tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5905671768840605192024-03-07T00:05:47.687-08:00WOMEN'S VOICE - LLAIS MERCHEDSpeaking up for women in Wales in a somewhat satirical fashion. Campaigning on key issues affecting womens lives. Well behaved women seldom make history.womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.comBlogger406125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-66466688861971847892020-01-22T00:24:00.001-08:002020-01-22T01:27:04.259-08:00Kirsty illiberal Williams determined to make RSE compulsory in Wales<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Welsh Education Minister keeps religious education, makes it compulsory and inserts trans-ideology into the 7-16 curriculum.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hpXVQv7fezs/XifvTl9dqmI/AAAAAAAAw8E/cTm37RJigncymvQDSQQvjm85_osfzPZIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/KirstyWilliams%2Bwelsh%2Bcurriculum%2Btweet21Jan%252720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="749" height="276" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hpXVQv7fezs/XifvTl9dqmI/AAAAAAAAw8E/cTm37RJigncymvQDSQQvjm85_osfzPZIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/KirstyWilliams%2Bwelsh%2Bcurriculum%2Btweet21Jan%252720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
You might see her determination to carry it through, despite the criticisms even hostility in the public consultation, in the unsmiling eyes and tight mouth chosen for her picture/<br />
It's not difficult to spot the hidden agenda in cancelling the parents' right (and duty) to protect their children from religious and trans-promotion. The documents use "LGBTQI+" which is Stonewall's latest claim for their 'trans' community. They consulted only Stonewall and not the independent L or LGB organisations, nor did they involve women's organisations like FairPlayForWomen, WomansPlaceUK and Transgendertrend (this latter has excellent record and experience of schools material; all are hated by transactivists).<br />
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The covert trans-agenda was blurted out by an LGBT-campaigner journalism student, over from Wisconsin - 3rd Sept student <a href="https://www.planetmagazine.org.uk/planet_extra/planet-platform/christian-phelps">piece</a> and 7th Nov. <a href="https://nation.cymru/news/wales-is-preparing-for-a-historic-pro-lgbtq-education-overhaul-what-can-we-learn-from-others/">article</a>. This Christian Phelps seems unaware that in Wales and the UK, the trans-cult has to be more circumspect.<br />
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Let's remember that Kirsty Williams signed up to be a ‘Stonewall ally’. She runs
a department whose <a href="https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/consultations/2019-10/integrated-impact-assessment-ensuring-access-to-the-full-curriculum.pdf">Equality Impact Assessment</a> is based on Stonewall’s
bastardisation of the Equality Act. It
conflates <i>Sex/Gender</i> and redefines <i>Gender Reassignment</i> as “the act of
transitioning and Transgender people”. They don't let on this is the hoary old error of citing the Dept for Education in <i>England </i>and ignoring modern guidance from the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission). The EqIA adopts Stonewall’s fiction of LGBTQI+ and states quite
wrongly that “<i>the rights of LGBTQI+
people to be treated with equality are protected in law</i>”. In fact, the
Equality Act gives the LGB group the right to recognition of their Protected Characteristic,
uncontaminated by TQI+.</div>
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So what did Kirsty Williams do in view of <a href="https://welshwomensvoice.blogspot.com/2019/12/welsh-govt-attempt-to-get-compulsory.html">trenchant criticism</a> of the EqIA? She just
got her trans-people to mark their own homework and re-summarise the same nonsense. Evidently their signing up to Stonewall means
the Welsh Education officials can’t be trusted an inch.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b0bd35_d4b77c75106f490daf00d9cba634d0ed~mv2_d_5199_1598_s_2.png/v1/fill/w_284,h_89,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/Wavehill%20Logo%20ENGLISH%20CMYK.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="89" data-original-width="284" height="62" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b0bd35_d4b77c75106f490daf00d9cba634d0ed~mv2_d_5199_1598_s_2.png/v1/fill/w_284,h_89,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/Wavehill%20Logo%20ENGLISH%20CMYK.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qualification is having an offshoot in Aberaeron and some bilingual ability</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What of the independent reports of the public consultation? The main one is a travesty – written by a group (<i>WaveHill</i>) without expertise. The <i>Young People’s</i> report shows that even the youth parliament warned against compulsive religions, but were ignored. Pleas for non-religious/atheist views were likewise spurned.<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">Humanists UK</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">, who
campaign for a secular state, </span><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51177649" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">said</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit;"> they are </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">"particularly concerned about
the scrapping of the right to withdraw from RE in faith schools, because such
schools will still be able to teach the subject from a faith-based
perspective"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: inherit;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The consultation gave a childish excuse for forcing eg. christianity on islamic children, that their parents “<i>may have option to send their
children to a (muslim) faith school</i>”. As t</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">he document admits "There
is no current equivalent option for parents of other faiths to send their child
to a school where RSE (or RE) will be taught in a way which reflects the tenets
of their faith, while being pluralistic, within the maintained school system in
Wales." With </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">no practical prospect of a slew of new faith schools to 'fill the gaps', the demand for the right-to-withdraw will be unstoppable. Faith groups, gender-critical humanists, feminists and LGBers unite!</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why is Kirsty Williams ploughing ahead, with the LGBTQI+ cause, </span><a href="https://welshwomensvoice.blogspot.com/2019/12/welsh-govt-attempt-to-get-compulsory.html">when</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>telling a child they can choose
their sex or they may be 'born in the wrong body' is not just unscientific but
also dangerous. It encourages children onto the transgender pathway with
huge consequences for their future that they cannot possibly understand</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">She expects public discord and disruption to education (despite smooth talk of care in managing parents). She would set back prospects of community integration. The costs of an epidemic of teenage girls wanting to trans (as in Canada), costs to the NHS as well as long-term stunting of the girls, are not faced. And the Welsh Government is likely to face the Courts for flouting the rights of the child against indoctrination (CEDAW Convention) and parental responsibility.</span></div>
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womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-71007380912120922372020-01-06T07:47:00.001-08:002020-01-21T15:17:39.133-08:00Legal challenge to the transgender schools ‘Toolkit’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">Max Wallis writes: </span><b style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"> Judicial Review Test-Case</b></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">My recently
deceased wife Anne Greagsby attended the Vale Council’s scrutiny
session 18 months ago to speak along with other women against
the Council's new<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/Documents/_Committee%20Reports/Cabinet/2018/18-04-30/Reports/Cabinet-Report-Transgender.pdf"><span style="color: windowtext;">transgender</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>inclusion toolkit. The Cabinet
disregarded them, though promising to review the toolkit after a year.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">They had
expected religious objectors, but the objectors were well-informed feminists,
keen to protect our children from girl/boy stereotypes and insidious ideas like
‘being born in the wrong body’. Anne objected to male-bodied adolescents
using toilet and changing facilities with our girls, contrary to girls' right
under the Equality Act to single-sex provision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The
women's opposition deterred Cardiff other nearby Councils except<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.merthyr.gov.uk/media/3567/transgender-inclusion-toolkit-and-guidance-v-2-final.docx"><span style="color: windowtext;">Merthyr Tydfil</span></a> from copying the Vale,
but several English counties have introduced similar toolkits. The Vale's
transgender toolkit was heavily criticised on the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.transgendertrend.com/the-vale-of-glamorgan-transgender-inclusion-schools-toolkit/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Transgendertrend</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>website.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">An Oxford parent
has courageously mounted a legal challenge to the Oxfordshire Trans Inclusion
Toolkit. She has engaged Sinclairslaw and raised over £11 500
crowdfunding, but may need 2 or 3 times more for this test case.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Can I
appeal in memory of my Anne and for the sake of her grandchildren for Vale
people to donate in support at <i><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://tinyurl.com/crowdjustice-trans-Oxford&source=gmail&ust=1578410671842000&usg=AFQjCNF4TaPtbfq_Z3jb_lT3dVny3rCR5w" href="https://tinyurl.com/crowdjustice-trans-Oxford" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">https://tinyurl.com/<wbr></wbr>crowdjustice-trans-Oxford</span></a></i> ?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Our case
is these <i><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://schools.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/schools/files/folders/folders/documents/antibullying/policies/TransInclusionToolkitforSchools.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1578410671842000&usg=AFQjCNEgyD3ntF0jyvPtwe4RTCFfK-g4sg" href="http://schools.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/schools/files/folders/folders/documents/antibullying/policies/TransInclusionToolkitforSchools.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">Trans
Inclusion Toolkits</span></a></i> are unlawful and damaging to
children. We argue the guidance places the rights of trans-identified
children above the rights of all other children and staff. Teachers
have to ignore sex-based protections, yet they have a statutory duty to protect
children from harm. Teachers are required to set child confidentiality above
parental responsibilities and rights, when they should be working with parents
in the best interests of children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Any parent who
doesn’t affirm their child’s chosen gender identity – an ‘identity’ that’s
often a passing fancy during puberty changes - may be deemed a safeguarding
risk, and referred to social services for causing harm to their child.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p>
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<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s been
rightly called “pernicious” guidance. At present, individual schools can
choose to resist the Toolkit’s prescriptions, but some are already giving
grief, especially to adolescent girls. Pressure to conform may well
come. Please give ‘crowdjustice’ support for the Oxford test case, to win
for us in the Vale too. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white;"><a href="https://safeschoolsallianceuk.net/legal-action/" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: roboto, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none;"> </a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Safe Schools Alliance</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>are backing the case. Details
including a link to the Toolkit and a link to the Solicitors letter can be
found here:<span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #313131;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://safeschoolsallianceuk.net/legal-action/" style="box-sizing: border-box;">https://safeschoolsallianceuk.net/legal-action/</a>. SSA will be attending and be ready to discuss the action at the 1st Feb. conference: </span></span><a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwomansplaceuk.org%2Fconference-womens-liberation-2020%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2nsXIDOJswJgTa8EsdBu4ir8ItEdVRBwd3LTihmy1mH_0jaraBBbXTTts&h=AT0vO0pn5flmlKirJqw6iKJCww8eJPo18dUl4EBQdJiNbzr0VRM1eoBUvPzMeJEwZ_RTze6qT-kOP_fwRwk-H6YFwtn_U418jJDvyfzZK_xDEL1TVxeWwiuuHAaUStaljA" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #129ba2; font-family: 'Cooper Hewitt', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 33.75px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">https://womansplaceuk.org/conference-womens-liberation-2020/</a> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">in London.</span></div>
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womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-3806700464493562522019-12-22T07:40:00.002-08:002019-12-22T07:44:04.599-08:00JK Rowling weighs in behind Maya Forstater<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">Judgement over Maya Forstater case causes a
storm, in large part because JK Rowling tweeted "IStandwithMaya" over
the judge deciding there's no protection for someone holding a reasonable and
sincere belief (not relevant to the job) as protected under the Equality Act. JKR's tweet has 34 000 'comments' and getting on for 200 000 'likes'.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3VN4IVKUpBU/Xf-MJ4l6LjI/AAAAAAAAw6I/XIHQzZWpJjwIni7tTt2RQF0r6uESKMxFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JKRowling%2Btweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="912" height="147" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3VN4IVKUpBU/Xf-MJ4l6LjI/AAAAAAAAw6I/XIHQzZWpJjwIni7tTt2RQF0r6uESKMxFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/JKRowling%2Btweet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">There are reports in the national media, mainly taking off from JK Rowling as in the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/19/jk-rowling-declares-sex-real-defiance-landmark-employment-court/">Telegraph</a>. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> Judge Tayler </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;">characterized Forstater’s comments as proving that “she considers there are two
sexes, male and female, there is no spectrum in sex and there are no
circumstances whatsoever in which a person can change from one sex to another,
or to being of neither sex.” Is this not a reasonable belief? One that’s
commonly held and worthy of protection? The judge also noted that “she would
generally seek to be polite to trans persons and would usually seek to respect
their choice of pronoun but would not feel bound to.” Again, is this not a
reasonable position?</span><br />
<span style="color: #1c1e21;">
<span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><span style="background: white;">The judge
himself notes that Forstater’s approach “is largely that currently adopted by
the law, which still treats sex as binary as defined on a birth certificate.”
