Big Day Out

What a fabulously exhausting day!

Up earlier than felt right, and off into town for a Women's Lib conference.  It was called to celebrate 50 years since the first such conference, held in Oxford just shortly before I was born.  This time, nearly 1000 women (and some men) got together to talk about what still needs doing.

Later, off to a 16 year old's birthday party, and then to collapse into bed, ears still ringing with the standing ovations, head still full of all the things I learned. 

Some politics now.  I don't 'do' politics here that much (or certainly you don't get the benefit of the continual raging stream of consciousness style politics that is my constant internal companion).  If you're not up for it, just move along.  With the benefit of backblipping, I can tell you that there are flower photos just a few clicks away.

So, I think most of my life I was aware of feminism, even knew some things about it.  I paid special attention when I was training to the bits of employment law to do with equality, equal pay, etc, because that felt like it had to do with human rights (which were my early political obsession).  But I thought we were sort of ok: that things were generally moving along in the right direction and that, yes, not all men were as advanced as we might like, but the direction of travel was good.

My eyes have been opened recently.  Turns out, the definition of 'woman' is at risk.  Turns out being a woman is just a delightfully fluffy feeling that we have <eye roll> and not anything to do with biology.  Turns out (ask the speaker in this photo who lost her job for this) that just stating the biological fact that there are two sexes, is transphobic (must remember to send a stern letter to my biology teacher).  

I am, by nature, on the side of the underdog, the minority, the downtrodden.  I will stand and fight for women's rights, trans rights, even men's rights if you can show me why I should.  But I don't stand up for anyone's privilege.  And certainly not if it tramples someone else's rights.  I could say a lot more about this, but I fear most of what needs to be said is not suitable for this forum.  Anyway, you all know how to google.

In other news, I learned about democratic abuses in India; that my history teacher skipping over the match girls' strike to talk about Male strikers was not unusual (fantastic talk on this from a historian); Simone de Beauvoir has been much misinterpreted; and just generally, there is so much work still to do.

Today's conference was held at UCL.  It nearly didn't happen.  Other events by this organisation have had to be cancelled because of threats to the venues.  It comes to this: in 2020 an institution agreeing to host a conference so that women can talk about their rights is held up as 'brave' for allowing this to happen.  I heard nothing objectionable all day.  I wish the young women protesting (very politely and I wholly support their right to do so) outside had come in to listen.

You can read (possibly see?  Not sure if the videos are up yet.) the speeches on the Women's Place website if you're interested.  

What a day.  

And I got to meet Joanna Cherry and Joan McAlpine.  (Hope I didn't come across too crazy fan-girl...)