to let you know how men use the Equality Act to undermine women's spaces

[pisacake]

This is Liam. Liam was a 17-year-old Harry Potter fan (photo here from his Twitter).

twitter.com/iamLilyTM/status/639376063655739392

Liam doesn't appear to have too much interest in running, but nonetheless got very upset that there are women-only runs, in addition to the thousands that are open to men.

He thinks this is similar to apartheid, or Rosa Parks being told to go to the back of the bus. twitter.com/iamLilyTM/status/637324189733666816 (August 2015)

Being kept out annoys Liam. (And a lot of other MRAs alike who get REALLY angry at not being allowed to join, despite their being literally thousands of other places to run.)

But wait! An idea! If Liam says he is a girl, he will be able to go wherever he likes including all those women-only runs he was so cruelly rebuffed from.

After all, at one time the Race for Life was able to be kept relatively man-free, as Cancer Research said:

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120528181520/raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org/utilities/faqs/who-can-enter/index.html" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20120528181520/raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org/utilities/faqs/who-can-enter/index.html

"Under the Gender Recognition Act 2004 we are happy to accept entries from individuals who possess a female birth certificate or gender recognition certificate. However, as Race for Life is a female-only event we have a promise and responsibility to our female supporters to ensure our Race for Life events are represented by women only. Therefore, if you do not have either a gender recognition certificate or a female birth certificate, we are afraid you will not be able to participate in Race for Life. "

But this didn't last long! The Equality Act 2010 came along and it said

"A person has the protected characteristic of gender reassignment if the person is proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process [of changing gender]". So anyone who is even THINKING about changing gender is protected, and you better be careful about crossing them.

So Raceforlife quickly deleted the requirement for a GRC, and just to confirm this.

twitter.com/CharlotteMedler/status/604486954785357824

"Hey @raceforlife what is your opinion on pre-op women running? Does having a wang mean I can't do it? Let me know, pls."

The reply:
"hello, transgender women are welcome to take part in our events, so we'd love to have you :)"

Message has got through loud and clear to Liam, a few months later Liam says he is a girl called Lily (this declaration isn't really accompanied by any action, though he has had one Gender clinic appointment, where he got some handouts about hormones).

He tells his school. Some people, including his younger sister, are unhappy about his behaviour.

But not to worry, he looks up 'solicitor' on Google, and finds a firm of solicitor who represent teenage Harry Potter fans wanting access to women & girls spaces, completely for free! www.buzzfeed.com/patrickstrudwick/this-trans-teen-threatened-her-school-with-legal-action-to-w Awesome! Free lawyers!Totally no consequences!

Emboldened, he moves on, with his MRA activity, getting a woman kicked kicked out of a neighbouring constituency Labour party:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5087503/All-Labour-officials-local-committee-resign.html

Then he's elected women's officer in his own CLP.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/trans-teenager-lily-madigan-voted-in-as-a-labour-women-s-officer-mwchkhzq8

Then people point out that he seems to own a Twitter account with blowjob, rape, Jimmy Savile & curry jokes. He says it's fake then it's pointed out it's dated 2013 so unlikely to be, and finally he blames his younger brother for the acocunt and says his family is racist, sexist and homophobic and that's why he has moved on from them.

www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/transgender-labour-womens-officer-rochester-817234

Said brother is not impressed and calls him out publicly for throwing him under the bus

twitter.com/madigan_smurf/status/933760359810428928

Lily/Liam is a big fan of Jeremy Corbyn, who for his own part has said that, as a genuine 100% authentic transwoman, Lily/Liam can do whatever he wants. www.facebook.com/MedwayLabour/posts/1506650112756340

As if all these weren't enough, he's now being sponsored for a Women in Leadership programme in by Tris Osborne, a (male, natch) Labour candidate in Luton. twitter.com/cllrtrisosborne/status/934368405993508864

Rosa Parks eat your heart out eh? Look who's got the last laugh now! Silly women wanting a race without men in it!

[pamish]

Just looked up the JoCox programme. This is the excuse they can use to reject Lilliam:
As this is an advanced programme of high-quality training, candidates should already have some level of involvement with the Labour Party.