And yet he decides that the answer to whether one should be protected from
being fired, simply for politely expressing a belief in biological sex, is no.<br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="color: #1c1e21;">The judge </span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1c1e21;">dressed it up </span></span>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333;">“Even paying due regard to the qualified right
to freedom of expression, people cannot expect to be protected if their core
belief involves violating others’ dignity and creating an intimidating,
hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for them”. </span><span style="color: #1c1e21; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1e21;"> In context, he thinks a belief in biological
sex violates the dignity of Trans-people, yet does not consider the problem
that trans-belief in an internal male/female identity violates the dignity of believers
in biological sex. Nor did he consider
the reality that trans-activists have created an intimidating and offensive
social media environment for those adhering to a belief in biology. Thus JK Rowling was subjected to flurry of
abusive responses to her tweet.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">Thus, the
judgement gives reign to extremist religious groups to object to the hostile
environment of poking fun at believers in Christ or Allah. Creationists can
object to the hostile environment generated by teaching Darwin and
science-based biological evolution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;"> J. K. Rowling is right. The judgement must be
supported to Appeal and overturned.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-49984456410357346302019-12-11T15:38:00.002-08:002019-12-22T07:47:51.174-08:00Maya Forstater: first Legal Case that EqAct protects Sincere Beliefs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Are sincerely-held beliefs protected (like religious beliefs) under the Equality Act?</span></b><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maya Forstater was sacked in March
2019 by a US development charity after using her personal Twitter account to
express the view that “male people are not women”. There was no claim that Maya pushed her views at work, simply that some workplace colleagues complained at her holding such views, with the employing body being pro-LGBT. </span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The legal Appeal over her dismissal was widely
reported, including by the quality <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/11/15/bar-offence-low-discussing-transgender-policy-proposals-tribunal/">papers</a>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2019/11/15/TELEMMGLPICT000216034726_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqM37qcIWR9CtrqmiMdQVx7EkhmWPLjJgfmnnfwdkaCpw.jpeg?imwidth=1240" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2019/11/15/TELEMMGLPICT000216034726_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqM37qcIWR9CtrqmiMdQVx7EkhmWPLjJgfmnnfwdkaCpw.jpeg?imwidth=1240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> The Tribunal sat for over a week in
November and has to decide whether the statement is a belief that should be
protected under the Equality Act 2010, or just a personal opinion. Evidence was
taken from philosophy and law professors, as well as a lifelong transwoman who
lived as a woman but insisted she was still male in experiences from early life
and because each of her cells had the male sex chromosome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> “I believe that sex matters,” Ms
Forstater wrote in her witness statement to the tribunal. “This belief is based
on things that I regard as fundamental scientific facts, as well as basic
logical constructs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> “I have always believed that sex is a
material reality, that being female or male is an immutable biological act, and
that sex matters, and I always will.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> To prove a sincere belief, it has to
be shared by many, evidenced by a body of writings and supported by established
authorities. Being tenable logically and scientifically are additional, which
religions don’t necessarily share, but humanists can claim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Links to reports and documents for the case
are found <a href="https://www.peaktrans.org/maya-forstater/">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ms Forstater's Appeal was crowd-funded (well over-subscribed), including by Martina Navratilova who was also sacked by the BBC for similarly 'offending' transgender activists. After decision in December, the case may well move on to a higher Court.</span></div>
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womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-17980409540888501572019-12-02T11:47:00.000-08:002020-01-21T15:26:05.090-08:00Welsh Govt attempt to get compulsory pro-trans RSE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Response to Welsh Gov. Consultation: </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">https://gov.wales/ensuring-access-full-curriculum</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">“Ensuring Access to the full curriculum” </span></i><i><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> November
2019</span></i><i><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">As a humanist and feminist, I
endorse RSE reflecting the internationally recognised World Health Organisation
(WHO) standards for sexuality education. This definition seeks to encourage
schools to take a joined up approach to education around relationships and
sexuality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Including under s.26 <i>understanding gender</i> is wrong as the term ‘gender’
is socially constructed. It's much misused, including by WG. Missing from s.26
is<i>· understanding puberty and the sexual human. </i>The item<i> · the
human body and development</i> fails to express this; it looks to refer
to a biological description rather than hormones, feelings and emotions, which
must be included in RSE.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> It's evident as in other places
in the document that the Welsh Government is aiming to get its views of
transgender and "LGBTQI+" (adopted from Stonewall) taken on board in
the RSE curriculum. Telling a child they can choose their sex or they may
be 'born in the wrong body' is not just unscientific but also dangerous.
It encourages children onto the transgender pathway with huge
consequences for their future that they cannot possibly understand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Welsh people cannot possibly
trust the WG and its many politicians and institutions who've declared
themselves Stonewall allies to decide on a curriculum free from indoctrination.
You shouldn't trust yourselves to do it. Whatever emerges will be controversial,
which you cannot dismiss by promising "handled carefully".
It follows you have to allow people to choose to withdraw their children
when they object to materials - as they objected to certain books in the
Birmingham schools - though their Headteacher and LGBT advisor Andrew Moffatt
insisted on keeping them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I
concentrate on the EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/consultations/2019-10/integrated-impact-assessment-ensuring-access-to-the-full-curriculum.pdf</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This
ignores the impact on girls as female sex</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">, as in Stonewall's transgenderism, and is thus in breach of basic law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> The sex-based rights of women are
set out in the <i>Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
against Women</i> adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December
1979 (CEDAW). It obliges the WG to take “<i>appropriate measures,
including legislation, to ensure the full development and advancement of women,
for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights
and fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men.’’</i> (Article
3). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Article 5 of the CEDAW states, “<i>States
Parties shall take all appropriate measures: (a) To modify the social and
cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the
elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based
on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on
stereotyped roles for men and women.’’</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> Nowhere do you mention combating gender stereotypes in the RSE syllabus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Gender refers to “<i>the roles, behaviors, activities, and
attributes that a given society at a given time considers appropriate for men
and women… These attributes, opportunities and relationships are socially
constructed and are learned through socialization processes.</i>’’ (Gender
Equality Glossary, UN Women).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> The concept of ‘gender identity’
would makes socially constructed stereotypes into an innate condition, thereby
undermining women’s sex-based rights and in effect breaching CEDAW. Rights relating to sexual orientation are
compatible with women’s sex-based rights, and are necessary to enable lesbians,
whose sexual orientation is towards other women, to fully exercise their
sex-based rights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">We have no confidence that the
WG, being allied with Stonewall, is capable of determining a curriculum that
fully accords with CEDAW.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Your heading <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Gender Reassignment (the act of
transitioning and Transgender people) </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">is false - the Equality Act 2010 and recent guidance on it defines
the protected characteristic GR as <b>transsexuals</b>. Most 'transgender'
people are hardly 'transitioning' and don't intend to undergo the surgical
operations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> You would "encourage schools
to consider how they provide support and learning to LGBTQI+" This
is a quite different group to transsexuals (=GR) who are not given EqAct 'protection'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">You
state <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">"Research
put forward in the Stonewall School Report Cymru (2017) shows LGBTQI+
identifying young people are still more likely to suffer poor mental health,
self-harm and depression. The changes to RSE in the curriculum look to combat
this by helping all learners feel emotionally and physically safe and secure so
they are able to achieve their full potential."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> That 'research' by an advocacy
group has been much criticised (see <i>Transgendertrend</i>) so cannot be used
to determine changes to the curriculum. Many teenagers have mental issues, the
LGBTQI+ "group" is Stonewall's fiction. Pushing transgenderism
in the curriculum is likely to worsen emotional states. Tavistock statistics
indicate that accepting teenagers onto the trans-pathway may worsen self harm
and suicide ideation (<i>Transgendertrend</i>).
