(English) Everyone has the right to be safe, to be themselves, and to lead a life free from discrimination
by WEN Wales and Chwarae Teg
As organisations working to improve women’s rights in Wales, we believe all women and girls in Wales deserve equality and a life free from discrimination.
We believe that every person has the right to decide for themselves who they are, the right to make choices about their own body, and the right to live a life free from violence and harassment. We know these rights are very important – women had to fight for them for a long time, and still have to fight for them to this day.
Diversity is a strength, and we are stronger together. Our experiences of being a woman are not all the same. They are shaped by many different things, including our social background, our race or ethnicity, our religion, our age and by whether we are disabled or LGBTQ+. History shows that the women’s rights movement has often failed to recognise this and has even actively excluded the voices of ethnic minority women, lesbian women, disabled women and working-class women.
Attempts to side-line or exclude trans women’s voices from the women’s rights movement continue this harmful trend and must be resisted. We cannot keep making the same mistakes. Being committed to women’s rights for all women means to recognise and respect our differences and to join forces in a way that leaves no woman behind.
We support the Welsh Government’s aim to defend and promote the rights and dignity of trans and non-binary people in Wales to take a full and equal role in Welsh society. Supporting the rights of trans and non-binary people is an essential part of a women’s rights movement which tackles the root causes of gender inequality. It means standing together against discrimination and attacks on human rights for all women.
Everyone has the right to be safe, to be themselves, and to lead a life free from discrimination.
