Thread by @DrJessTaylor

Single sex spaces are essential to trauma informed approaches and services - this isn’t through hatred, bigotry or exclusion. We have to retain the right to support safe spaces when oppressed and abused groups need them, without others arguing that they are offensive or harmful.

The demonisation of sexual and domestic violence services as groups of hate filled women is terrifying. There would be no rape centres or DV services without women who tirelessly built these safe spaces for women and girls subjected to male violence.

Women and girls have needed safe spaces away from male violence for centuries. We achieved that of our own accord in the 60s thanks to feminists before us. They weren’t developed out of hatred for others, but out of need to protect and give them single sex spaces.

Lots of you will know that I’ve also developed and delivered male single sex spaces and there is no argument, debate or controversy around those. The world is full of them. Always has been.

There is nothing harmful about acknowledging that millions of women and girls are abused, raped and killed by men globally and therefore, single sex spaces are a safe haven for these women and girls, which they have a right to under the EA.

I will never ever ever stand down in this argument. Women are living in a huge uprising of misogyny and male violence (which always happens with a wave of feminism) - and they need safe single sex spaces, events and support.

This isn’t offensive or harmful. It’s safety.

Thousands of you know that I will not tolerate, support or ignore any form of discrimination, injustice, abuse or hatred of any group, and that absolutely includes transphobia.

But single sex spaces for raped & abused women, is not transphobic, it really isn’t.

We are never going to get anywhere if every single thing women have (their self-definition, their services, their language, their safe spaces, their wards, even their prisons) are argued to be exclusionary and offensive.

Why isn’t this happening in male-only spaces?

I strongly believe that we can create trans inclusive spaces where trans people feel totally safe and supported whilst also creating separate single sex spaces where women and girls who have been abused by men, can know that they are in a single sex space that they need

We have to find a way forward -
But attacking vital life-saving women’s services and single sex spaces are NOT the progressive approaches and arguments people position them as.

We can create trans supportive spaces AND single sex spaces. Why aren’t we doing that?

I would also like to add that the research does suggest that trans people who are raped and abused have very specific experiences, responses and discrimination when they report or try to disclose - so I think they deserve specialist services which understand that experience.

Trans kids who are sexually abused and exploited have been blamed, sexualised and even ignored. Some police argued that the kids were ‘exchanging’ sex for ‘wigs, make up, money for surgery’ - and ignored that adults were raping and abusing them.

Transwomen and transmen who have been raped have specific experiences of reporting abuse and rape, having forensic examinations, giving evidence, having to potentially disclose that they are trans when they don’t want to etc

Specialist services are vital

For anyone leaving me abuse or accusing me of the usual BS, my filters are up so high that I can’t see anything and I don’t even get notifications.