Moreover, it's proving to be emotionally upsetting for many girls to
endure male-bodies in their school washrooms etc.; forcing on them the idea
that they must accept this has emotional consequences and safety risks that you
and Stonewall wrongly ignore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">You admit "<i>there has been contention around these
proposals and that could, if not handled carefully, have a negative impact on
learners either in general or in the specific context of an individual school</i>."
Are you alleging they were not handled carefully in Birmingham?
It's likely that some schools/governors in Wales will likewise be unable
to handle parent protests "carefully", so Wales should keep the
parents' right of withdrawal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><b>Religion, belief and
non-belief</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">You accept "<i>for RE, a decision to not to include a right
to withdraw in the new curriculum will have a negative impact on some religious
groups. Based on the evidence we have been able to gather, it will be a
particular issue for Jehovah’s Witnesses and humanists</i>".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This appears to be the only
reference to humanists in the document. Cardiff humanists are an active
public group, so why did you talk only to Jehovah Witnesses and not to us
humanists?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> Your excuse that some religious
groups “<i>may have option to send their
children to a faith school</i>” is unacceptable. You need some alternative for
all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> You admit "There is no
current equivalent option for parents of other faiths to send their child to a
school where RSE (or RE) will be taught in a way which reflects the tenets of
their faith, while being pluralistic, within the maintained school system in
Wales<i>. [Such schools could be established following a school organisation
proposal]" </i>There is no practical proposal for this - maintain
the right-to-withdraw until there are options for the large majority, including
anti-trans humanists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">You use the protected
characteristic<b> Sex / Gender </b> and write
of "disadvantage based on gender"<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">That’s a travesty! The Equality Act 2010 defines the p.c. as <b>Sex</b>.
This Equality Assessment has to follow that definition. Under-18s cannot change their gender (Gender
Recognition Act); this section has to be concerned solely with disadvantage
based on Sex.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Boys who claim a female ’gender
identity’ are being enabled to access opportunities and protections set aside
for girls.. This constitutes a form of discrimination against females, and
endangers women’s fundamental rights to safety, dignity and equality.
This assessment has to admit this 'impact' on girls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The WG is in breach of CEDAW
(above) by adopting Stonewall’s conflation of their notion of gender with sex; sex
is defined by the UN “<i>the physical and biological characteristics that
distinguish males from females</i>.’’ (Gender Equality Glossary, UN
Women). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> You have apparently engaged with
Jehovah Witnesses, but not with Women’s groups concerned about protecting the
rights of women and girls, <i>Fair Play for Women </i>etc. Your bias
against girls/women in ignoring our rights is outrageous. I refer you to
the <i>Declaration on Women’s sex-based rights</i>, that's been well
publicised and supported since launched in March. Your whole section has to be
withdrawn and reconsidered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Sexual orientation (Lesbian, Gay
and Bisexual)</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I strongly object to the
inclusion of “TQI+ learners” under sexual orientation. This is a
Stonewall fiction. LGB does not include sexual fetishes. The Welsh
provision for Trans caters only for over-18s, like the GRAct, so not school
"learners". <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It's factually wrong that <i>the
rights of LGBTQI+ people to be treated with equality are protected in
law. </i> I take issue with Stonewall-influenced training which shows in
this false statement by you. It detracts from the real need of the
LGB group for recognition of their Protected Characteristic, uncontaminated by
TQI+. Further, your misrepresentation of the law (according to Stonewall)
looks deliberate - did you never check this basic point?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">You have engaged with Jehovah
Witnesses, but not with LGB groups (eg. LGB Alliance, Lesbian Rights Alliance);
these do not accept that Stonewall any longer represents LGB or L alone.
Why did you not try to engage with them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Human Rights and UN Conventions</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Your insertion of transgenderism into the curriculum. as also traditional RE,
breaches Article 9 on freedom of thought, conscience and religion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Cults propagating such views have to be excluded
from our schools, though their beliefs may be discussed like beliefs in astrology and an
after-life. Welsh RSE can cover serious religions, but give priority to
humanism as a belief system rooted in a scientific approach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Not including a Right to Withdraw
and the pluralism requirement:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">You say "The Welsh
Government considers the proposals for RE and RSE are compliant with the
Convention Rights". But you haven't considered the rights of girls
impacted by your promotion of transgender ideas and even fellow 'learners', and
you haven't considered that this is indoctrination, breaching Article 9 as
interpreted by the ECHR.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Therefore, the parents’
right-to-withdraw must be preserved and strengthened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Anne Greagsby </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">(completed posthumously)</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-77547533984110292412018-12-29T07:11:00.003-08:002019-12-02T06:25:08.059-08:00What is feminism? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oa--rpMHTj8xKPu5a9NK1H39kHYE4Jty6cHS39_YRFg5W-pxKcBLqCbYxJJvwir0T7nEFfCsEn-aqymofLKOLv-jQa9fUC0TPPZcF6UwjKIcrnUhCUfCbuQY1aUDEA7oIkIRj0Cyn_b6VBolK5Q3wCU8sjUxKxD3a9tcCEobCCmQ0mEJKxdlMZvm5c2U4bh_F1sVPQPdU4SxmY8E8yuu9LQrx1vqzKT255sRjnTruH9Va9cKLpP-aUO5tT6AI22hkVLYXMhBsQWcZSIblxM-q3jSXaNrlmx4DGPGyxByoXawKBT_XKgRfIKJkzMStnsHuuLhZ-az30yxNCjWNTxCfjkXm9RpV1yl7ZfLoOgdCEUblQdZiZmc23GoB0laRlgtY3wxTiSCcmb0qvmEYTHr7Qh5L95II7aLq25SLxzQKg3bpaVilsHLQcvE9pc8rvuYpgLAecGHGJS8SxKR8oJ8_lzpJguoeGyqYZTZPbJzRG8muuQAh6ZVazB1ieF-9l89DFfIEMDoqor3ylOGZ65N_lxRNohtB-9gERs5rsPCgsB-QMZyFNuLDs3lTblH6j6AUbKOPbhz3BGyYqFsHMnyf0ikHcwXO8rK2kCNTvnyUlj_cPNWI6r-G3mMDxeAw_w2v7ZRdqxBfKsV6bNu-n17nOabJg=w1061-h334-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oa--rpMHTj8xKPu5a9NK1H39kHYE4Jty6cHS39_YRFg5W-pxKcBLqCbYxJJvwir0T7nEFfCsEn-aqymofLKOLv-jQa9fUC0TPPZcF6UwjKIcrnUhCUfCbuQY1aUDEA7oIkIRj0Cyn_b6VBolK5Q3wCU8sjUxKxD3a9tcCEobCCmQ0mEJKxdlMZvm5c2U4bh_F1sVPQPdU4SxmY8E8yuu9LQrx1vqzKT255sRjnTruH9Va9cKLpP-aUO5tT6AI22hkVLYXMhBsQWcZSIblxM-q3jSXaNrlmx4DGPGyxByoXawKBT_XKgRfIKJkzMStnsHuuLhZ-az30yxNCjWNTxCfjkXm9RpV1yl7ZfLoOgdCEUblQdZiZmc23GoB0laRlgtY3wxTiSCcmb0qvmEYTHr7Qh5L95II7aLq25SLxzQKg3bpaVilsHLQcvE9pc8rvuYpgLAecGHGJS8SxKR8oJ8_lzpJguoeGyqYZTZPbJzRG8muuQAh6ZVazB1ieF-9l89DFfIEMDoqor3ylOGZ65N_lxRNohtB-9gERs5rsPCgsB-QMZyFNuLDs3lTblH6j6AUbKOPbhz3BGyYqFsHMnyf0ikHcwXO8rK2kCNTvnyUlj_cPNWI6r-G3mMDxeAw_w2v7ZRdqxBfKsV6bNu-n17nOabJg=w1061-h334-no" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; padding: 0px;">
Munroe Bergdorf mansplaining feminism...</div>
<div style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/31/man-explains-what-means-be-woman">You might have thought that the #MeToo campaign</a>, in which women have been speaking out about the universality of sexual assault and rape, would make people more sympathetic to concerns about female safety. You would be wrong: nothing makes you look more liberal these days than shouting at women who express anxiety based on their experiences.</div>
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<span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;">But then, as with experts, apparently we’ve all had enough of lived experience now. When a 19-year-old trans woman</span><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"> </span><a class="u-underline" data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/trans-teenager-lily-madigan-voted-in-as-a-labour-women-s-officer-mwchkhzq8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; color: #7d0068; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none !important; touch-action: manipulation; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out;">was elected a Labour woman’s officer</a><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;">last year, a Labour councillor explained that “lived experience as a woman” was not a pre-requisite to be a woman’s officer. Biology, too, has been deemed terribly passe. “Inclusive feminism,” Plaid Cymru’s</span><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"> </span><a class="u-underline" data-link-name="in body link" href="https://www.leannerhondda.wales/inclusive_feminism" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; color: #7d0068; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none !important; touch-action: manipulation; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out;">Leanne Wood wrote</a><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;">when considering why self-identifying trans women should be allowed into women’s refuges, understands that “gender is a complex and deeply personal thing, and is about so much more than outdated ideas of biology.” <b>On the day of this year’s Women’s March,</b></span><b><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"> </span><a class="u-underline" data-link-name="in body link" href="https://twitter.com/MunroeBergdorf/status/954775970824810498" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; color: #7d0068; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Guardian Text Egyptian Web', Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px; text-decoration: none !important; touch-action: manipulation; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out;">trans model Munroe Bergdorf tweeted</a><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "guardian text egyptian web" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;">that to “center reproductive systems” at the demonstrations was “reductive and exclusionary”.</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fef9f5; color: #121212; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24px;"><a href="https://www.feministcurrent.com/2018/02/27/munroe-bergdorf-like-please-keep-vaginas-feminism/%20via%20@FeministCurrent">Munroe Bergdorf would like you to please keep your vaginas out of his feminism </a></span></div>
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<a href="https://medium.com/@kathleenstock/arguing-about-feminism-and-transgenderism-an-opinionated-guide-for-the-perplexed-eabd8208469f" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.015em; line-height: 1.04;">Arguing about feminism and transgenderism: an opinionated guide for the perplexed</a></div>
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<span class="markup--strong markup--h3-strong" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"></span><br />
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<span class="markup--strong markup--h3-strong" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://fairplayforwomen.com/gender-critical-feminism/">FAIRPLAY FOR WOMEN have written a series of short posts</a> to guide you through some of the basic concepts in feminism and to help explain why modern transgender theory is concerning for some women.</span></div>
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tl:dr – The words gender and sex do not mean the same thing!</div>
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womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-70948339098567022252013-02-27T05:09:00.003-08:002020-01-06T07:32:08.153-08:00Efforts to establish a Peace Institute in Wales<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The
2012 Initiative for an </b><i><b>Academi
Heddwch </b></i><b>plus
historical summary of campaigning </b><b>for
a Welsh </b><i><b>Peace Institute</b></i><b>, which fell apart.</b></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stephen
Thomas records that the WCIA initiated the idea of a Welsh Peace
Institute in 2008 (e-mail* to Ben Gregory, Kelvin Mason, Jill Evans
MEP and Jill Gough CND Cymru). </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stephen introduced it at the Peace
Festival in Bangor 18-19<sup>th</sup> October, where Jill Evans spoke
in support [1]. Jill saw the Military Academy
to be built in St Athan as the catalyst
for the idea of a Peace Academy [2], a view echoed by Adam Price MP
who had nevertheless argued for Wales to win the project in the
Westminster committee [3]. Peter Sutch of Cardiff University
formulated an alternative educational/academic concept* in Nov. Nic
Wheeler of UCW Aberystwyth was interested, came to the 4<sup>th</sup>
July 2009 Cynefin y Werin meeting, but later backed off.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A
coordinating group met in Bangor alongside the October 2009 Festival
and agreed to take it up through Cynefin y Werin, with a first
meeting in Aberystwyth on 14<sup>th</sup> March 2009 (reported by
Kelvin Mason in <i>Peace News</i>, April 2009 [4]). Invitations* to
a working group <i>‘Project Meeting’</i> on 4<sup>th</sup> July
were sent out by Jill Gough (CND Cymru) on behalf of Cynefin y Werin.
