Now individuals and organizations can endorse the Feminist Amendments quickly and easily on FIST’s website. Check out our Feminist Amendments page here on our website and sign up right away as an endorser by clicking the link!
As soon as we are out of lock-down due to the Corona virus, we plan on doing public events and coordinating lobbying efforts to advocate an approach to the Equality Act that preserves and expands women’s sex-based rights while ensuring that everyone’s rights are protected, including the rights of lesbians, gay men, and all gender non-conforming people.
However, no reason to wait to get involved! Getting endorsements online can be done now from your living room. Please help us with our Feminist Amendments campaign by spreading the word, gathering endorsements, donating to FIST, purchasing some of our cool merchandise and of course joining us by becoming a member!
I’ve endorsed this action all my life. We cannot be silent, we have to stand. If we want to live, if we want a taste of freedom, we keep going.
And never waver on the way.
Solidarity Always
Struggle until Victory
These are much fairer than the Equality Act is currently written. There’s no reason why we can’t continue to protect women, while we afford fairness for GNC and gay and lesbian individuals.
I am convinced that the vast majority of people have no idea about the ramifications of the Equality Act as currently written. I am utterly grateful to FIST for laying out a coherent response that protects the basic human rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexual people, and transgender people without enshrining new quasi-religious concepts such as ‘gender identity’ into law. I think of it this way. Even though ‘race’ (human genetic variability) truly is a spectrum, and we are all ultimately of African ancestry, ‘white’ people should not have a protected right to unilaterally ‘identify’ as a member of an indigenous community, or as a person of color. Equally obvious, male people should not have a protected right to self-identify as women, as girl, as female. Material reality matters. I support feminists who understand their job is to protect the interests of female people, of women and girls. At the centennial of women securing the vote, let’s not destroy ourselves as a political class. Let’s get this right.
If it’s not too much trouble, I have a question about the proposed Feminist Amendments to the Equality Act, and perhaps a suggestion.
The amendments mandate that employers, businesses, etc, provide women-only public accommodations and spaces, which, by and large, is a good idea. However, it occurred to me that despite the protections against discrimination and harassment based on sex stereotyping guaranteed by the amended Equality Act, availability of public accommodations (or lack thereof) could still potentially be used as a cudgel or means of discriminating against GNC individuals.
For example, I doubt, say, a post-op transwoman would feel comfortable, or even safe, using a men’s locker room or restroom. This could be problematic, if said transwoman’s employer does not provide any spaces aside from those intended for men, and those for women (the latter as mandated by the amended Act)–as the transwoman would not be permitted in women’s spaces (as they are sex-segregated), the men’s spaces may be the only option available. While I admit it’s possible that an employer might create a third space for the use of the transwoman upon request, given the difficulty women have had at getting employers to provide lactation rooms–which are far less controversial, and potentially beneficial to a much larger percentage of the population–I can’t say I’m optimistic enough to assume that this is guaranteed to occur. Furthermore, the transwoman (or any other GNC person in this sort of scenario) may even be able to make a reasonable case that this lack of provision constitutes a hostile environment, which, depending on how high up the court system the case proceeds, could have unforeseen or unwanted legal ramifications, up to and including ultimately undermining the amended Equality Act.
Thus, given the concern that the Equality Act and the proposed Feminist Amendments gives on ensuring the dignity and safety of all individuals, I’ve wondered if, rather than just stating unisex or other, alternative or third space options are allowed under the Feminist Amendments of the Equality Act, it would be wiser to explicitly mandate that they, or other reasonable accommodations, must be provided if an individual does not feel safe or comfortable using the facilities or services of their sex and makes a good faith request? This sort of strategy has worked well for the American with Disabilities Act, and I think it could go a long way towards ensuring that the Equality Act with the Feminist Amendments really *does* guarantee the equality of all US citizens, regardless of their defiance of sex stereotypes.
I look forward to your reply!