A Scottish Hostelling Experience

Most people are probably aware that Hostelling Scotland (previously the Scottish Youth Hostel Association) is a charity that provides affordable accommodation in many scenic locations throughout Scotland. Much of that accommodation is in the form of shared dormitories, rooms filled with bunk beds where weary travellers can rest and socialise. For many years these dorms have been single-sex where guests are allocated a bed based on whether they are male or female.

What most people are probably not aware of however, is that this is no longer the case.

There’s no reason why they should be aware, since no policy change or information is given on the website, and guests still book in as either male or female. Despite this, Hostelling Scotland have confirmed by email that, “Regardless of transgendered status, we will book an accommodation based on how our guests choose to be recognised.”

Posted in Activism, No to Self-ID | 5 Comments

Boys will be boys

“Boys will be boys” is a neat illustration of how many men deny responsibility for the unpleasant behaviour they exhibit towards women, how they minimise it and how they pass any blame or fault onto their targets for not having a sense of humour, or not being able to take a joke.

I read the story of the bullying and harassment of DeeAnn Fitzpatrick by her male colleagues with a sinking heart and growing anger.  The culture in her workplace where her colleagues were able to enact their misogyny and racism in bullying her without being held to account is beyond awful, but as I read further down the story I realised that it’s just not that uncommon.

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Why ManFriday?

Below is the full text of the speech made by ManFriday’s Media Officer at a Women’s Place UK meeting on 17th May 2018.

My name is Hannah Clarke.

I support the rights of women and girls.

Men do not belong in female spaces.

A woman cannot have a penis.

I am not afraid to speak the truth.

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#ManFriday the 10th – Our very own art exhibition

Here’s a challenge for you. Can you pick out the people celebrated in public art exhibitions, supported by Labour, the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the Women’s Equality Party,  and endorsed as candidates for election?

For those who haven’t come across the term before, TERF stands for ‘trans exclusionary radical feminist’. It’s a derogatory name to call women who ask questions like, ‘how will this change in the law affect women and girls’ rights, safety, privacy and dignity?’ You’ll also come across the term TruScum, another disgusting slur aimed at transwomen who ask the same question.

To everyone horrified and disgusted by the following pictures: please, sign the petition:  https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118

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Posted in Activism, No to Self-ID, TRA Actions | 8 Comments

The Problem with Gender Neutral Toilets


As more and more companies and organisations designate female toilets into gender neutral toilets (whilst leaving male toilets intact), the following paper by Dr Clara Greed, an expert in inclusive urban planning, explains why this is a problem for women.


THE PROBLEMS FOR WOMEN OF DESEGREGATING TOILETS AND GENDER NEUTRAL TOILETS

Dear All,

I have set out a summary of the key points in this short paper:

 The Problems and Issues

Women have less than half the level of provision of public toilets as men for sexist historical reasons.

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Posted in No to Self-ID | 8 Comments

Self-ID and Driving Licences

I’ve frequently read on Twitter of claims that the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act will merely be an extension of the self-identification processes we already have for passports and driving licences.

This was news to me. It was a long time ago admittedly, but I seem to recall needing my birth certificate when I first applied for a driving licence. So I thought I’d investigate a bit further.

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Posted in Activism, No to Self-ID | 4 Comments

Mumsnet data breach

Many people will know by now that Mumsnet was hit by a data breach today in which a former intern published screenshots including Mumsnetters’ personal data. The intern, Emma Healey, described the screenshots as proof of the transphobia she felt was rampant among Mumsnetters and Mumsnet staff. As an intern at Mumsnet, Healey had access to users’ full data, including real names, email addresses, dates of birth, IP addresses, location and sometimes even home addresses. During her internship, she stole an unknown amount of this data and has now used it in Twitter posts calling Mumsnetters ‘transphobic scum’ and criticising the site’s policy of allowing open discussion of gender-critical views.

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Posted in TRA Actions | 3 Comments

What’s Going On After 6 Weeks of #ManFriday?

On #ManFriday the 6th, we look back at the week that was.

We have now brought the issue of self-identification to the rails! The Caledonian Sleeper’s transgender policy allows male passengers who identify as women to use female-only compartments, which means that a woman who chooses to share her cabin may end up sharing it with a male passenger, albeit one who identifies as a woman.  Rupert Soames, CEO, claims that Caledonian’s travellers “were not deceitful”.  Maybe.  But which woman wants to take that chance?

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#ManFriday the 5th

#ManFriday the 5th falls on Good Friday, and as we want to stay on this rather nice moral high ground, we will be celebrating our 5th week of #randomactsofmanliness by sharing peace and love with all mankind.

We will be taking to social media (Twitter, Facebook, Mumsnet, Instagram, whatever your platform of choice) to share our admiration for women and girls who have stood for the #ManFriday tagline: Protecting women and girls’ rights, safety, privacy and dignity.

Using the hashtag #ManFriday, share a story, picture or quote about a woman or girl you know, or one you don’t.

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5 Rather Educational Weeks

Tomorrow marks #ManFriday the 5th, and what a hectic 5 weeks it’s been. We’ve been variously:

  • Steeling our brovaries for #randomactsofmanliness
  • Lobbying our MPs and MSPs
  • Writing to public organisations
  • Swimming
  • Testing out the perve-proofedness of the changing rooms in Marks & Spencer, Primark and Topman (clue: they’re really not ready for their self-ID policies)
  • Appearing in local, national and even international newspapers, on the radio and on TV
  • Engaging in debate online and in person
  • Handing out leaflets
  • Encouraging over 8000 people to sign our petition
  • Wearing our #ManFriday badges with pride

Has it been a success? Yes, it has.

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