It heard cases from Robin Gwyndaf and John Cox on the title, adopting
'Academi Heddwch' but preferring 'Peace Institute' as the English
form. The meeting agreed on mobilising around a Petition to the
Senedd Committee and was keen to seek broad support, from
organisations far from 'peace' groups, and to avoid any
identification with CND. Campaigning for the Academi would be
non-partisan and aim for support from all political parties. Several
people volunteered to form an interim steering group to progress the
Petition.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
Petitions Committee application [5] submitted in Sept. 2009 with 1500
signatories led to a cool response* from Rhodri Morgan, who suggested
a university-based collaborative institute, focussing on social
science based research. Nevertheless, the Petitioners continued to
press for a broader concept:</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.54cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“a
P<i>eace Institute </i>concerned
with Peace and Human Rights, comparable with those supported by state
governments in Flanders, Catalonia and elsewhere in Europe”</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Representatives
of the Flanders Peace Institute were brought over to give oral
evidence* to the Committee in Feb.2010). Public meetings in
Carmarthen and Bangor heard addresses from the Flanders
representatives, with a lecture in Aberystwyth. With the new
Assembly elected in 2010, Carwyn Jones was asked for his view* – in
August 2011, he endorsed Rhodri Morgan’s position, declared there's
no WG funding, but still asked for a detailed and fully costed
proposal.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stephen
Thomas was losing patience with the Petitions Committee by Sept.
2011, and suggested* another way, for Cynefin y Werin to sponsor
peer-reviewed credible research into Welsh situations and issues, and
disseminate this publicly. But his proposal was given limited
circulation and shelved by those still hoping of Senedd progress, so
another year was lost.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then
in October 2011 the Petitions Committee decided on hearings into the
Petition and put out a call for evidence. Robin Gwyndaf played a big
role in encouraging Welsh organisations to respond to the Petitions
Committee call for evidence, as is evident in the ~70 submissions and
his personal evidence with a published article (<i>see</i>
http://Academiheddwchcymru.blogspot.com). The final output from the
Petitions committee was very disappointing when it came in January
2012.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It
stalled the Senedd process with their decision to:</span></div>
<ol>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Forward
the petition and information gathered so far to the Cross-Party
Group on Human Rights and request that the working up of a concept
for the establishment of such an institution is placed on future
agendas;</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Forward
the consultation responses gathered to the petitioners to work up a
concept in parallel and suggest that they lobby individual Members
to hold a Member-led debate in Plenary on the subject.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Neither
of these happened; John Cox hoped (*, p.78) a
Senedd <i>All-Party
Group on Peace</i> would
be formed in 2013, which “<i>may
make it possible to progress this matter”</i>. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stephen
Thomas sent out an invitation (<i>4</i><sup><i>th</i></sup><i>
October, below)</i> to the 9<sup>th</sup> October 2012 meeting,
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(held
following the presentation of the anti-Drone petition, led by Mererid
Hopwood).</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His
motivation was the call from Cardiff UNA for a
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.9cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>one-day
conference (as broad-based as possible), to discuss the nature, role
and duties of a Wales Peace Institute and to agree arrangements for
its structure and funding'.</i></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stephen
wrote in his invitation email (4<sup>th</sup> October 2012)</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.87cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>..convening
a meeting of those at the Cardiff UNA gathering who expressed a
personal wish to be involved in the next step of the process (8
people). ...also invite those who gathered a couple of times last
autumn to give the Academi Heddwch project a push forward then.</i></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stephen
explained the intention was</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.77cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><u>the
creation of a diverging process</u></i><i> </i>from the<i>
</i><i>discussion process on the issue within certain parts of the
National Assembly for Wales</i></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A
further meeting on 16 October set up a Steering group to organise the
‘broad-based’ conference under the name Academi Heddwch
Cymru/Wales Peace Academy for 23<sup>rd</sup>
March 2013 in Aberystwyth. An important target of this separate
initiative was to create a body that would establish the Academi
Heddwch as a project within the 2014 commemoration of the Centenary
of the start of World War I. However, conference preparations were
stalled in February by Cox and Gwyndaf opposed to an independent membership body that would bid for WW1 funds. A semi-formal committee was chosen to continue under Cox and friends. This hardly functioned and they let the WCIA include 'peace' projects in a large and successful bid for resources. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gR4ZgVHyzLI/XfGLtSvBT-I/AAAAAAAAwwA/8Adxkwr8WR4Twzw4UH9QjrHgTC18Tc18ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/WCIA%2Baccounts%2B2017-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="645" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gR4ZgVHyzLI/XfGLtSvBT-I/AAAAAAAAwwA/8Adxkwr8WR4Twzw4UH9QjrHgTC18Tc18ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/WCIA%2Baccounts%2B2017-8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The WCIA accounts shows they did not even spend the money, with £238k remaining in 2018 in the "Wales for Peace" account. John Cox's committee had not functioned. while Stephen Thomas and Robin Gwyndaf had wound up Cynefin y Werin (opposed by Max Wallis), so there was no-one to salvage anything for pursuing the Academi Heddwch goal. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NOTES
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*
denotes documents within John Cox's 84-page dossier ('summary'),
dated 1 Feb.2013</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[1]
<a href="http://www.genny.force9.co.uk/news/27/p10_11_jan09.pdf">report of Bangor festival </a>by Phil Steele <span lang="zxx"><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[2]
** see also<a href="http://www.jillevans.net/jill_evans_speeches_peace_institute_091120.html"> Jill Evans’s speech</a> in November 2009 <span lang="zxx"><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[3]
“I did back the campaign to bring the training facility to Wales.
