Thread by @NehandaMusic

There's a strong possibility I'm gonna loose a few friends/followers with this thread but I feel it's a really important topic so I'm going to address it.

Probably pointless saying this but trust me, this comes from a place of love and inclusion (to a certain extent)

1/20

As a woman - who from the age of 9 learnt that men 3 times her age would feel no way about approaching her for sex, who was beaten senseless countless times by a man who was supposed to protect her, raped and had her virginity taken from her by a man at least twice her age at 16

Went on to have a relationship with a man she trusted who told her he whole heartedly believed it was her fault she was raped & survived/navigated many other, less traumatic but no less poignant, experiences I find it very, very disrespectful that someone who has

Not had the experience of what being a woman truly entails can announce themselves a woman and demand to be facilitated in spaces designated for those who NEED these spaces due to reasons previously mentioned and others..

Now, let me digress slightly -

I am 1/4 black. I was raised initially by a single black man (with dreads) and watched him endure COUNTLESS racist incidents. That hurt me as a child. My dad was strong, seeing him be abused for his hair or skin hurt.

We then moved to Trinidad where my dad met my step mom a black woman who invited us into her family and raised us as her own. I called her mum, both of the people that raised me are black. Years ago, I personally hunted down the kid that harrased my little brothers and sprayed

"kyle is a n*gger" in black paint on a fence outside our house, I my self suffered very "mild" racism when I moved to a VERY white area at the age of 13. Mild, but it happened....this might seem like a bit of a reach, but hear me out...

I was raised by two black parents. I have experienced and witnessed racism and hatred towards my self and my family first hand, I am infact part black but for me to identify as black I feel would be disrespectful as fuck to people who KNOW what being black means.

How dare I walk around claiming an identity that does not belong to me. Now imagine that I DEMANDED others accept me as black. Full black. Black. I also want to be the loudest voice during discussions surrounding how racism affects black people.

Despite how much of the history my Dad taught me, despite what I know about systemic and other types of racism, despite being part black. For me, claiming to know the struggles or identify as black does not make me black. I am 1/4 black and feel it would STILL be disrespectful

To demand others sympathise with and feed into any delusions I may have surrounding my race. I was raised to believe, "black is good, white is bad" I would love to be black. I've always had a race complex, kindly provided by my dad of course

But does wanting to be black make me black? No. I could wear fake tan, I could have work done to achieve a "blacker" look, but I would still be the the same 1/4 black inside. Rachel Doziel identified as black. Why do we not sympathise with her?

Because to do so would be disrespectful to the past and ongoing struggles of black people.

I am not black. I am not white. I am me.

Why, does it work differently with sex?

Being a woman is not a feeling. It's not a costume nor a persona.

I truly, truly believe we should all be allowed to live in a way that allows us to express our selfs with out judgement.

I have seen men in dresses that look better than I ever could. I love to see a man in makeup, it makes me feel free.

But it is just that, a man in a dress, a man wearing makeup and that is ok.

Even the most feminine presenting male is biologically just that - a male.

This is a fact, not an insult.

I am happy, more than happy to address people by what ever pronoun they prefer. I will tell a trans woman she is beautiful and mean it.

What I will not do is sit back and watch the rights of an already victimized group be minimized.

Girls washing blood out of their pants in front of teenaged boys because "gender inclusivity" is not ok.

Men wiping the floor with women in sports and women being told "this will help you achieve more - just train harder" is not ok.

Children being indoctrinated IS NOT OK.

Being afraid to speak about genuine concerns for fear of being labelled a bigot is not ok.

Womens spaces no longer belonging to women is not ok.

Self id'ing is a whole unchartered territory that needs to be hashed out not run head first into.

I don't want to be out here causing offence but I feel these things need to be said.

I was told I'm not allowed to talk about my uterus in public incase it offends/triggers someone who doesn't have one...

My mum lost her right breast to cancer...I'm still allowed to acknowledge mine. She is not offended or triggered by it's existence (granted it's a very small right breast but still).

I understand this is a sensitive topic but I think its important to speak on it #WomensRights

*lose 🖕🏽

I'm overwhelmed by the amount of kindness and support I've had from this, I wanted to open a compassionate discussion & wasn't expecting so much compassion off the back of that 😳❤ Thank you

Going to take this moment to plug my YouTube & Instagram ofc ☺️ youtube.com/user/nehanda0