Ultimate betrayal by the WEP

[Procrastinator1]

Dr Stock has just tweeted this text of a motion to be put to the party conference in September

d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/womensequality/pages/5826/attachments/original/1532600430/Fnl_Gender_recognition_act_motion_final.pdf?1532600430

Obviously the motion hasn't been passed yet.

Motion text: 1 The Women’s Equality Party recognises the damage done by socially constructed gender 2 stereotypes and supports changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004. The Women’s Equality 3 Party supports changes to the current process by which transgender people are able to receive 4 legal recognition of their changed gender.

5 The Women’s Equality Party supports a process of legal recognition of changed gender which does 6 not require medical reports nor two years’ worth of documentation but a process of self- 7 determination of gender. The Women’s Equality Party supports legal recognition of non-binary 8 people.

9 The Women’s Equality Party calls on the Governments and administrations of the UK to make the 10 following changes to the current process as they revise the Gender Recognition Act 2004:

11 ● Change to the requirement to submit two supporting medical reports, one of a diagnosis of 12 gender dysphoria and one detailing treatment received. Change to the requirement to submit 13 documentation to prove the person has lived as their acquired gender for two years. Instead 14 require a self-determination process to change gender and to obtain a Gender Recognition 15 Certificate and new birth certificate. 16 ● Remove the requirement of spousal consent to obtain legal recognition of changed gender for 17 married people. 18 ● Allow people to change their gender to a third gender option as well as to male and female.

Motion rationale:

19 The Women’s Equality Party should clarify its position as changes to the Gender Recognition Act 20 (GRA) 2004 are being considered by the Governments and administrations of the UK. This change 21 would add depth to the already stated Women’s Equality Party position of supporting the right of an

The discussion was about why do members have to attend conference to vote. Which was contested by women who can't attend conference, at the time WEP was being set up.
Some of us were around at that time and actively involved in the women's groups that WEP canvassed.

Yes voting for the WEP leadership was all online. Members were emailed links. Voting on conference motions is in person though. At the moment.

If there’s no evidence of the “checking members are women” thing and it’s just hearsay, can we please stop perpetuating it? The party is not single-sex membership, as an active member I’ve met men campaigning for us in elections and participating in debate events, respectfully and pro-women-ly. I really don’t see a tactic to prevent men voting at conference.

(Had to really carefully avoid using the phrase “male member” typing that )

I don't know about conference motions, but my neighbour had a postal vote in the last Labour leadership elections

I used to be a member of the Labour Party. I was emailed voting papers for leadership and NEC membership positions. I have never been given the option to vote on conference motions online.

I am now a member of the Conservative Party and likewise I have never had the option of voting for conference motions online.

Much as I think the WEP is utterly ridiculous (and have done so since its inception) this aspect is not a fair criticism as it is standard for other mainstream political parties.

I've never attended a party conference of any party but surely at a conference motions will be debated and possibly amended on the hoof?

If that is the case how could there possibly be a vote on them other than by the delegates attending?

can men join the WEP - Google Search
www.google.com/amp/s/www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/emilyashton/we-asked-six-men-why-they-joined-the-womens-equality-party#ampf=undefined

Six men saying why they joined the WEP.

The difference, Lass - or in principle, at least, is that conference delegates in the larger parties are usually chosen by their constituency parties to represent the constituency party, not themselves as individuals. Labour also has affiliate delegates, also chosen usually by union branches.

The WEP is simply saying to its members: if you can afford to come, you can have a delegate vote.

Very different.

I continue to think that there is so much SCOPE here.

Either blunt entryism or a more nuanced takeover. Forming a political party is often talked about on these boards as so many women are politically homeless. Here is a ready formed one with a limited number of people attending conference and voting, many of whom are probably secretly gender critical. Ripe for the taking. And even if the TRAs decided to fight back it would make fantastic media copy and peak trans another chunk of society.

I did look up their website to see if I can join and propose a motion myself, but alas they had to be submitted by early July.

I did also look at the reasons that they might reject a motion at that stage and one of them is that the motion does not confirm to party objectives. Which makes Sophie's tweets look even more disingenuous TBH in respect of the self ID motion.

I and at least one other tweeter have tweeted Sophie Walker and the wep_uk twitter account to remind them that at least two lawyers have offered to attend the conference to balance the panel for the Q&A session they're publicising in relation to the motion on GRA reform. So far without any reaction.

Now obviously I'm not saying they should be jumping to my every wish, but, Walker has said that WEP support for the GRA motion is not a "done deal" and she wants a full debate. So, it will be very much a litmus test for me; if the offers to balance the Q&A panel are not taken up, it will be very hard indeed for me to trust that WEP really did want an open discussion on the motion.

Important article published on Oxford Human Rights Hub,

'Women’s Rights and the Proposed Changes to the Gender Recognition Act'

authors,
Rosa Fredman is Professor of Law Conflict and Global Development at the University of Reading

Rosemary Auchmuty is a Professor at the University of Reading

ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/womens-rights-and-the-proposed-changes-to-the-gender-recognition-act/

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3338716-GRA-womens-rights-great-article-by-Rosa-Freedman-Rosemary-Auchmuty