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1. "The departing chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has said the polarising debate around transgender rights will be damaging to the country if it continues."
2. No. This is a situation of demands being reframed as rights. We are not in the situation where 2 sets of legitimate rights compete and must be balanced against one another. We have demands on one side vs the rights of women and children on the other.
3. "but I’m concerned, not just about the polarisation, but also the toxic nature of debate, which is about shutting down freedom of expression and stifling discussion."
4. Be accurate and honest:
The toxicity overwhelmingly comes from one side & is overwhelmingly aimed at women. From anonymous threats of rape, torture & murder, through doxxing, through cancel culture and getting women fired, through institutional capture of the police & schools.
The toxicity overwhelmingly comes from one side & is overwhelmingly aimed at women. From anonymous threats of rape, torture & murder, through doxxing, through cancel culture and getting women fired, through institutional capture of the police & schools.
5. "We have to acknowledge there are lots of difficult issues in relation to women-only spaces"
No. It is really quite simple and the right to exclude ALL MALES from women's single-sex spaces & services is enshrined in law.
No. It is really quite simple and the right to exclude ALL MALES from women's single-sex spaces & services is enshrined in law.
6. It is only 'difficult' if you believe:
* men are able to become women/female
* there are more than 2 sexes
* and these other sexes need to be accommodated by women
* it is correct that at least some males have access to women's single-sex spaces because (fill in reason here)
* men are able to become women/female
* there are more than 2 sexes
* and these other sexes need to be accommodated by women
* it is correct that at least some males have access to women's single-sex spaces because (fill in reason here)
7. Or, in the face of the copious amounts of historical and contemporary evidence to the contrary, you don't believe that there is any need at all for women to have single-sex spaces so having males in them just doesn't matter.
8. "There are lots of women who have been physically abused who are fearful, and we’ve got both groups who are anxious about being physically abused and are the subject of hate crimes, and this is currently the very thing that unites them"
9. No. Women are fearful of males in their single-sex spaces for good reason. We know that is and quantitative data nationally collected is evidence of this.
If this group of males did not want to use men's spaces through fear of violence, they could advocate for 3rd spaces.
If this group of males did not want to use men's spaces through fear of violence, they could advocate for 3rd spaces.
10. But they don't.
It's women's spaces and women's spaces only. Because it is about validation. A male cannot be validated as a woman if he used a 3rd space. It is only by being welcomed as 'one of the girls' that this occurs.
It's women's spaces and women's spaces only. Because it is about validation. A male cannot be validated as a woman if he used a 3rd space. It is only by being welcomed as 'one of the girls' that this occurs.
11. And what about the other groups of males who are at risk of male violence? Young males, gay males, old males, BAME males, disabled males? They also fear violence and experience hatred. Do they also have much in common with women? Should they also go in with the women?
12. "lots of consensus that trans people shouldn’t be discriminated against"
No one has ever said that anyone should lose any of the rights and protections enshrined in law. BUT: demands are not equivalent to rights.
#KeepPrisonsSingleSex
@EHRC @EHRCChair
No one has ever said that anyone should lose any of the rights and protections enshrined in law. BUT: demands are not equivalent to rights.
#KeepPrisonsSingleSex
@EHRC @EHRCChair
@threadreaderapp please unroll
