Love your videos Stephen and your interviewing style. I entirely agree with you about the movement needing good men to work with us, but I cannot agree with you on objecting to men being asked to physically step aside for women at a women’s event.
Women live under constant pressure of having to move aside for men taking up more than their fair share of space. Outside of the trans issue women leave sports and social clubs because men come in and dominate, we can’t see past them at concerts, they take the armrests on airplanes, they speak over us in work meetings, they tailgate us in cars, they expect us to move aside on pavements. My sport is swimming and I have scars on my hand from hitting the swimming pool wall because the men take up too much space in the lane and force me into the wall. The list is endless. They do this all instinctively, without thought for others, that women are taught to have from day one. Those women who admonished you probably worked up a lot of courage to do so because it is so counterintuitive to women.
When I saw Posie be assertive about women first, I felt absolute joy and I thought to myself, that’s the very first time in my life I have heard that. It truly felt like having the shackles of a lifetime taken off, it really meant something. For once we are not secondary human beings.
I don't disagree with what you are saying. It would just be remiss of me not to report this aspect of the event. It can come across as needlessly hostile and have the effect of making men feel that they are not particularly welcome at all. I want to be clear that I'm not personally offended by any of it, or feel I am being oppressed in any way! Nor would it ever put me off from reporting from any event I wanted to report from-- it's just an observation worth making.
Thank you Stephen, I hope men do feel welcome at these events. At the Bristol event I went to, there were men on the edges keeping an eye out, ready to intervene at any encroachment from the TRAs, and they did. I thought they were absolutely wonderful and really appreciated their actions.
Love your videos Stephen and your interviewing style. I entirely agree with you about the movement needing good men to work with us, but I cannot agree with you on objecting to men being asked to physically step aside for women at a women’s event.
Women live under constant pressure of having to move aside for men taking up more than their fair share of space. Outside of the trans issue women leave sports and social clubs because men come in and dominate, we can’t see past them at concerts, they take the armrests on airplanes, they speak over us in work meetings, they tailgate us in cars, they expect us to move aside on pavements. My sport is swimming and I have scars on my hand from hitting the swimming pool wall because the men take up too much space in the lane and force me into the wall. The list is endless. They do this all instinctively, without thought for others, that women are taught to have from day one. Those women who admonished you probably worked up a lot of courage to do so because it is so counterintuitive to women.
When I saw Posie be assertive about women first, I felt absolute joy and I thought to myself, that’s the very first time in my life I have heard that. It truly felt like having the shackles of a lifetime taken off, it really meant something. For once we are not secondary human beings.
I don't disagree with what you are saying. It would just be remiss of me not to report this aspect of the event. It can come across as needlessly hostile and have the effect of making men feel that they are not particularly welcome at all. I want to be clear that I'm not personally offended by any of it, or feel I am being oppressed in any way! Nor would it ever put me off from reporting from any event I wanted to report from-- it's just an observation worth making.
Thanks for the kind comments and your thoughts.
Thank you Stephen, I hope men do feel welcome at these events. At the Bristol event I went to, there were men on the edges keeping an eye out, ready to intervene at any encroachment from the TRAs, and they did. I thought they were absolutely wonderful and really appreciated their actions.