We need to talk about Labour

[Ereshkigal]

In particular this video, where the Labour Party suggest that changes to the GRA are just the start, they're going after the EA too and if you have any reservations you're like an 80s homophobe.

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155560176862411&id=25749647410

It makes me really sad to see the arguments presented like that.

How can they not at least sensitively address the concerns of people working in areas like women's refuges who are too frightened to speak up in their own name because they will be targeted.

This anonymous letter made me so sad and so angry:

Organisations in the VAW sector can use the Equality Act 2010 for the protection of female-only spaces and I absolutely think we should. I’ve worked with so many female survivors of violence who have been left terrified of men, and who relied on female-only support to heal from the trauma they experienced. The sex-based nature of the crimes they’ve experienced necessitates this being women who share their histories, experiences, vulnerabilities and, yes, biologies. So it is right that VAW-service providers have a strong case to make for protections that enable them to employ and provide access to women on the basis of their sex.

Full article here: womansplaceuk.org/the-silencing-of-feminists-silences-survivors/

How can anyone suggest wanting a single sex exemption for women like this is like being homophobic?

Voters won't buy it, and nor should they.

That was written I believe by a woman at a WP meeting I attended. I spoke after her about the Canadian case. Pleased to see that being referenced because it really shows up how little empathy with women some TRAs have.

I know exactly how you feel.

And yet Jeremy Corbyn is writing tweets like this.

Certain factions of his party will not be pleased by his referring to women as women and acknowledging their rights as a distinct thing.

They won't no. I'm not sure Jezza will have signed off on that video, or understands what they're saying.

Is this video available anywhere else? I deleted FB a while back and it won't play unless logged in.

Pencils, I tried to download it. I will see if it's on YouTube or if I can convert it.

It's really heart-wrenching isn't it Ereshkigal

This is a really good video (Magdalen Berns) on single sex bathrooms and why that is really important to some. Totally different tone but raises some important points and an easy watch:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=qzp0osWz5UE

What really gets me about Labour is that they haven't even pretended to listen to women or address any of how this will affect them.

Too many people realise the implications now for them to get anywhere near elected while taking this line, but I don't think they get that yet.

The video is based on page 111 of the 2017 manifesto. This is the single sentence that’s relevant:

“A Labour government will reform
the Gender Recognition Act and the Equality Act 2010 to ensure they protect Trans people by changing the protected characteristic of ‘gender assignment’ to ‘gender identity’ and remove other outdated language such as ‘transsexual’.”

Trouble is, I haven’t seen any more details on what this actually means. Given the people who have the leadership’s ear, it’s really much too vague and I wouldn’t want to take it at face value.

When misogynist homophobic lawmakers are handed an opportunity to roll back women's rights, and advocate transitioning away the Gays and Lesbians in one go, they do it under the guise of equality.

In the US they charge women with murder under a law they said was designed to punish men who beat women and caused a spontaneous abortion.

Absolutely bewilderness.

Labour are lost to me at the moment. They have attracted some spectacularly nasty misogynist who have been emboldened to spout some bloody awful stuff, wilfully misrepresent women's concerns and tell outright lies. Until that is addressed there is little hope. I also don't think Corbyn understands or is aware of all that is going on.

I vaguely know my Labour Mps aide. I haven't seen him for a while but next time I do I am going to sound him out on some of this stuff.

Thanks for the info David. I am assuming the worst.

Thanks David Lewis. Your article in the Sun online was brilliant by the way. Well-measured, respectful, clear.

@Wanderabout Thank you so much!

@ShotsFired, that's shockingly transphobic!

Surely, Jezza must realise that TWAW and they do not have any option to choose and that, for this reason alone, being denied access to an abortion is actually a clear case of cis-privilege.

I honestly don’t know if the bigger problem with Labour is these policies, or the fact that their polling numbers are still far too low to win an election, even against the most useless government of all time. Obv they are two sides of the same coin, but what I mean is I don’t know if I’m more concerned that they will get in, or that they won’t.

And they almost certainly won’t.

A fantastic victory for women's rights - Corbyn.

This for me gets to the nub of the problem. Describing abortion as a women's rights issue is 'transphobic'. We no longer have a word for adult females, apart from the derogatory 'cis women' which immediately foregrounds trans issues. That makes it impossible to campaign for 'women's rights' as a concept. We can only campaign on individual issues that affect natal women, without using the word 'woman' in case of causing offence.

That is where things are heading.

This for me gets to the nub of the problem. Describing abortion as a women's rights issue is 'transphobic'. We no longer have a word for adult females, apart from the derogatory 'cis women' which immediately foregrounds trans issues. That makes it impossible to campaign for 'women's rights' as a concept. We can only campaign on individual issues that affect natal women, without using the word 'woman' in case of causing offence

Exactly. We need a collective word for us as a group. How about 'women'?

I honestly don’t know if the bigger problem with Labour is these policies, or the fact that their polling numbers are still far too low to win an election, even against the most useless government of all time. Obv they are two sides of the same coin, but what I mean is I don’t know if I’m more concerned that they will get in, or that they won’t

I truly hope Labour lose the next election and any after that so long as they continue to have dangerous idiots like Corbyn and McDonnell in charge and the simply dangerous Momentum dictating policy.

I am assuming the worst.

Me too.

We no longer have a word for adult females, apart from the derogatory 'cis women' which immediately foregrounds trans issues.

They won't even allow us that, because "trans men" and female non binary people will feel excluded.

They will get very tired and frustrated is we start saying outright adult human female every time we would otherwise say woman.
The transgender advocates got really pissy when we started saying female instead of woman. When we refused to stop they proceeded to appropriate female to describe males.
In the interest of clarity I suppose we have no choice but to be explicit.

Darn, I was hoping this was going to be an interesting thread about childbirth. Probably a better use of everyone's time, TBH.