Male firefighters condemning women firefighters for speaking up for women's rights

[Sunkisses]

London LGBT Fire Brigades Union (FBU) branch passed a motion recently to support the Woman's Place UK five demands for women's voices to be heard during the Gender Recognition Act consultation. It was consulted on and democratically decided on by ballot. www.socfem.net/2018/05/london-fbu-lgbt

However the Eastern branch of the FBU have just put out a statement condemning the London LGBT FBU statement, without any consultation with female members or a vote. So basically blokes telling women whether or not they are allowed to fight for their legal rights or not. You can read their statement here:
twitter.com/easternfbu/status/996679509620543488?s=21

I am so sick of blokes thinking they can tell women what they can and cannot talk about and vote on, and telling us to shut up about our sex-based legal rights under the Equality Act 2010. Do they have any idea how sexist they sound?

I wonder if it was one member who posted that, and if there'll be making him take responsibility for by passing democracy.

I don't think they care tbh^^ Sunkisses

It seems quite fashionable at the moment for misogyist dudebros to shit all over women and our rights under the guise of being progressive.

It's fucking depressing though...

Weird formatting fuck up there, sorry!

This is partly what Lucy Masoud was saying at the London WPUK event - how management divided and ruled by pitting female needs (for sex segregated spaces) against their male colleagues. For e.g. by telling them the women could have a changing room but it would need to be where the TV room or the gym was.

So nothing new there I think...

This is quite confusing.

The WPUK demands, backed by the London LGBT branch, include:

A review of how the exemptions in the Equality Act which allow for single sex services or requirements that only a woman can apply for a job (such as in a domestic violence refuge) are/will be being applied in practice;

I think the Eastern branch have misinterpreted this and think the call is to review whether the exemptions should be there at all.

The London LGBT section position statement released on the 8th May 2018 makes 5 demands, one of which is to review exemptions to the Equality Act 2010. The Equality Act 2010 is a significant and progressive piece of legislation passed in the final days of the last Labour Government which received widespread opposition from the Conservatives. The Eastern Region FBU believe it reckless for a trade union to promote an agenda that would justify the Conservative Government to review aspects of progressive legislation, as review often leads to reform.

The Equality Act 2010 remains the keystone piece of legislation affording rights against discrimination to all workers with protected characteristics. Until such a time that we democratically arrive at a collective position as a national union, we reject any position statements regarding proposals to review or reform the Equality Act 2010.

Either they've got the wrong end of the stick, or they are saying 'never mind if the exemptions are now useless and everyone's afraid to use them, just shut up or they may be taken away altogether'

It doesn't look to me like the usual lefty blokes telling women not to be bigots thing.

It really does read like they have the wrong end of the stick.

It would certainly be a change if it's not the same old same old opportunity to shit on women...

I'm guessing that the Eastern branch has a trans firefighter.
Funny that they haven't yet replied to any comments of twitter or fb.

This is a great read about a female fire fighter in the 80s:

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11504537/Woman-firefighter-I-battled-fires-and-sexism-in-1980s.html?utm_content=buffer9e3ff&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer