Author Archives: Goody Zoe

International Women’s Day 2021 – Action

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It’s International Women’s Day on March 8th. But what is a woman/WomXn/womben?

Lots of people seem confused, even the Office For National Statistics (ONS), MPs and MSPs, schools, policy makers and organisations who claim to advocate for women, and for lesbian and gay rights.

But, we don’t believe any of these people have REALLY forgotten what a woman is – do you?

Instead, they are trying to redefine the word woman to include men who identify as women, and to exclude women who step outside of sexist stereotypes.

But, reality matters!

There is power in a name and in stating material reality. Speaking the truth is crucially important. If the right of women to name themselves is eclipsed because those born male can change who they are with the stroke of a pen, who benefits? (Clue – it’s not women and girls).

Please join us in our action for International Women’s Day 

One of the themes on social media for this year’s IWD is #choosetochallenge – so we’re going to take them at their word and choose to challenge people and orgs who pretend they don’t know what a woman is. 

How can women organise, share our experiences, be represented or enjoy rights in law if there is no word for us as a group? Redefining “woman”, harms women and girls.

Official IWD #ChooseToChallenge theme

Action: For IWD, challenge those who pretend not to know what a woman is

How can women organise, share our experiences, be represented or enjoy rights in law if there is no word for us as a group? Redefining “woman”, harms women and girls.

  1. Choose a person or organisation you want to challenge
  2. Challenge them with a question 
  3. Use the hashtags #IWD2021 #ChooseToChallenge, #SexMatters and if space #DefineWoman

We have a few ideas about who to challenge, we’re sure you do too. 

Here are some examples to get you started:

Ministry of Justice / Northern Ireland Prison Service:

Why are women being locked up with male rapists? I challenge @MoJGovUK and @NIPrisons to respect the safety of women in prison #ChooseToChallenge #SexMatters #DefineWoman #IWD2021

Office for National Statistics (ONS) 

Why doesn’t the ONS record the number of women killed by men? I challenge @ONS to #countdeadwomen @CountDeadWomen #ChooseToChallenge #SexMatters #IWD2021

British Humanist Association & ALice Roberts (BHA President) 

I challenge @humanists_uk and @theAliceRobertsto identify the difference between the religious belief in a soul & the belief in the existence of an innate gender identity #ChooseToChallenge #SexMatters #DefineWoman #IWD2021

British Cycling (or insert any other sports governing body you want)

I challenge @BritishCycling to act on scientific evidence that transwomen competing against women is unfair & make women’s sports categories strictly biological females only #ChooseToChallenge #SexMatters #IWD2021

The Association of Safeguarding Partners (previously Chairs of Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards 

I challenge @TASPAssoc to declare they know that humans can’t change sex, and that anyone promoting such an idea to children is abusing them. #ChooseToChallenge #SexMatters #IWD2021

Organisations who centre transwomen for IWD

Seriously, can’t we even have one day for ourselves? If you’d like to tweet at companies and orgs who are ignoring women and centring transwomen for IWD, here’s a handy list. 

Questions for your local MP (remember to tag them!)

Why are MPs erasing the word Woman? #MoMABill I challenge MPs to use the word woman when passing bills about women. #ChooseToChallenge #SexMatters #DefineWoman #IWD2021 @PennyMordaunt <tag your local MP>

Questions for your Local Council (remember to tag them!)

Why are specialist women’s refuges being closed if they don’t cater for men? I challenge my council to commit to providing female only services for women escaping domestic violence. #ChooseToChallenge #SexMatters #WomenRiseUp #IWD2021
<Tag your local council>

More suggestions

See the ReSisters Twitter feed for more ideas @ReSistersU

Your Questions

Use #ChooseToChallenge and #SexMatters alongside your own questions

Easy option 

If you’re not sure what to put, send your image with your hand raised to us at admin@resistersunited.org and your area of interest and we’ll tweet for you from the ReSisters account.

 

Allison Bailey vs Stonewall

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Allison Bailey LGB Alliance#IStandWithAllison @ReSistersUnited

Since speaking at a Womans Place UK meeting and setting up the LGB Alliance, barrister Allison Bailey has come under increasing scrutiny.

Depressingly, and unsurprisingly her passion for the rights of women and lesbians has been declared ‘transphobic’. To raise questions about men in womens prisons, sex self identified crime stats, and ‘female penises’ is ‘wrong think’. And no- this is not the response of some fringe extremists- this is what extremism looks like when it is embedded in mainstream culture; when it is propagated by NGOs and powered by state funding.

