to think it's disgraceful that Labour MPs are condoning gender segregation?

[OTheHugeManatee]

I thought Labour were supposed to be against discrimination. But I'm hearing multiple reports of Labour MPs attending gender segregated rallies around the Olham by-election and uttering not a peep about it.

AIBU to think it's disgraceful that once again women's right to equality is being quietly set aside for other political priorities? And by the party that makes the most noise about equality, no less?

Fucking hypocrites

[BlueJug]

YANBU but this thread will go the same way many do.

[OTheHugeManatee]

It just gives me the rage. Again and again, women's rights get thrown under the bus in favour of any other group you care to name. But apparently women have all the equality we can eat now so we can step aside to facilitate more equality for every other minority. Which will in many cases result in less equality for women, but we're all socialised to be altruistic and kind and empathetic and shiz so we can all smile and be nice about it, mkay?

[OTheHugeManatee]

Perhaps I should ask for this to be moved to Feminism.

[ginghamcricketbox]

Not the first time Labour have done this ( and won't be the last ) they held a segregated meeting in Birmingham in May attended by Tom Watson and Jack Dromey.

[Shakirasma]

How is it gender segregated? There are clearly women sat behind the men on the so called men's side, which implies that the seating was free choice.

[Crankycunt]

Yeah there's women sat behind those men.

[emotionsecho]

I can't see any women sat behind men in that picture, it's an odd angle but there is clearly a divide with women one side and men the other.

[Birdsgottafly]

It's a dilemma, because whilst you don't want to endorse gender segregation, if the room isn't set up like that, then very few Muslim Women would attend.

By not recognising that is what is wanted, you then are practicing "Indirect Discrimination".

[IPityThePontipines]

Yay! Let's stir up lots and lots of hatred towards Muslims! The more the better!

I wish you'd spare us your saviour act, all threads like this do is promote hatred towards Muslims (because it won't stay on topic) and it's visibly Muslim women who suffer the most physical and verbal Islamophobic abuse.

[bluebolt]

Whilst it is a very depressing photo, it shows no evidence of forced segregation but more so a seating to their requirements of a culture. Unless labour enforced seating by ticket number or seating on entry the seating will look the same no matter what the meeting so not sure how labour can be blamed.

[VestalVirgin]

What makes me most angry is that women's right to sex segregated prisons is taken away, at the same time gender segregation is practised for no apparent reason other than "religion".

Muslim women get segregated seating, yet all women who go to gyms have to share changing rooms with males.

This is insane!

Give Muslim women seating spaces away from males if that makes them feel safer, but this doesn't seem to be about women's safety - it is only about patriarchal religion.

[DrasticAction]

I can see women who look Muslim sat on one side and and ladies without scarfs behind the men.

[evilcherub]

OP is right. They are segregated. There is a man who looks like he has a ponytail but he is definitely an old white man on closer inspection. I think that might be where some confusion is.

Absolutely disgusting and saddening.

[LibrariesGaveUsP0wer]

Much as I dislike segregation, without that seating many Muslim women wouldn't have attended. So I would take the lesser detriment of living with the seating over the greater of only men being able to participate.

[SoupDragon]

So you would be happy to exclude Muslim women rather than make the simple adjustment of sitting women on one side of a room and men on the other?

How does sitting on a separate side of the room in any way treat women unequally? They are all in the same room, hearing the same things with the same opportunity to talk.

I assumed you were talking about separate meetings for men and women. What a ridiculous over reaction.

[howtorebuild]

The mail have additional pictures. Apparently two Women sat with the Men.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

I suspect that this wasn't direct gender segregation but indirect i.e. the men and women automatically sat on separate sides without anyone telling them to because that is their cultural norm. I don't know what any political party could do in that situation?

[DrasticAction]

So you would be happy to exclude Muslim women rather than make the simple adjustment of sitting women on one side of a room and men on the other

Why on earth wouldn't Muslim women attend if they had to mix seating

[OTheHugeManatee]

I can't believe people are minimising this

Gender equality is more important than the right of some culture or other to be sexist in public. I don't think the Labour Party of all people should be tacitly condoning sexism because 'culture'. We're supposed to have achieved gender equality in this country; what people do in their private homes is their business, but in public life no-one should be condoning gender segregation.

And bullshit to 'indirect discrimination'. So, what, we all have to go along with direct discrimination because that's somehow going to help more women participate? What about the message that sends to half the population? That the Left is happy to pander to any type of patriarchal bullshit because that's what the Labour Party needs to do to cling to the last shreds of power now that it's abandoned the working class.

You can come along and sneer and say 'wah wah Islamophobia' but this has fuck all do do with Islam and everything to do with the self-styled party of equality condoning sexism. Rank hypocrisy. It's disgusting.

[OTheHugeManatee]

If some Muslim woman felt unable to attend because the seating was mixed, I think the problem that needs fixing there isn't the seating

[DrasticAction]

Change, "men" and "women" to "Blacks on one side and whites" on the other.

Then try and defend it.

[ghostyslovesheep]

Well of course but is it not better short term to include them any way possible

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

*If some Muslim woman felt unable to attend because the seating was mixed, I think the problem that needs fixing there isn't the seating"

So how are you planning to fix Islam in time for the by-election?

[IPityThePontipines]

So what is this thread about?

Is it that you feel the Labour party are somehow failing because they didn't force everyone to sit boy/girl?

Should the organisers have said "Sorry, you don't get to sit where you like, because you're brown and Muslim and therefore not to be treated like an adult"?

Do you get angry about hen nights and stag parties too? Or is that ok, because it's not people from a culture different to yours?

[OTheHugeManatee]

I see where you're coming from ghosty but if you're basically saying to that portion of the electorate that this type of public sexism is OK and Labour is on board with it, then it's never going to change, is it? So in the interests of trying to avoid discrimination against a hypothetical minority of already very discriminated-against women you're tacitly condoning and entrenching casual, everyday discrimination against a far larger group of women. Not okay in my book.