like basically everyone else) thinks sex is more important than gender and would prohibit them strip searching a male, whatever that male's inner feelings.

It's interesting how the police policy on this essentially places male feelings above women's feelings because I'm guessing the inner feeling of most women when faced with a Couzen's or Carrick type police bloke would be 'I ID as whatever means I'm not going to be strip searched by them' - male, 'fae' gender, non-binary whatever the fuck means they're not going to be assaulted. So there's basic sexism and denial of human rights to women baked in.

I think this is quite a good day for women. A practice that has been quietly going on for a long time in prisons etc is now being challenged very publicly.

Is this the first pushback in mainstream press?

Exposure and embarrassment tends to force action. It is a good day that the lid on this abhorrent forced male use of women is being exposed to the general public and by extension those who'd like to be able to have these policies but very quietly and without being questioned or having to justify them.

Having now read the report I think that it used to be the case that this could happen only in custody and now it can be done pre-custody so there has been a change in the wrong direction (for women and girls, presumably the right direction for your Dolatowskis, Whites, Millers and Brysons). Don't quote me though - read the report it's really good!

I.e. the madness and erosion of women's rights has spread. The police are just ignoring the other pcs in the EA out of hand every single time - it's a shocking breach of EA 2010 before you even get to other laws. No consideration of sex or religion at all.

I think this does needs putting in proportion seeing as 0.01% police officers (4) in th Met identify as trans and I expect most of those aren't trans women, and I suspect the Met is likely to have a larger number than other police forces. I doubt the famously tolerant and supportive of people who aren't straight white males police force will ever become a popular career destination for trans women so the actual likelihood of any woman being strip searched by a trans woman officer is remarkably low. There's probably a higher chance of a woman being abused by a dodgy female officer at the end of the day so far better to focus on ensuring all strip searches are conducted ethically rather than kicking up a stink about this.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/02/26/met-police-officers-transgender-gay-lgbt/

I admire your positivity, @AmaryllisNightAndDay, and I know it's the way to go but at the moment I can't quite feel it.

It's the bloody prioritising of men's feelings over women's ... women's anything at all, that gets to me time and time again.

And if we get a Labour government and they make 'misgendering' illegal, how could we even complain about sexual assault by a 'trans' officer without risking legal sanction?

Always good to know that (in your eyes at least) the rights of four police officers trump the rights of every woman in the UK. Thanks for making that so clear.

And we (women!) need your sense of outrage @Rightsraptor

I so wish this wasn't happening.

I agree, this is actually a good day for women's rights. Sunlight and all.
With regard religious women though, not wanting to see/touch naked men, can female doctors refuse to do this? For clarity, I don't think female security officers should have to do body searches of men (beyond just looking at them fully clothed). At airports I'm always directed to a woman for the 'feel the body' search. I do think differently about doctors though. I also have no truck with religion though so I'm sure that plays a part in my thinking.

Any law on misgendering is terrifying for women

This absolutely.

It does need addressing though so it does not become a serious danger to women but not a knee-jerk over-reaction using hyperbole.

So if it only effects a small number, we can ignore it? So why is language changing if trans identified people are only a tiny proportion of the population??

This is now we've got to where we are: it's only a few men who would feel more comfortable using women's changing rooms so we'll be kind and let them in...that then leads to allowing any man in!

There was a thread about it towards the end of lastvyear that linked to the actual policy.

From memory: Anyone can refuse to be searched by a particular officer for any reason, and if his happens standard practice is to switch officers to de-escalate the situation. If this happens to a trans officer then the rejected officer will be offered counselling and the situation will be assessed to determine whether the reason for the request was 'transphobia', in which case action can be taken against the searchee.

Quite true.

What is the political party leadership view on woemn with penises nowadays. I'm out of date. Last I heard BJ said men can't be women but SKS said that men can be women... but this is going back 2 years now.

Does the Labour Party still insist men can be women? As it looks like they'll win the next election where will this leave women? With the Labour Party having about 50% of the vote at the moment that must mean some women are actually voting for this madness?