Guess how I got suspended from the Labour Party?

[IAmDavidLewis]

Well, one of the weirdest days in my life concluded with me receiving a letter informing me of my immediate suspension from the Labour Party. They believe I may have breached the rules by subverting the intention of All Women Shortlists, Women’s Officers or minimum quotas for women. Unfortunately, this does mean that my political ambitions are on hold for a while. I shall of course be continuing to self-identify as a woman every Wednesday, as that is my gender identity...

I have to say a huge thanks to @namechangeah for all her help, guidance and, more importantly, proof-reading! I wouldn’t have gotten to this point without it. I’d also like to thank everyone for their support today. I hope this has helped a bit.

And the Telegraph called me an “activist”! Achievement unlocked

Labour Party: "Finally after months of deliberation, our policy is that any man who self-identifies as a woman may take up the roles reserved for women in the party".

2 hours later:

Labour Party: "No, not you David. You are suspended for following our policy".

Omnishambles, is that the word?

And the great thing is that this is just the start. There is so much comedy to look forward to in the future with Labour as they try to wrestle the self-ID #nodebate beast without reference to material reality.

Sadly you can't put him in prison Sarah, much as you'd no doubt like to.

David - thanks for doing what you did and also for not dominating or mansplaining on this thread. It's the latter that's won me round.

Should legal self-id come in, then I was wondering if the OP would also like to change his legal gender to female as an act of protest. According to MNers nothing would happen except presumable more publicity. I think otherwise.

Terribly precious Sarah. Terribly. The "owwww, bad things would happen". They won't, they don't. Man Friday has already changed driver's licence, I think she would have reported the swat team bashing down the door for the 'crime' of 'insincere gender identity'.

Self-ID is a free-for-all. Clearly your laydee brain can't quite get a grip on that. (I have no laydee brain, I am a mere woman)

It will be the next subject discussed on Jeremy Vine Radio 2.

Just adding my voice to the thank yous, David. You would have made a wonderful women’s office

Have you all seen the piece in the Guardian about it?

The Labour party has rightly suspended an anti-trans campaigner over a puerile, transphobic stunt
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/23/woman-wednesdays-transphobic-labour-trans

I'm just reading it now...

*Officer. Bloody autocorrect!

David I want to add my voice to the many saying "thank you" btw

I read 'Transgender Politicians and Intolerance'................but, on listening, it is 'Transgender Politicians' and 'Food Intolerance'

I can't listen to JV show at the mo, will later on catch up, but can anyone take notes and post here as it goes on?

Guardian article is an opinion piece by James Morton.
"(Morton) is the manager of the Scottish Trans Alliance, which leads the Equal Recognition campaign for Gender Recognition Act reform in Scotland."
I think its good to hear from different perspectives.

Wonder if the Guardian will open comments on their open commenting platform Comment is Free?

SarahAr
Please can you outline or point me towards the 'robust policy', the criterion on which everyone is to be judged? It needs to be applied equally, what if someone else who self-identifies as a woman is similarly disbelieved, how would one appeal? What are the grounds on which self-belief and perception are to be proved to others and wasn't self-ID proposed to end the idea of having to prove one's gender identity to a panel? The concept of presenting evidence for belief has been deemed by Labour to be intrusive.

I am of the opinion that we cannot have objective law - law that applies equally to all people - based on the subjective - i.e. individual belief. We have to be able to hold the legislature to account and prevent abuse. This similarly applies to political policies, particularly those of a party which aims to form the legislature.

Can you outline how you believe we can achieve this with self-ID please.

Why is it that Labour can fast-track your suspension in less than a week for the crime of applying to be a Women's Officer whilst claiming to be transgender sometimes, but they couldn't find the time to expel Ken Livingstone in over two years? And instead let him just honorably resign?

According to them, the whole reason that suspensions for anti-Semitism have taken so bloody long and in most cases are yet to be dealt with is because due process must trump all other considerations.

But not, apparently, when someone is taking the piss out of self-id.

Then offended TRAs must be mollified immediately.

Sod offended Jews, of course. Labour clearly couldn't give a shit about us.

And now I would like to draw @MNHQ attention to this thread, and their beloved 'talk guidelines'.

David has stated, even on his Womany Wednesdays, that he will not change attire, pronouns, or beardly status.

Yet, numerous MNers have repeatedly on this thread, 'misgendered' him, deliberately or inadvertently, despite his pronoun preference.

Will this thread become the dreaded swiss cheese of 'deleted due to talk guidelines'? How are you going to tell between the deliberate 'misgendering' and the accidental 'misgendering'? Enquiring minds want to know.

'Misgendering', it is an unworkable policy, much like the Labour Party's "feel like a woman" stance.

They believe I may have breached the rules by subverting the intention of All Women Shortlists, Women’s Officers or minimum quotas for women.

Said the pot to the kettle.

Thanks for standing up for us David

Good to read different perspectives yes, but Morton's piece shows he fails to grasp that the proposed amendments to the Gender Recognition Act are ripe for misuse. He appears to hold to the idea that men are honourable, would never take advantage of the bloody great big holes you could drive a horse & carriage through, that any wrong behaviour in (e.g.) public toilets would be dealt with. But by whom? Where is the cavalry that would come to assist? Does he not know how reluctant women are to report sexual 'nuisances'? What's the likelihood of a piss-taker/pervert being arrested & charged? Naive man.

Jeremy Vine show:
JV intro "Labour shortlists may allow those who self-identify as women on them, so those born as men"

I believe you though David

Listening to R2 avidly.

What is this music?

And I want to know why if Labour can apparently speed up its due processes to a few days when it feels like it, why it hasn't chosen to feel like it in the hundreds of cases of blatant anti-Semites including Holocaust deniers and those threatening violence.

I fucking hate hypocrisy.

Desperate to get rid of those who stand up for women's rights; equally desperate not to get rid of anti-Semites.

Could the women-hatred and Jew-hatred be any more obvious?

JV always has music on his show.

I think we've lost the LBC guy with the last caller mother of a teenage boy struggling with gender. What struck me about her was how isolated and desperate she sounded.

As for the LP, they are technically in breach of both the EA and GRA, for allowing self-ID on AWS.

It is not yet law, yet they are basically doing their own thing, which is technically breaking the law.

Yeah, I know nothing will happen, given the affected group are merely women and all. Sucks to be an actual female in this world.

I personally will aim for Beardy Tuesdays, and it really does not matter that I don't have a beard, just that I am someone that identifies as having a beard. On Tuesdays. Perhaps every third Tuesday, just to keep people on their toes and suck up to me.

Jeremy Vine Linda Bellos and Jane Fae will be on.

Jane Fae and Linda Bellos!