context: from here where TIMs said "no amab allowed" spaces are bigoted.

friendly reminder that if you've been sexually, physically, or in any way attacked by "an amab" you are completely in your right to become "super intense abt it." that shit's traumatizing

youre also JUSTIFIED in having and wanting spaces free of men.

sending love 💞

Jenny Watson: "We can do it, so let's do it." Jenny outlines her plan for a female-only, lesbian space.

For my lesbian, bisexual women, and radfem Followers. Via Graham Linehan's Substack.

For many decades, London was considered the global capital for lesbian nightlife. But you’d never know it if you visited the UK today. It’s not for a lack of British lesbian culture: I’m a lesbian, I’m involved in our country’s lesbian social scene, and I can assure you, it’s alive and well. What we lack at the moment are our own dedicated spaces. I think the UK needs once more to have lesbian-run, female-only community spaces. 

I’ve got an idea about how to make one such space a reality. And I believe I'm in a position to make it happen.

Over the past seven years, I've had the privilege of organising a range of lesbian social events in London. Throughout this time, I've made many connections in our community, gained an increasing understanding of our needs, and created social spaces that I hope go some way to meeting them. 

And in those seven years working to coordinate part of the the UK’s lesbian social scene, I’ve come to see how badly we need a dedicated, strictly female-only event space — now more than ever. 

Men have been encroaching on the lesbian community, and the problem is only getting worse. There’s been a sense of inevitability, that this is just something we have to learn to live with.

But I’ve had it.

In June, I skipped London’s official Pride festivities and instead visited an alternative, independent event at the Hampstead Ponds. It was a female-only picnic. Hundreds of women of all ages were gathered, from their teens to their eighties. And the sublime joy that I felt that day led me to a eureka moment:

We need this. We deserve this. This is our right. As lesbians and bisexual women, we have a right to social spaces that are entirely our own.

So, earlier this year, I decided to implement a women-only policy at my events. Although this sparked controversy, we ultimately received recognition from the UK’s largest pub operator that it is legitimate to hold women-only lesbian events - a real victory!

And then it suddenly dawned on me: we need more and not only do we need this, I can do this. I feel I have a good sense of the UK market for lesbian social events. So I crunched some numbers and developed a business proposal. I gauged interest and studied feasibility. And I’m excited to tell you: I believe this can work.

My plan involves establishing a private members’ club and securing a prime physical space in London. By day, this space will operate as a versatile hybrid workspace, becoming a venue hosting various social events in the evenings and weekends. Alongside these, we'll provide online events, and collaborate with service providers for health and wellness advice, fitness guidance, group trips, and more. Revenue will come from the events, partnerships, as well as from membership dues.

To the lesbian and bisexual women reading this: you’re welcome to get in touch with me if you’d like to learn more. There's an opportunity to invest if you’re interested, too. I’ve got a pitch deck I would be happy to show you and a fully fleshed-out, 50-page business plan. And I’m happy to report that there are already investors who have given the thumbs up. 

Following my announcement and inspired by the community's heartwarming response, I decided to introduce an early-bird membership programme. This includes a personalised QR-coded membership card for exclusive updates and access to a members’ discussion space. Joining early also signifies your part in accelerating our community's launch. 

Which brings me to another issue, and it’s a big part of the reason I’m writing this now: online critics. There’s a small but vocal group of people online who’ve been saying some pretty nasty and completely unfounded things about me. This group of people have taken to personal insults, and accusations that I’m a fraudster and a grifter.

I’m not entirely surprised to encounter pushback, but at the same time, the level of vitriol has been eye-opening.

But I try to put it in a bigger context: Lesbians have faced so much abuse, and for so long we’ve had to settle for having social spaces conditionally, on terms set by men. There’s a climate of distrust and fear looming over the lesbian community as a result. So much so that today the idea of even having one single space fully dedicated to lesbian and bisexual women seems so radical, some people’s initial reaction is that there’s got to be a catch.

I completely understand that a good dose of scrutiny, of tempering optimism with some degree of caution, is reasonable. It’s healthy. And it’s entirely welcome.

But personal insults and unfounded accusations are not. I know that emotions are running high, and we as a community are feeling beleaguered right now. But that’s no excuse to target my Irishness in personal attacks, for example. Or to target my business supporters with lies about me.

I'm not here to push or persuade anyone who doesn't feel the spark for this project. However, for those who do, our project investors' safety and security are crucial — capital funds are securely placed in escrow and I've teamed up with a business consultant who's right here supporting us until opening day. We’ve put together a solid business plan.

If anything, the tenor of some of the criticism I’ve faced only hardens my resolve: it just highlights how badly women need a space to unite us, to heal us in this difficult time.

