Midnight T-shirt Protest Sparks Outrage
Statues of iconic women across the United Kingdom have been given a midnight makeover by a group of feminist activists calling themselves the ReSisters United.
In September 2018, a billboard in Liverpool with the dictionary definition of the word woman was removed following complaints from LGBT activist and trans’ rights activist Dr Adrian Harrop. The GP, who is currently under investigation by the GMC for his behaviour on social media, previously said the word had been “reappropriated” and that it was a "symbol that makes transgender people feel unsafe.” He argues that a woman is anyone who “identifies as such” and that biological definitions are hateful and exclusionary.
The poster was put up by controversial campaigner Posie Parker, real name Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull. She runs the group Standing for Women and said she wanted to "start a conversation" about the conflict between transgender and women's rights.
In a statement released today the group announced:
ReSisters United members asserted the action was done in order to reclaim the right for women to describe themselves as adult human females. Debate has swirled around the use of this dictionary definition in recent months, with some people claiming a woman is not necessarily female, and that a woman might even have a male body.
Just over a week ago, Women’s March London - ostensibly a woman-friendly organisation - referred to female MPs as “menstruators” rather than women. Other public bodies, government documents and lobbying groups are also removing the word “woman” to be replaced with phrases such as "cervix havers" and “chest feeders”.
In light of this event and others, members of ReSisters United felt they had no choice but to take their message to the streets and are determined to continue with similar actions in future.
A spokeswoman for ReSisters United commented further saying “In today’s climate of hyper political correctness, the factual definition of woman has become taboo. With this action we send the message that women have the right to speak about our biology without shame, fear or retribution.
ReSisters United say that biological sex matters and that feelings of gender should not take precedence when it comes to maintaining and upholding the rights and dignity of women. The group is committed to lobbying for the right to sex-segregated spaces, without the presence of men.
The roots of the movement can be traced to the actions of a small group of women's rights activists in Liverpool. In August 2018 they affixed penis shaped stickers to one of the statues forming Antony Gormley’s Crosby Beach installation: ‘Another Place’. Calling themselves the Liverpool ReSisters, this was the first chapter of what was to become a national network of direct action campaigners.
Their actions caused outrage on Twitter and were denounced by Liverpool Lord Mayor Joe Anderson who accused the group of transphobia after being tipped off by the aforementioned Dr Adrian Harrop.
The mayor used the incident to remove single sex toilets and changing rooms from all buildings under the jurisdiction of Liverpool City Council. The more ‘inclusive’ spaces were introduced without any public consultation or debate, despite research which shows that 90% of all sexual assaults that happen in public changing rooms and toilets, occur in 'gender neutral' spaces. In a speech which received rapturous applause, the major blamed the "hateful" actions of the Liverpool ReSisters for his refusal to consult with any women's groups about the decision - likely to impact women's ability to access public spaces.
Some questioned his motives when allegations resurfaced that he actively sought to help a suspected paedophile avoid detection. Liverpool court reports say the mayor 'tipped off' a fellow Labour councillor, Ben Williams, about an upcoming police raid looking for evidence of child pornography on his home computers.
In January of this year a woman in Greater Manchester was ejected from her local pub and banned for allegedly wearing the now infamous - Woman: adult human female T-shirt. Local women reacted quickly, forming the latest chapter of the ReSister network to stage a protest. Fifteen women arrived at the Five Clouds Tap and Bar in matching "woman" T-shirts.
Since then groups have sprung up throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland and have been coordinating their efforts on social media to plan the midnight statue raid.
It did not take long for accusations of transphobia to emerge on social media. In Wales, one upset citizen expressed regret that she was unable to burn the T-shirts from the statues. The Wales Equality Alliance denounced them as a hate crime while Newport City Council described the protests as ‘disturbing’ and reassured people they would be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
Although not affiliated with Posie Parker she donated all t-shirts and banners used. The protest coincide with a week of global actions to raise awareness about the erosion of female rights and lesbian erasure. You can keep up to date with the actions by following the #WomenStandUp on Twitter or checking out the website.
D.J. Lippy
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*This article was amended to show that Posie Parker donated the T-shits and banners donated in the actions mentioned above*
Well done all xx
Thank you so, so much for pulling this together. It is wonderful to feel part of something so big and so public. The map's not complete - where is Brighton? And Bedfordshire? - but at last I feel we have made the point that lots and lots of us are very angry about men trying to take away our rights, as a sex. Thank you, again.