Lib Dems actively deterring GC women

[DontBuyANewMumCashmere]

Today I emailed the Lib Dems expressing an interest in joining their party.

I stated no one should receive discrimination or abuse for their transgender status but explained that I am GC and I asked if there was room for GC women in the party.

I received the following response:
Thank you for getting in touch. Whilst we appreciate your interest in joining, you should be aware that the Liberal Democrats are a trans inclusive party, and we have made it clear that we fully behind trans communities. As liberals we champion everyone’s right to live the life they want. By the sounds of your email it appears that your values are not aligned with ours so we are probably not the right the party for you.

I am flabbergasted. I didn't expect that I would have to believe that humans can change biological sex in order to be a member of the Lib Dems.

I am so disappointed. I was going to vote for them in the GE (passionate Remainer) but I cannot if this is their response.

There is no one to vote for. I am lost.

My local LibDem candidate has replied to an email of mine and states that the petition is nothing to do with the LibDems, and that they do not support anything which reduces access to fema!e spaces for trans people.

I'm too angry to reply at the moment, but they've lost my vote, that of my dh, and of at least five friends.

There's no one to vote for so I'll put my polling card on the fire when I light it this evening.

Spoil your ballot Ada. Show that there are votes out there for the taking if any party can address women’s concerns.

I emailed my LD candidate last week. The only reply I have had is a generic one stating that they are too busy to respond.

So I guess my question isn't considered important to them.

My Lib Dem candidate replied to my email by dodging the question and saying that the best way to protect human rights is to stay in the EU!

I have decided to hold my nose and vote Tory - they seem to have belatedly realised that there are issues with self iD and are pausing. Not great, but better than the "press on with self ID" position of the LDs and Greens, and I can't vote labour (and wouldn't count in my consistency anyway).

Has anyone tried emailing them re no platforming of GC people etc? I'm going to contact my PCC with the story in The Times today re the banning of the Oxford Brookes GC artist to see where they stand.

Seems stuff like that is in direct contravention of their constitution - "We will at all times defend the right to speak, write, worship, associate and vote freely." Might be interesting to see them try to square that circle. You'd have thought free speech and free thought would be at the heart of the LIBERAL Democrats but in these bonkers times, perhaps not.

From Women’s Voices Matter
m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=597515100984944&id=266169847452806

I emailed my local candidate with the lib dems women's declaration and received short shrift.

I also emailed the party asking if I could still be a member given my concerns about women's single sex spaces. I received the standard position back but nothing saying I could no longer be a member.

Just had a LibDem canvasser knock at my door. I'm really not good at thinking on my feet so I floundered quite a bit. No doubt confused the poor woman who had to make sense of what I was saying. But at least got some points across: the spousal "veto", women's rights generally, and even mentioned Amie Challoner. Said I'd support the local candidate in a local election, but couldn't vote for the party in a general election because of the decisions made by the people at the top.

With a bit of luck, she'll feed that back to the local candidate; well, as much as she understood of what I'd said.

(I wish I could do better at this sort of thing, but I reckon it's because of decades of not being listened to.)

@hoteltango sounds like you did great, you can always follow up with an email or send them the lib dem women's pledge and ask them to sign x

Thanks, Newuser. I was shaking afterwards because I felt the anger/passion about this issue, but couldn't articulate it well enough.

I've decided to write, on paper, to the LibDem candidate, and print out the petition so she can read that - which is much clearer. I've drafted the letter, and included that I would have voted LibDem except for the stance taken by the leadership. It's far too late for the leadership to change that before the election, but it may give them pause for thought when they examine the post-election results.

Great stuff, well done x

Am I missing something, or is there no mention of GRA reform in the manifesto that's just been published?

Yes there is:
Complete reform of the Gender Recognition Act to remove the requirement for medical reports, scrap the fee and recognise non-binary gender identities.
Introduce an ‘X’ gender option on passports and extend equality law to cover gender identity and expression.
Ensure accurate population data on sexual orientation and gender identity by including a question on LGBT+ status within the 2021 Census.

If you search the manifesto for #gender' you can find it quite quickly.
Also:
Complete the introduction of equal marriage, by:
Removing the spousal veto.
Allowing those marriages that were dissolved solely due to the Gender Recognition process to be retrospectively restored.

I stuck my head above the parapet yesterday when a colleague mentioned he had been out leafleting for the Lib Dems. I bemoaned being politically homeless as a remainder and a feminist and then explained why. He just looked confused. Maybe it will be enough for him to go away and look into it at least.

48 year old here. First vote at age 18 was for Greens. Every vote since has been LD.
I'm voting Labour this time round!

Also found this pledge:
'pushing for at least 40 per cent of board members being women in FTSE 350 companies'

But by women, they mean gender, not sex:
'requiring them to monitor and publish data on gender, BAME, and LGBT+ employment levels and pay gaps'

What does the + stand for in that, by the way, and why would we want to monitor it? Are people of plusness discriminated against, possibly by people like me having no idea what they are?

Allowing those marriages that were dissolved solely due to the Gender Recognition process to be retrospectively restored.

Wow thats horrific

Complete reform of the Gender Recognition Act to remove the requirement for medical reports, scrap the fee and recognise non-binary gender identities.

Ensure accurate population data on sexual orientation and gender identity by including a question on LGBT+ status within the 2021 Census.

But there will be no accurate population data on sex because they have eliminated sex and replaced it with gender identity.

Thanks Dodo.

Allowing those marriages that were dissolved solely due to the Gender Recognition process to be retrospectively restored.

^This is shocking. These people are actual MRAs.

“These people” being Lib Dems, that is.

Allowing those marriages that were dissolved solely due to the Gender Recognition process to be retrospectively restored.

Urgh. Just urgh. What a revolting policy. Also, this will presumably render some of these ex-wives, the remarried ones, bigamists. Charming.

I don’t think that’s the aim. It says ‘allowing’ not forcing.

Emailed my ppc re no platforming/freedom of speech for GC people.

Got:

"The Liberal Democrats are committed to reforming the GRA and supporting trans rights.

I am personally very clear that trans rights are human rights."

Totally missing the point and failing to answer my question. Fail to see how any party with Liberal in its name can not be 100% against no platforming and for free speech. Ought to report them under the Trades Description Act.

Looks like I'll be spoiling my ballot