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

People with penises are men.
People with vaginas are women.

Some men are gentle, caring and nurturing. They like to look nice. They are the primary caregiver to their children. They keep the house clean. They are still men.

Some women don’t like to wear dresses or make up. They don’t care about their hair. They do manual jobs. They aren’t fussed about children. They are still women.

Rather than jumping through hoops to pretend we are something else lets challenge gender stereotypes.

you must intend to live in your preferred gender until you die

But if the person changes their mind, how cruel would it be for anyone to insist they can't legally transition again?

And would there be any possibility of checking that, anyway, if all records have been changed to the new reality as if they were always that way?

Hear hear, bd67th. AWS are about sex. Not gender identity. That’s the whole bloody point. We haven’t got a Parliament with less than 30% women MPs because of gender identity discrimination, but because of how society treats women on the basis of their perceived reproductive capacity. Their sex.

@FermatsTheorem Citing the Yogakharta declaration as a definition that supposedly can't be questioned in a discussion with gender critical feminists is a bit like citing the Nicene creed as a statement of fact in a discussion with atheists. It really doesn't carry quite the weight you think it does.

TBH the whole bloody thing feels like a highly-personalisable religion.

you must intend to live in your preferred gender until you die

And how do the Labour Party know that David doesn’t intend to be female (on wednesdays) until he dies?

TBH the whole bloody thing feels like a highly-personalisable religion.

I think it's like Scientology - a religion capitalism has come up with for its own interests. Scientology = profit generating pyramid scheme. Genderism = profit generating body modification scheme. The theology justifies the commerce.

I'm about halfway through the YPs (I'm up to yogyakartaprinciples.org/principle-16/) and so far it can mostly be summarised as "some people live and love in ways that are at odds with the expectations of their surrounding society, particularly in respect of behaviour expected on the basis of sex, and they shouldn't be persecuted nor denied human rights because of this". But it took the framers of that document nearly 40 pages to state that. It took me around 40 words.

Sarah,

Thanks for explaining about those Yoyakarta principles. I've learnt something there.

It's really obvious you don't understand criminal law though so I'd leave that. Especially the analogies. English lit is the degree if you want to get points for random analogies, not law.

hackmum

Fermats: "Money is a social construct. But we don't allow individuals to write "I promise to pay the bearer on demand of the sum of £10" in biro on a blank piece of paper and take it into a shop. We have agreed legal rules about what counts as money and what doesn't. Nationality is a social construct - but you're not going to get far applying for a passport with a hand-written note saying 'I identify as British' rather than your actual birth certificate."

This is an incredibly important point. The nationality analogy had occurred to me before. You can't, in a well-ordered society, simply allow people to go around saying, "I identify as XYZ" and take their word for it. I identify as dyslexic, so you must allow me extra time in exams? I identify as disabled, so I'm entitled to park in the disabled parking space? I identify as Irish, so you must give me an Irish passport? All these things have rules attached to them that we have agreed on as a society.

^this is exactly it. It was Rachael Dolezal that first sent me down the peak trans route. I felt deeply uncomfortable and outraged that she thinks she can just 'identify' as black. As a mixed race person I found it very offensive to suggest that there is a particular 'way' to be black or feelings associated with it. I can accept that she feels very much part of the African American community and culture, absolutely, but to pretend to be actually, physically black is just ridiculous.

And then I realised, how is it any different with sex?! And now I'm here!

Basing anything legal on ‘intention to do something for the rest of your life’ is on an obvious hiding to nothing.
People change their minds, life happens. That’s fine. You can’t punish them and nor should you. That’s why we have divorce, notice periods at work, etc.

@ChattyLion Huge thanks for that epic summation of the situation. I’ll be making reference to that as this progresses.

@blackteasplease , @Mxyzptlk Yes, I’m aware I’m getting more publicity on this because I’m perceived to be a man by society at large and it doesn’t sit well with me. The Labour Party and others should have listened, should have consulted and should have shown you all the consideration and respect you deserve. Maybe if they’d done that, I wouldn’t have felt the need to bring this issue before my CLP in such a way.

As much as possible, I want to ensure I am the story but not the debate.

Ireneony

I think the Rachel Dolezal comparison bears repeating again and again. I totally agree with you

The PE letter was from me

Excellent work, Transplants

Why? Because the court looks at all the evidence and makes a judgment on whether the defendant is telling the truth or not.

What evidence would there be to show that somebody was or wasn't living as a woman?

Thanks

It wasn't perfect but it was something

What evidence would there be to show that somebody was or wasn't living as a woman?

What, in the 21st century U.K. constitutes 'living as a woman'? Other than making use of sex specific facilities, or doing things specific to female biology (menstruating, gestating, giving birth, breast feeding, having hot flushes.....) there is surely nothing now which is more than a mere stereotype.

That’s an inaccurate explanation of criminal law. The element is mens rea not intention.

Was trying to keep things simple. But yes the mental element of a crime is called the mens rea.

@ErrolTheDragon

What evidence would there be to show that somebody was or wasn't living as a woman?

What, in the 21st century U.K. constitutes 'living as a woman'? Other than making use of sex specific facilities, or doing things specific to female biology (menstruating, gestating, giving birth, breast feeding, having hot flushes.....) there is surely nothing now which is more than a mere stereotype.

Being catcalled, sexually-assaulted, blamed for your rape, called "hysterical" for objecting to porn on a tshirt at a conference, ignored, and talked over in meetings. All of which are things done to you by others because of your female sex, not things done to you because of how you identify.

David, I have a question.
At any time in this debacle have you been called a TERF?
I ask because we are told that it is not a misogynistic term yet it only seems to be applied to women.

I’m aware I’m getting more publicity on this because I’m perceived to be a man by society at large and it doesn’t sit well with me.

Any publicity on this is good. Yes it’d be lovely if people listened to us women but if people listened to us women then we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.

So crack on and don’t feel bad about it.

@SimonBridges Not that I’ve seen, for the simple reason that I don’t go near the hate platform that Twitter seems to have become. I’ve seen a screenshot of a tweet that calls me a “transphobe”, so there’s that. If anyone does see a tweet calling me a TERF, please let me know so I can feel justified in getting the “Tired of Explaining Reality to Fools” tee-shirt.

Pippa Bunce's gender identity is bi-gendered which remains constant. However, her gender expression varies from day to day. She does not have a female identity so would not qualify for AWS or the role of women's officer in the Labour Party. She is also not able to change her legal gender under today's laws or under legal self id - and I doubt she would want to.

Which would then mean that Pippa Bunce, and anyone else who just chooses to look feminine sometimes or claims to have some "girl genes", would not be able to legally self id and thus would have no right to use women's changing rooms, toilets or any other women-only facilities?

David, if you're ever in London I'd love to buy you a drink. A feminine glass of wine on a Wednesday or a manly pint on any other day of the week.

"That’s an inaccurate explanation of criminal law. The element is mens rea not intention.

Was trying to keep things simple. But yes the mental element of a crime is called the mens rea."

that was the least of your problems there....