Happy International Women's Day! What a year so far. We continue to stand together with the Darlington nurses, Jennifer Melle and Sandie Peggie and for women's dignity across the NHS and health sector
Anyone who thought UNISON was making a strong statement over access to single sex spaces in response to the Darlington nurses tribunal should think again. Because it turns out this is very much a case of do as we say, not as we do.🧵
When I heard @Unisonsouthwark were hosting a demonstration in support of men using the women’s changing room in a council gym, I was taken aback.
Because @unisontheunion has a 75% female membership across healthcare, education and social care. Sectors where privacy, dignity and safeguarding really do matter.
I went along today, hoping to listen - and perhaps speak to a Unison rep, councillor or @lb_southwark staff.
But I couldn’t get close enough to hear what was being said.
I was physically blocked by protesters,
Repeatedly abused and sworn at.
There were also threats - directed at me and, I believe, two other women who were filming at the time.
I do also have footage from the women’s protest - which took place afterwards. Including the amazing @MirandaNewsom@mayaforstater@HeatherB_WRN@SportSEENuk@DrPamSpurr and @MrMennoTweets which I plan to share separately.
But I wanted to show you this first.
Because 60 seconds of footage says it all.
In paras.803-804, there is an actual quote from FWS, but it's highly selective. This screenshot shows what is left out, and (underlined) the interpretation put on the quote. Shown correctly, it does not support that interpretation. How can the judge correct that now?
Judge Sandy Kemp and the Judicial Office need to explain exactly how this bogus quote made its way into the ruling. Misrepresentations of the Forstater ruling are commonplace in the trans activist community, but for this to turn up in an actual court ruling is truly shocking.
NEW! Our latest report has uncovered a shocking level of rapes, sexual assaults and voyeurism committed in leisure centres.
In just one year there were 16 rapes, 80 sexual assaults and 65 acts of voyeurism across 257 leisure centres in England and Wales. The majority of ‘non-contact’ sexual crimes such voyeurism and taking illicit photographs are in swimming pool mixed-sex changing rooms. There are 880 leisure centres in England and Wales so the true scale of these crimes is likely to be very much higher.
‘It is not good enough for local authorities to ignore the biggest risk to any woman or girl when she goes swimming – the predatory male in the cubicle next door,’ says Heather Binning, executive director of Women’s Rights Network.
‘The scale of sexual crimes in leisure centres is simply shocking. Mixed-sex changing rooms are a magnet for sexual predators and yet local councils continue to build and refurbish leisure centres with only mixed-sex changing for their swimming pool users. Our previous leisure centre report discovered that one-third of local authority swimming pool only have mixed-sex changing in their swimming pools. They have designed-in harm.
‘Local councils, @Sport_England, leisure centre operators and architects must take this issue seriously. We are calling for Sport England to withdraw its promotion of mixed-sex changing as the default option for leisure centre design. New facilities must be built with single-sex changing rooms and current facilities must be risk-assessed as a matter of urgency and steps put in place to protect females from harm.’
Link to ‘How Leisure Centres Enable Sexual Predators’ report in the next post.
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Surely the Union that represents female workers in supermarkets has A LOT to say about our legal rights to privacy, safety and dignity in single sex spaces?
You'd surely expect vigorous demands that employers ensure that women's rights are respected? After all, many of their members are women.
The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied workers (@UsdawUnion) is one of Britain's largest trade unions with over 360,000 members nationwide.
We went on a magical mystery tour trying to find a single statement made by them that defends women's rights in light of the Supreme Court judgment. Our detective work turned up: NOTHING.
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If you have ever wondered who would win if trans were to go mano a mano with race, @geshNHS & the RCN have given their answer.
Trans.
"I was racially abused in my workplace, and instead of protecting me, the Trust punished me".
Persecuted by the former, abandoned by the latter.
Here is the BBC LGBT culture and progression report itself.
Imagine all the highly paid professionals who sign this off, said "yes OK", not "no
Absolutely not."
The corruption of mission was built in.
https://t.co/nWoYgWH6M1
What do the BBC, Girlguiding, the police and sporting governing bodies have in common?
When women raised concerns and spoke out they were not listened to. Instead, they were silenced, excluded and called bigots.
The Women’s Rights Network and other women’s groups are here to give women a voice and make it easier for organisations to access facts and data that will help them operate fairly, safely and legally.
Change needs to be seen, not just lip service.
https://t.co/BHmBemCkyv
Good news- our appeal application has been successful! The judicial review was to question the CQC's decision to grant a licence to Gender Plus Hormone Clinic. They give irreversible hormone treatments to vulnerable teenagers. It's on 1st December at the High Court, London UK. Please join us there if you can. Also please donate to the Crowdjustice fund if you are able to. All support is much appreciated. https://t.co/QY3Po0C5Sy
This great piece in the @times by @RosamundUrwin and @wturvill which we posted last night (and which everyone is posting because it’s so terrific) has this comment attached.
It applies across institutions - but journos, ask your editors. Why wait? What’s the difference?
Why is Labour backtracking on single sex services ?
Bridget Phillipson appears to be acting against the Supreme Court’s ruling on the protection of women’s rights
@Telegraph
https://t.co/wqarg72mWr