FiLiA

Alexine Solis is a young woman from France who has been in prostitution between 19 and 21 years old. She became an abolitionist activist after participating in the March of Survivors in Germany, Belgium and Spain in 2019.

Stephanie Davies-Arai is “interested in all things to do with communication.” She designed her own course & accompanying book Communicating with Kids, and is an expert trainer in schools for both teachers and students. She is a feminist, a mother, and campaigner against cultural messages that promote harmful social ‘norms’. Stephanie established Transgender Trend, which describes itself as “a group of parents and professionals concerned about the current trend to diagnose ‘gender non-conforming’ children as transgender.” She speaks and writes extensively on the transgendering of children. Transgender Trend’s website is a treasure trove of information, it includes comprehensive guides for schools, created in conjunction with teachers, child protection professionals, and lawyers. Stephanie’s work was shortlisted for the John Maddox Prize in 2018, which “recognises the work of individuals who promote sound science and evidence on a matter of public interest, facing difficulty or hostility in doing so.” Recently, Transgender Trend intervened in the judicial review brought by Keira Bell and Mrs A against the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, questioning whether under-18s can give valid informed consent to puberty blockers and hormonal interventions for gender dysphoria.

In this podcast, Stephanie Davies-Arai reflects on how her expertise in communication and combating gender stereotypes relates to her work in analysing the harms of gender identity teaching for young people. She explains how feminism informs what she does at Transgender Trend, an organisation she set up to question the mainstream narratives. Stephanie outlines the relationship between the "social transitioning" of children and adolescents in schools and the "affirmation model" of medical practice in gender clinics, and how girls may be more profoundly affected by these ideas. She covers recent developments in the UK such as the Kiera Bell case, in which Stephanie provided evidence about how our cultural context is inextricably linked with questions of "gender" and medical decision-making.

Check out Transgender Trend’s website and how to donate to support their work

Find out more about Stephanie here

Follow @Transgendertrd and @cwknews on Twitter

FiLiA speaks with Lina Al-Hathloul, the sister of Loujain Al-Hathloul, a women's rights campaigner from Saudi Arabia who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia as punishment for her campaigning for women's rights. Loujain's campaigning work for women’s civil rights includes advocating for an end to the male guardianship system, for women’s right to drive, for women’s right to political representation and participation, and for the creation of a women’s shelter for victims of domestic violence. Lina has become one of the few family members able and willing to speak out on behalf of an incarcerated relative. She has become a tireless advocate for her sister Loujain and continues to bring to light the widespread mistreatment and torture of prisoners such as her sister at the hands of the Saudi government.

Simone Watson is a Survivor activist. She is the director of Nordic Model Australia Coalition and a former human rights delegate for Amnesty International. Simone entered prostitution in a legal brothel in Melbourne in her 20’s, she found the world of legalised prostitution to be anything but ‘safe’ and left.

Find the Nordic Model Australia Coalition on their Website and Facebook

Speak Up for Women is a non-partisan organisation that exists to protect and advance the rights and interests of women and girls in New Zealand, in law, policy, and society, based on the shared material reality of being members of the female sex. They support respectful, evidence-based dialogue and freedom of speech. They support the rights of transgender people to live their lives free from violence and discrimination. Rights do not exist in isolation and a fair society balances the rights of all.

As a feminist campaign, SUFW has been dismayed by the way in which women’s voices, both in New Zealand and overseas, have been silenced by slurs, smears and targeted harassment campaigns. It is not transphobic or bigoted to ask questions, to advocate for women and girls, or to draw attention to male violence. Where there is a conflict between transgender rights and women’s rights, SUFW believes it is critical that there is a need for respectful open discussion and that women’s concerns are listened to.

Speak Up for Women includes teachers, academics, health professionals, care workers, activists, lawyers, corporates, retirees, and students. They are run entirely by volunteers and receive no public funds or funds from external organisations. They are not affiliated to any political party or religious organisation.

Speak Up for Women Principles

1. Women are adult human females; girls are human female children.

2. Women and girls have the right to live free of violence, including sexual abuse or violence.

3. Women and girls have the right to organise and gather in safe, sex-segregated spaces.

4. Women and girls have a right to reproductive sovereignty.

5. Women and girls have the right to live free from commercial sexual exploitation.

6. Women and girls have the right to economic independence, pay equity, and living wages, including that which pertains to reproductive labour, child-raising, and domestic work.

7. Lesbians are exclusively same-sex attracted females and have the right to assert their same-sex attraction without facing harassment.

8. ‘Sex’ refers to the biological characteristics that distinguish males from females. Sex is immutable. ‘Gender’ refers to the stereotyped roles, behaviours and attributes that society at a given time considers appropriate for males and females.

This episode features Ro Edge from Speak Up for Women. She is the New Zealand Spokewoman for Save Women Sports Australasia. Ro is a women’s rights advocate who comes from a sport loving family, so she has a special interest in ensuring girls and women retain their pathways to achieving sporting excellence. Ro’s daughter is currently studying under a university sporting scholarship in the USA. Her niece is focused on representing New Zealand at the Tokyo Olympic Games. She joins FiLiA Spokeswoman Raquel Rosario Sanchez in discussion.

You can learn more about the work of Speak Up for Women on their website. And connect with them through social media on Twitter and Facebook.

You can listen to Speak Up for Women’s own Podcast here.