I work for a local authority that has Stonewall affiliation. Earlier last year the Woman’s Network was established and I joined, becoming a founding member. The loal authority celebrated Pride, trans awareness week, and trans Remembrance Day, but totally ignored Violence Against Women and Girls day, opting to raise awareness on domestic violence - which was not a bad thing, but referred to men & women. The network is open to all women including trans. Every issue that we deal with includes men who identify as women. On International Women’s Day one participant’s “challenge” was to give trans people access to facilities that match their gender. There are many areas where trans rights conflict with women’s sex-based rights and I want to speak out but dare not. Inclusion & diversity are such a priority and it is made very clear that non-conformity would be dealt with negatively. I find it stressful and it has impacted on my relationship with my work colleagues in the Network. I am very careful about what I say but I feel we are losing opportunities and just going through the motions when we could be doing so much more. I am sure many other women are pressured to keep their opinions to themselves because it could negatively affect their career. When you have a choice of speaking up or losing your job, some women have no choice.

#unitedkingdom #workplace #silencing #diversity #inclusion #stonewall