Yeah. It’s been tough to know what to say…
I promised a follow-up to our last blog a couple of weeks ago but the rigours of early-stage parenthood and some shitty personal news left me not feeling much like writing another. I finally dredged up the energy to pick the blog up a couple of weeks ago. Then Sarah Everard’s murder happened. Then Clapham Common happened. Then the Policing Bill happened. All the sewage in the male psyche laid bare. All the twisted, sick priorities of the state laid bare. The stark, brutal, horrific reminder that everything is not OK. Suddenly it didn’t feel like the time to write a blog about 90s nostalgia.
I don’t want to platform my voice here. Men spend too much fucking time trying to centre themselves in the conversation, when at the moment men, collectively, are not victims. The time for self-pity is not now. In fact, it’s never. The time for self-reflection is now. The time for action is now. We need to do more to make women safe.
Instead of writing a lengthy blog on this I thought I’d use this platform, small as it is, to direct people to educational resources run by women and hopefully help make clear what women face on a horrifyingly regular basis. I’ve also included some charities and crowdfunds to look into and donate to if you can and some organisations fighting for justice and equality for female-identifying people in all walks of life. Now is not the time for male perspectives. I hope you find the below resources useful.
RIP Sarah Everard. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.
Everyday Sexism Project – https://everydaysexism.com/
Centre for Women’s Justice – https://www.centreforwomensjustice.org.uk
10 Simple, Direct Actions Men Can Take by Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project – https://www.instagram.com/p/CMdXePDAtsy/?igshid=p9ufmbn6t911
Man Walks Into a Bar by Tyrone Lewis – https://tyronelewis22.com/poetry/man-walks-into-a-bar/
Northern Police Monitoring Project: COVID19 and Policing: http://npolicemonitor.co.uk/covid-19/
‘Without the right to protest women have everything to lose – the Sarah Everard vigil proved why’: The i article by Sisters Uncut – https://inews.co.uk/opinion/women-right-protest-policing-crime-bill-sarah-everard-vigil-914008
Munroe Bergdorf statement – https://www.instagram.com/p/CMShERQhtNk/?igshid=1lb6c8e6dvcr6
‘What happened to me was nothing – the nothing women know all too well’ by Marina Hyde – https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/12/what-happened-women-uk-harassed-street
‘Black Trans Lives Matter: Incredible charities you can donate to right now’ by Sam Damshenas: https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/life/black-trans-lives-matter-incredible-charities-you-can-donate-to-right-now/
Safe gigs for women – https://sgfw.org.uk/
Women’s Aid – https://www.womensaid.org.uk/donate/
London Black Women’s Project – https://www.lbwp.co.uk/
Queercare – https://queercare.network
#Reclaimthesestreets crowdfunder – https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/reclaimthesestreets
There are obviously countless resources you can read and access. These are just a few that I found useful as a start. Thank you for reading.