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Original poster

Lib Dem conference big vote on supporting women's rights tomorrow

295 replies

fromorbit · 20/09/2026 22:27

Vote tomorrow at the conference with major implications

Lib Dem conference ‘descends into culture wars’ with trans vote
Party wrong to debate pro-trans proposals that will ‘be weaponised against us’, say campaigners

Published 20 September 2026 6:45pm BST
The Liberal Democrats have been accused of “taking a sledgehammer to women’s rights” by debating proposals for more “inclusive” rules on single-sex spaces.
The party will vote on Monday on a proposal to scrap new guidance banning transgender women, who are born male, from female toilets and changing rooms at its annual conference.
The plans are set out in an emergency motion selected by Lib Dem members, which will also force the party to take a firm stance on whether “trans women are women”.
Liberal Voice for Women, a Lib Dem group campaigning for sex-based rights, warned the policy would be pushed through by a conference “stacked with activists” and force the party “back into the culture wars”.
The backlash threatens to embroil the Lib Dem conference in a transgender row for a second year running, despite Sir Ed Davey insisting on Saturday that he led “the most united party in British politics”.
https://archive.is/s25Xm

OP posts:
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13
Awkwardisfunny · 21/09/2026 23:12

ArabellaScott · 21/09/2026 21:22

I'm still not understanding you, really. Are you suggesting that 'transwomen' are men without penises?

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No.

Awkwardisfunny · 21/09/2026 23:20

borntobequiet · 21/09/2026 21:00

So, given we never did that: we must not actually care if they are there (i.e. we don't think about it or feel concern).

Because women never “checked genitals” means they never cared whether men were in their single sex spaces?

Are you bonkers?

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Yeah, 'literally'. Do you know what I mean by that?

So, you know at the airport when a woman pats you down but you don't stop to ask if she is gay. It's because you don't actually care that someone might be enjoying touching you. Unless a group of people suddenly make it a huge political issue. So why not allow a man to pat you down? Why does it need to be same sex and not 'either same sex and hetero or different sex and gay'. Because deep down.. we don't give a sh*t.

We claim to care but we don't. It doesn't keep us up at night. I don't care if a genuine transwoman has a (sit-down) wee (please 🙏🏼) in the women's toilets, but I do care that by setting a policy that allows this, no one can question an actual man being in there alone with me (or the transwoman) and that eventually, someone is going to demand cameras in public bathrooms like in the USA. I'm much more concerned about that.

attichoarder · 21/09/2026 23:22

I like lots of things about the Lib Dem’s but the stance in this issue means I could not vote or support them

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 21/09/2026 23:53

Awkwardisfunny · 21/09/2026 23:20

Yeah, 'literally'. Do you know what I mean by that?

So, you know at the airport when a woman pats you down but you don't stop to ask if she is gay. It's because you don't actually care that someone might be enjoying touching you. Unless a group of people suddenly make it a huge political issue. So why not allow a man to pat you down? Why does it need to be same sex and not 'either same sex and hetero or different sex and gay'. Because deep down.. we don't give a sh*t.

We claim to care but we don't. It doesn't keep us up at night. I don't care if a genuine transwoman has a (sit-down) wee (please 🙏🏼) in the women's toilets, but I do care that by setting a policy that allows this, no one can question an actual man being in there alone with me (or the transwoman) and that eventually, someone is going to demand cameras in public bathrooms like in the USA. I'm much more concerned about that.

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You've invented something to be concerned about and ignored a reality that you should be concerned about. You are Bonkers.

Pingponghavoc · 22/09/2026 00:01

The Libdems lost their way after the coalition. Lots party faithfuls left and in many areas the TRA took over and built the party up again.

So the Libdems are grateful to these activists and are not my nigeling their mates.

Theres a video of the people speaking about this at the conference. I agree its difficult to know who is trans and who isnt, but its clear who is male and female.

It doesnt matter if these men have a diagnosis, what their sexuality is, whether they sit or stand to pee. Its how the women and girls feel when these men enter women only spaces. And the fact that their inclusion makes a space mixed sex.

MarieDeGournay · 22/09/2026 00:23

Awkwardisfunny · 21/09/2026 23:20

Yeah, 'literally'. Do you know what I mean by that?

So, you know at the airport when a woman pats you down but you don't stop to ask if she is gay. It's because you don't actually care that someone might be enjoying touching you. Unless a group of people suddenly make it a huge political issue. So why not allow a man to pat you down? Why does it need to be same sex and not 'either same sex and hetero or different sex and gay'. Because deep down.. we don't give a sh*t.

We claim to care but we don't. It doesn't keep us up at night. I don't care if a genuine transwoman has a (sit-down) wee (please 🙏🏼) in the women's toilets, but I do care that by setting a policy that allows this, no one can question an actual man being in there alone with me (or the transwoman) and that eventually, someone is going to demand cameras in public bathrooms like in the USA. I'm much more concerned about that.

