marks and spencers changing rooms

I can no longer try on clothes in Marks and Spencers because they allow men into the women’s changing room. I won’t use it because it feels very unsafe if a man is in there too. I have to buy the clothes and take them home to try on and take them back if they don’t fit. I also feel intimidated by the mixed changing rooms at my local swimming pool, which used to be single sex. Whilst there are a few private cubicles you still have men close by invading womens' and girls' privacy. It feels unsafe and unpleasant to use. I don’t go often now. Also some of the toilets are shared at my local comprehensive school which is very awkward and unpleasant for teenage girls dealing with periods and having no privacy.

#unitedkingdom #hertfordshire #changingrooms #marksandspencers #swimmingpool

moving through public space

Because of this legislation and this growing idea that men can “opt in” to womanhood and use women’s facilities I can no longer let my teenage daughter use these facilities alone. If we are shopping she should be able to go off on her own and use the public bathrooms or change rooms as she’s not a little girl anymore. But now I have no confidence that these spaces, these small, essentially dead end spaces will be occupied by other women only so I must accompany her. This might seem like a small thing but it’s not, this impacts our ability to move freely through the public space. I find that I’m treating these spaces like I would a lift that’s occupied by one man. I was always taught - and I have taught my daughters - to not get in a lift if there is only a single man. Of course most men do not harm women and girls but for those that do, a lift - an enclosed space - represents an opportunity to offend. A public bathroom and change rooms have now become like the lift. We don’t go there alone, we check if anyone else is in there. We proceed with caution. And to add insult to injury we are mocked for wanting women’s spaces to remain women only.

I don’t believe in “gender.” Forcing women to accept men in private spaces is essentially forcing women to act in accordance with someone else’s religious belief. The idea that a man can be a woman because of “how he feels inside” is a religious or spiritual claim. Don’t force women to adopt this faith as our own and place ourselves at risk.

#australia #publicspace #vigilance #bathrooms #genderideology

creative arts opportunities

I work in the creative arts, and over the last few years have seen almost every single competition, professional opportunity, shortlist, grant, prize, residency, scholarship etc. originally for women opened up to (and frequently awarded to) self-identified trans-identified males as well. While I fully support new opportunities being created for people regardless of gender identity, I have to wonder: the declared intent of those opportunities originally created for women was to support women - i.e. females - in a field they have historically been completely shut out of. To this day, most of the large organizations commission less than 5% of their works from women. In some of the most prominent organizations, that number is closer to 1%. By all means, create opportunities to award people regardless of their gender, but what message does it send to women that - when we are still hugely underrepresented and underappreciated as artists - that the few opportunities created for us are given away yet again to males?

#arts #scholarships #prizes #shortlists #underrepresentation