Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Respect my Sex - Mayor of Watford

116 replies

Magenta82 · 04/05/2022 11:09

Hi All
With the up coming local elections I wanted to get an idea of the candidates views on women's rights. In Watford we have an elected mayor, the position has been held by 2 people since it was created 20 years ago, both LibDems.

To get an idea of the candidates' stances I sent the following message to all 3 (as well as the local council candidates who haven't replied).

Dear Candidate

I live in xxx Ward and currently find myself politically homeless, having recently given birth to a baby girl I have come to realise the importance of women’s hard won rights and protections and the reasons they are needed. You may have seen the campaign ‘Respect my Sex if you want my ‘X’’, in which women all over the country are talking to local election candidates about women’s sex-based rights and single-sex spaces and services.

Sex is a protected characteristic in the Equality Act. Women’s single-sex spaces and services matter for the dignity, privacy, and safety of women.

Yet some local authorities, have begun prioritising the concept of self-identified ‘gender’ over sex. This filters down into Council policies with an impact on the provision of women’s single-sex spaces and services – for example public toilets and park facilities. Clarity about sex also matters for sports – girls and women need single-sex competitions to guarantee fair and safe competition. Clarity about sex matters for safeguarding children. Some schools have removed single-sex toilets and local authorities have endorsed materials which suggest that what makes a child a boy or a girl is whether they fit into masculine or feminine stereotypes.

I’m interested to know where you would stand on these issues and would be grateful if you would let me know how you would answer the following questions:

Can you tell me what a woman is?
Do you understand that the Equality Act 2010 allows for single-sex services and sports?
If elected, would you work to ensure that our local authority:
retains the concept of sex where it matters in language, communications, data collection, and policy development;
protects women’s single-sex spaces and services, both in direct provision, and where you have regulatory / partnership influence;
prioritises safeguarding the vulnerable, especially children, in the provision of all spaces and services where sex matters?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks

My Name

I have heard back from all 3 and will post the replies in the order I received them.

OP posts:
sweetgrapes · 04/05/2022 17:17

FemaleAndLearning · 04/05/2022 11:40

I would vote for the Tory on this issue. The last one you posted talked far too little about women.
Woman's Place UK are collecting all the responses via their website. Will be interesting to read. The form you fill in is at the bottom of this web page.
womansplaceuk.org/2022/03/08/wpuk-questions-for-councillors/

Are the answers also collated here? I couldn't see them.

Ellie56 · 04/05/2022 17:12

The Lib Dem response was far too woke and waffly and more concerned about trans people than anybody else. I wouldn't vote for them.

picklemewalnuts · 04/05/2022 17:02

@Babdoc I agree. What's unfortunate is the tribalism that is stopping people recognising the value in the other political party.

I'm left leaning, and for various reasons know quite a few local councillors across the spectrum. I rate a conservative bloke and a conservative woman, a labour woman and a labour bloke, and thoroughly despise one high ranking labour bloke.

They are individuals who work hard for local residents and do whatever they can to improve local services. They see things differently, but are all well intentioned and hard working. Whatever party.

CervixSampler · 04/05/2022 17:01

Maladicta I got as far as their use of the word cis and read no more. They are all about the t and that's not championing equality. To me they are an exclusionary party.

Babdoc · 04/05/2022 16:50

Why “sorry to say”, Sushi? Our local council is Tory run, and very efficient. One of the councillors attends my church, and would have absolutely no truck with gender woo or letting men in women’s spaces. Tories are not monsters, they are people who care about local services and value for money for their council tax payers, just as you do.

SushiShopSearch · 04/05/2022 16:46

Sorry to say but the Conservative candidate sounds the most in touch (and passionate)

Maladicta · 04/05/2022 16:46

The LibDems have been given advice on how to answer such 'difficult' questions...

Jaxhog · 04/05/2022 16:43

I thought the Tory response was best. Not just because she addressed the issue clearly, but it was also the only response that appeared to respect you as a person. The LibDem response was a load of politi-speak twaddle and the Labour response reads like a standard response written by a minion.

MsTSwift · 04/05/2022 16:36

In our areas it’s Libdem / Tory neck and neck. Our mp is a passionate TWAW supporter. Glad there’s no local election here as I would be stuck!

FlappyCats · 04/05/2022 16:13

How bloody rude and dismissive the Labour respondent was. The Tory was bang on the money. The Lib Dem was bullshit ( a form answer?) and basically said that TRAs can use women's spaces. I'm in my late 50s. I have voted Labour in every election until the last when I spoilt my ballot. I will vote Tory this time.