It’s been upsetting to endure the smear campaign that a small online group has thrown at me… but my mind keeps going back to that Edenic afternoon at the Hampstead Ponds, where hundreds of women were gathered in serenity and harmony.

This will heal us. This will unite us. And it will make us all stronger. Lesbian strength comes through unity.

There are various ways you can help, but the most crucial one is spreading the word - our message is the most important part of this project. 

Other than that, as I mentioned earlier, if you are a lesbian/bi woman, there is the option to join as an early-bird member (however, this is not compulsory; you can wait until our opening). Additionally, there's the opportunity for investment or donation. I've prepared a comprehensive 50-page business plan and pitch deck available for those who are interested.

For a deeper understanding of the project, feel free to visit our website or you can email me at [email protected] 

Any form of support you can offer is immensely appreciated as we work towards making this a reality.  

We can do this. So let’s do it!

I said this once on my old account, and I'm going to say it again: even if a TiM in a women's shelter isn't actively misbehaving towards the women in the shelter (and momentarily ignoring the fact, of course, that many of them do), by being there, he is still taking a bed away from actual biological women who have nowhere else to go. About 99% of biological women who are homeless become so due to domestic violence, and going back home could mean death for them. Meanwhile, most TiMs have experienced a male puberty, and could more than handle themselves in a male shelter. Yes, even TiMs who are on cross-sex hormones and have had cosmetic surgeries in hopes of "passing" as a woman. You are still significantly physically stronger than most women are; you'll be fine in the men's shelter. And, if they feel that there aren't enough shelters for guys, or that they want ones explicitly for trans people, they can always go out and build them. You know, like women did for ours? It's not our sex's job to compensate you with our beds and shelters that we took the time and effort specifically to set aside for ourselves. Not when our lives are on the line, and the only thing you risk injuring is your ego. That's not our problem. You deal with it, and then go find a bed at a men's shelter. No, I am not sorry for you. Go cry to someone who cares.

[Image description: A tumblr text post, edited blackout poetry style. The resulting text is below.]

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fight for women's rights being a woman is an identity womanhood is something that anyone can join womanhood can be experienced by anyone women's spaces are trans women's spaces too I care about women's rights, feminism includes all humans, transwomen are included in feminism. it's obvious we're also literally art

Submitted by @toddycats

Once again, women's bathrooms are being eradicated while men's are not. But so keep telling me more about how this movement is for equality.

Link to the video here.

hey! I lurk sometimes on your blog and I was wondering what a/your Red Tent is? :)

many well wishes!

I got this right as I logged on to procrastinate finding an opening poem for the RT this week 🤣 Thank you for the assistance.

A Red Tent, Moon Lodge, or Women's Circle, can have a lot of variation based on who's running it. At its most basic level, it is a meeting where women can just exist together, without the expectation to perform for men. Because women act very differently when we are truly outside of men's presence.

Some are just that, without really anything else added. Mine is more spiritual in nature and fairly structured. It's an event, rather than a get together. We have a topic or theme each meeting in which we discuss something important to women's wellbeing. One was on Divine Female Rage. We had one on connecting to your female body through movement and breath. This year is focused on an exploration of the Divine Feminine Archetypes (The Queen is this Sunday!) Future meetings will include the conceptualizion and healing of the womb space, and healing the Mother Wound.

We do things like allow everyone to present art and writing. We sing and chant together. We have a radical listening exercise, which usually results in a lot of tears because it's an incredible release to just be heard - and then we usually hug it out lol! We eat. We laugh. We talk. We challenge each other and debate, and we come to agreements and smile.

Of course, the celebration of and education on the female body are also critical cornerstones! That's the "red" in Red Tent, the "moon" in Moon Lodge. Body shaming is absolutely not allowed and we LOUDLY correct each other over that. No apologies! No shame! We talk about the weird hairs and the bumps and the chunks and the amazing things our bodies can do.

In the future, we may add Women's Rites and Rituals to mark important events in our lives. For example, I did a mothering ceremony for one of our members. New homes, new businesses, degrees...there aren't established Rites for those and I want to start them.

It is a space for women, by women, about women. Often, it's accused of being a man-hating event, but the truth is we rarely talk about men. The patriarchy, yes, but not men. Men just can't fathom we have anything to talk about but them 😉

It's also a place to heal the divisions that are forced on women to keep us from class consciousness. I'm a business-minded childfree woman. I absolutely don't allow pronatalist rhetoric in my Circle. I also absolutely do not allow the denigration of mothers. I (white) am getting a consultant to help me make sure I'm properly supporting BIPOC women in my group. We're GED-PhD (literally). All religions, all cultures, all creeds - I want to tear down the walls and make a road. Lofty ideals, but I mean them sincerely.

