Sally Carr MBE, Manchester Withington
It is a pleasure to have met so many enthusiastic and impassioned people in my journey around our wonderful constituency.
This is the constituency that took me in as a young LGBT person fleeing form discrimination and prejudice.
The place I made my home for over 20 years, and where I have worked for 30 years supporting some of the most marginalised young people and adults in our communities.
It saddens me to know that each week a female student is sexually assaulted in our constituency, and because of the cuts and overcrowding in Withington that women trying to escape from the horror of domestic abuse are often prevented from doing so because of the lack of safe places to escape to. Consequently they are held hostage, forced to return to violent homes to face more slaps, kicks, scalding, control, assault and rape.
This is why our policies are so important. They are based on real life, on women's stories, on a narrative that really needs to change, so that all genders feel safe, valued and able to to take up the joys and challenges of life free from the oppressive forces of sexism, racism, homophobia, misogyny and poverty.
Thank you to all you "bad women" for your support over the previous weeks, your work, determination and drive has been inspirational,. Although some steps towards change have taken place in our lifetimes, we risk them now stagnating and, worse still, being reversed. So we need to ensure that these foot-steps become foot-prints, and that our polices provide the blue prints for change.
Never be put off by the hurtful comments, the dismissive looks and the tactics that they use to try to silence us. You have all been the brave women who have laid the path so that our sisters of all backgrounds and heritage can feel safe to follow and lead.
In the Local and General Elections of the future we will stand again; we are here until change happens and we will be relentless in ensuring it happens.
"Equal Rights, Equal Pay, Women's Equality, OK!"
Yours
Sally
For enquiries about this campaign, please contact [email protected].