This was based on the economical benefits .<a href="http://stathanmilitaryacademypoliticians.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/adam-price-asmp.html">here</a> <span lang="zxx"><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[4]
<a href="http://peacenews.info/node/4131/peace-institute-step-closer">Kelvin Mason report</a> of Aberystwyth meeting in March 2009 </span></div>
<div class="western" style="background: #ffffff; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[5]
Petition Wording: We call upon the
National Assembly for Wales to investigate the potential for and
practicality of Wales having a Peace Institute concerned with Peace
and Human Rights, comparable with those supported by state
governments in Flanders, Catalonia and elsewhere in Europe</span></div>
<div class="western" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">National Assembly for Wales </span><span style="background-color: white;">P-03-262 <a href="http://www.senedd.assemblywales.org/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=0918">Academi Heddwch Cymru</a> / Wales Peace Institute</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Lead
petitioner</i><i>:</i><b><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</span></b><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Welsh
Centre for International
Affairs, </span>Cymdeithas<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> y </span>Cynod<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">, </span>Cynefin<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> y </span>Werin<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> and
CND Cymru</span>. <i><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Number
of signatures:</span></i><b> </b>1525</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From
Stephen Thomas, Cynefin y Werin, 4<sup>th</sup>
October 2012</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.03cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Annwyl
Bawb / Dear All,</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As
some of you know, I spoke to the Cardiff and district branch of the
United Nations Association 10 days ago on 'The Prospects for an
Academi Heddwch/Peace Institute for Wales'. It was their choice of
topic for noting the International Day of Peace.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At
the end of that meeting a resolution was passed, with no objections:
'..welcoming a one-day conference (as broad-based as possible), to
discuss the nature, role and duties of a Wales Peace Institute and
to agree arrangements for its structure and funding'. It was hoped
that the conference could be arranged by Cynefin y Werin and
could take place 'before the revived enthusiasm for a Welsh Peace
Institute becomes dissipated with the passage of time'.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cynefin
y Werin has acted - in the first instance by convening a meeting of
those at the Cardiff UNA gathering who expressed a personal wish to
be involved in the next step of the process (8 people). Cynefin y
Werin thought it correct and necessary also to invite to that
meeting those who gathered a couple of times last autumn to give the
Academi Heddwch project a push forward then.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hence
your inclusion on the invitation to attend this forthcoming meeting
at: <b>2.30
pm, Tuesday 9 October at Coffee Mania Crema Caf</b>é<b> ,
Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay (city centre end of the building).</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From
this it is aimed to obtain a structure to organise a
subsequent conference in (?) spring 2013. Cynefin y Werin has
committed itself to providing funding for that conference. It is not
intended to detract from what may continue of the discussion
process on the issue within certain parts of the National Assembly
for Wales: but at the very least the creation of a diverging process
was now felt to be worth pursuing.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please
let me know if you are able to come Tuesday next week; and of any
matters that you wish to input to the process if you are not going
to be there.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hwyl
/ Regards</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stephen</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.53cm; orphans: 2; page-break-before: always; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b>PRESS
ITEMS</b></u></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.53cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="zxx"><u><b>Wales
Peace Festival</b></u></span>18-19
October 2008
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Phil
Steele’s report re Wales peace
Festival <i><b>Speaking out</b></i><b>
</b>in <i>Wrexham
Peace & Justice News</i></span></div>
<div class="western" style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stephen
Thomas of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs, after an
interview on Radio Cymru, kicked off the first day with a lucid
discussion of peace building, credibility and reform within the
United Nations. Jill Evans MEP, Chair of CND Cymru, raised issues of
nuclear proliferation and security in the Middle East, with
special reference to Palestine. She floated the idea of founding a
Wales Peace Institute, a proposal which received support from the
floor. <a href="http://www.genny.force9.co.uk/news/27/p10_11_jan09.pdf">See here </a><span lang="zxx"><u></u></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A
small meeting was held upstairs at the Anglesey Arms to discuss the
future of the Wales Peace Festivals, the future direction of Cynefin
y Werin, wider collaboration with other movements and organisations
in Wales, and the idea of a Wales Peace Institute. It was agreed to
progress these discussions at a meeting in Aberystwyth in the New
Year. Kelvin Mason of Aberystwyth Peace Network chaired the meeting,
James Maiden of Cynefin y Werin took the minutes. <a href="http://www.peaceandprogress.org/wpf-08.html"> see here</a> <span lang="zxx"><u></u></span></span></div>
<h2 align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a class="western" href="http://peacenews.info/node/4096/instituting-peace-wales">Instituting
peace in Wales</a></u></span>
News
| March 2009</span></h2>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.<a href="http://peacenews.info/node/4096/instituting-peace-wales">
A meeting of the </a><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://peacenews.info/node/4096/instituting-peace-wales">Cynefin
Y Werin </a></span></strong><a href="http://peacenews.info/node/4096/instituting-peace-wales">networkin March </a>will aim to take this idea forward. ...</span></div>
<h2 class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.53cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><u>Peace
Institute a step closer<a href="http://peacenews.info/node/4131/peace-institute-step-closer">http://peacenews.info/node/4131/peace-institute-step-closer</a></u></span>
News
| April 2009</span></h2>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...
that Saturday afternoon, and top of the agenda was a
Wales <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Peace</span></strong> <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Institute</span></strong>.
Some of us had been working towards this meeting since the …</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span lang="zxx"><u><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.jillevans.net/jill_evans_speeches_peace_institute_091120.html">The PeaceInstitute- Jill Evans MEP - Plaid Ymlaen - Plaid Forward </a></span></u></span></h3>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nov
20, 2009 –The
catalyst for the idea of a p<em><span style="font-style: normal;">eace
Academy </span></em>was
the shock and...</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cymdeithas
y Cymod, the Welsh Centre for <em><span style="font-style: normal;">International
</span></em>Affairs,
<em><span style="font-style: normal;">Cynefin
y Werin </span></em>and...</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span lang="zxx" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="zxx"><u>A
peace institute for Wales?<a href="http://peacenews.info/node/4117/peace-institute-wales">http://peacenews.info/node/4117/peace-institute-wales</a></u></span>
News
| December 2009</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...
calling for the National Assembly of Wales to create
a <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Peace</span></strong> <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Institute</span></strong> comparable
with those in Flanders, Catalonia, Finland, Norway and … <span lang="zxx"><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<h3 class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.cndcymru.org/category/news">CNDCymru » Wales Peace Institute – Presentation to </a></u></span><cite style="line-height: 121%;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></cite><span style="line-height: 121%;">Feb
19, 2010</span></span></h3>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A
<em><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>Wales
Peace Institute </b></span></em>could
advise and inform the Assembly on policies<b>...</b>Y
Senedd <em><span style="font-style: normal;">Meeting
</span></em>with
Nelly Maes and Tomas Baum all welcome<b>...</b><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Stephen
Thomas of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs commented:</span></strong></span></div>
<blockquote class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘Much
work is already being done in various parts of Wales in the field of
encouraging peace and preventing violent conflict. There is teaching
at schools and universities, academic research, and campaigning on
peace matters. It is fitting to seek to strengthen the efforts of so
many organisations and individuals, through the co-ordination that
would be provided by a national Peace Institute.’</span></blockquote>
<a href="http://www.cndcymru.org/wales-peace-institute-presentation-to-national-assembly-petitions-committee"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See here </span></a><br />
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.4cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<u><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.4cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<u><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a class="western" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&ved=0CFkQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aber.ac.uk%2Fen%2Finterpol%2Fresearch%2Fresearch-centres-and-institutes%2Fddmi%2Fevents%2Fseminars%2Ftitle-91698-en.html&ei=PM8PUb_lKYGV0QWf1YDwBw&usg=AFQjCNFlHVbdNkXqahcR0mq1Hf3s-sX8Ng&sig2=IX0DZ1phM14YidK4vexrHg">Lecture
by the President of the Flemish Peace Institute- Aberystwyth...</a></span></u></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<img align="LEFT" border="0" height="134" name="graphics2" src="https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/interpol/research/research-centres-and-institutes/ddmi/events/seminars/p_james.jpg" width="200" /><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lecture
by the President of the Flemish <em><span style="font-style: normal;">Peace
Institute</span></em>.
24 February 2010. L-R: Mr. Penri James;...The lecture was part of a
visit to <em><span style="font-style: normal;">Wales
</span></em>in
support of calls locally for a <em><span style="font-style: normal;">Wales
Peace Institute</span></em>.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/interpol/research/research-centres-and-institutes/ddmi/events/seminars/title-91698-en.html</span></div>
<blockquote class="western" style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> L-R:
Mr. Penri James; Jill Evans, MEP; and Professor Nicholas Wheeler,
DDMI Director. Photo by Syd Morgan.
</span></blockquote>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a class="western" href="http://peacenews.info/node/4147/bringing-message-flemish-peace-institute-wales">Bringing
the message of the Flemish Peace Institute to Wales</a></u></span>
News
| April 2010</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nelly
Maes, president of the Flemish <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Peace
Institute</span></strong>,
spoke at the David Davies Memorial <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Institute</span></strong>(DDMI)
in Aberystwyth ... part of a visit to Wales in support of calls for a
Wales</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Peace
Institute</span></strong>.
On 23 February, Maes and Tomas Baum, director of the Flemish …</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<h2 class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a class="western" href="http://peacenews.info/node/4130/nonviolence-research-network">A
Nonviolence Research Network?</a></u></span>
News
| October 2010</span></h2>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Regular
readers of this page will know that the <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Cynefin
Y Werin </span></strong>network
is pursuing a major project to establish a Peace Institute … <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Regular
readers of this page will know that the Cynefin Y Werin network is
pursuing a major project to establish a Peace Institute (Academi
Heddwch), working with academics and others in Wales. The Peace
Institute is likely to be based on the model of the Flemish Peace
Institute. Delegates from Cynefin Y Werin have visited Brussels and
speakers from the institute undertook a speaking tour of Wales. The
Wales project has the rhetorical support of the Welsh Assembly
government but the prospects of any material support from that
quarter seem extremely unlikely.</span></strong></span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="line-height: 0.48cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a class="western" href="http://peacenews.info/node/4138/peace-institute-palestine-solidarity">From
Peace Institute to Palestine Solidarity</a></u></span>
News | November 2010</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...
posted its official decision on the ambition for
a <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Peace</span></strong> <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Institute</span></strong> (Academi
Heddwch) in Wales. “The committee agreed to: undertake ..</span></div>
<h2 class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.53cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://peacenews.info/node/3559/re-energising-network-cynefin-y-werin">Re-energisinga network: Cynefin y Werin</a> </u></span>Feature
| August 2011</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...