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I could refer to a lot of things you say but I'm going to concentrate on one -
Why would you stop to ask if the female security operative is a lesbian?
What difference would it make? You seem to think that lesbians 'might enjoy' touching women in the context of doing their job i.e. checking them for drugs or guns or whatever.
I think you are making assumptions about lesbian sexuality - it's not a mirror image of male sexuality, you know.

Awkwardisfunny · 22/09/2026 01:19

MarieDeGournay · 22/09/2026 00:23

I could refer to a lot of things you say but I'm going to concentrate on one -
Why would you stop to ask if the female security operative is a lesbian?
What difference would it make? You seem to think that lesbians 'might enjoy' touching women in the context of doing their job i.e. checking them for drugs or guns or whatever.
I think you are making assumptions about lesbian sexuality - it's not a mirror image of male sexuality, you know.

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You don't think it's possible a lesbian might enjoy touching a woman's body? Or a gay man enjoy touching a man's body? It isn't guaranteed but it is possible.

If I were a masseuse and Brad Pitt walked in.. I would definitely enjoy that more than professionally. It's okay to admit you're human!

IwantToRetire · 22/09/2026 01:43

Presumably judging by the user name this hijacking of the thread with whataboutery is a loyal Lib Dem anxious that we dont actually discuss the Lib Dems and their policies.

borntobequiet · 22/09/2026 06:15

Awkwardisfunny · 21/09/2026 23:20

Yeah, 'literally'. Do you know what I mean by that?

So, you know at the airport when a woman pats you down but you don't stop to ask if she is gay. It's because you don't actually care that someone might be enjoying touching you. Unless a group of people suddenly make it a huge political issue. So why not allow a man to pat you down? Why does it need to be same sex and not 'either same sex and hetero or different sex and gay'. Because deep down.. we don't give a sh*t.

We claim to care but we don't. It doesn't keep us up at night. I don't care if a genuine transwoman has a (sit-down) wee (please 🙏🏼) in the women's toilets, but I do care that by setting a policy that allows this, no one can question an actual man being in there alone with me (or the transwoman) and that eventually, someone is going to demand cameras in public bathrooms like in the USA. I'm much more concerned about that.

Show quote history

I know the meaning of the word literally.

The rest of your post is incoherent, imagined, irrelevant nonsense. What has sexual orientation got to do with it? Why does sitting down to wee feature? Who is asking for cameras in public toilets?

borntobequiet · 22/09/2026 06:16

IwantToRetire · 22/09/2026 01:43

Presumably judging by the user name this hijacking of the thread with whataboutery is a loyal Lib Dem anxious that we dont actually discuss the Lib Dems and their policies.

Going by the level of thinking skills demonstrated, I believe you’re right.

WhereAreWeNow · 22/09/2026 06:51

attichoarder · 21/09/2026 23:22

I like lots of things about the Lib Dem’s but the stance in this issue means I could not vote or support them

Same. I've voted Lib Dem in the past but I couldn't now because of their stance on women/trans rights. It's so disappointing.

JuliettaCaeser · 22/09/2026 07:12

They are in power here their MP is lovely. I cannot in all conscience vote for them after this. Cannot believe I will have to become a Tory voter. Labour barely field a candidate.

ArabellaScott · 22/09/2026 07:13

Lots of good people in the Libdems. Let down by weak leadership, imo.

ForRedPoet · 22/09/2026 08:02

Seems there may be an 'unholy alliance' with the Greens.
The Greens especially, have gone completely bonkers. Like seriously mad, and yet this charlatan keeps getting supporters.

FlirtsWithRhinos · 22/09/2026 08:19

For the #BeKind, #ObviouslyNotTheChancersButOfCourseRealTransWomenAreOk lot, the question they need to be asked is "Would you limit this to people who've had full surgery including bottom surgery?"

Whatever they answer, it opens up the conversation in helpful ways because the more detail they have to think through about how it works in practice, the more clear it becomes this doesn't work in practice.

borntobequiet · 22/09/2026 08:28

JuliettaCaeser · 22/09/2026 07:12

They are in power here their MP is lovely. I cannot in all conscience vote for them after this. Cannot believe I will have to become a Tory voter. Labour barely field a candidate.

My Tory, female MP is an excellent constituency MP and generally moderate in her politics. Though I disagree with her on many things, I will vote for her if she stands in any upcoming GE.
I have never in my life voted Conservative before. There is no way I would vote for any other party (unless POW put up another candidate here).

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 22/09/2026 08:32

IwantToRetire · 22/09/2026 01:43

Presumably judging by the user name this hijacking of the thread with whataboutery is a loyal Lib Dem anxious that we dont actually discuss the Lib Dems and their policies.

Judging by the unhinged obsession with sex and the USA, they definitely came a cross as what I imagined the speakers for the motion at the conference were like.

