My statement in regards to media interest in my appointment as CEO of Endometriosis South Coast Endometriosis South Coast (ESC) are a small local charity with an annual income of around £8000. Our team consists of six trustees and five volunteers, all of whom were assigned female at birth and myself. None of us are paid a salary; we do it to improve the lives of those who suffer Endo. In the UK, 10% of those assigned female at birth suffer from this awful disease, which, via the NHS, takes on average eight years to diagnose. The cost to the economy every year is £8.2 billion, but honestly, how do you put a price on pain? Our chair at ESC suffers from Endo very severely and is currently working towards her endometriosis research PhD - understandably, she wants to take a step back. The trustees decided that the organisation needed an activist with a proven record to drive the charity forward and advocate for a women's health hub in our city, and when asked, I duly obliged - I feel very honoured; thank you @EndoSouthC My birth sex doesn't come into it .....my CV does. CEO's are appointed by boards/trustees because of their "skill set", not because of their sex (note I have a GRC). There are numerous examples of charities/organisations employing CEO's whose sex doesn't correspond with those they serve - look no further than Laura Kerby at Prostate Cancer UK and Simon Cook at MSI Reproductive Choices. Many gynaecologists are men - I don't see any headlines about them. Some midwives are men - I don't see any headlines about them either. And how about the male paramedic who may deal with miscarriage or prolapse - there are no headlines about them either. Am I wrong? No, I am not. I do believe the complaints against me are transphobic @millihill @runthinkwrite @HJoyceGender @MForstater @helenstaniland will not agree, of course. In my opinion, many charities have failed women. For example, in Spain, Japan, South Korea and Zambia, women have rights when experiencing disabling periods. Why are we not talking about this instead of publishing headlines about trans women? We need to talk about #Endo and supporting #women much more. Women deserve ACTION - that is why ESC asked me to be their CEO. Recently, I did an FOI to our local Portsmouth hospital, asking them how many women they treated in 2022 with Endo. The answer was 249 - I want to know why this figure was so low, so I have made another FOI digging deeper. To date, I am still waiting for a reply. This is what activists do! Diversity should be seen as a strength. Stereotyping is wrong, and by appointing me as the CEO of ESC, I will look at the issues Endo suffers endure with a different perspective than others. Who can argue that is not a positive? ESC are an inclusive charity, meaning we welcome EVERYONE with endo and adeno. We do not mind if you are straight, gay, black, trans, non-binary or whatever. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. ALL OF YOU. Finally, a massive thank you to the many people who have sent me messages of support (even GC people). Best wishes, Steph