The task of pursuing these questions was taken on board by <strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Cynefiny
Werin</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">(Common
Ground) “a network of organisations which promotes equality, .</span>..</span></div>
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womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-12703734100337383762009-03-08T01:48:00.000-08:002009-03-08T01:49:42.911-08:00Women in the Russian RevolutionTo mark International Women's Day, /Links International Journal of<br />Socialist Renewal/ is publishing an excerpt from Resistance Books'<br />/Comrades in arms: Women in the Russian Revolution/, by Kathy Fairfax,<br />and making available the entire pamphlet to download in PDF format.<br />By *Kathy Fairfax*<br /><br />The popular image of the Russian Revolution is of a revolution made by<br />men. Ask the person in the street to name a figure from the Russian<br />Revolution and most could come up with Lenin, Stalin, maybe Trotsky. A<br />few might have heard of Zinoviev, Kamenev or Bukharin. But how many<br />would name Kollontai, Armand or Krupskaya? How many know of the women<br />who helped make revolution in Russia? How many know about the thousands<br />of female Bolsheviks who marched through the streets of Petrograd in<br />1917 or shouted revolutionary speeches to cheering crowds or wrote and<br />distributed pamphlets calling for revolution? In fact, women<br />revolutionaries inspired the working class the world over and<br />inaugurated a new era in world history.<br /><br />Excerpt and download at <a target="_blank" href="http://links.org.au/node/934">http://links.<wbr>org.au/node/<wbr>934</a><br /><br />Subscribe free to /Links - International Journal of Socialist Renewal/ -<br />at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=343373">http://www.feedblit<wbr>z.com/f/?<wbr>Sub=343373</a>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-54545502724037642002009-02-28T11:04:00.000-08:002009-02-28T11:08:01.763-08:00Let's turn this International Women's Day into a day of protest against sexual apartheid!Let's turn this International Women's Day into a day of protest against sexual apartheid!<br /><br />The hundredth anniversary of March 8, International Women's Day, is on its way. On this momentous occasion, we proclaim 2008 as the year against sexual apartheid. We call on people everywhere to condemn sexual apartheid and the political Islamic movement that perpetrates<br />it, and to support egalitarian movements that courageously challenge it.<br /><br />We invite all to sign the below declaration and call for an end to sexual apartheid.<br /><br />Declaration<br />We, the undersigned, unequivocally oppose sexual apartheid and the subjugation of millions of women living under Islamic rules and laws.<br /><br />We condemn regimes and the political Islamic movement that perpetrate sexual apartheid, including in Iran.<br /><br />We support the legitimate struggle of millions of women and men for freedom, equality and universal rights.<br /><br />Sexual apartheid, like racial apartheid, has no place in the 21 Century.<a href="http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/initi" onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span>http://www.onelawforall.or</span><wbr><span class="word_break"></span>g.uk/initi</a><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/I_GIdnJGKEQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/I_GIdnJGKEQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-1188005573952706042009-02-16T03:28:00.000-08:002009-02-16T03:33:57.481-08:0072% of women are opposed to nuclear power<span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wen.org.uk/general_pages/Newsitems/ms_nuclear10.1.08.htm">womens views on nuclear power.</a></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">WEN say The government’s decision to give the green light to new nuclear power stations flies in the face of women’s views. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">72% of women are opposed to nuclear power.<sup>1</sup> A recent survey for WEN<sup>2</sup> found that 58% would prefer to live near any other form of power station than nuclear and 86% think the government should prioritise investment in renewable energy as the top measure to tackle climate change. Women have been excluded from the decision making process and our voices are being ignored.<br /></span></p> <span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">1. WEN, European Commission and Guardian-ICM polls quoted in WEN’s Response to the DTI Energy Review 2006</span> <span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><br /> <br /> 2. Joint WEN/NFWI survey to inform the Women’s Manifesto on Climate Change 2006.</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />and another survey...</span><span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> shows 80% of women are very concerned about climate change. Ninety eight percent of the respon</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_56mi7w2JT1E/SZlPEJLYp8I/AAAAAAAAJTM/OH5OTPYxQnw/s1600-h/age.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_56mi7w2JT1E/SZlPEJLYp8I/AAAAAAAAJTM/OH5OTPYxQnw/s320/age.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303356968807212994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">dents are keen to see the UK demonstrating world leadership in tackling climate change but 97% don’t think the Government and industry are doing enough. </span> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Women want more green products and carbon labelling of goods (85%), lower prices for environmentally friendly products (85%) and more government grants and incentives for energy efficiency and micro-generation to reduce carbon emissions.</span></p><p>Cardiff Council are certainly not doing enough as the Lib Dems and Plaid carry on with new labour plans to destroy our parks through commercialisation and buld roads and carparks in the park for articulated lorries and sky tv vans!</p><p>More on that <a href="http://no2lorriesinbutepark.blogspot.com/">here</a><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-59349783904213214432009-01-23T03:14:00.000-08:002009-01-23T03:17:59.307-08:00Gov sneaky move to limit your privacy and liberty<span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >I am concerned about the threat to my </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">liberty and </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >privacy by t</span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >he Coroners and Justice Bill</span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;" > being rushed through Parliament and you should be too.<br /></span> <span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Clause 152 of the Bill </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >is </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">due for its first debate in the Commons on Monday 26th January and would convert the Data Protection Act into its exact opposite. It would allow ministers to make 'Information Sharing Orders', that can alter any Act of Parliament and cancel all rules of confidentiality in order to allow information obtained for one purpose to be used for another. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Write to your mp and ask him/her to p</span></span> <span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >lease read Part 8 (clauses 151 - 154) of the Coroners and Justice Bill, and oppose the massive enabling powers in the "Information sharing" clause. The Bill contains a number of controversial provisions, but could appear mainly to be about reforming inquests and sentencing. It is due its Second Reading in the Commons on 26th January 2009.<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >These clauses be given proper Parliamentary scrutiny as this will affect every single one of your constituents, unlike the rest of the Bill. I am concerned that the government will set a timetable that will cut off debate before these proposals - which are at the end of the Bill - are discussed. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;" >The government must keep limits and monitor the information available to officials. </span>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-13460990770007676972009-01-06T07:45:00.000-08:002009-01-06T07:47:03.476-08:00"Behind every great man, there is a surprised woman."<h2 class="title"><span style="font-size:85%;">Quote of the Week.</span></h2> <p style="margin: 0px 0px 14px; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(0, 102, 0); line-height: 19px;" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial;" class="Apple-style-span"></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; padding: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);" class="Apple-style-span">"Behind every great man, there is a surprised woman."</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; padding: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryon_Moody"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51);" class="Apple-style-span">Maryon Pearson.</span></a></p>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-86473064137412910772008-12-18T10:40:00.000-08:002008-12-18T10:41:54.105-08:00Iraq, women and shoes!<p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#333333;">Brilliant protest here</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#333333;">With one hurl of his shoes, Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi brought the plight of the Iraqi people to the world's attention. "<b><span style="color:#ff0099;">This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq!</span></b>," he shouted to Bush. We, too, feel anguish for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq and we were moved by al-Zaidi's passionate outcry. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#333333;">That's why we moved into action to defend him. On Tuesday <a target="_blank" href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=E7RyJleW%2BkIxTTVMyfA5rbSKHunjQSSv"><span style="color:#ff0099;">we confronted the Iraqi Ambassador to the U.S.</span></a> when he was at a public event. We also took a letter to the Iraqi Embassy, signed by groups around the country, calling for Al-Zaidi's release. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#333333;">And yesterday, <span style="color:#ff0099;">CODEPINK</span> gathered outside the White House and around the country to display <a target="_blank" href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ue3FR7h8FUZEjVImruQdLbSKHunjQSSv"><span style="color:#ff0099;">shoes representing innocent Iraqis</span></a> who have died since Bush's illegal occupation of Iraq. In Washington DC we also had a shoe-throwing contest at a paper maché George Bush.(<a target="_blank" href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=iDKnVvxEXyHyAd3z0cpJS7SKHunjQSSv"><span style="color:#ff0099;">See FLICKR photos</span></a>). </span></p> <span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#ff0099;"><b>It's outrageous that Al-Zaidi could get several years in prison for insulting George Bush, who is directly responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million Iraqis and 4,200 U.S. troops, and for the displacement of 5 million Iraqis. </b></span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#333333;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>The one who should be in jail is Bush, not Muntadar al-Zaidi.</b></span> Please join us in calling on the Iraqi government to release al-Zaidi without charges. We're bringing the petition with your signature directly to the Iraqi Embassy. Please <a target="_blank" href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=NtPEyLWxzbI1d5WKWgOMB7SKHunjQSSv"><span style="color:#ff0099;">click here</span></a> to sign it today</span>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-60862800798372562412008-12-13T01:18:00.000-08:002008-12-13T01:19:37.491-08:00In the Office, Nice Girls Finish Lastgreat article and so true<br /><br />In the Office, Nice Girls Finish Last<br />By Tana Ganeva, AlterNet<br />Posted on December 13, 2008, Printed on December 13, 2008<br />http://www.alternet.org/story/112128/<br /><br />Picture this: You're a young woman at your first job. You worked hard to get a decent education, believing it was the path to success. You also have a vague sense that the feminist battles of past years have left few political or legal barriers to workplace equality -- if pop culture is to be believed, the only thing left for feminism to do is finally determine whether "do-me" heels are concessions to the patriarchy or an expression of liberated female sexuality.