Women’s Voice is a charity for all women in Hastings and St Leonards. Our feminism is intersectional, and we are proudly trans inclusive. For the past three years, we have organised Hear me Roar, a festival to celebrate International Women’s Day, attended by hundreds of people. The festival hosts a variety of local organisations active in our community that share our values, which include supporting our trans siblings. The authors complain about the trans inclusive stance of Women’s Voice and that their organisation was not allowed to have a stall at our festival in March. Women’s Rights Network wasn’t invited because our values don’t align. The human rights of trans people are non-negotiable.
The authors complain about their beliefs not being respected, but beliefs do come with consequences. Gender critical campaigners have had an enormous negative impact on the lives of trans people. But that’s not all. By manufacturing moral panic against trans women, they have taken the fight against male violence back decades, pandering to the myth that violence is only perpetrated by strangers. This has also given politicians a way out from their duty to eradicate violence against women.
Male violence against women is indeed at epidemic levels. But that’s not the fault of trans women as the authors disingenuously state. It is the fault of cis men, people’s partners, friends, and family members. Over 80% of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a partner, ex-partner or a friend. One woman is killed by a partner or ex-partner every four days. Less than 1% of rape reports result in a conviction. There is absolutely no evidence that trans women are a threat to cis women; rather, they face male violence too, probably more so than cis women.
We are sick and tired of having to spend energy fighting against prejudice when there is so much work to do to change our patriarchal society. We need more than ever to work together to counter Trump and fundamentalist groups who want to take away women’s rights to make decisions over our bodies and healthcare.
There is no liberation and safety for women without liberation and safety for trans people. Now more than ever is the time to stand together in solidarity for the sake of our rights.
Sign up to Women’s Voice newsletter www.womensvoice.org.uk to keep up to date with our work and join us on Sunday at the Hastings Pride march.
Show allyship by signing this open letter by cis women in solidarity with trans communities, Not in Our Name, that already has over 40.000 signatures. There’s also a local petition you can sign – Hastings is Proudly Trans Inclusive – Let’s Keep it That Way. Get active in your community, your workplace, your circle of friends: every voice counts.
Trans rights are women’s rights are human rights!
