Another Labour councillor resigns over Cambridge City Council's transgender policies

Those little s*s had better start to learn pretty fast that they don’t call rule the world and when they get out into the real world and wipe their snotty noses, the boot will be in the other foot.

Now students want him sacked from his porter job

www.varsity.co.uk/news/20079

"Condemning Price, who is currently continuing his duties at the College, the UCS stated that Price has shown “a brazen contempt for the rights and dignity of trans and non-binary people”. They reassured students that “the UCS and MCR are currently in communication with the College on how best to resolve this situation while centring trans and non-binary students”, and that “the Senior Tutor is meeting with Price personally”.

The UCS’ LGBT+ Officer Frankie Kendal emphasised that “at Clare, we have a small but vibrant trans and non-binary community that should not only feel safe but feel celebrated”, furthering that for as long as Price continues to perpetuate transphobic views, “trans and non-binary students should not have to interact or rely on him for support in any way”.

Kendal, who is also a Trans and Non-Binary Rep on the Cambridge SU LGBT+ Campaign, furthermore highlighted that “the handling of this situation highlights that transphobia runs much deeper than a singular Twitter feed”.

Kendal denounced the College’s failure to make students aware of Price’s conduct when his Tweets were unearthed last month, alongside Council members mourning Kevin’s resignation “but not denouncing his transphobia” and “the way CULA used his original comments as a partisan campaigning tool”. Kendal affirmed that all these instances show a continued “failure to centre trans people”, alongside the fact that trans students “are not being prioritised as they should be”.

Victoria Longstaff, former SU Women’s Campaign Trans Rep and Clare student, commented that Price is “unfit both to hold public office and to be in a position of responsibility over students” in light of his views. She added that transgender students relying on him in his position as a Clare porter is “a potential risk”, furthering that because of this she “must support either his resignation or his suspension from his duties at the college”.

It's not very liberal to consider women and trans women as being one group and not facing different issues. We should applaud the councillor for being true to his conscience.

I agree with the observation that people often vote in local elections based on their view on national politics.

Yes, which is really annoying in many ways. Often the media uses it as a test of how the central government is doing, which isn't always very reflective because half the people are voting on local issues, and their vote says nothing about the party in power in Westminster.

And the other half who have no interest in local politics DO vote based on their party affiliation generally, which is how people such as certain Lib Dem councillors mentioned earlier still got quite a few votes in 2019, as people were keen on Lib Dems for their anti-Brexit stance (in a very very anti-Brexit city), so voted for the party without looking into individual candidates or what they said/tweeted. That frequently happens if people have no particular local concerns; they just vote for a party they like, and Lib Dems have been popular here all along (most people having no idea about their stance on women's issues, and/or caring more about their stance on Brexit and other things at least).

I too would prefer it if local politics was kept separate from national political parties.

So, do municipal/local politics in the UK generally involve political parties? Here councillors in counties and municipalities aren't party representatives, which I would say I rather prefer.

I notice Sarah Brown tweeted The “dropped on their heads as children Alliance” are all on Twitter today, I see..

Masterly use of language — abusive, misogynistic and insulting brain-injured people, all in one sentence. Maybe homophobic too, as ‘Alliance’ sounds like the LGB Alliance, those renegades who gave up on Stonewall when it became a trans lobbygroup.

Brown, a transgender former Libdem councillor, proposed the amendment that opened Cambridge’s single-sex women’s facilities to self-identifying transwomen in 2010.

tribute to Kevin

Kevin's speech is simple and moving

quite a few supportive tweets (atm) in this local thread
twitter.com/BenHattonJourno/status/1319387641905819649

UPDATE:

WPUK statement and video speech by Kevin Price

womansplaceuk.org/2020/10/24/womens-rights-in-cambridge/

Thank you Kevin Price

He has resigned from the council, not just the Labour party, and his vacancy is already listed on the list of council vacancies to be filled at the next election in May 2021 (no by-elections until then because of Covid).

Yes I agree that people shouldn't feel obligated to stay on for the greater good when they are faced with ethically unaccpetable situations. However, I sometimes wish that they would stay as I think we need them on the council to represent the rest of us. But I don't mean that they should feel they have to.

I will probably still vote Labour though, given the Lib Dem alternatives in my ward, though I don't know if they will run again at the next election. And because at least one of the Labour councillors has been really very helpful on local issues. I wish I could give them the feedback that I disagree with what they've done, but I don't think that feedback can be through not voting Labour!

[quote thinkingaboutLangCleg]Found the website!
www.facebook.com/deptfordpeopleproject/posts/1631795163535574[/quote]
Brilliant statement by Roz. thanks for the link.

Has he actually resigned as a councillor altogether or just resigned the Labour whip?

@BlackForestCake Yes you would think they just look like fools, but when I read about it on twitter, it all just reads so rabidly convinced that they are right. They compare it to racism, and say stuff like "some folks just had a hard time believing black people were equal". Which to me is literally the point, trans people are equal, they have rights, the same as we all do. They just don't have the right to take away women's rights.

I agree and I couldn't stomach staying in the Labour Party over this issue. I have massive respect for those still trying to change it from the inside but I just felt such incredible betrayal.

I do get the arguments people are making but I don’t think any one individual should feel compelled to stay on for the greater good when things at work are completely ethically unacceptable to them. That particular motion didn’t come from nowhere, I’d imagine he’d already have had to have compromised very close to his personal boundaries a good few times in the past but this time it was too much. I hope other Labour men take note.

Now the ball is back in the Labour Party’s court. Will they pick on him equally for having views they don’t like, as they do GC Labour women?

The Deptford People's Project is also referenced in this article in Meghan Murphy's Feminist Current (they are saying currently down for a software update):

www.feministcurrent.com/2018/03/23/leftist-women-uk-refuse-accept-labours-attempts-silence-critiques-gender-identity/

I know which Lib Dem you mean, CityCentre.

Like you, while I admire Kevin's principles, I'm horrified by the practical consequences of his resignation.

Yes, that's very much what happened in my ward. Resignation of very principled people, which I understand and respect, but meant that the replacements and potential replacements since then are frequently not people I agree with or would want representing me. It's sad that someone else who did seem to understand the issues has now resigned as well.

It worries me that, when people resign, they're vacating a position that is promptly filled by someone holding the same views as the council.

Isn't it better to stay there?
I can understand his reasons for resigning, but perhaps he was voted in by people who agree with him and want him to challenge this.

In my ward at least, if you don't vote Labour, then the alternative that you'd get is the Lib Dem TW that is very vocal when people disagree with them. So like it or not, I'd stick with Labour regardless. Plus as someone mentioned earlier, for city councillors, most people vote for someone who will get local things done, and at least one of the Labour councillors has been excellent and very helpful. (Not the others, though so I guess it depends who will be up for re-election the next time).

The Cambridge Live newspaper is very pro-trans, and has incredibly biased articles (they are pretty shit at everything really, appalling writing and grammar, frequently miss the point, sounds like GCSE level writing most of the time. But needed for local traffic stories etc!). The Cambridge Independent hasn't published as much on the topic, though their articles are on the whole better written.

The Kite Trust. Another organisation that started out supporting gay and bi people, and has moved to trans rights. But at least they openly admit it. Don't recognise anyone involved, I don't think.

Anyway, sorry for the slight derail.

www.thekitetrust.org.uk/about-us/