<br /><br />So, bright-eyed and optimistic, you embark on what you imagine will be a smooth rise to the top of your chosen profession, limited only by your own skills and dedication to hard work.<br /><br />Instead, you find yourself lingering in entry- or midlevel positions, despite all your work and devotion to the organization. You figure everyone has to pay their dues -- until you begin to notice that male counterparts are speeding past you with better work assignments, more opportunities for advancement and faster promotions. <br /><br />If this sounds familiar, that's because it's quite common. Despite significant advances in recent decades, women continue to lag behind men in income and career advancement. Regardless of class, race, educational level and profession, women make less money than their male counterparts -- an average of 77 cents on the dollar. Women make up 2.4 percent of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies (and get paid less than those peers), less than one-fifth of partners in law firms (minority women fare significantly worse, accounting for 2 percent of law partners), and continue to be significantly underrepresented in politics. <br /><br />Confronted with a complex problem that defies easy, sound-bite explanations, the media -- and many experts -- have taken the time-tested approach of pinning the blame on women themselves. An array of myths, like "opt-out revolution," have sprung up to explain why women have yet to achieve true equality in the workplace. The general assumption behind these shortsighted ideas is that women can't "cut it" in today's competitive work environment.<br /><br />However, a growing number of studies show that women are more likely than men to be devoted to their employers and to see hard work as the best way to get ahead. But women, conditioned from an early age to be communal and "nice," are generally hesitant to boast about their efforts and are less likely than men to push for raises and promotions. In a workplace that rewards aggressiveness and self-promotion, women often go unrecognized for their contributions. <br /><br />A 2004 study conducted by International Survey Research measured the attitudes and behaviors men and women displayed at the workplace and found a noteworthy discrepancy between the priorities of male and female employees. Female executives were primarily concerned with the well-being of the company, smooth employee relations and a well-run workplace. Men cared much more about getting ahead. <br /><br />The study found that career development was the top priority for men, with "personal reward" as their second most-important goal. Women put "working relationships" first, "customer quality focus" second, and "communications" third. <br /><br />According to Kim Morris, the study's project director, "[Women] tend to focus less than men on their advancement. They assume that focusing primarily on the health of the organization will result in recognition and promotions." <br /><br />Women are also less likely than men to grease their career paths by touting their skills and bragging about their accomplishments. <br /><br />A 2008 study by psychologist Shannon L. Goodson compared the office behaviors of professional men and women, drawing from an industry questionnaire about workplace attitudes. Goodson found that women were far less likely to draw attention to their achievements and promote their skills and abilities to co-workers and supervisors, whereas men had relatively little trouble bringing attention to their work. At times, men even lied about their accomplishments, taking credit for contributions that were not entirely theirs. <br /><br />"We found that women typically are concerned about being seen as pushy and intrusive, and they may hesitate to ask for the raise, ask for a promotion or do anything that makes them stand out and appear to be boastful," says Goodson. <br /><br />In a culture that offers up sweet-voiced Disney princesses as role models for young girls, it's hardly surprising that many women have trouble being aggressive in the pursuit of advancement or blustering about their achievements. According to career counselor Karyl Innis, who has seen this dynamic play out in her work, "you have to roll it all the way back to how little girls are brought up and often they're told to work hard; they're told nice girls don't do this, little girls don't do that. And largely they're being told, 'don't put yourself out there, don't brag.' " <br /><br />Meanwhile, men have been primed to pursue their self-interest from childhood. Economist Linda Babcock found that men are far more aggressive when they www.womendontask.com negotiate raises and promotions. According to Babcock, men "are encouraged to go for it growing up. The world is their oyster, they're in charge, they're encouraged to take risks, and they just have so much more practice initiating negotiations growing up and with so much more encouragement from our society that this is an acceptable thing for them to do. So they get more practice. It's not as if women are missing a negotiation gene or something!" <br /><br />In fact, Babcock's research reveals that women are great negotiators -- just not for themselves. "[Women] negotiate for their family members, they negotiate for the causes they believe in. So it's not that we don't have these skills. It's that society has told us that it’s not appropriate for us to use them for ourselves -- because that would be selfish or greedy." <br /><br />Furthermore, women who buck gender expectations by engaging in what's considered "masculine" behavior face a whole other set of problems in the workplace: when they shed the buffers of femininity, they risk being vilified as bitches. (See: the Hillary Clinton nutcracker, and all the other creative ways some male commentators vented their anxieties about what Clinton would do to their genitals.)<br /><br />While aggressive self-promotion might make women appear more competent, it poses its own hazard. According to social psychologist Peter Glick, who has done extensive research on the subtle ways gender expectations affect workplace relations, "There's a very strong prescriptive stereotype that women should be nice. The problem is that some of these self-promoting behaviors that are about "me, me, me" can be seen as not being nice … this can effect decisions, like who you want to promote, who you want to work with, who gets resources." <br /><br />This double-standard is not lost on women who perceive, in the behavior of co-workers and supervisors, that being aggressive does not pan out for them in the same way that it does for men. <br /><br />In a series of experiments, Harvard psychologist Hannah Bowles (with Linda Babcock and Lei Lai) asked participants to evaluate potential job candidates based on a script that had them either aggressively push for more money or accept the initial salary offer. Not surprisingly, Bowles found that evaluators were more likely to want to hire aggressive men than aggressive women. But her results also showed that women who had previously been evaluators in the experiment were far less likely than men to negotiate when they switched roles, suggesting that their experience in the experiment affected their future behavior. <br /><br />"I was frustrated with the implications of, ‘Wow, women need more confidence, women need to negotiate more like men,' " says Bowles. "I think it's pretty clear that part of women's hesitance is reasonable in that they're correctly reading society's perceptions of women who try to negotiate." <br /><br />And it’s not only women who suffer in a corporate culture that privileges aggressive self-promotion over talent and hard work. Firms also lose out in myriad ways when skilled, hard-working women don't get ahead. Mary Boughton, senior director of Catalyst Western Region (a nonprofit devoted to expanding opportunities for women in business), points out: "The ability to recruit/advance a diverse workforce is crucial because diversity leads to agility, open-mindedness and a willingness to change and overcome bias." <br /><br />One possible advantage of diversity in the workplace, of course, is that if more women held leadership positions, corporate work culture could become more sensitive to the particular problems women face as they attempt to scale the career ladder. <br /><br />And that's not only good for women, but for companies, too, since organizations that lack the mechanisms to notice and reward hard work may end up filling their leadership ranks with underqualified individuals (Michael "heck of a job" Brown, anyone?) After all, is rewarding self-promotion over quality work really the best way to discover and cultivate talent -- male or female? If an employee spends more time bragging about his or her accomplishments than actually accomplishing things, it's easy to see how the company suffers.<br /><br />"Is pushiness your criteria for excellent worker? Well, maybe in some organizational contexts it is, but for most there's a broader array of talents that you want to be promoting," says Bowles. "You can have someone who really serves the organization and the people that work for them. So, does your system advance people who are 'other-oriented' as well as people who are 'self-oriented?' "<br /><br />Babcock concludes that the modern workplace is hardly a magical meritocracy where the best workers soar to the highest positions. <br /><br />"We really think and want to believe that the workplace is fair, and if you just work hard and do a good job that it will be rewarded. And I wish that were true -- that the world we lived in were like that."<br /><br />Tana Ganeva is an editorial assistant at AlterNet.<br />© 2008 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.<br />View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/112128/womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-1904031741938576612008-12-05T09:58:00.000-08:002008-12-05T09:59:13.052-08:00bit about women who have been abused but have no recourse to public funds because of their immigration status,Yesterday the Communities & Cultures Committee at the Welsh Assembly published a report on domestic violence in Wales and it includes quite a bit about women who have been abused but have no recourse to public funds because of their immigration status, basically it's saying sort the f.....'No Recourse' rule out, which is good, all the domestic abuse agencies have been saying this for ages but at least now the Assembly seems to be getting the message slowly... anyway, it's here, if anyone's interested, it's got loads of the latest stats in it too which are useful for campaigning and just for info:<br />http://www.assemblywales.org/cc3_domestic_abuse_inquiry_report_-_e_-_final.pdfwomensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-78015920296354064702008-11-11T05:43:00.000-08:002008-11-11T05:44:52.719-08:00Women in the military are twice as likely to be raped<div style="text-align: left;"><p class="storyheadline"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/106307/raped_in_the_military_you%27ll_have_to_pay_for_your_own_forensic_exam_kit/">Raped in the Military?</a> You'll Have to Pay for Your Own Forensic Exam Kit</span></p> <!-- end: headline --> <!-- start: byline --> <p class="storybyline"> <span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> By <a href="http://www.alternet.org/authors/8447/" title="View all stories by Penny Coleman">Penny Coleman</a>, <a href="http://www.alternet.org/">AlterNet</a>. Posted <a href="http://www.alternet.org/ts/archives/?date%5BF%5D=11&date%5BY%5D=2008&date%5Bd%5D=11&act=Go/" title="View all stories published on November 11, 2008">November 11, 2008</a>.</b></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Women in the military are <a href="http://swords-to-plowshares.org/category/iraq-veteran-project/">twice as likely to be raped</a> as their civilian counterparts. In fact, "women serving in the U.S. military today are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq," Congresswoman Jane Harman, D-Ca</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lif., told the House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreig</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">n Affairs in May.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Harman said, "The scope of the problem was brought into acute focus for me during a visit to the West Los Angeles VA Health Center where I met female veterans and their doctors. My jaw dropped when the doctors told me that 41 percent of the female veterans seen there say they were victims of sexual assault while serving in the military, and 29 percent said they were raped during their military service."