Campaigner for domestic abuse survivors hounded by trans activists

Transgender activists have heckled a woman petitioning her local council to protect single-sex spaces for victims of domestic abuse.

Former Haringey Councillor Emina Ibrahim had to be escorted from the building for her own safety as protestors directed abuse at her from outside the council chamber.

The following day, Councillor Dr Tehseen Khan claimed activists were only voicing their support for the ‘greater inclusivity’ of including men in women’s spaces.

Protecting dignity

At the meeting, Ibrahim presented a petition calling for a guarantee that female survivors of domestic violence would not be housed with men.

She related her own experience of being put in temporary accommodation after her mother fled from domestic abuse, saying: “I remember women and girls having to stand guard at bathroom doors for one another, simply to protect our collective dignity.”

The campaigner explained: “Single-sex provision isn’t an incidental feature of VAWG [violence against women and girls] services. For many women, it is an essential part of feeling safe enough to disclose what has happened to them, to rebuild trust, and to begin recovering from trauma.”

Intimidation

Defending the transgender activists, Dr Khan said: “We want to move from ‘violence against women and girls’ to ‘gender-based violence’ because we are trying to be more inclusive”, explaining that this would include residents who are “cis, or transgender, non-binary, or men”.

But speaking to The Daily Telegraph about the protest, Ibrahim recalled: “There was lots of shouting. There was lots of use of the word ‘Terf’”.

She stated: “women participating peacefully in local democracy should not be subjected to intimidation — and those holding public office should not appear to endorse it.”

Women’s safety

Edinburgh North and Leith MP Tracy Gilbert thanked Ibrahim for taking a stand on the issue, saying: “There is nothing progressive in threatening the safety of women standing up for single sex VAWG services.”

The Women’s Right’s Network criticised Dr Khan’s response, stating: “Congratulating the demonstrators who forced women to leave by a back door and then required security to walk safely to the station is just the icing on the cake.”

Julie Bindel called the incident a “scandal”, adding: “the speech by Councillor Tehseen Khan left me cold. It left me cold and absolutely shocked.

“That this softly spoken man was talking about including men in women’s spaces as inclusive when you and many others, other feminists, had to fight tooth and nail for decades to get refuges”.