This woman is all of us.

Being a woman encompasses much more that JUST a childhood as a girl.

It does. It is about much more than just having a vagina.
It’s about society making assumptions about you.
It’s about the gender pay gap.
It’s about having periods.
It’s about being, preventing or ending a pregnancy.
It’s about having men in white vans shouting at you.
It’s about being sexually assaulted.
When Lily has experienced all of these, as all women have, (all women have been sexually assaulted in some form, I’m yet to meet someone who hasn’t), then I’ll listen to her experience of womenhood.

For many women it’s also about giving birth and breastfeeding a baby.

That's interesting. So is the research about high percentage of trans people with autism - is that self identified autism or officially diagnosed?
The autism/ learning need aspect is covered in the pro trans literature that is sent to schools but not in enough depth, given the vulnerability of (all) young people and children particularly to something that could be seen as "exciting".

@NotTerfNorCis and BitFuckedOffNow Thank you!

I'm a few hours behind you guys, so I've got to catch up here (on pg2).

I'm astonished that this was published in the news and there still was no repercussions about the secret group. And it's still going? Did JC and the party have nothing to say? Misuse of party data seems a pretty huge deal and would cause a massive loss of trust, I would think.

It sure is easy to jump on a bandwagon and berate a young person. She should not identify as she does. She should not have the nerve to pretend she belongs. She should not be trusted. She should not be angry that there isn't representation of her type of woman. Well guess what? You're words stand no bearing at all on the matter because in the UK, we have the Gender Recognition Act 2004. Give it a good read, because it definitively states that you CAN change your gender! Now I don't know about you, but I consider Law and Politics to be pretty darn close to each other, and frankly it would be disgusting if the Labour party took the tone and attitude that a bunch of rather narrow minded people braying on a forum.

Now that we've established the law, lets consider her right to be a women's Officer. Being a woman encompasses much more that JUST a childhood as a girl. We all have varying experiences throughout our lives which relate to our families, communities, looks & intelligence. A woman who has spent her life as a prostitute, or a woman who has never worked with an office full of men, heavy women, thin women, women born a particular gender, or one that has come to terms with the reality that their gender and body do not match, no matter what you think of a person's journey to get here, we are collectively WOMEN. (Remember, the law agrees with this!) This particular young person being a woman's officer will be a woman for the rest of her life, and she deserves to participate and be represented.

We are so quick to stamp "otherness" and categorize "them" and "us". I've lived in two different countries. The country I reside in says I don't belong there because I wasn't born there. The Country I left says I don't belong there, because I left. Where does that leave me? The point is, stop telling other people what their experience is. You havent walked in her very young shoes. How about supporting another human being? What are you losing by her participation? Have you lost so much that you will stand up and run for women's officer yourself? Will you go to meetings and debate her? Or will you slam your keyboards with indignation and bigotry?

I hope that all of you naysayers have the profound experience of loving a person that feels they were born in the wrong body. You will likely reconsider your stance.

Is self defining the new way to avoid being looked at for somataform/Munchousens, FII/MHBP ?

They think "oh, autistic people are Well I xyz too, I must be autistic." Bipolar is a common one too.

‘Transmisogyny’ is that dreadful, covetous misogyny that transgender males like Willy Madagain so willingly show towards women. Because he hates women'.

Oh yes.

(I'm wondering about mis-spelling of name tho)

Yes there are two apparently separate issues here.

1. autistic people are more likely to be diagnosed as gender dysphoric. From my own asd perspective, my opinion is that this is due to a general feeling of not fitting in, and seeing strictly prescribed gender roles. = I don't fit it, I like x, I must be a girl

2. people who like to self define as "other" - be that some form of transgender, self defined disabled (with something small, say well controlled diabetes), self defined polysexual demiromantic asexual unicorn - like to "self define" as autistic too.
   They're not autistic, they're bandwagon jumpers.
   This is not denying the existence of group one btw.

Golden I saw a social media comment regarding Jazz Jennings' discovery that due to puberty blockers/hormones they are now effectively chemically castrated and will never have a sex drive or sexual attraction.

The comment was 'so you're asexual. It's just another identity! '

Words fail at that point.

Self identifying as autistic? As an identity?

Give me strength...

Tbh, rb67 he would consider being referred to as "this young man" as the most offensive attack of all!

*crosspost with Beyond

L, if you are the really real kind of autistic, perhaps you should try reading the tale of the boy who cried wolf

There is undeniably a lot of young people with autism who are finding the trans narrative a way to rationalise their challenges with understanding gender expectations and stereotypes, feeling socially alienated and uncomfortable with their body and sensory systems. Body dysmorphia in all kinds is hard for teens, especially those with the sensory and neuro challenges of autism.

However there has been concern voiced about autism being seen as 'just another identity' and the trans community self identifying as autistic rather than being diagnosed. That is rocky territory.

I don't blame the parents. Adults are responsible for their own bullshit.

Maybe, but somewhere along the line he's learnt that Little Liam can have whatever he wants and woe betide anyone who says "no" to him.

I don't feel comfortable about the way this young man is spoken about. He is clearly annoying and extraordinarily self centred. But the attacks on him do no one any favours. He is being used by politicians to try to make themselves look woke (hope I've used the word correctly!) and older politicians should have stood up to this and had a bit more about them.
Making it so personal takes the focus from the real issue.
The autism connection with trans people is a case in point. I have not seen the research anywhere but googled "autism and trans" (in a rush, sorry!) and a mumsnet thread was the third result.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3089956-Autism-and-Trans

I'm dubious, but it's possible. There's a bit of a trend atm to self ID as "autistic", running concurrently with the self ID to change sex...

Every time someone has a dig at Liam Madigan he says he suffers with something or another. He'll run out of lies soon the little twat.

I saw Lily said on that Twitter post that she is autistic which probably explains a lot about her. The unquestioned push to trans autistic young people really concerns me .

Madigans parents are horrible transphobes, as is madigans brother, and Madigan is nocontact with all of them. Whilst somehow living in the same house afaik...?

Transgender women ARE women

Either you can't grasp basic biology or you are so deeply sexist and stupid you believe putting a dress on and lippy transforms a man a woman. Well girl actually. Because that's what he's impersonating isn't he, a cutesy vulnerable little girl.

Go and put a gorilla costume on and see if it makes you a gorilla.

My understanding is that his family are not very sympathetic.

I don't blame the parents. Adults are responsible for their own bullshit.

Every day that Labour allow this misogynistic boy to remain in post is another day that they display their utter contempt for women.

I'd like to know his parents' role in all this, tbh.

I love that comment:
Sadness when I see all-cis women in politics panels

What size is the transgender community in the UK?

So to be truly representative, how big would that panel have to be???

Miranda Yardley is playing a blinder and she's got the Labour Party by the balls.

Jennifer James got suspended for saying and tweeting what exactly?
Why hasn't Miranda Yardley been suspended for doing the same thing?

Miranda spent the other night tweeting "X is a man".

The whole point is, how do you explain some who is trans being suspended for being er.... transphobic.

And if that's the case, how do you explain why you have suspended someone else for doing the exact same thing?

The obvious and only answer is because there is institutionalised sexism.

Labour have tied themselves up in knots over it. Enfield Labour walked straight into it, and proved just how little they respect and respect both women and members of the trans community itself.

That's epic.

They also show the exact problem of wilful blindness when it comes to safeguarding. The fact someone is known to be trans gives a privilege which others are not able to challenge.

As for the photo they all look bored shitless and unimpressed.

Why is that good for publicity?