Labour have committed to single sex spaces

[flumpetto]

Excluding trans

This is a step in the right direction at long last....

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/keir-starmer-trans-women-labour-b1924832.html

[OldTurtleNewShell]

Hmm. It"s a step in the right direction but I think he's still got miles to go and I'm not convinced he's not going to step backwards again.

[Helleofabore]

Well. That is unexpected news!

Obviously took notice of the coverage from the LDems over the weekend. I shall wait while he is cancelled.

[Fariha31]

I also think he will go where ever the prevailing wind takes him.
Its interesting tho that he now thinks the wind is blowing in this direction. Now that really is hopefull.

[Ghostsintheshelf]

😲 I can't decide how this is going to go - if he'll back-pedal furiously when the TRAs go frothing on Twitter (which is easy to do when language no longer means anything it used to mean), or if the TRAs will do the "this is no big deal" thing that they like doing.

[PermanentTemporary]

Interesting point Fariha.

[OvaHere]

@OldTurtleNewShell

Hmm. It"s a step in the right direction but I think he's still got miles to go and I'm not convinced he's not going to step backwards again.

Yes this. I shall wait and see how it plays out. That was a very brief article with not much info.

[Signalbox]

Oh blimey that’s interesting.

[KittenKong]

I wouldn’t believe it if they told me it was Wednesday. I don’t trust them at all. It just takes one massive tantrum and they will quickly backtrack, making soothing noises.

[Sophoclesthefox]

Well now. This could get very interesting.

I’d love to know the conversations that have led to this.

Cautiously optimistic that it’s at least surfaced as a possibility, but we’ll see what happens with the inevitable scolding coming his way.

[334bu]

Will he stick to this? Let's hope so.

[MonsignorMirth]

The Labour leader’s spokesman said he remained wedded to the policy on which the party fought the last general election – and that there was “no reason to expect it is going to change”.

This meant backing “the implementation of the Equality Act, including the single-sex exemption which allows the provision of women-only spaces”.

Really?
I don't have much confidence that he won't back down/change what it means but let's see.

[teawamutu]

Gosh. And he didn't say the cis-word either. Accidentally or purposefully revealing he knows what a woman is?

[LongBlobson]

Wow. That was the last thing I expected to read! Agreed I'm not sure I trust them, but if he's understood the reason for single sex, female-only spaces in some circumstances then that is a start.

[Sophoclesthefox]

I think Starmer would do well to remember that the conversation about this that’s inevitably going to detonate on Twitter is not at all representative of how this will go down with the ordinary people in the street.

A crucial part of this issue is understanding how social media shapes the conversation on all varieties of identity based politics, and how destructive this trend is to civil political and social discourse. If he backs down in the face of Twitter criticism, he’ll show that he hasn’t understood that, at all.

[Signalbox]

Keir is going to get a lot of abuse. Perhaps it will help him understand what women have been putting up with.

[KittenKong]

He wont get the death threats. He will just get bombarded with messages of now he is literally killing people.

[ArabellaScott]

@Sophoclesthefox

I think Starmer would do well to remember that the conversation about this that’s inevitably going to detonate on Twitter is not at all representative of how this will go down with the ordinary people in the street.

A crucial part of this issue is understanding how social media shapes the conversation on all varieties of identity based politics, and how destructive this trend is to civil political and social discourse. If he backs down in the face of Twitter criticism, he’ll show that he hasn’t understood that, at all.

Yes, for sure.

Will be enormously interesting to hear if some of the more vociferous people arguing that 'trans women are women' with no exceptions will be willing to concede that in some specific instances (say, services for rape supporters) males can be excluded.

I would imagine most people find this completely reasonable.

[Sophoclesthefox]

Nothing says “serious political commentary” like “fuck you, you selfish cunt”, does it?

Let transactivists have a field day losing it over this. It’s extremely helpful to demonstrate what women here have been saying for years.

[Booknooks]

I suspect he will backtrack, hopefully not though, might actually win them some voters back.

[IM0GEN]

@KittenKong

I wouldn’t believe it if they told me it was Wednesday. I don’t trust them at all. It just takes one massive tantrum and they will quickly backtrack, making soothing noises.

This.

But if they do actually commit to safe spaces for biological women then I will shift my vote to them.

[ArabellaScott]

I think that took around 30 seconds to get Starmer declared a 'fascist' on Twitter.

He's committed heresy.

[averylongtimeago]

It's only "some" spaces "when justified".
They haven't won my vote back yet.

[BettyFilous]

@Ghostsintheshelf

😲 I can't decide how this is going to go - if he'll back-pedal furiously when the TRAs go frothing on Twitter (which is easy to do when language no longer means anything it used to mean), or if the TRAs will do the "this is no big deal" thing that they like doing.

Going on how cross John McDonnell was on R4 Today this morning about the electoral college proposal (proper bosom hoisting huffing) I suspect Keir might be taking the “might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb” tack. Whether he’s about to go out in a blaze of flaming, frothing Momentum/TRA glory is the question…

[MonsignorMirth]

@Sophoclesthefox

I think Starmer would do well to remember that the conversation about this that’s inevitably going to detonate on Twitter is not at all representative of how this will go down with the ordinary people in the street.

A crucial part of this issue is understanding how social media shapes the conversation on all varieties of identity based politics, and how destructive this trend is to civil political and social discourse. If he backs down in the face of Twitter criticism, he’ll show that he hasn’t understood that, at all.

Agree with this.
I didn't have a clue who to vote for. I will never vote Tory. Can't vote libdem. Greens would've been attractive to some extent but...
Anyway, this will help immensely.

[purpleboy]

@averylongtimeago

It's only "some" spaces "when justified".
They haven't won my vote back yet.

Yes I was also wondering about this, wonder if he thought if he didn't specify it might be enough to appease both camps. He obviously doesn't know how the other side react to anything other than TWAW.