We are allowed to have women-only spaces

Peter Tatchell orders women to let men into spaces reserved for us.

Excluding trans women from women’s spaces because of physical or sexual violence by a tiny unrepresentative minority is like banning all Muslims because of terrorist acts by a handful of extremists. SO WRONG!

May be an image of 4 people, people standing and text that says '¡NO! En nombrede lahumanidad sa NosNEGAMOS aceptar un NEGAMOS RESIST RESIST PROTECT TRANS YOUTH N S TRUM'

So then not allowing men into women’s spaces because of violence by a minority is also like “banning all Muslims because of terrorist acts by a handful of extremists”? So then women don’t have a right to women-only spaces at all, ever, no matter what? Do women have to give birth in public then? Do we all have to do everything in public and leave all our doors and windows open?

In other words Peter didn’t bother to think about what he was saying, he just saw an opportunity to tell women what to do, and he seized it.

Not everyone said yes sir, whatever you say sir. A lot of people pointed out that it’s not his place to tell us we have to include men in spaces reserved for us.

He did a followup post explaining that he’s right.

As a follow up to my post on Wednesday about trans rights, which generated a staggering 1,400+ comments: I am not telling women what to do. I am merely expressing my point of view, in the same way that I accept that straight people have a right to comment on LGBT+ issues. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right. Moreover, I’m simply echoing the many feminists & women’s organisations that have been trans-inclusive for many years – with the support of staff and women service users, and without any problems. They endorse trans rights and inclusion. Are all these feminists and women’s organisations also misogynists?

He is telling women what to do though, and condescending to us as well.

I reject the trope of trans women as predators. Although I share the concerns of those who are worried about women’s safety, I don’t agree that a blanket ban on trans women is right or the answer. Men who want to harm women don’t need to pose as trans women to do harm.

In addition, many acts of women-on-women violence are committed by women who are not trans, so demonising trans women and focusing on them as a huge threat is disproportionate and not evidence based.

If there are trans women who have a history of violent or sexual assaults on women, and have not demonstrably reformed, I agree they should not have access to women’s spaces. Indeed, many women’s organisations already vet women & trans women to exclude anyone perceived to be a threat or not a genuine trans woman.

I recognise that there are many deeply held differences on this issue but believe they can be reconciled in a way that supports both women’s and trans rights. All women, trans or not, are victims of misogyny. And trans women suffer particularly high rates of male hate crime, domestic violence and sexual assault. This common oppression by men must surely give all women, including trans women, an interest in working together to fight misogyny in all its forms. I have supported every women’s rights struggle, including trans women’s rights, for over 50 years and will continue to do so, even if we disagree on the trans issue. Solidarity with all women worldwide fighting for respect, dignity, rights and freedom x

But trans women aren’t women, they’re men who “feel like” women or some such woolly nonsense. They’re not women, and they have a striking tendency to hate us. We don’t want to invite them to our party, and we don’t have to. Women are concerned with stuff that affects women; trans women are a massive change of subject. We don’t want to talk about their subject, and we don’t have to. Men as a group have a strong tendency to hog the microphone; we don’t want to share the microphone with them, and we don’t have to.

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