Glasgow Rape Crisis Update

GCRC will continue to provide services to trans women, but couldn’t tell me if trans women would be segregated from other women or not

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

In a previous article, I raised concerns after an announcement by Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis (GCRC) stating they will now exclude transgender women from working in their women’s service, and what that might mean for transgender women accessing their services.

That announcement states that the service will be “for and by women”. Given that “for women” in the announcement referred to their workforce being staffed only by cisgender women, the announcement seemed to imply that services would only be provided to cisgender women as well.

In addition, the use of the term “single-sex”, rather than the trans-inclusive term “women only” used by other rape crisis services, seemed to imply the exclusion of trans women from their services.

“Single-sex” has increasingly become a transphobic dog whistle used by ‘gender critical’ and TERF groups to exclude transgender women.

GCRC’s stated they would continue to “triage” all rape survivors, which was ambiguous. Rather than explicitly stating they would continue to support trans women within their service, it implied they might just triage requests for support from trans women and refer to other organisations.

A BBC article on the announcement stated that transgender women would still receive support from GCRC, but included a contradictory quote from a GCRC representative who said they were unsure if the changes would affect service users:

Asked what the impact of the move would be on service users, she said she was “not clear on what kind of impact that might be”.

She said she recognised there was a need for trans women to use the service and that the centre had seen a “small number” of trans women — 17 in the last year.

 — BBC

Given the changes are about trans-inclusion/exclusion, it seemed reasonable to assume that any service users affected would be trans women.

The lack of clarity over whether trans women and girls seeking support would be affected by GCRC’s trans-exclusionary policies was and is concerning.

Since writing my previous article I’ve been able to speak to Dione Weir, Deputy Director of GCRC. I highlighted to her the need for clarification given the above ambiguity in GCRC’s statement, especially concerning what services trans women would be able to access.

When trans women experience sexual violence this often occurs at the intersection of cissexism, transphobia, and misogyny (transmisogyny). 

Seeking support from a women’s support service and being segregated from other women could potentially be re-traumatising. It reinforces the cissexism and transphobia already experienced by trans survivors of sexual violence, at a time of emotional crisis and vulnerability. 

That’s not acceptable. Rape crisis services exist to support survivors, not re-traumatise and further marginalize us.

Trans women need to know if that’s something we’re likely to experience before seeking support from GCRC, to help us make an informed choice about doing so — to protect ourselves from being harmed by the service we’re seeking support from.

I put these issues to the Deputy Director in the hope of gaining clarification.

Dione confirmed that GCRC will still provide services to transgender women. However, when asked if this would include transgender women receiving services alongside other women, such as taking part in the group sessions the service provides, she couldn’t provide a clear answer.

This might seem trivial to some, but GCRC’s own website highlights that “group sessions allow survivors to feel socially connected and less alone while working through what has happened to them”. 

Denying that opportunity to trans women could lead to further isolation and exclusion from a sense of community with other women which can aid in recovery. GCRC only supported seventeen transgender women last year, meaning it would likely be unfeasible to provide support groups with other trans women only.

Unfortunately, the Deputy Director couldn’t give me a clear answer as to whether trans women would be segregated from other women when accessing services. This was her reply:

As previously stated, we continue to provide a service for transgender women, and we take time and careful consideration to understand their circumstances and what they need from a service.

I pressed Dione on the issue, asking,

If a transgender woman accessing your services identified that she would benefit from group work with other women, is that something that is currently possible within your service?

I haven’t received an answer. It’s been nine days since I sent that email, with no response from Dione or anyone else at GCRC.

As a trans survivor of sexual violence, I feel that the refusal to give a clear answer on this issue shows a lack of concern for trans survivors of sexual violence.

I think GCRC has made it clear, by excluding trans women from their female-only workforce, that they don’t consider trans women to be women. 

If GCRC’s policies explicitly invalidate trans women’s lived experience and identity, how can they provide safe and supportive services to trans survivors?

GCRC’s continued lack of clarity in the wake of this announcement has the potential to cause distress to trans survivors of sexual violence. It leaves us in the dark about whether or not we will face segregation upon trying to access GCRC’s services.

It seems like GCRC and their Deputy Director don’t care. 

I first contacted GCRC about this issue at the end of October. I then emailed them again on the 12th of November and eventually received a reply on the 14th after being ignored for two weeks — only for the Deputy Director to eventually ignore my request for clarification again.

That speaks volumes about how GCRC views transgender survivors of sexual violence: as ignorable.

As it stands I don’t think I would feel safe accessing GCRC’s services. As a transgender survivor of sexual violence, I don’t feel safe accessing a service that has been explicitly transphobic and views trans survivors as ignorable.

I truly hope GCRC can clarify this position as soon as possible, reassure transgender survivors that their service is safe and inclusive, and confirm that trans women won’t be segregated and denied access to the same support as cisgender women.