This is the contact email from the form
[email protected] shall we all drop them a line?
.

[OlennasWimple]

pamish - I think you'll find LM is "a committed political activist who holds a number of elected positions, including the post of CLP Women's Office in Or that's what I would have written on the form if I was completing it on their behalf

It doesn't stipulate "long standing involvement" or even particularly active of effective involvement, unfortunately...

[pamish]

I expect many of the other 1000 applicants have longer term proof of commitment.

[MissUnderwood]

This is so fucked up.

I voted labour 2017. Not the election. I'll not vote next time.

[ferntwist]

Unless Labour sorts this out they have lost my vote too. I’m worried that the other parties are not much better on women’s rights versus the trans lobby either.

[Betty185]

There are a few individual MPs who have spoken out on this issue - very bravely as the abuse you get for raising this topic is like nothing I've ever seen before - so it's worth finding out the position of your individual MP, regardless of their party.

But, yes, all the main parties support this agenda and the proposed self-identity legislation. At the moment I think if there was a general election I would just have to spoilt my ballot paper as I can't vote for someone who supports taking away women's and girls' rights.

[RedToothBrush]

We need to encourage MPs to think, regardless of their colour.

As post above says, check and see if you have a thinking candidate rather than think tribally and treat all within any party the same.

[DrRadFem]

If you are a Labour Party member submit a motion to your CLP!

[OlennasWimple]

If you are a Labour Party member, start by asking how LM was eligible to stand for Women's Officer in the first place, in clear contravention of the Party's own rules

[RedToothBrush]

Lucy Fisher @ LIS_Fisher
EXCL: Labour left accused of “aggressive purge” of centrist councillors in bid to field their own candidates in local elections next May.

Times p.1

Labour centrists concerned "purge" of councillors by Left is harming diversity in local authorities, as young LGBT black woman deselected in Southwark in favour of a white man and first gay lord mayor of Manchester deselected from his seat on city council.

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/moderates-forced-out-by-hard-left-in-labour-purge-sk8bgrpcj
Moderates forced out by hard left in Labour purge

This is interesting. The Times are going with this story now but on a wider scale rather than just being about trans. Slight departure from the OP but one is part of the other.

[Lancelottie]

Why call a young woman 'LGBT'? I assume she's only one, or at most two, of those initials at once.

It muddies the waters.

[OlennasWimple]

Red - I am debating starting a "momentum watch" thread, but not sure if it will just be invaded by Corbynistas...

[TheGoalIsToStayOutOfTheHole]

You know, I used to accuse people of being paranoid over Momentum. I genuinely did think they were just a group of people passionate about Corbyn, rather than a bunch of bullies. I was obsessed with Corbyn and actually, and this is embarrassing to admit, thought he was basically the savior of this country. I was pretty much a fangirl I have pretty much done a complete about turn on the whole thing, though would still vote Labour over the Tories anyday. just am not as..blinkered now.

[RedToothBrush]

I think its worth doing Olennas. If they invade, and the thread goes south, then let them. It just illustrates the point at hand.

You have to have that debate to have accountability.

Owen Jones has been on the BBC today arguing that in a Progress v Momentum debate on the subject.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42153139
Momentum v Progress and the battle for Labour

He is saying its just the way that politics are going and that this is what centrists don't like. And this is just democracy.

The problem it IS undemocratic what is happening. Its an excuse for poor accountability and dodgy practices. There is an undertone which suggests that others from the left of the party can not have differing voices - they HAVE to be part of the group or they are labelled as centrists, even if they aren't.

There should be multiple voices from the left and more from the centre. If it really does come down to the fact its Momentum v Progress, that's hardly healthy or democratic anyway. Being democratic does not mean trying to silence others or restrict the breath of views within a party even if politics are going in a particular direction.

In fact the argument is that New Labour failed because it didn't do this, and this lead to the rise of UKIP in the first place. That doesn't mean that Momentum should try and do the same. Its just a lesson that hasn't been learnt and may well have serious politically damaging consequences. Staying in the echo chamber is not healthy.