So that's probably a bit of a meandering answer but it's an honest one. I can go more into the history and stuff if you want, too.

Old Wives Tales Women's Bookstore, 1970s

Read more about the bookstore here!

Nora AlMatrooshi

Nora AlMatrooshi, the first Emirati woman astronaut, worked as a piping engineer before becoming an astronaut candidate for the United Arab Emirates. https://mbrsc.ae/team/nora/

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Fanfic Members Only.

Fanfic writers and readers need luxurious Members Only clubs where our real names and identities are never known. We'd gather and enjoy gushing about our hyperfixations and our favorite Ships with no embarrassment, shame, or fear of ridicule.

All fandoms would be welcome. All Ships would be equal, and no antis of any kind would be allowed. Framed fanart would be on the walls.

There could be special, themed nights, like "Enemies to Friends to Lovers Evening" and "AU Afternoon Tea." You could relax with cocktails/mocktails, a delicious dinner, live music, and share Rec Lists.

If I were rich I swear I'd build one.

Oh, yeah, and it'd be Women Only. REAL women.

Female-only opportunities, activities, and spaces exist so that males cannot harass females while females are within them. Sex-segregated events and opportunities exist in employment as affirmative action against misogynistic bias.

The same biases against gender non-conformity and oppositional conformity exist internal and external to female-only opportunities, activities, and spaces.

This Unfair Olympics Rule is Killing Women's Sports

Some Reflections on Separatism and Power

by Marilyn Frye

In The Politics of Reality: essays in feminist theory (1983, Crossing Press) (originally written and published 1977/1978)

"In my life, and within feminism as I understand it, separatism is not a theory or a doctrine, nor a demand for certain specific behaviors on the part of feminists, though it is undeniably connected with lesbianism. Feminism seems to me to be kaleidoscopic–something whose shapes, structures and patterns alter with every turn of feminist creativity; and one element which is present through all the changes is an element of separation. This element has different roles and relations in different turns of the glass–it assumes different meanings, is variously conspicuous, variously determined or determining, depending on how the pieces fall and who is the beholder. The theme of separation, in its multitude variations, is there in everything from divorce to exclusive lesbian separatist communities, from shelters for battered women to witch covens, from women’s studies programs to women’s bars, from expansion of daycare to abortion on demand. The presence of this theme is vigorously obscured, trivialized, mystified and outright denied by many feminist apologists, who seem to find it embarrassing, while it is embraced, explored, expanded and ramified by most of the more inspiring theorists and activists. The theme of separation is noticeably absent or heavily qualified in most of the things I take to be personal solutions and band-aid projects, like legalization of prostitution, liberal marriage contracts, improvement of the treatment of rape victims and affirmative action. It is clear to me, in my own case at least, that the contrariety of assimilation and separation is one of the main things that guides or determines assessments of various theories, actions and practices as reformist or radical, as going to the root of the thing or being relatively superficial. So my topical question comes to this: What is it about separation, in any or all of its many forms and degrees, that makes it so basic and so sinister, so exciting and so repellent? Feminist separation is, of course, separation of various sorts or modes from men and from institutions, relationships, roles and activities which are male-defined, male-dominated and operating for the benefit of males and the maintenance of male privilege–this separation being initiated or maintained, at will, by women. (Masculist separatism is the partial segregation of women from men and male domains at the will of men. This difference is crucial.)"

the idea:

"women's spaces" are a proxy, and an extremely imprecise one, for "spaces without patriarchy". this has led to a variety of attempts to execute patriarchy-free spaces by disincluding groups of people. marchán's proposed list of categories, in decreasing order of exclusivity, are: terfspace, justusgirls, noboyzallowed, nocisguys, and whatever. marchán notes that all categories (except terfspace) have valid uses. the most important thing in any space is to figure out what your goals are, work back from there, and then ensure that your vocabulary matches your intentions.

NO ONE TALK TO ME RN

“Women and non-binary people” stop. Do you mean people with marginalized genders? Do you mean gender-oppressed people? Then say that. Stop refusing to recognize the very much gendered oppression of other trans people. There’s not some chasm of difference between how our oppressors treat a very masc non-binary person and a more binary trans man. I’m also non-binary and very much oppressed for my gender but because I’m transmasculine I could never feel comfortable in a space that marketed itself like that. Tell me what the real harm is of letting gender-oppressed mascs into spaces discussing gender oppression is. Because the consequence of not doing so is denying them space for their experiences just because of their gender identity. Do better.