Labour promises to keep single-sex exemptions

As a former MP and former shadow minister, she speaks only for herself.

She is only a former MP and former shadow minister because parliament has been dissolved.

Jeremy Corbyn is also a former MP at the moment.

Piddock was asked a straight question on R4 about whether transwomen should be allowed in womens safe spaces such as refuges. She didn’t answer the question, but swerved around it, stressing trans inclusion.
In the discussion about the EA exceptions we are forgetting that there are two types of exceptions relating to single sex spaces: exceptions that allow services to be provided only to women (or only to men); and other exceptions that allow single sex service providers to discriminate because of gender reassignment (subject to the legitimate aim test). The provision of single sex services was discussed in the recent WEC report on enforcing the Equality Act. The report states “...public authority commissioners appear to be commissioning gender neutral services in breach of the public sector equality duty.” This led to a recommendation for the GEO to produce a statement to clarify the law on single sex service provision. (There was a separate discussion about the inclusion of transwomen in single sex services which led to a separate recommendation to EHRC for new guidance on the application of the exceptions).
I strongly suspect that Labour has latched onto the first recommendation in the WEC report, and the statement in their manifesto relates the services providers complying with their PSED duty to provide single sex services (women only) as opposed to mixed sex services (women and men). As Labour are refusing to give a straight answer about whether the gender reassignment exceptions will be enforced, but instead state that there will be no discrimination of trans people in single sex spaces, can only mean that the exceptions relating to gender reassignment will not be enforced.

What is happening re all women shortlists and Jennifer James' challenge?

On a related note, the Labour Women's Deceleration is just 52 signatures shy of 3,000.

www.ipetitions.com/petition/labour-womens-declaration

I'm no longer a member but I've signed.

Unformidable
we should go by what’s in the manifesto

Which is why I won't be voting Labour. I really don't care what their policies on trans issues are- there are plenty of other reasons not to vote for the Labour party.

Maybe we've got it wrong, thinking DB was Shadow Minister for Women.

Maybe she was Minister for Shadow Women.

It makes a lot more sense.

we should go by what’s in the manifesto

So we should go by the muddy jumbled mess of contradictions which no one wants to clarify?

NO.....

As a former MP and former shadow minister, she speaks only for herself. She does not speak for Labour, and we should go by what’s in the manifesto, which of course could be clearer.

Sorry posted too soon

She is, as Iain Banks described a character in The Crow Road , of weapons grade stupidity.

www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/nick-ferrari/labour-dawn-butler-gets-homelessness-figures-wrong/

Like the rest of them. Currently there are no MPs until Dec 13

True but I assume Butler is standing again and expects to be re-elected in one of Labour's safest seats?

She is as Iain Banks described a char

....athough they do get paid for the period they were unemployed if they get back in, and if they fail to get re-elected they get redundancy, but not if they stand down voluntarily.

Dawn Butler is only a former MP, right?

Like the rest of them. Currently there are no MPs until Dec 13.

It's very difficult to understand how sex based rights can be protected if it's impossible for the law to objectively define what sex is.

And those posters who think this possible turnaround is so wonderful - seriously that's enough to make you vote for a bunch of antisemitic, crazed Marxists?

Dawn Butler is only a former MP, right??? What she says doesn't mean much

Butler is shadow equalities and women's minister. You can see her every PMQ on the shadow front bench sycophantically nodding along with her Great Leader's words of wisdom and idiotically muttering to herself.

Thanks for the link DuMondeB. Around 1:43 for when she was asked about women's rights. She couldn't quite spit it out could she. She was asked a very clear question, but her answer was still fluffy. Commitment to women's single sex spaces being important; and to provision for transwomen (which I can absolutely agree with). Just needed to add the word "separately" to be clear that those aren't one and the same. On my listening, she still didn't say it.

Dawn Butler is only a former MP, right??? What she says doesn't mean much.

Laura Pidcock, 1:36:50

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000bm72

flo

That is what really needs to be challenged by people. The privacy rules. We can't let it slip under the radar or we are fucked. Agree the GRA needs to go but the privacy rules in it currently conflict with the EA so relaxing them would be a good move.

Yes. At the very least, this needs to be added to DBS.

I remember saying on another thread that I felt like the Labour party and I were in one of those relationships where you take a drunken, late night phone call as a sign that he still cares. Well I feel like I've had that call, but the signal was so bad I couldn't make out what he was saying and now there's a woman posting all over Facebook that he was with her all night.

Come on Labour, sort it out. Despite everything, I'd still like to vote for you and the Lib Dems are breathing down your neck round here.

How do you enforce single sex exemptions if you are committing a hate crime/harassment/discrimination/etc to ask what sex someone identifies as? And what is the point of them if everyone can just chose their sex?

Just listened to Laura Pidcock's radio interview. Putting aside the cringey "magnificent triumph' not, she did seem to be reiterating the manifesto and contradicting La Butler.

Clearly, if anyone can get a GRC, then single sex exemptions mean nothing. You would have a birth certificate that says you are the sex you choose and there would be no way for anyone to prove you are actually the opposite sex.

That is what really needs to be challenged by people. The privacy rules. We can't let it slip under the radar or we are fucked. Agree the GRA needs to go but the privacy rules in it currently conflict with the EA so relaxing them would be a good move.

As it stands, via the grounding in the law, and by extension any guidance around it, manifesto promises etc, our sex based rights are still essentially hanging on whoever decides to grant them.

I agree. How else can you account for Karen White?

Imagine being a female prisoner, statistically likely to have already been subjected to domestic violence, and they put a fucking self confessed, utterly unrepentant, brick shit house rapist in your cell?

And this, to me, is why public opinion is crucial. They don't have to enforce women's rights, so we have to make them.

All the things - crowd funders, court cases, videos, protests, meetings, petitions, mumsnet - getting it in the papers, etc.

And this mealy mouthed, ambiguous, grudging concession by labour indicates it might just be working.