Content note: this post discusses border violence, benefits violence, rape, violence against women
It is looking remarkably like Theresa May might be the next Prime Minister, elected by the approximately 0.3% of the population that are members of the Tory party. I would have expected widespread terror at this option, but apparently most liberal white feminists simply seem excited that there might be A Lady in power: Suzanne Moore, for example, is excited:
The pathetic scope of the media feminism has never been more apparent. Theresa May as PM would be bad news for pretty much every woman in this country, and all that would trickle down from her would be death and despair. Let’s have a little look at some of the terrible things she’s done which are harmful towards women.
Yarl’s Wood
While Theresa May cannot be given full responsibility for having opened the place–that honour goes to Tony Blair–May has certainly done her damndest to keep the place open and silence any news coming out of it. Yarl’s Wood is a detention centre for women, where they are held, usually before they’re deported. That in and of itself is violence against women: innocent women are imprisoned against their will simply for where they were born. However, Yarl’s Wood manages to double up as a hotbed of rape and abuse. Women are sent there to be raped.
Theresa May, rather than dealing with the problem, allowed it, and now chooses to cover it up. She blocked information about the scale of the issue coming to light, because it might damage the commercial interests of the private sector company running this repulsive place.
Humiliating vulnerable LGBT women
Let’s get one thing straight: Theresa May. May has a history of voting in a homophobic direction, such as against repealing Section 28, and against lesbian couples having fertility rights. That’s long in the past, though, and from her position as Home Secretary, she’s developed new ways of attacking LGBT people.
Take, for example, the institutional humiliation of LGBT asylum seekers. One case study here is Aderonke Apata, a lesbian woman from Nigeria who sought asylum in the UK because she faces the death penalty for her activism. Theresa May’s Home Office wanted evidence of Aderonke’s sexual orientation. This included a sex tape of Aderonke with her girlfriend. And even after this humiliating treatment, Theresa May ruled her “not lesbian enough”. Another lesbian woman was ruled “not lesbian enough” for wearing lipstick to court.
Her stance on human rights
Theresa May absolutely fucking hates the Human Rights Act. A lot of this is likely to do with the fact it presents a great big humane obstacle to her deporting whoever the hell she likes, whenever the hell she likes. She’s been a consistent opponent of the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights; with her last call to ditch human rights coming just weeks before the referendum.
Sure, she’s reversed her opposition to human rights now she has a sniff of power, but given how consistent and single-minded she’s been in this crusade, can we really trust her?
Repealing the Human Rights Act and/or leaving the European Convention on Human Rights would have devastating consequences, because women are humans. Thanks to the Human Rights Act, the police must act in cases of domestic violence or rape (if the survivor wants that), privacy must be respected–and it protects the human rights of marginalised women. So, forgive me if I’m concerned about the disproportionate impact abolishing human rights might have on women.
Austerity
Speaking of disproportionate impact on women, do you know what’s had an absolutely devastating impact on women? Austerity.
Austerity has had a horrifying impact on women: rape crisis services closing, women being forced to stay with violent partners due to a lack of services and having nowhere to go, limiting family size… the list goes on and on and on and on. It’s widening the general gender equality gap, and, of course, hitting women who have intersecting oppressions even harder.
Every step of the way, Theresa May has voted these violences against women through. May’s hands are soaked in the blood of women.
Do you want to see her position on migrant women rolled out to all women?
In her current position, Theresa May can only abuse migrant women. She can only humiliate migrant women, tear apart their families, and incite violence against them. Having seen her viciousness for six years, I’d like nothing more than to immure her, hide her away where she can harm nobody.
The violences she has already enacted are enough for a thousand lifetimes, and I cannot believe there are those who would seek to give her more power. However, if you’re the kind of white heterosexual middle-class abled woman who has a media platform, you’ll probably be fine. She’ll probably look out for you, while destroying everybody else.
Another angry woman 
Well, to put a positive spin on this, she’ll probably do pretty much what any other potential Tory leader would do, but as a woman in power will at least provide a much needed example of the normalcy of female leadership for the youth of today.
Nah, she’ll just be like Thatcher, but worse. And Thatcher didn’t exactly do anything for female leadership: in fact, she may have set it back.
There’s a well-documented effect with women leaders (not just politicians, but CEOs, etc)–they appoint fewer women, and pull the ladders up behind themselves. So yeah. Fucking terrible for women.
I’d strongly recommend reading Dawn Foster’s “Lean Out” for a thorough overview on why it’s horribly misguided to believe that putting an awful woman in a position of power leads to good things “trickling down”
We are living in terrible times, with terrible people ‘representing’ us. The shame!
Go make some fanny bread dear
Luckily I can multitask, and I have a batch rising as well as worrying for the future 🙂
Theresa May has also been a strong supporter of rape crisis centres though. I don’t think she should be supported just because she’s a woman and I agree that she has an appalling stance on human rights but she has taken a stand against domestic violence and violence against women – even though this has taken place at the same time the government has slashed other budgets that would support survivors.
Nah, when the votes come in, she always votes with the government. That’s not supporting.
This should be a good thing, I say should, but whoever wins, they’ll still be a Tory.
Yeah, not seeing how it could possibly be a good thing?
First woman pm since Thatcher as the good thing, even though she’s a Tory was what I was meaning.
yeah but there is not a single man or woman in the tory party who isn’t satan incarnate so
Hold on a min there, that’s hardly fair to Satan now is it.
Mind, they have said on tv recently that she has changed her mind on things when she’s been convinced otherwise, so maybe not as bad as she’s been made out. At least that smug twat Cameron is gone, Boris may have been a bit more entertaining though.
Very few British women regard themselves as feminists now, she represents real women
Thanks, Martin. Glad you know what women think. Bet you even met one once!
I think Martin, that most don’t think about it as there doesn’t appear to be the problems there we’re, even though there are, but without it, what’s to stop those problems coming back that had been resolved.
Reblogged this on millermatters's Blog and commented:
The establishment will always have their way – the new Tory leader – from my point of view a disaster.
Then again – idiots have been in control for some time on both sides of politics in every country.
She’ll be a disaster through and through, especially for Merry Ole England’s economy; but never fear folks, she’ll kiss trump’s ass like Paul Ryan & Kelly Conway; so big brother America can take flagging little England under her wing and make a success of it like we do with so many other of our fragile, but persistent interventionist policies.