online menopause support group

I was part of a closed menopause support group on Facebook. I joined it several years ago, looking for support, advice and validation for many of the frankly shocking symptoms of menopause, which women are seldom warned of in advance. It was a safe closed online space for women across the world to talk openly and honestly about their experiences and symptoms, or to ask questions and share advice.

Around a year or so ago, a member of the group announced that they were a transgender woman and had asked to join the group as they believed many of the symptoms suffered by biological women were also suffered by transgender women. They kindly asked if anyone objected. Many women spoke up in support, but not one woman objected. I know I wanted to but honestly felt I couldn't as I absolutely knew I would be hounded as a transphobe. It also felt like entrapment. I left the group shortly thereafter. I am sure many women did.

Whilst I have every sympathy with whatever symptoms transgender women experience as a result of their hormone treatment, to even suggest its the same as the symptoms a biological woman might experience in menopause is completely illogical and delusional. There are surely many online groups designed to support transgender women specifically. If the individual had been a transgender man, that I would have accepted without question for obvious reasons.

#global #virtualspaces #onlinesupportgroups #menopause #SingleSexSpaces

women's bathrooms as a refuge

I was followed home by a drunk man when I used to walk to a bar about two blocks away from my apartment. I stopped at a 24 hour grocery store halfway between, he was speeding up and obviously following me and I didn't want him to know where I lived. I hid in the women's bathroom there for about an hour before he left, he hung out near the front of the store in sight of the bathroom. But even drunk this creepy guy knew he wasn't going to be allowed in the ladies room.

He eventually left and I waited about twenty minutes and then I circled the store to make sure he was gone. Who knows what he wanted but I knew it was something I didn't and I was glad for a ladies restroom. I shudder to think about what if it was nowadays, when no one would be able to question him in the restroom and he knew he could enter it.

#unitedstates #womensbathrooms #safespace #singlesexspaces

homelessness shelter

I was working in a women-only refuge. The majority of my service-users were survivors of sexual assault. A pre-op transsexual male was staying. She was wearing extremely tight, short pants with their penis visible, also sporting a full beard. She was telling everyone about her transition experience, the meds she was taking, grabbing her chest and dancing provocatively in front of other services users, making them visibly uncomfortable. Other service users stated that they were not comfortable with her staying due to their experiences of sexual assault and their significant mental health issues. They were told that they were hateful.

#ireland #homelessnessshelter #womensshelter #exhibitionism #males