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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Starmer on what a woman is, and GRA reform

210 replies

ResisterRex · 12/03/2022 06:40

In The Times:

Trans women are women, says Keir Starmer in call for legal reform

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/75ddf3d0-a176-11ec-b38e-10b333e9179b?shareToken=2a3aa1b4f35de5d5a23b0166178270f6

"Asked to define a woman, Starmer replied: “A woman is a female adult, and in addition to that trans women are women, and that is not just my view — that is actually the law. It has been the law through the combined effects of the 2004 [Gender Recognition] Act and the 2010 [Equality] Act. So that’s my view. It also happens to be the law in the United Kingdom.”

The Labour leader called for reforms of the Gender Recognition Act, under which people diagnosed with gender dysphoria who have lived in their acquired gender for at least two years can apply to be legally recognised.

“The process that people have to go through does need to be looked at,” he told The Times. “If you talk to anybody who’s been through the process there’s a real issue about respect and dignity.”"

In addition:

He called for a “more considered, respectful, tolerant debate about these issues”. Starmer added: “I don’t think it furthers the interests of anybody to continue the debate in the way that it’s been going on now for some time.”

OP posts:
Spectre8 · 12/03/2022 14:10

@ZuttZeVootEeeVo

I can only assume he doesn't want to actually win an election. I can see why - Covid still hanging around, fall out from Brexit, a war being waged by Russia and an energy crisis.

Or he wants to make it easier for all men to follow women and girls into changing rooms and toilets. How many men are voyeurs? It could probably swing an election.

You raise an interesting point. What happens in schools? So could a teenage boy wake up one day and self identify as a girl and walk into the girls changing rooms and then a week later go back to identifying as a boy again?

The same in an adult situation...

Because that is very scary!

MidCenturyClegs · 12/03/2022 14:09

Do you remember the Pink News tweet where they posted the hostage-style vid of Starmer saying TWAW?

Here are the tweet engagement stats:

What a disgrace to both the Labour Party and also their inept PR machine

Starmer on what a woman is, and GRA reform
nicesausages · 12/03/2022 14:07

I'm really shocked at this. Why are Labour piling into this debate?
There's other much bigger issues they should be focussing on.
Just let women be women (and protect their hard won rights) and let Trans women be trans women

Terfydactyl · 12/03/2022 14:02

@Narutocrazyfox

Well mumsnetters, I think this will forever answer the question 'Why do people still vote Tory?'

😂😂😂

I'm glad hes come off that fence at least. Now we know for certain he really really dislikes women, even those in his own family. And of course we wont vote him in. Who will be the next labour leader and will they be any wiser?

I emailed him pre pandemic and told him to self identify as a woman then finally labour could have a woman leader.

Email:[email protected]

Email:[email protected]

Email:[email protected]

Knock yourselves out if you want to say anything to him.

He wont see them but he cannot ever whine that no one told him what was happening in the real world and how angry women are.

Iwishihadariver · 12/03/2022 13:58

I agree with AlsoNotAGirl, I'm at that same point. I'm a lifelong Labour supporter & voter & note the number of posters saying they'll spoil their vote rather than vote tory. I don't intend to waste my previous vote but will lend it to the tories & make it clear that women's rights matter & they must put their money where their mouth is. Abstaining my vote is not the answer.

VelvetChairGirl · 12/03/2022 13:52

I always thought he was a tory trojan horse to make sure labour are unelectable, every time he opens his mouth he just cements my view further.

I will never vote labour again, not in a general election, not in a local election or the mayoral election, until that man is gone.

jeaux90 · 12/03/2022 13:51

I find it bemusing that a man of his intelligence would try and spend so much time pursuing a lie. Trying to convince people that men can be women. It's absurd.

itsnotdeep · 12/03/2022 13:51

I find this so depressing. How many voters is labour going to lose from this? Does anyone know?

I will not be voting labour. Even if he doesn't care about women, surely he cares that he will be losing valuable votes. JKR of course very good on this of course.

KittenKong · 12/03/2022 13:48

I can’t be bothered playing that game.

ZuttZeVootEeeVo · 12/03/2022 13:46

One simple solution to avoid confusion would be to get rid entirely of the words "man / men and woman/ women" and replace them with "male / males and female/ females ".

If the definition of woman and man can be changed, so can male and female. It's already happening - people are starting to say 'biological female', as a response to males becoming female through surgery and drugs.

ShiteheadRevisited · 12/03/2022 13:27

@MalagaNights

I still find it hard to believe. That we have reached a point where top politicians are prepared to say the blatantly absurd.

Not just lies, they've all always done that.

But something so illogical and absurd yet fits an ideology and Keir Starmer will say it.

They think they've found a nice get out to the question.
Women are adult females.
AndTrans women are women

Please everyone right?

Except it's obvious that by that logic some people with a penis are adult females.

Do they think we can't follow simple logic?

100% this.
1dayatatime · 12/03/2022 13:26

So

"Asked to define a woman, Starmer replied: “A woman is a female adult, and in addition to that trans women are women, and that is not just my view — that is actually the law."

