new website for new zealand lesbians [press release]

Lesbians are done with being 'kind'.

In the lead-up to International Gender Critical Day of Coming Out on December 19, New Zealand lesbian activist group LAVA (Lesbian Action for Visibility Aotearoa) launches its new website – lava.nz

LAVA spokeswoman Hilary Oxley:

“We’re very excited to offer a platform that recognises and celebrates the importance and roles of lesbians - women who love women (adult human females).Lesbians no longer accept invisibility. We lead rich, rebellious and satisfying lives and our lesbian communities nourish and support us.

Lesbians – by our very being – enrich the humanity of the whole of society. That’s what the LAVA website aims to help maintain and develop further. Especially in light of a growing number of young lesbians who are being marginalised for their gender non-conformity and with nowhere else to go. New Zealand prides itself on caring about the marginalised, but right now, New Zealand is failing the most vulnerable women and girls, especially young lesbians.

We’re done with being quiet and kind. Our website will offer an exchange and organising platform for loud political activity, and aims to be a hub in the fight against homophobia and for woman-only spaces and lesbian visibility.”

LAVA is a large group of lesbians of all ages, living in New Zealand and overseas who are committed to working towards lesbian visibility and sex-based women’s rights.

#LesbiansAreWomen

hamstead women's pond

I don't feel safe unless I or someone else has posted stickers advertising that this is a single sex service under The Equality Act 2010, and defining "woman" as "adult human female" at the entrance of the women's pond, although these are generally fairly quickly removed. Even then, I don't feel completely safe, but safer.

Recently, while I was in the changing room shower after my swim, I saw through the large window, someone built like - although perhaps not too obviously - a man, get out of the pond. He behaved differently from women who go there - he lifted his arms euphorically, revealing swathes of pubic hair on either side of his costume crotch. He came into the shower, briefly showered under the cold shower without undressing. He noticed me looking uncomfortable in the next shower - my costume down to my waist - waiting for him to go so that I could take off my costume and proceed with my shower.

He could have used the cold shower outdoors - it seems coming into the indoor showers where women are naked was part of the experience he wished to complete. He could have used the mixed pond.

I felt that my safe space and privacy were violated.

#unitedkingdom #hamsteadpond #womenspond #swimming #nudity #privacy

move to have australia's national tertiary union condem gender-critical theory

Not sure that this fits as it doesn't relate to women-only spaces, but does demonstrate an impact on women.

As a member of the NTEU, I am concerned about the current push by trans members and their supporters against people who are gender critical.

An excerpt from an email doing the rounds is as follows:

"'Gender critical’ is a euphemism used to cloak transphobia by those who don’t want trans people to have equal rights. ‘Gender critical’ ideology is fundamentally transphobia; there are no ‘gender critical’ beliefs/ideas that are not transphobic in nature. It is not a legitimate or recognised field of research, though it seeks to masquerade as one. It is important to specifically call out ‘gender critical’ beliefs as this is the term under which transphobia in tertiary spaces organises."

This (and a multitude of comments relating to this matter on social media) totally misrepresent gender critical beliefs and demonise those who hold them, people who are predominantly women. It is setting up conflict when there is no need - trans people can be supported without throwing gender critical people under the bus.

As it is, I don't feel safe to talk about this matter within my uni's NTEU branch. It's pretty clear that dominant members are in favour of making an anti-GC statement to signal solidarity with trans people. I don't know if this will be put to the vote, but even if it is, how do you vote against such statements without immediately being labelled transphobic and a bigot? Such labels will stick and have a major impact within the work place and academic community more broadly.

#australia #NTEU #union #tertiaryunion #nationaltertiaryunion #gendercritical #freespeech