[RedToothBrush]

This is an interesting counter to the Times story:

www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2017/11/momentum-really-forcing-out-moderate-labour-councillors
Is Momentum really forcing out moderate Labour councillors?
Zoom out, and the more interesting story is the durability of thepre-Corbynparty.

This is probably quite fair. But the fact that in some areas this tribalism is leading to blind eyes being turned isn't right.

And in terms of policy, are there certain things - like trans rights - which Momentum is really going after and influencing others, because they feel its what is necessary to hold on to their seats, without properly questioning it.

[pamish]

Re the Times article, I live in Haringey. I have been part of the campaign to get rid of the Haringey Development Vehicle, because it is simply nuts. The council leadership is pushing through an all-or-nothing scheme which is just jaw-dropping. It gifts EVERYTHING the council owns - housing, community centres, town halls, offices -to a single developer, Lendlease. They then hope for 50% of any subsequent profits after all the estates have been demolished and replaced with mostly private for-sale housing and 'affordable' homes. It's called the Two Billion Pound Gamble, because it is. That's an underestimate of the value of what will be given away. This has never been put to the full council , just to the Cabinet appointed by the Leader.

So, many groups got together to deselect the councillors who support the scheme. This includes Labour members from all flavours, Liberals, Tories, Greens, both local MPs and many non-aligned people. So of course we are now being accused of being Militant revisited. Momentum members were involved, not least cos they are very good at organising, but were a small fraction of those who worked to select councillors for next year who will not go along with the HDV. Problem is the existing lot (a minority on the council but carefully placed on the Cabinet) have five months to do whatever they can to sign it all away.

PS Look up Lendlease to see why they are the worst possible choice of developer. They did serious damage in Southwark, and globally in the US and Australia.

Meanwhile I will keep chipping away at Labour policy re women. Have to be in it to do so.
.

[ferntwist]

Parmish what do you mean chipping away at Labour policy on women? What are you doing?

[PositivelyPERF]

Brave women fighting the bullying men. twitter.com/mayday4women?lang=en
Things like this give me a tiny bit of hope, that more people are realising what's going on. What's the betting they're reported to the police for a 'hate crime' 😒 When they're leafleting.

[unplugmefromthematrix]

Pamish - that scheme does sound completely nuts. Wont derail this thread but will read about it.

[pamish]

@ferntwist Trying to engage women in the party who have not thought about what the GRA means, to understand what it's about. To start with. Then trying to get a motion passed by the local party, eg the Womans Place five demands.www.socfem.net/2017/09/a-womans-place-campaign-launched

As you can see from above, things here are a bit in flux at the mo.

Also trying to have direct conversations with key women in the party eg Dawn Butler, which means going to LP events on the offchance. Stella Creasy spoke to the Reclaim the Night rally on Saturday but rebuffed women who tried to talk to her about Lilliam. Who was there, in the room.

[ferntwist]

Parmish that is brilliant to hear, so pleased you’ve done that. I’ve written to my MP (not heard back, is that normal?) but not sure what else to do.

[busyboysmum]

MPs are ignoring a lot of these letters. Best thing to do is print of the SAGES fact sheet and make an appointment to see your MP armed with the salient information.

If they meet us face to face and see we are sensible, articulate and in no way bigoted just concerned for women then we have every chance of making them see sense.

I think especially if you have a Conservative MP it is worth doing. Labour seem to have blinkers on in this matter.

[PlonitbatPlonit]

There's a 'petition thread' about this in feminism chat at the moment, for anyone who wants to sign www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3101669-A-Spartacus-letter-re-Jo-Cox-Leadership

[NettleTea]

Can I just do a link to this thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3101669-A-Spartacus-letter-re-Jo-Cox-Leadership

[AsMenDclaredWomenTheirInferior]

This reminds me very much of the Law of Coverture.
Through the The law of COVERTURE, men sought to erase women from their history and deny them any recognition and ultimately this would deny them, their very existence and they then Legally ceased to exist.
Men never protected women and girls, the only thing men ever protected were their own self interests.