The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht

On Valentine's Day, 2018, a group of women gathered in Edinburgh's Drill Hall to discuss their concerns about the SNP government's plans to legislate for self-ID - where a person can change their sex for most legal purposes by simple declaration. Most of the women had never been involved in political campaigns before, but they were worried about the impact self-ID would have on women and determined to make their voices heard. What followed was unparalleled in Scotland's recent history. A grassroots movement, its growth accelerated by Twitter, emerged energised from that first meeting. Women of all ages united in their determination to stand up for women's sex-based rights.  This book, with contributions from many of the women whose views were once dismissed by Nicola Sturgeon as 'not valid', tells the story of an unprecedented grassroots movement that changed the course of Scottish politics, breaking down barriers between political opponents, and uniting novice campaigners, experienced activists and professional politicians in new ways.  Through a collection of essays, first hand testimony, poetry, Tweets and photographs, the authors have captured for the first time a significant period in recent Scottish history- when women from Orkney to Alloa decided they could not - would not - remain silent.