The question is was the emergency motion allowed by the leadership of the party in order to humour their loonies, or is there real teeth to this anti-women motion.

How much time/political capital is this clown party going to spend on trying to have sex removed from the EA, or is it all just a sop to the dimwitted rent-a-gobs.

Joyunlimited · 22/09/2026 08:36

Peregrina · 20/09/2026 22:40

Do the LibDems realise that this is one reason why they are losing members? It's why I resigned my membership.

Me too.

zanahoria · 22/09/2026 08:42

borntobequiet · 22/09/2026 08:28

My Tory, female MP is an excellent constituency MP and generally moderate in her politics. Though I disagree with her on many things, I will vote for her if she stands in any upcoming GE.
I have never in my life voted Conservative before. There is no way I would vote for any other party (unless POW put up another candidate here).

Show quote history

Lucking out and getting a sensible independent minded MP (or candidate) is about the only hope right now.

Most people use 'lesser of evils' logic to decide their vote.

It worries me that this will lead to a downward spiral where candidates hardly even make an effort as they know they will get votes if others are even worse

zanahoria · 22/09/2026 08:45

ForRedPoet · 22/09/2026 08:02

Seems there may be an 'unholy alliance' with the Greens.
The Greens especially, have gone completely bonkers. Like seriously mad, and yet this charlatan keeps getting supporters.

They want to to amend the Equality Act to give 'non-binary' and 'gender-fluid' people special legal status, what that means in the cold light of day is anyone's guess

zanahoria · 22/09/2026 08:53

I wonder if this debate will push other parties into discussing the issue at their conferences?

Original poster
fromorbit · 22/09/2026 09:03

It was a mess besides Zoe and one other standing up for reality, but this policy and supposedly key vote will never get mentioned in Lib Dem election pamphlets strangely. Any more than the Greens in Holborn who have leaflets with a chunk on Gaza and never mention their gender policies.

Article in the Telegraph makes a very good point in its coverage of the vote. This kind of thing opens a gulf between Labour and the other leftish parties. Yet Labour is unlikely to campaign on it.

Tom Harris
The Lib Dems’ trans madness is a symptom of the Left’s cowardice
Only the Conservatives and Reform can be relied upon to uphold women’s rights
But the Lib Dems didn’t get where they are today without an impressive understanding of how campaigning works. Dozens of crucial by-elections have fallen to the party unexpectedly over the decades because of their knowledge of how to identify and gather support even in the unlikeliest of constituencies.
So the strategists behind today’s debate and vote will have considered how vulnerable it would make their candidates in marginal seats. And they will have concluded, rightly, that in a great number of constituencies, this issue will not be raised by their chief opponents, whether they are the Labour Party or the Green Party.
Labour might ostensibly back the EHRC, and is set against any amendment to the Equality Act, but judging from the public comments of its MPs you have to ask why. There would be zero appetite among sitting or aspiring Labour MPs to attack the Lib Dems on this issue because they are only too aware that their own activists, on whom candidates depend to get the message out and the votes in, are just as sympathetic to trans-identified males as the Lib Dems are.
Labour’s candidates at the next election are every bit as likely as their Lib Dem opponents to squirm and equivocate when they’re asked at a local hustings to define what a woman is. After all, few of them care about offending women in the audience; offending a trans person is utterly unforgivable.
This is not an issue on which Labour is in any position, or has any desire, to take political advantage. Which in itself is a political absurdity. At some point in the last 10 years, the parties of the Left, alongside the trade union movement, collectively decided that the fight for women’s sex-based rights should be abandoned to the Right.
https://archive.is/1SZFd

The problem for those wanting to deny women's existence is that we know what they are up to very well now and so do others. The big question is whether the TAs in the Lin Dems can do more than win votes internally. There is a LOT of talk right now about Burnham gambling on an early election, one which would reduce Labour's majority or even force them into coalition with Lib Dems. In that case the Lib Dems crazy becomes very worrying indeed.

OP posts:
Theeyeballsinthesky · 22/09/2026 09:12

zanahoria · 22/09/2026 08:53

I wonder if this debate will push other parties into discussing the issue at their conferences?

If Labour have any sense they'll avoid it like the plague as they have their own collection of unhinged TRA they'd probably rather didn't get coverage

I expect the Tories to give it prominence as a point scoring exercise over Labour/lib dems/the greens "look how mad these ppl are they don't even know what a woman is! Would you trust them to run the country?"

Theeyeballsinthesky · 22/09/2026 09:15

There is a LOT of talk right now about Burnham gambling on an early election, one which would reduce Labour's majority or even force them into coalition with Lib Dems. In that case the Lib Dems crazy becomes very worrying indeed.

indeed! It was the Lib Dem coalition with the tories which first really put this nonsense into government circles in 2011 www.gov.uk/government/publications/transgender-action-plan