Meanwhile the Oxford Dictionary defines a female as: "belonging to the sex that can lay eggs or give birth to babies".

So by Starmers definition a woman can be both male and female. One simple solution to avoid confusion would be to get rid entirely of the words "man / men and woman/ women" and replace them with "male / males and female/ females ".

Hasselhoffsheadband · 12/03/2022 13:26

It's such bullshit. Here is a man who wants to reform the GRA so that any man can legally 'change gender'.

The same GRA that he refers to when discussing 'what a woman is'.

So he is saying that a woman is an adult human female, and any man who decides to identify as a woman.

And he reckons this is some kind of 'gotcha, how can you argue with this?'

1/10 for effort Keir. Just admit you don't give a shit about women.

ZuttZeVootEeeVo · 12/03/2022 13:24

Presumably we've all got to start asking for definitions.
What's the difference between a woman and a transwoman?

He's told us the difference - woman are female, but males get to be woman too. What we need him to say out loud is what is the difference between a man and a trans woman.

If he wants to preserve the GRA, he needs to explain to the electorate exactly the process needed for any man to become a woman. That's the bit politicians want to keep secret.

MalagaNights · 12/03/2022 13:16

Some people with a penis are women.

We must protect spaces for women.

Those with penis's and vaginas presumably?

I think the only solution is to start describing people by their genitals in all discussion.
It becomes very obvious what's being said then.

We want safe spaces for people with vaginas.

MalagaNights · 12/03/2022 13:13

I still find it hard to believe. That we have reached a point where top politicians are prepared to say the blatantly absurd.

Not just lies, they've all always done that.

But something so illogical and absurd yet fits an ideology and Keir Starmer will say it.

They think they've found a nice get out to the question.
Women are adult females.
AndTrans women are women

Please everyone right?

Except it's obvious that by that logic some people with a penis are adult females.

Do they think we can't follow simple logic?

bellinisurge · 12/03/2022 13:09

He thinks this is some minority issue where you can cut and paste the bits you like and nobody will really care. 51% of the UK population are women. As with Brexit, a slim majority is still a majority. And for every handmaiden woman there is a father, brother, boyfriend, partner, common sense dick-haver who will not let this mealy mouthed crap stand.

jowly · 12/03/2022 13:05

Just another example of him saying what he thinks people want to hear, or the opposite of what is bloody obvious.

I wouldn't vote labour in a million years while they have so little clue

bellinisurge · 12/03/2022 13:04

JKR is politely and eloquently taking no prisoners. Sleeves rolled up and On It.

DinosaurOnlySpaces · 12/03/2022 13:04

@MrsOvertonsWindow

Presumably we've all got to start asking for definitions. What's the difference between a woman and a transwoman? Define a single sex space? Define"living as a woman"

Can you imagine the contradictory, meaningless babble advice going out to candidates for them to answer these questions from exasperated voters

He called for "a tolerant debate about these issues" - he should clarify which issues he means.

What are we allowed to debate?

What situations can he envisage which might need debating?

teawamutu · 12/03/2022 12:50

A women's equality-focused party (in place of the utterly fucking useless Women's Equality Party) with JKR at its head would be a dream come true.

lifeturnsonadime · 12/03/2022 12:33

He is being straightforward about this.

His position is clear Woman are females and ANY man who wishes to identify as a woman.

Single sex spaces will be available to anyone defined as a woman under either of those definitions under any reformed laws that the Labour Party wishes to push through.

This is what is happening in the US democratic party. The left has lost it's way and is revealing itself to be deeply misogynistic and frankly undemocratic.

Sir Keir Starmer is a VERY intelligent man. He knows what the result will be of this and has decided that women don't matter to him.

ResisterRex · 12/03/2022 12:33

JKR has tweeted. 1st one has a link to the Surrey PCC story

I don’t think our politicians have the slightest idea how much anger is building among women from all walks of life at the attempts to threaten and intimidate them out of speaking publicly about their own rights, their own bodies and their own lives. 1/3

Among the thousands of letters and emails I’ve received are disillusioned members of Labour, the Greens, the Lib Dems and the SNP. Women are scared, outraged and angry at the deaf ear turned to their well-founded concerns. But women are organising. 2/3

Now
@Keir_Starmer
publicly misrepresents equalities law, in yet another indication that the Labour Party can no longer be counted on to defend women’s rights. But I repeat: women are organising across party lines, and their resolve and their anger are growing. 3/3

OP posts:
ZuttZeVootEeeVo · 12/03/2022 12:14

What he's actual said is a woman can be female or male, and the idiot thinks he's crushed it.

He's either stupid or thinks we are.

Hasselhoffsheadband · 12/03/2022 12:02

I can imagine them coming up with that statement and thinking 'yes! That's it! That's the statement! It's got Adult Human Female in there to appease the pesky GCs but then we also get in TWAW and make a vague reference to the GRA. Perfect!'

Fucking idiots.

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