Biological male was present in a place where extremely vulnerable women seek support. This Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was advertised as a “Women-Only Meeting”. A woman disclosed sexual trauma and the “transwoman” being there made us uncomfortable and stopped us being able to provide identification (disclose our own stories) with the newly sober and traumatised woman to reassure her that she was not alone. He made a completely inappropriate comment about cricket and football instead of the sort of supportive comments women would make in those circumstances. We were afraid he would be sexually aroused by the rape disclosure and conversations which followed. Numerous women said they were uncomfortable with him being there, that his presence interrupted the usual feeling of safety at women-only meetings. All but a couple of women considered him an intrusive male but felt powerless to complain to the group organisers. The group continues to advertise itself as “women-only” with this male in attendance every week.

#australia #alcoholicsanonymous #womenonlymeeting #sexualtrauma #safety #support