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Open letter in support of Professor Selina Todd

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Selina Todd

This is our open letter to the organisers of the Women’s Liberation at 50 Conference. We stand in solidarity with Professor Selina Todd and against the no platforming of feminists and academics.

It was emailed on Wednesday 4th March with over 500 signatures, collected in just over two days. We now have over 600 signatures and will continue to add names to this page as more people sign. You can add your name – or your group or organisation’s name – using this link: https://forms.gle/FJC37LSsfPpxYvey8

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Queering Kids, Queering Queer and the Eternal Cis Apology

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An Evening with Michael Rosen

By Brighton ReSisters

books

Queering Children’s Literature @ Goldsmiths

A symposium of speakers looking at queering children’s and young adult literature.

 

Queering Children's Literature at Goldsmith's University“The Centre for Language, Culture and Learning, in conjunction with the Centre for Identity and Social Justice, are delighted to announce a Symposium on “Queering Children’s Literature”.Wednesday 12th February, 2020, 6.00 – 9.00pm, Ian Gulland Lecture Theatre, Goldsmiths College.”

 

I have been told in academic circles that you always start by defining your terms. As a woman with a grounded understanding of queer theory I entered into this “symposium” with a solid working definition of “queer”. I left the “symposium” with none. Apparently that is the definition of “queer” being “queered”. Very “POMO“. Anyways, let us move swiftly on and take a collective deep breath (queer or otherwise) before we drown in the never ending circular definitions that is higher Education at Goldsmiths University. It is queerly remarkable that in the hands of academia, a word laden with so much meaning has now been stripped to have none. How very queer indeed.  Continue reading →

Magdalen Berns

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Magdalen Berns

 

In memory of our sister, Magdalen Berns.

This page is ReSisters United’s online memorial to Magdalen Berns, 1983-2019, who sadly died from brain cancer on 13 September 2019.

Magdalen was a forerunner of the current wave of British pro lesbian, pro woman campaigning. She had a profound impact not only in raising awareness on lesbian erasure and the attack on lesbian rights and self definition, but on helping to catalyse the wider gender critical movement in the UK and beyond. Her Youtube channel ‘peak trans-ed’ thousands and Magdalen touched and influenced many ReSister member’s lives.

Magdalen’s work caused an awakening to consciousness of lesbian feminist resistance on many women’s personal journeys. In the past week, we have received several messages asking to join our group, from women moved by Magdalen’s passing and her parting messages to ‘be brave, be true, speak out and stand up for yourselves.’

We are grateful and honoured that we were able to make contact with Magdalen in her final months to let her know how she had touched our lives and inspired us to become involved in anti woman and lesbian erasure activism ourselves. We are deeply sad and sorry for the loss of Magdalen’s presence in the UK feminist community and mourn the loss of potential opportunities to spend time and collaborate with this fiercely intelligent, courageous and compassionate shero.

Magdalen was a co-founder of ‘For Women Scotland’ our ‘sister’ Scottish anti self ID campaign group and predecessor. We consider Magdalen an honorary ReSister, whose legacy we are determined to continue.

These following messages are dedicated to Magdalen, in love and sisterhood. Rest in power.

 

 

We remember you Magdalen, and always will. We never met but you changed my life, you helped me find my way in the world as a woman and as a lesbian feminist. You gave me all the information I needed to stand tall and strong in myself and for what I believe in. My life has blossomed because of what you gave to us. How can I ever thank you enough?

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Greater Manchester ReSisters’ Protest at the People’s History Museum

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by Emily G.
Women's rights protester and masked counter protester

On Saturday 27th July, a dozen or so women from Greater Manchester ReSisters and ticket holders for the evening’s Make More Noise talk, rocked up at the People’s History Museum, placards and megaphone in tow, ready to take the museum up in a literal manner on their invitation to ‘come share protests or campaigns important to you.’ The strange twist to our ‘street’ rendering of their ‘Protest Lab’ exposition, was that it was the museum itself we were there to protest.

Why We Protested

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I am a Lesbian and I Protested Pride. Here’s why…

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By SS of ReSisters United UK and Ireland

Lesbians don't have penises

Two years ago, only my closest friends knew I was a lesbian. Last week I was at Lancaster Pride with a megaphone and some friends, loudly protesting lesbophobia in the LGBT community with several dozen teenagers staging a counter protest at us. How did I get here?
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