Lisa Collins

Yesterday, the @Conservatives, led by @RishiSunak and @KemiBadenoch, made a significant pledge. They proposed changes to the #EqualityAct. This potential alteration could become part of the Tory's manifesto, making it a topic for voters in #GE24. In this comprehensive tweet, I delve into the alleged reasons for this proposed change and the influential actors advocating for it. Obviously, we all want privacy and dignity when using some services, including toilets and changing rooms, in a hospital or, heaven forbid, if we are unfortunate enough to find ourselves in a refuge or, worse still, prison. Thinking about it, you did fill out your tax form correctly, didn't you? Sorry, I digress....that's my sense of humour! Let's look at these services and the alleged problems that the Tories claim. When you go to the loo or a changing room, have you noticed a #trans person using the facility at the same time as you? Probably not; about 50% of trans people don't leave their homes for fear of abuse on the street. Trans hate crime has increased by around 1513% over the last decade because of the culture war on the trans community, and unsurprisingly, trans people often look just like you - normal. You dont even know we are there! The chances of bumping into one of us in a loo are roughly five hundred to one. We know there is not an issue for the general public because @TransLucent_Org asked (via Freedom of Information Requests) the 50 largest councils how many complaints they received about trans women using their toilets and changing rooms (generally located at leisure centres) during 2022, and not one council reported a complaint. Yep, not ONE! Here is the link: translucent.org.uk/local-aut… Now, let's look at hospital wards - we all want privacy and dignity there, don't we? So what's the issue? Well, there isn't one. Again, Translucent made lots (282 to be exact) of Freedom of Information requests to NHS Foundation Trusts (or equivalent) covering a period of three years and three months and found just one minor complaint about a trans woman occupying a bed in a female ward. We don't know what the complaint was; it could be that she snored loudly! Let's put this in perspective. Over a year, over six million women are treated in NHS hospital wards, and 200,000 written complaints are made about their treatment, so the Translucent investigation proved without any doubt whatsoever that there is no problem in #NHS hospitals. LINK: translucent.org.uk/the-non-p… Now let's look at womens refuges - is there a problem? Most womens refuges are privately owned, so they can't be subject to Freedom of Information Requests. However, we know that all service providers vet women before gaining access to a refuge. Many can't accept #women with children over a certain age (often twelve) or if the woman has substance abuse problems. These people are frequently refused entry - the same can and do apply to a trans woman. Some refuges do accept trans women, invariably because they run on an "independent living model", which means the survivor of domestic abuse is housed in an apartment or flat, not in a communal refuge. However, most LGBT+ people who suffer domestic abuse dont use regular domestic abuse services. Galop is a UK charity for all LGBT people, and the domestic abuse charity @lovingme_uk is exclusively for the use of trans people like me. In short, we have our own dedicated domestic abuse services. There is no issue at refuges - it's all lies. Now, let's talk about prisons. How many trans women are held in a female prison in England and Wales? Six. None are sex offenders, and all would be medicalised and had lower surgery. Their crimes may include not filling out their tax form correctly... (now you are worried). The prison population varies, but about 97% of trans women are held in the male estate, where they are regularly sexually abused by men. No one talks about that, nor will the MoJ give details they have REFUSED my Freedom of Information Requests. You can find further details via this link: gov.uk/government/statistics… You will notice I have not yet mentioned trans women in sports. Just a tiny fraction of the trans community plays any sport whatsoever - as I mentioned, many are too frightened even to leave their homes. You will not be able to name a current elite trans woman athlete in the UK - there aren't any. Since 2004, trans women have been eligible to compete at the Olympics. Only one has - she was last. In truth, over the last few years, regulations have been tightened so much that trans women are effectively banned from competing in "meaningful completion" in virtually all sports in the UK. Who drove this and all the other problems that the trans community face? A movement that calls themselves "sex realists", "terfs", or "gender-critical" who advocate against trans people and specifically trans women. Many within their movement did similar against gay people back in the 1970s and 1980s - they have the same aims - to eradicate #LGBT people socially, promoting the "nuclear family". Some organisations hide their transphobia (the prejudice against trans people) under the guise of womens"sex-based rights". Many trans people would suggest organisations such as Sex Matters, Fair Play for Women, For Women Scotland, Women's Place UK and Labour Womens Declaration could be perceived as hate groups. Horrifyingly, some have actually advocated for conversion therapy for trans youth, though they veil it using different words. They are aided by right-wing politicians (and their press) in a culture war against trans women. Journalists like @VictoriaPeckham @soniasodha, and @HadleyFreeman are very trans-hostile and dont (in my opinion) report fairly - yet trans people dont have a voice. They are further aided by a handful of high-profile celebs like J.K. Rowling, who recently targeted trans woman @lucyclarkref purely because she is trans and was appointed a manager of a woman's football club. What Lucy suffered was genuinely awful. I have been targeted, too - my "crime" being I was appointed the CEO of a women's health charity (unpaid) in November of last year. I never imagined that @piersmorgan, @FoxNews in America or loads of right-wing media would hunt me - but they did, and to make their stories extra juicy, they printed things that were simply untrue. They didn't care about my CV - they targeted me because I am a trans woman. Thanks for reading, and I do hope you have found this tweet useful - please share far and wide because it's only via social media trans people can get heard. And remember - do go and vote on July the 4th, but please don't vote for the Tories because their right-wing, in particular, tell lies. Moreover, during the last 14 years, @Conservatives have taken this country backwards. Best wishes, Steph @reallorraine @novaramedia @AaronBastani @PaulBrandITV @PatrickStrud @DawnButlerBrent