50:50 Parliament Campaign to Encourage Women in Politics now have TWO Transwomen on the Panel

[gardenbird48]

I saw 50:50 women tweet to Sue Pascoe Chair of the Conservative Women’s Organisation some time ago on their #askhertostand, but then I couldn’t find the tweet and thought maybe they’d realised their mistake (can you guess?) and deleted it.

However, how wrong I was! There are now two people that have extremely limited ‘lived experience’ as a female (Sue was a married father and successful businessman and Master to Foxhounds until a few years ago). The other person has said hi on here recently.

I don’t mean to be rude but surely the whole point of encouraging women to stand for Parliament is to help overcome the barriers women face in entering politics. Any barriers that trans people face are rather different. It is also interesting that on a panel of three for their ‘Encouraging LGBT+ Women to Stand’ campaign, there us only one person with actual lived experience of being a woman (I am hoping that Mandu Reid of the WEP was born female at least...??)

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

After the 50:50 event where Sal Brinton of the Lib Dem’s said they’d be happy with a parliament that was 50% men and 50% TW and no one disagrees, I work on the basis anyone associated with it has zero grounding in reality

[OhHolyJesus]

"All women"

Always a bad sign.

This is such a kick in the teeth. It just takes the piss.

50:50 just need to change their name and be honest.

[ValancyRedfern]

So even the 50:50 Parliament panel can't manage to be 50:50 male/female

[RozWatching]

It is absurd and offensive. Why can't these people widen the 'male' bandwidth instead?

[BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted]

The moment you read “inclusive” and “intersectional” you know it will not be for the benefit of actual, real women. Yet more erasure, they can get stuffed

[OvaHere]

It's like a farcical joke. It would be funny if this ideology wasn't so harmful.

[EdgeOfACoin]

I was having a conversation at work today with a woman who had worked part time while her children were young and wanted to transition to a full-time role. Our company declined to increase her hours because they said she couldn't make a business case for it.

We had a brief chat about how this sort of thing will have an impact on women's career progression. I had a talk with a male colleague the other day about how part time working is supposed to be the best of all worlds but instead becomes the worst of all worlds.

How many mtf transitioners have taken time out of the workplace for maternity leave? How many mtf transitioners have worked part time for years to care for little children and then struggled to get their careers back on track further down the line?

Mtf transitioners and women do not have the same obstacles when it comes to careers - not in the slightest.

I always thought that quotas and shortlists treated the symptom and not the cause, but this has been brought home to me recently on this board. Anyone who gives an iota of thought as to why women might not work in politics or reach upper management would recognise that the issues facing women are not shared by those who were born male. Turns out noone cares. As long as there are enough people wandering around in skirts and necklaces, who cares about whether they are actually female.

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

That's disgraceful.

[MichelleofzeResistance]

If male born people can speak for female people and apparently share their lived experience, then obviously female people can speak for TW and have their lived experience too. Everybody happy?

Of course not.

This is about displacing female people out of the category of woman.

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

Is Mandu Reid of the largely pointless and toothless WEP lesbian or bisexual? Where are the lesbians and bisexual women?

I can take a guess that the representatives from Labour, SNP and the Lib Dems will be similar.

[RobinMoiraWhite]

@MichelleofzeResistance

If male born people can speak for female people and apparently share their lived experience, then obviously female people can speak for TW and have their lived experience too. Everybody happy?

Of course not.

This is about displacing female people out of the category of woman.

Er...no.

in my case ‘this is about’ being asked to speak to a parliamentary group and being prepared to do so. Nothing more conspiratorial.

[TheBuffster]

So correct me if I am wrong, but this means the conservatives have swallowed twaw and effectively I have no one to vote for and my only choice is to destroy my ballot.

That noise you hear is Emmeline Pankhurst turning in her grave.

[RobinMoiraWhite]

@OldCrone

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Why not decline?

Because, I, and presumably the group, regard myself as an LGBT+ woman.

I appreciate that isn’t your view.

[WeAreJackieWeaver]

Robin, I mean this genuinely and politely, but why don’t you think someone who is female from birth could offer more to this role than yourself?
The challenges that women have in their lives are completely different to the ones you have.

[WeAreJackieWeaver]

Quite.

[RobinMoiraWhite]

@WeAreJackieWeaver

Robin, I mean this genuinely and politely, but why don’t you think someone who is female from birth could offer more to this role than yourself?
The challenges that women have in their lives are completely different to the ones you have.

This group meet every month. They have asked me to join them on this one occasion during LGBT+ month, one of many groups that have asked me to speak recently. I accept that we will all have had different experiences - I hope that you have not had to tread some of the difficult paths or visit some of the (personal) dark places that I have had to. (I have also had plenty of laughs and support on life’s journey.) Today I spoke to the employment lawyers of a firm of solicitors and a student group. Folk seem to find an hour hearing from me and asking questions not a total bore, and occasionally useful. Until the invitations dry up, I’ll carry on.

[snow21]

This is ridiculous

[StillWeRise]

How many mtf transitioners have taken time out of the workplace for maternity leave? How many mtf transitioners have worked part time for years to care for little children and then struggled to get their careers back on track further down the line?

Mtf transitioners and women do not have the same obstacles when it comes to careers - not in the slightest.

this x1000

really, what does a male born person have to offer here? I mean really, what? They can have no idea whatsoever what issues women face.

[snow21]

I appreciate that people born male who later transition to transwomen have many challenges indeed. But they are not my challenges, they are not the challenges that people born female face. Therefore they are just not relevant in trying to persuade girls and women into politics. And every time a place is offered and taken in this way, we fail to hear the voice of a woman.