Let Women Speak Locals
Local Women Speak groups are completely free to join! It is women only. We have a number of trusted women to lead local groups all over the country and globe.
All of our Locals members are verified, so if you would like to join please fill out the form below which may help to speed up the process!
Local Women Speak - LONDON
Action - 2nd February 2024
On the 23rd of January 2024 Network rail unveiled what they're calling their "Pride Pillar". It's been widely criticised for a number of reasons, including the flagrant hypocrisy: when Let Women Speak put up an " I ♥️ JK Rowling" poster in Edinburgh Station, Network Rail removed it for being "too political".
On Friday 2nd February some of our London Locals decided to let their voices be heard about this. This was featured in an article by Josephine Bartosch, and you can watch what happened below.
Local Women Speak- Brighton
Brighton Council won't Let Women Speak
Like many parts of the UK, Brighton and Hove has seen a significant increase in the number of recorded sexual assaults against women and girls.
Brighton Councillor, Bella Sanky, described the surge as ‘unacceptable and intolerable’ and urged the development of ‘an ambitious agenda that challenges the pervasive misogyny that undermines women's rights’.
In light of this, an event was organised by the council on 29/01/24 to ‘create an opportunity for all members of [Brighton’s] community’ to come together and share their ideas on how to achieve that goal. Sanky added that the ‘valuable ideas and experiences’ offered by participants would be used to strategise and combat Violence Against Women.
However, when one woman, Allison Hooper, a proactive and dedicated member of Let Women Speak Locals, attempted to share her ideas and experiences, she was not only left out of any such strategy, her voice was angrily dismissed.
Allison, of Sussex Locals, had booked a ticket for the event but was unable to attend, and aware the session included discussion groups, she decided to create a handout. Allison felt this was a way her concerns about men in rape crisis centres for women, and her personal experience of self-exclusion, could be discussed.
Allison’s handout
As reported on X/Twitter, the handouts were ‘snatched’ away by councillors and council representatives alike. There were numerous organisations at the meeting who allege to be advocates of women's rights, and Allison is concerned the fundamental truth will be lost.
Allison insists, “Rather than get into all of the waffle or analysis of who was there and what was said, at the end of the day, they didn't let me speak and they didn't let anybody else speak on my behalf. The ins and outs don't matter. They're just trying to silence us.
The one thing about Let Women Speak is that we keep it simple, that we speak facts and that's what we need and, ultimately, Brighton & Hove council do not want to #LetWomenSpeak”.
Proud and proactive member of LWS Sussex, Allison Hooper (Right)
Allison (2nd left) organised direct action with LWS Sussex against The Queery who are giving out binders
Local Women Speak - Birmingham
Terf talk and why women meet
‘It’s electrifying, empowering,’ Yvonne.
‘I feel like I’ve found my tribe,’ Tina.
‘It’s a sanity check,’ Rachel.
‘It’s being part of a bigger whole; it gives a buzz like nothing else,’ Ali.
More of that later, but you get the general picture. The pic itself shows LWS women from Birmingham and beyond at our latest monthly get-together. The lunches have been ongoing for well over a year. We do more than scoff chips and quaff wine (yummy though that is!), we convene to chew cud, share ideas, plan actions.
For instance, we rarely leave home without billboarding, leaflets and stickers. Anywhere and everywhere is fair game. Fair play, on the other hand, is a concept parkrunuk grapples with so we regularly target their Saturday runs. We spread the word literally by talking to anyone there. It’s gratifying how many women (and men) are already on board.
Our library action was a hoot. We slipped trans and gender woo titles in between fantasy, sci-fi and horror books. Replaced the trans fiction with classics written mostly by women. Now we aim to branch out and stage our first – drumroll here – LWS live event a la Reformers’ Tree.
There’s lots to sort first: logistics, location, lucre etc but enthused and encouraged by KJK and Laura from Locals, we will get there. Maybe your local group could too.
But back to our lunches and more of those reasons:
‘I feel believed. I feel supported,’ Georgie.
‘I want to feel I’m doing something,’ Brid.
‘It’s the one place I can speak without fear,’ Jude.
Think about that last point. It’s so telling yet how appalling it needs to be made.
Wherever we are and whoever we’re with, we should all be unafraid to voice the truth.
That’s why LWS is so vital.
Let Women Speak? They try and stop us but to coin a Posie phrase: We WILL win.