</span></p><p>What are the figures for the UK military? anyone know?<br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p></div>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-66703656080976882972008-11-09T09:36:00.000-08:002008-11-09T09:40:14.173-08:00Come on Brown crack down on tax havensBrown wants a fairer society with Obama! Now then here is you chance...clamp down on tax havens<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/nov/09/barack-obama-tax-havens-crackdown">President-elect Barack Obama</a> plans to crack down on international tax havens, including Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, within weeks of taking power in January, putting him on a collision course with Gordon Brown.<br /><br />There is growing international pressure to outlaw the secretive practices of tax havens as a key part of reforms to the world's battered financial system, as the leaders of the world's 20 most powerful economies gather for a major conference in Washington next weekend.<br /><br />Britain has been notably lukewarm, but Obama, whose approval will be key to any reform package over the next 12 months, was one of the signatories of the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, legislation put to Congress last year that blacklisted Jersey, Guernsey and 32 other jurisdictions. Key aides to Obama said he will introduce a similar law as part of a wide-ranging revenue-raising and tax-reform package, within weeks of taking power.womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-13108596098931009212008-11-05T00:08:00.000-08:002008-11-05T00:11:20.864-08:00Ten things I absolutely hate about heteronormative dating.From <a href="http://www.feministing.com/">Feministing.com</a><br />Ten things I absolutely hate about heteronormative dating.<br /><br />In no particular order.<br /><br />1. You are expected to dress nice and act a certain way "waiting" to get asked out.<br /><br />2. You have to play by the rules which generally give men most of the power. (wait till he calls you, don't be too forward, be mysterious-you don't want to scare him off, etc)<br /><br />3. If you show emotion too early on or too much of it, you are needy.<br /><br />4. If you don't show enough emotion, you are making the other party insecure forcing them to wield social privilege to silence your daring attempt at independence from self obliteration via coupling.<br /><br />5. It fetishizes unequal power relations between women. He'll get the tab, he'll get the door as long as he gets the vagina, and that is considered "romance."<br /><br />6. It makes same sex couples feel "less than."<br /><br />7. It dictates your interaction in most social settings and social circles, whether you are single or coupled. It is either/or, there is no 3rd identity or in-between.<br /><br />8. If you have sex too early you ruined it.<br /><br />9. If you don't have sex early on you are a prude.<br /><br />10. It is expected to lead to marriage (and if you don't have a ring on your finger you are "on the market.")<br /><br />So while some of this is tongue and cheek and most of it is obvious, I do think this is feminism's dark corner. There is no guide to dating outside of patriarchy, there is no narrative for if you want to do it on your own or if you don't want to get married, but you don't want to be single either. Many women are caught in the middle, trapped between the discourse of what is expected and what they want.<br /><br />I write this from my perspective as a woman, but I am sure feminist men also have major problems with heteronormative dating, so please give your feedback in comments.womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-50953711870742537052008-10-31T05:11:00.000-07:002008-10-31T05:13:33.849-07:00New blog for domestic violence victimsNerys Evans, the Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, has set up an<br />internet blog for women to talk about their experiences of domestic abuse and show the<br />human stories behind the domestic abuse statistics. Anyone can contribute anonymously by<br />e-mailing Nerys at nerys.evans@wales.gov.uk.<br /><br />Nerys Evans states: ‘This blog's aim is to give an opportunity for women to talk about their<br />experiences of domestic abuse and show the human stories behind the domestic abuse<br />statistics. I’m calling on the One Wales Assembly Government to fund an awareness raising<br />campaign to challenge attitudes towards violence against women, both domestic abuse and<br />otherwise’.<br />The blog can be found<a href="http://storiesbehindthestats.blogspot.com/"> here</a><br />http://storiesbehindthestats.blogspot.com/womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-18751954423066774232008-10-29T06:28:00.000-07:002008-10-29T06:31:14.820-07:00Ask Estee Lauder to Live Up to Pink Ribbon IdealsTake Action <a href="http://safecosmetics.org/">Ask Estee Lauder</a> to Live Up to Pink Ribbon Ideals<br /><br />This October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ask Estée "Pink Ribbon" Lauder to extend safety pledges to all of its brands, including MAC, Clinique and Bumble and Bumble. It's already done so with Aveda and Origins.<br /><a href="http://action.safecosmetics.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=14401">Send a letter to Estée Lauder </a><br />Latest Updates<br />New EWG report: <a href="http://www.safecosmetics.org/newsroom/press.cfm?pressReleaseID=37">Hormone-altering cosmetics chemicals found in teenage girls</a><br /><a href="http://safecosmetics.org/newsroom/press.cfm?pressReleaseID=38">Campaign for Safe Cosmetics</a> wins award for corporate accountability workwomensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-40804830303767818892008-10-21T05:04:00.000-07:002008-10-21T05:09:09.705-07:00Harmans dirty deal for DUP votes!Northern Irelands working class women suffer, whilst the north's political parties conspire with British government to deny them the 'right to choose.'<br />For those who are unaware of it, Harriet Harman is planning to block a series of Parliamentary votes tomorrow that could have liberalize Britain's abortion laws and would have overturned a ban in Northern Ireland. To the dismay of pro-choice campaigners and their supporters<br />in the British parliament and beyond, Ms Harman is planning to argue that Britain's liberal abortion laws could be threatened in the House of Lords if MPs tamper with any aspect of the law. Never mind that the House of Lords has in the past repeatedly voted in favour of<br />supporting the pro abortion laws.<br /><br />Her political opponents regard this excuse as absolute nonsense; and point out that a rotten deal was recently done between the government and the Democratic Unionist Party, (DUP) in which in exchange for the DUP's nine MPs supporting the governments bill to detain terror<br />suspects for 42 days, the British government would ensure that the abortion ban would remain in the north of Ireland.<br />read more--<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.organizedrage.com/2008/10/northern-irelands-working-class-women.html">http://www.organize<wbr>drage.com/<wbr>2008/10/northern<wbr>-irelands-<wbr>working-class-<wbr>women.html</a><br />Organized Rage<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.organizedrage.com/">http://www.organize<wbr>drage.com/</a>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-8291399231076333292008-10-21T01:04:00.000-07:002008-10-21T01:07:15.538-07:00Take it out on the women!<pre style="font-size: 9pt;"><tt><tt>Mandys first move is to stop progress for women! The TUC speak out. I haven't heard<br />any Welsh MPs say anything in protest.<br />Suspending the extension of family friendly rights would not save a single job<br />Responding to reports today (Monday) that the Government plans to suspend the<br />extension of the right to request flexible working to parents of older children<br />and paid maternity leave, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:<br /><a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-15496-f0.cfm" target="_blank">http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-15496-f0.cfm</a><br /><br /></tt></tt></pre>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-15179623298501968962008-10-05T04:09:00.000-07:002008-10-05T04:11:26.239-07:00Shriti the shriek<h4><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/26/women.economy" name="&lid={results-main-articles}{'I want to get things done'}&lpos={results-main-articles}{8}"></a></h4><h4><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/26/women.economy" name="&lid={results-main-articles}{'I want to get things done'}&lpos={results-main-articles}{8}">I want to get things done' </a></h4><h4><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/26/women.economy" name="&lid={results-main-articles}{'I want to get things done'}&lpos={results-main-articles}{8}"></a> </h4> <ul class="dateauthorpublication"><li> The Guardian, Saturday July 26 2008 David Teather </li></ul> <div class="snippet"> A somewhat fearsome reputation precedes <span class="highlight"><span class="highlight">Shriti</span></span> Vadera, one of Gordon Brown's most trusted policy advisers and arguably the most powerful woman in government. The former investment banker has been described variously as a menace of the first order, as '<span class="highlight"><span class="highlight">Shriti</span></span> the shriek', or simply as domineering and downright rude, usually by unnamed sources cowering behind anonymity. As one <span class="elipses">(...)</span> <br /><span class="elipses">(...)</span> A somewhat fearsome reputation precedes <span class="highlight"><span class="highlight"><span class="highlight">Shriti</span></span></span> Vadera, one of Gordon Brown's most trusted policy advisers and <span class="elipses">(...)</span> <br />High-flying business minister <span class="highlight"><span class="highlight"><span class="highlight">Shriti</span></span></span> Vadera has been called Gordon's representative on Earth. Is that <span class="elipses">(...)<br /><br />why is it that so many women in the top jobs are bullies? Do they actually stop other women fronm getting on?<br /></span> </div>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-12168847453812380082008-10-01T01:59:00.000-07:002008-10-21T06:07:00.857-07:00Financial crunch to derail DTAThe phrase ...<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">we must not allow Wales to become a major cog in the military machine</span>" ....is a dangerous statement, according to Vale MP John Smith (The Gem Sept 18)<br />The contrary view is that we should not care if Wales is a major cog in UK military operations.<br />If subject to democratic decision making, the case would be arguable.<br />But after Tony Blair took us into Bush's war for regime change in Iraq, on a dodgy dossier falsely claiming Iraq had nuclear weapons, it's surely most dangerous to serve as a cog?<br />The shadow boxing by Chris Franks, in refusing to back up Dafydd Iwan, the president of Plaid, is little better.<br />The politicians should all now that the Metrix project is both in financial trouble and being criticised as undermining the operational capacity of the UK forces.<br />That the project has been hit by inflation and the credit crunch has made national news (eg Daily Mail of Sept 12)<br />According to defence-management .com the Metrix project is undergoing a full blown financial review, because the financing was part of the dodgy deals that lead to the credit crunch<br />For Johnn Smith and Chris Franks to blindly argue for the £12bn Metrix deal is only excused as they spoke before last week's HBOS meltdown.<br />Time they realised Labour's financial policies have got the economy into serious trouble.womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-590567176884060519.post-11124905104798873282008-09-27T05:59:00.001-07:002008-09-27T06:00:10.600-07:00Bigot on 'equality' commission!<a shape="rect" title="Harman"> <span style="font-family:Georgia,Times,Times New Roman, serif;font-size:100%;color:#7f0202;"> <b>Harman challenged over Evangelical appointment to equality commission</b></span></a><p><span style="font-family:Georgia,Times,Times New Roman, serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><p>The Deputy Leader of the Labour party faced tough questioning at a fringe meeting at the Labour party conference last night.</p> </span></p><p><a shape="rect"><span style="font-family:Georgia,Times,Times New Roman, serif;font-size:85%;color:#7f0202;">Click here for full article</span></a></p>womensvoicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17428260490275891865noreply@blogger.com0