Floisme · 04/05/2022 16:01

I think the first response is by far the best. That said, I would probably decide that the Labour candidate had done just about the bare minimum needed to get my vote, but that's down to 40-odd years of tribal voting that I still can't quite shake off - you can almost hear him clenching his teeth and I wouldn't entirely trust him not to try and wriggle out of it. The Lib Dem response is all over the place and still refuses to concede there's a conflict of rights, so no.

Original poster
Magenta82 · 04/05/2022 15:55

That sounds really positive @CervixSampler, in your position I would be voting Labour as well.

OP posts:
CervixSampler · 04/05/2022 15:47

Our labour candidate organised an IWD memorial walk. Names of all the women murdered by men in the past year were read out at a vigil and flowers laid at a local peace garden. Her party is the only one who has bothered to produce a manifesto. I can't find anything for the other parties. The Lib Dem candidate is an obsequious sychopantic misogynist who posts all over Facebook and Twitter about how wonderful he is. No thanks. He didn't take kindly to me calling him out on his misogynistic abuse of his colleague in public either and then denied it happened. Gaslighting greasy toad. No idea about the Con party but they haven't got much chance here anyway and nor have the greens. I used to vote strategically but not now. Our labour councillor candidate deserves to know how many votes she has.

Original poster
Magenta82 · 04/05/2022 15:34

FemaleAndLearning · 04/05/2022 15:23

I've still had no response from the Greens or Lib Dems in my ward despite chasing them. Even the waffle posted above by your Lib Dem would've been better than just ignoring me!

I didn't get a response from the local council candidates, just the Mayoral ones, although the Lib Dems said that the response should be taken as coming from both candidates.

There are no greens or other parties standing for either mayor or councillor in my ward so just the big 3.

It is rude to stand for election and then not bother to interact with potential constituents, makes you wonder how accessible or helpful they be in office.

OP posts:
FemaleAndLearning · 04/05/2022 15:23

I've still had no response from the Greens or Lib Dems in my ward despite chasing them. Even the waffle posted above by your Lib Dem would've been better than just ignoring me!

timeisnotaline · 04/05/2022 15:19

I read the labour response as we have to respond to a constituent, so yes yes and whatever will get you to go away without saying anything. Just about literally.

WeWillLookBack · 04/05/2022 15:15

I would say I am left leaning - but those responses would make me vote Tory. Labour seem to be pretending it still is not happening, and sticking their heads in the sand - never a good look. The Lib Dems responses are disingenuous at best - the same old 'We are committed to upholding women’s rights and trans rights, and do not believe that the two are in conflict' This statement would mean I would never vote for them. The very fact they cannot acknowledge there is a clear conflict makes be think they have no grip on reality - for anything.

Peregrina · 04/05/2022 15:13

but there are hundreds of thousands of trans people for whom that is not the case, and I believe we must respect their identities too.

Really? I would love to see some proper stats on this.

ThreeLocusts · 04/05/2022 15:13

I agree that the tory candidate's answer is the clearest, but the Labour candidate's is passable, and given how nasty the tories are on so many other issues, I'd go with labour. Admittedly, as the child of a single mother and with a chronic health condition I would rather not vote than vote tory.

tkwal · 04/05/2022 15:12

Based on what you have posted I would vote Conservative

Tlollj · 04/05/2022 15:07

Tory it is then.

LemonRedwood · 04/05/2022 15:06

For me as a left-leaning woman, the Conservative gave the best answer.

I have no vote in Watford but live near enough and have friends who live in Watford so I use facilities and amenities there frequently so this matters to me even though I have no say.

Original poster
Magenta82 · 04/05/2022 15:02

SoggyPaper · 04/05/2022 14:44

Even if you ignore what they’re actually saying about the questions you’ve asked, the conservative candidate comes across much better.

She’s addressed you like you are a human. The labour candidate’s response is totally perfunctory. The Lib Dems appear to be lecturing you.

I agree, I feel hers was the best response, it was personal, human and succinct.

The Labour candidate didn't even bother to copy my name correctly, it was on the email and is part of my email address, I felt like I was treated as a nuisance rather than a voter giving him the opportunity to make a connection and gain a vote.

The Lib Dems jumped on a soapbox for a lecture and says they are "committed to gender equality" which obviously isn't the same as sex equality. I also feel that removing the so called spousal veto makes it harder for women to divorce their transitioning partner should they wish to.

OP posts:
Artichokeleaves · 04/05/2022 15:01

Strong impression that Labour are holding their noses and muttering placatory noises until Friday when the voting's done. After that I suspect we'll find out that they were saying what they thought would get them into power rather than what they actually believe and intend to do to an electorate.

Dinosauria · 04/05/2022 14:58

On that I would vote Conservative. Not only because of their views but because the time they have taken to draft a reply. I'd want them to qork hard for my area, if they can't work hard to gain my vote when the want to be elected they certainly won't when they are.