Labour’s NEC Set To Confirm Trans People Allowed On All-Women Shortlists

[busyboysmum]

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labours-nec-set-to-confirm-transsexual-rights-to-all-women-shortlists-for-parliament-trans-women_uk_5a66782ae4b0e5630072d118

Labour women have been seriously lobbying NEC members yesterday and today, and today are going to really go for it with the twitter handle #LabourLosingWomen

PLEASE let @UKLabour know they are losing women members and voters.

Urgently.

Just when I was starting to feel represented for the first time in my adult life

Precisely why if this kicks off, the Tories might do that.

The next election is finely balanced at this point. There is not a lot in it. There are numerous constituencies where a few hundred votes either way will make the difference.

The Tories will look to anything that gives them traction, as they couldn't find the issue that did last time, and their problem voters are currently middle aged women, who swung Labour at the last election in much bigger numbers than they thought.

As for dr radfem, I also think she is treading a fine line with some tweets too. It troubles me. She is sailing close to the wind, and it could go against her if thought to be harassing.

Important people stick to the principles and don't get bogged down in personalities too much.

It could of course go the other way. Policy is popular then Tories get right behind the GRA.

I'd be very disappointed if the fund was going to be used for that one person's suspension. They're too much of a loose cannon to my mind and I'm sure there's plenty of examples of their postings on social media that could be used to argue the suspension was justifiable. Especially if they're the only one from the list and it was only a suspension.

Is it definitely true?

As a bit of an aside, wonder exactly what happened from Rhea Wolfson's clarification last week on official labour policy (need a GRC to be on an AWS), and now before the NEC meeting we hear that the outcome of this will be that you can self-ID onto an AWS.

Total reversal in a few days.

Who exactly decided that? And when?

Be nice to have some transparency around this.

Venice Allan is a loose cannon and she does more harm than good imo.

Can someone explain this please that I saw on twitter?

So does the equality act mean that if you intend to have an op you can be included even though you're self id ing?

It was posted in response to a statement that self id is not law.

Sorry!

As for dr radfem, I also think she is treading a fine line with some tweets too. It troubles me. She is sailing close to the wind, and it could go against her if thought to be harassing

She is irritating the fuck out of me. Sorry, but I think she provocative and deliberately attention seeking.

This is the update:

We have had our first casualty. One of our crowdfunder women signatories has, today, been suspended by the Labour party. For saying that men are not women and that women don't have dicks.

There is a secret facebook group organising to get our signatories and donors expelled from the party. They are collecting names and personal details and 'evidence' in a spreadsheet.

It is headed up by Labour MP Wes Streeting, a Long-time Jeremy Corbyn critic. A number of Labour councillors, Labour staffers and union staffers are members and party to what is going on. See photo below for who they are.

However our lawyers are now on the case and will not allow this harassment by elected Labour members to continue. Please DM @msjenniferjames if you are being harassed for your views on self-id whether in the Labour party or in the wider community.

Women have the right to debate on issues which affect them directly and the right to access the public courts on matters of law.

I am going to ask for a refund from the fund. I am so, so disappointed that its original purpose to challenge AWS accepting self-id is not going to go ahead. I thought it might be something that could have an impact on other organisations, in a way that supporting individuals (while a separate, important cause) will likely not.

It reads to me as though the money is for lawyers to stop general harassment of donators, rather than for Venice specifically? I don't know?

Changing the purpose of the fund reflects quite badly - this needs a rethink.

I too think the funds need to fight the AWS, that is what I donated for, but would donate separately to defend that individual.

We need a word which is the equivalent of "transphobia", one which means the irrational fear and hatred of female biology, a prejudice against people who are daring to be their authentic self (ie women), so that we can call out hate speech for what it is. I could suggest "sexism" - any other ideas?

crustychristmastree

I'm not a legal bod, but as I understand it, there are two parts to this. The equality act and the gender recognition act.

The gender recognition act gives someone the legal status woman.

Your screenshot is referring to the equality act.

Which means, that you cannot be discriminated against if you are thinking of transitioning. Which could be telling your best mate.

It doesn't give you the legal status women. But it is nonetheless a protected characteristic.

As is your sex. Which is where the conflict arises.

Feminists have been trying to keep the gender recognition act as something that requires stiff criteria, largely to stop men being transferred to women's prison. Because that is about the only arena in which you have to have a gender recognition certificate.

In terms of the equality act, you are quite right in that it mimics self ID, on the basis of 'even thinking about transitioning is a protected characteristic'.

I think The Labour Party using self ID, are not referring to the gender recognition act version of self ID, ie they won't be legally women. They are referring to the protected characteristic.

I think.

If the money is repurposed from defending AWS to defending a suspended party member, then this will also need to be defended:

twitter.com/madigan_lily/status/940715799261728769?lang=en

It will just turn into a "who's been the biggest meanie" competition. Don't spend the money defending stuff like that. Please.

Stopmakingsense

Gynophobia.

I agree it feels wrong to use someone who sometimes goes off script as a test case. But it might well be because it's the only test case they have.

James has been asking people to contact her if they have been suspended.

So she might be trying to find more people, or more people she views as credible.

I understand it, you can't just take it to a solicitor on the basis of the concept. You have to have an actual person who is been damaged by it.

Yes, it just becomes tit for tat doesn't it? The money need to be spent on ensuring the law is upheld and sticking to the facts.

Maybe JJ needs to clarify as its not clear what the money will be spent in?

I think people should hold off on requesting a refund.

The update was written before the HuffPo article and at a point where JJ was expecting Labour to back down and act within the law.

It's a fast-moving situation. Let's wait until the NEC has announced its decision. Because if they decide to go with self-ID, then that legal challenge is back on.

Let's just wait until the end of today.

We need a word which is the equivalent of "transphobia", one which means the irrational fear and hatred of female biology, a prejudice against people who are daring to be their authentic self (ie women), so that we can call out hate speech for what it is. I could suggest "sexism" - any other ideas

Gynophobia. Misogyny also does quite nicely.

She is attention seeking. and I don't think her intentions are honourable. She bloody well doesn't speak for me. Her videos are fucking awful, have never finished one and she appears to be pissed most of the time.

If all the Gender Critical flags are for Venice, we are fucked. I'm sorry, I didn't want to be publicly slagging her and I wouldn't normally, but I'm not accepting her as the poster girl for gender critical women

Thanks Datun. Feels like an extremely important point to make to people is that's right! (You're usually right!)

But it’s no good at all if the test case fails and I seriously think that some of the things that Venice said really go close to the wind.
The comment she made about not being able to wait until lily pretends to hurt herself isn’t exactly going to win much favours.