Summary
The "Not In Our Name" Women's Collective represents a group of cisgender women rejecting anti-trans discrimination and stating the real threat to women is male violence, and not trans people.
We Welcome The “Not In Our Name” Women’s Collective.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, the 27th of May 2025, Caroline Litman, author and mother of trans woman Alice Litman, who sadly took her own life in May 2022, aged just 20, made a historic post on Bluesky. It read:
To mark the 1st day of my 4th year without Alice I have an announcement: I’ve joined up with a determined group of women working to change the narrative around trans people. Women standing in solidarity with our trans siblings. Our first step is to ask cis women to read and sign our open letter ⬇️
— Caroline Litman (@alicemydaughter.bsky.social) 27 May 2025 at 11:22
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Not In Our Name” collective burst into life immediately, with over 6000 women supporting their open letter (via Change.org) and published narrative within 24 hours of Caroline’s post.
Cloaking transphobia under the guise of “women’s sex based rights” has been an ongoing issue in the UK for many years, with only the bravest of politicians such as Nicola Sturgeon calling it out.
The Not In Our Name open letter says:
The Issue
We are a collective of cisgender* women from every corner of society – mothers, daughters, friends, sisters, partners, colleagues, caregivers, and leaders. We represent diverse ages, backgrounds, and life experiences, united by a shared truth that demands to be heard.
We reject – completely and categorically – the active discrimination and exclusion of trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people. Those who continue to target this minority group do not speak for us or represent our interests. They never have. They never will.
Throughout our lives, we have endured harassment, discrimination, violence, and abuse in countless forms. From childhood catcalls to workplace discrimination, from domestic violence to sexual assault, from being silenced in boardrooms to being blamed for crimes committed against us – we know intimately what the real threat to women looks like.
Cisgender men who abuse their power are the real threat
We witness the devastating impact of anti-trans rhetoric, aimed predominantly at trans women, that masquerades as feminism while advancing nothing but harm. We see politicians weaponising fear to avoid addressing the systemic issues that actually endanger women. We watch media outlets generate moral panic for profit while ignoring the epidemic of male violence that claims women’s lives:
One woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK (Femicide Census, 2023)
1.7 million women were impacted by domestic violence in 2023 (ONS, 2023)
98% of perpetrators of sexual offences are men (Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, 2023)
Trans people are under attack
Globally, trans+ people face staggering rates of violence – particularly trans women of colour. Data shows that in 2024, the number of trans people reported murdered surpassed 5,000, since monitoring began in 2008. Reported rates of self-harm and suicide are rife. This should horrify any society that claims to value human life. Trans people are denied healthcare, housing, and employment. They are vilified for existing while we – cisgender women – face our greatest threats from men who face no such scrutiny.
ENOUGH.
Enough scapegoating of trans women by politicians who refuse to confront male violence.
Enough media sensationalism that profits from hatred while women of all backgrounds suffer real harm.
Enough false feminism that abandons the most vulnerable women, leaving all women at greater risk.
Enough of those in positions of power making harmful decisions on our behalf under the guise of “protection”.
Enough allowing our voices to be co-opted by those who would divide us.
Enough attempts to remove people’s bodily autonomy, claiming they don’t know their own minds.
WE WILL SPEAK FOR OURSELVES.
WE STAND WITH OUR TRANS SIBLINGS.
WE DEMAND BETTER.
We call on media outlets to report truthfully about the sources of violence against women. We call on politicians to address the systems that perpetuate harm, rather than targeting the marginalised communities that suffer the consequences. We call on society to recognise that women’s safety can only be advanced through solidarity.
The real threat to women has never been trans women seeking to live their lives with dignity. The real threat remains what it has always been: a culture that enables male violence and then blames everyone except the men who perpetrate it.
We refuse to be complicit in this misdirection. We refuse to allow our experiences to be weaponised against other women. We refuse to stay silent while our trans sisters are demonised in our name.
Our liberation is bound together. Our safety depends on solidarity. Our future requires that we stand united against the forces that seek to divide us.
Trans people are our siblings. Their fight is our fight. Their safety is our safety. Their dignity is our dignity.
– Not In Our Name (NION) Women
If you are a cis* woman and you agree with this sentiment and wish to show your support for the trans+ community, please add your signature to this letter.
https://www.change.org/p/not-in-our-name-women-in-support-of-the-trans-community
FOOTNOTE:
* ‘Cisgender’, or ‘cis’ is someone who is not transgender.
