A Woman’s Place takes Nerves of Steel

A Woman’s Place takes Nerves of Steel (This event is SOLD OUT. The waitlist has been enabled. We will release tickets as and when they become available).

Public Meeting in Sheffield
Thursday 20th September 2018 (Venue to be announced) 

Doors open at 6:30pm, for 7.00pm start.

Zlakha Ahmed MBE, Chief Executive Apna Haq, MBE for services to Women’s Rights and Community Cohesion in Rotherham

Sian Griffiths – Retired London firefighter

Michelle Moore, Professor (Not the ‘Ivory Tower’ sort)

Helen Steel, Chair Woman’s Place UK

Zlakha Ahmed MBE – Since 2011 Zlakha has worked tirelessly to highlight that girls were being sexually exploited in her home town of Rotherham from within the BME minority communities. She is the CEO of the womens rights organisation Apna Haq. Being Muslim herself, and with over  85% of the service users at Apna Haq also being Muslim women, she speaks out against increasing levels of racism/Islamaphobia directed at Muslim women as-well as championing the right of Muslim women to have their own spaces. As a member of the Domestic Violence Working Group for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, she contributed towards their guidance aimed to help identify, prevent and reduce domestic violence and abuse, in health and social care.

Sian Griffiths – ‘I was a single parent when I was 24 and needed a full time job. I was a part time playgroup supervisor in a community centre in North Ken, London where I saw a poster for the London Fire Brigade, advertising firefighter vacancies. I applied and in 1985 I became one of the 11 women firefighters amongst 6000 men. I thought I’d last 5 minutes but in fact did 30 years service and had another child in 1996, whilst as a firefighter, with my husband Tim, also a firefighter. So I’m happily retired 3 years and now a proud grandmother.  
It was instinctive to fight against unfairness, I was an active member of the Fire Brigades Union and I have always proudly called myself a feminist. https://strongerunions.org/2015/06/01/celebrating-30-years-of-women-in-the-fire-service/

Michele Moore – Professor Michele is an expert in Inclusive Education and Disability Studies. She leads human rights projects across the world to support children, their families and those who work with them. She is the Co-Editor of the ground-breaking book Transgender Children and Young People, Born in Your Own Body from Cambridge Scholars. Michele will be discussing ideas from the book – the implications of self-declaration of gender for children and young people, including disabled children

Helen Steel – trade unionist, social justice and environmental activist, McLibel defendent and campaigner for justice against state spying and insitutionally sexist abuse by the police.  Attacked at the Anarchist Bookfair for defending the right of women to distribute leaflets voicing concern about the Tory government’s review of the Gender Recognition Act.

The meeting will discuss proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004. 

In July 2018 the government opened a public consultation on their proposal to ‘demedicalise’ the process of changing gender, so that people can self-identify as the gender they choose, without any need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

But what exactly is ‘gender’, and what will be the impact of self-identification on women and on women’s rights and legal protections?

Will this reform spell the end to single sex spaces and the provision of single sex services, such as those provided by rape crisis centres and women’s refuges?

Will the changes make it harder to gather accurate data on the pay gap between men and women; on domestic violence against women; and on the health services women require?

Come and have your say on this controversial proposal.

Meeting hosted by Woman’s Place UK
https://womansplaceuk.org/

The Woman’s Place UK Five Demands:

1. Respectful and evidence based discussion about the impact of the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act to be allowed to take place and for women’s voices to be heard;

2. The principle of women only spaces to be upheld – and where necessary extended.

3. A review of how the exemptions in the Equality Act which allow for single sex services or requirements that only a woman can apply for a job (such as in a domestic violence refuge) are being applied in practice;

4. Government to consult with women’s organisations on how self-declaration would impact on women only services and spaces;

5. Government to consult on how self-declaration will impact upon data gathering – such as crime, employment, pay, and health statistics – and monitoring of sex-based discrimination such as the gender pay gap.

FAQs

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

ID is required for each person attending and must match the name on the ticket. For this reason, only one ticket can be booked at a time – sorry for the inconvenience.

There is no minimum age. Babes in arms are encouraged. Please consider the suitablity of the event if bringing children. No unaccompanied children.

What can I bring into the event?

For the security of all attendees, please don’t bring excessive belongings to the event. Bags may be searched.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Please email AWomansPlaceUK@gmail.com

What’s the refund policy?

Tickets bought may be refunded up to seven days before the event. Organisers reserve the right to refund and cancel any tickets ordered. Venue details are confidential to ticket-holders.  A collection will also be made to cover costs of the meeting.