Labour Women's Declaration event in Brighton

Thank you!

This is the playlist of talks, if you wanted to see them. The event was a little overshadowed, rightly, but the focus on women's safety and the announcement of the UK Sports Councils' decision on inclusion - which basically agreed with our speakers, that you can have inclusion, or safety and fairly,but not both, in most sports. That puts it into the court of the Nat Governing Bodies. We shall see what they decide to do - should be interesting!
The speeches: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEcNRtqbw9qpQmfmSootzgzv6y5CFr0ot

I’ve just watched the videos and they were excellent.
However, they are preaching to the converted. They have got to somehow force Starmer and the shadow cabinet to view these videos too, and start dealing with the problem.

Just catching up here - well done to everyone who attended.

@Cwenthryth @Fitt

The Times article has her saying:
there were at least 20 female MPs in the party who sympathised with Duffield’s stance
There are just over 100 female labour MPs, so that makes it 20% of labour women. I wonder how many male labour MPs are supportive?

Thanks for the support!
It's all uploaded now. Playlist here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEcNRtqbw9qpQmfmSootzgzv6y5CFr0ot

I am consistently amazed at how these meetings ever manage to take place in the face of so much harassment and opposition. Very glad they do. Well done and look forward to watching it later.

Hi all,
Yes it was a lovely meeting. the warmth coming from the attendees was spectacular, and some said it was the best, most enthusiastic, and best-organised fringe event they'd been to. We were bowled over. (Nor a fringe, but nearly fringe anyway.) It had to be well organised. We were coordinating dozens of stewards, private security and police, to make sure protesters couldn't disrupt and intimidate attendees. Anyway, attendance was nearly at capacity, and people didn't seem to want to go home. After a pretty bad week for women's rights (and a few laughs, you have to admit, courtesy of Mr Lammy) we were gobsmacked/delighted with the news about the UK sports councils on Thursday! It didn't stop our detractors (even within the higher reaches of the party, disgracefully) calling us a hate group, and saying we call for the genocide of trans people. Tragic but true. That's not what I call a civilised debate.
Videos have been edited and are being uploaded later today. Watch LWD's Twitter feed and/or YouTube channel.

I wonder if the changes around deselection will have any effect on MPs willingness to speak up. It's become so totally mad surely some will feel the need to dissociate themselves from appearing total idiots in public.

Both Rosie Duffield and Tonia Antoniazzi talked about the issue of being reliant on union support to finance election campaigns which makes it hard for MPs to speak out. But as the also pointed out Unison has heavily female membership and GMB has a woman leader. Seems that women members speaking up is a clear route forward. Though I did say, a bit gushingly after that women would crowdfund for their election campaigns

Report about the meeting from this morning's Times:
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/169d8faa-207c-11ec-8cb7-e60ba8dbca61?shareToken=4e8aa213b7e138afee218998f50a3f91

Tonia Antoniazzi, the Labour MP for Gower was there as well. It's shocking that a group of women meeting to discuss their rights needs 'a heavy security presence' at a Labour Party conference of all places.

I wasn't there but have seen pictures of her there.

Yes!

I heard that the special guest was Rosie Duffield, can anyone confirm?

I'm afraid I would not be so gracious about the 20 MPs claiming to support me if 19 of them were only doing so in secret. I'm a big cowardy coward myself so maybe that's hypocritical but hey, that's me - I expect an MP to have a bit more of a spine than I have.

20 or more, out of 199….. so maybe just above 10%? That she knows of, who have been brave enough to make their views known at least off the record to a fellow MP.

I was following this on Twitter last night (look up #LWDBrighton) looks like it was a great evening, how was attendance?

I wonder who those 20 MPs are, they need to start speaking out as this issue is not going away.

I read this from a journalist in attendance

UPDATE: went along to Antoniazzi’s event tonight where two dozen trans rights activists were indeed protesting outside the venue. Inside the Gower MP told attendees: ‘I would not be here speaking to you tonight if I didn’t have 20 or more Labour MPs supporting me.’ Looks like it might not just be Duffield after all.

It was an amazing evening, security worked brilliantly and there was a v special guest

If not of

Evening I'm not going to make it now but I hope it goes well. Does anyone know of it will be recorded?

Yes, absolutely. A mixed audience would be very welcome.

I'd wager there will be loads of ex-labour members there who wish they had a party they could vote for!

I left the Labour Party last year after many years . Would I be allowed to come ? ( Still hoping they realise how crap they are to us women and change their ways 😭)

Bought a ticket, looking forward to it

Ooh that looks good too!