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Original poster

Earl of Balfour wants daughter to transition in order to take title

36 replies

Monstamio · 30/11/2017 06:52

I'm a long term lurker, occasional poster on mumsnet.

I recently peak-transed thanks in great part to the excellent and very clear posts by people such as Datun and Pisa (thank you).

We've been waiting for an aristocrat to challenge the laws of primogeniture (as exempt from the GRA) and it looks like the Earl of Balfour has stepped into the breech. See link below. This just got a brief mention on the Today prog.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/29/lord-balfour-outdated-succession-law-means-daughter-could-claim/

OP posts:
SlowlyShrinking · 30/11/2017 09:49

It’s obviously outrageous that his daughter can’t inherit. Good for him for trying to change that, whatever his motivations, and whatever you think about the whole system anyway.

CocoaXx · 30/11/2017 09:42

He had a letter in the Times yesterday, it was mainly about primogeniture - he was using changing gender identity to make a point about his daughter not being able to inherit as the law stands.

BarbarianMum · 30/11/2017 09:39

Well people do tend to care more about stuff that affects them. I don't think a person's stand against racism is any less worthy because they're black. And dare I say it but i think many feminists would not campaign so hard on women's issues if they were men. Hmm

nowt · 30/11/2017 08:55

I don’t think he’s wonderful. He wants the law changed so that his daughter inherits instead of his brother. I imagine if he had a son he wouldn’t give a stuff.

RJnomore1 · 30/11/2017 07:30

I think he's wonderful.

If this stupid law does go through I fully intend to be a man at any events where there is no queues for the men's toilets but the women's is mobbed.

Then complain there's no sanitary disposal bin for my male periods.

Original poster
Monstamio · 30/11/2017 07:18

Does it matter what his overall aims are if the result is it exposes the hypocrisy of the GRA to a more mainstream audience, Edith? Infuriating for campaigners perhaps, but potentially helpful overall.

OP posts:
nowt · 30/11/2017 07:05

it’s infuriating that there is an exemption for primogeniture. Just goes to show that they don’t really believe it is possible to change sex, but they only care when it adversely affects men.

IveGotBillsTheyreMultiplying · 30/11/2017 07:05

Reminds me of this case from the 60s

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SirEwannForbes,11thhBaronet

IndominusRex · 30/11/2017 07:01

That is a very good article. Shows the hypocrisy of GRA. Shows how arbitrary the whole thing is. Excellent.

Anlaf · 30/11/2017 07:00

Interesting!

Clicky (for some reason OP links often don't go clicky) www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/29/lord-balfour-outdated-succession-law-means-daughter-could-claim/

The reform of the Gender Recognition Act is now likely to include a clause on an exemption for hereditary titles being dropped.

Does it now? How do they know?

EdithWeston · 30/11/2017 06:57

No, he doesn't.

He's a long term campaigner about primogentiture and his actual aim if for succession of other titles to be changed to match the changes made to royal succession.

He seems to have got more attention for one comment about the nature of gender than anything else that the campaigners for change have said in the last couple of decades.