Labour councillor quits in row over facilities for trans people - The Times

[ReappearingWoman]

Anne Sinnot, Labour councillor (Cambridge) has resigned.

"Ann Sinnott stood down from Cambridge council claiming that the authority was treating women with contempt and was acting in “dereliction of the law”. She said a policy that resulted in single-sex facilities, such as toilets or changing rooms, being “abolished at a stroke” was undermining women’s rights and was a breach of the equality act."

I don't have a clicky link or share token. Hopefully someone else will add?

Isn't quitting just letting down the people that voted for her though. At least on the council she had a voice and a vote.
Surely it was still easier to dissent from within and continue to be heard as a more public figure?

Tanith

Ann now has the freedom to speak her mind on this issue. The argument sometimes heard that one should fight from within is far too restricting in some circumstances because one is always bound by the policies etc of the organisation concerned.

Since the political class is letting women down so badly on this issue I would like to see many more female politicians resigning so that they are free to speak out.

Women should also resign membership from political parties so that they are free to speak and act.

"Ms Sinnott said that based on national figures there were between four and 37 transgender people in the city."

I think you are missing the point of her statement Bespin.

Perhaps too quick to seek to discredit?

Another day, another transphobic article in the Time.

“In central Cambridge public toilets, a recognisable male in women’s clothing entered, the women present experienced varying degrees of emotional agitation. None objected. Another day, a man in male clothing aggressively asserted his right to be there to shocked women, who all turned silently away. I was present and did not make a complaint on either occasion.”

I am not seeing anything in the first example that indicate the trans women concerned was not covered by the protected characteristic of "gender reassignment".

I also don't see how the second example was covered by the council policy. The police should have been called.

Move on; nothing to see here.

Yes I’m sure some people would love us to think there’s nothing to see here.

Thank you Anne Sinnot for making a stand for women. I think there are far too many MPs - of all colours - keeping their heads down and no doubt kidding themselves they’re working to change things from within.

Am I missing something though, isn't her quitting just freeing up a space for someone who is in support of this BS?

I'm disappointed that she isn't staying and fighting.

Surely it was still easier to dissent from within

Politics shouldn't be about ease.

Some might hope that dissent could be more effective from within but given Anne Sinnott's decision and the statement, this seems not to have been the case either.

I imagine her (& perhaps others') attempts might come to be discussed in the future.

Jackyholyoake I see: thank you, that makes sense!

Well done to her for having principles and for giving a damn about women and abuse of the law.

This will highlight the issue and I hope other prominent women follow suit.

She said that women
have the right to know*
This is how I feel towards the GRA consultation and Lord FreeMason's stealth plans for the London toilets.
Everything is sly, hidden agendas.

Hurrah to her and The Times.

Am I missing something though, isn't her quitting just freeing up a space for someone who is in support of this BS?

There's a bigger picture with regards Cambridge and The Equalities Act.

I remember Labour Women's officer Ann Ruzylo quit over trans issues but what did it change? Nothing. It was just
"OK bye then".

..and thank you everyone else who took the trouble to explain.

SarahAr

There is plenty to see here, which is why women are saying "No!" What we women see is our rights and protections being supplanted by males. We are not accepting that. We are determined to defend all the rights and protections for girls and women in all spheres.

R0w how will quitting help?

The house of cards is starting to collapse and will pick up more and more momentum as it goes. Women in positions of power are taking a stand, like Anne. More will follow. Jess being suspended means the GRA amendments they proposed are difficult not to view as an abusers charter now. Cue lots of flailing and desperation.

Gncq

Ann Ruzylo resigning has meant she has been free to travel across England to speak at various meetings and raise awareness of this issue and the threat it presents to the rights and protections for girls and women. Ann has been able to achieve far more by being outside of Labour than could ever be done by being inside it.

Many women have resigned our membership from Labour for just that purpose.

Don’t tell us to move on sarahar

No power over us

So it's a case of quit before you're suspended/expelled.

Move on; nothing to see here

That phrase is virtually always a lie

Its always said by police or teachers in school or security guards in shops

And there is always...always something to see

I also don't see how the second example was covered by the council policy. The police should have been called.

Why would the police have been called? The male-bodied person said they were a woman, ergo they are a woman and no bigot has any business saying otherwise. Isn’t that how gender identity works? If they were aggressive and wearing male clothes, then all they were doing was widening the band with of what it means to be a woman. For any TRA to talk about calling the police is disingenuous at best.

And how is it “transphobic” of the Times to report the resignation of a Councillor and quote her? The result of hyperbolically calling the reporting of facts transphobic is that none of us give a shit anymore about being called transphobes. It doesn’t have anywhere near the same effect as being called racist.

Gncq

"So it's a case of quit before you're suspended/expelled."

It's not that trivial. It is far more principled than that. It is based on the principle that the law gives girls and women very specific protections and rights and men are abusing that law.

Telling me there is 'no debate' or 'nothing to see here' tells me and other women the exact opposite.

The wheels are falling of the TRA juggernaut.

Thank you Anne.

The people crowing about this are misogynists. Its also clear they don't understand the laws they support.
If a man says he is a woman, he is one. You support this, you own it.

"No Debate! I said NO DEBATE! Women! Stop debating!"