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.

[Gtfoohwts]

I am a GC Lib Dem, and that correspondence certainly does not speak to my beliefs regarding transwomen. I am of the idea that transwomen are just that, transwomen. I and other natural/biological women are the only real women. Too many women seem to be more than happy to prop-up transwomen and their agenda even though doing so diminishes their own status as women! This fact is beyond frustrating! I am a liberal, and I will remain a liberal, but I just will never subscribe to this nonsense that “twaw so give them all rights bestowed upon women D allow them into our spaces” malarkey!!!

[Jux]

Sadly, your party disagrees with you on that one.

[SunsetBeetch]

Jean Hatchet has dug up something interesting:

"The traitor to women @joswinson is determined to remove all boundaries to men identifying as women. She'll change the law to do this if elected. The biggest donors to @LibDems in 2019 are Justinian and Victoria Ash who own @spirehealthcare .. with a £££ interest in trans surgery t.co/ZeWKI6nZsM "

twitter.com/JeanHatchet/status/1202625641360871424?s=19

and @joswinson advocates allowing men to identify more easily as women. She's pushing this hard. HEr main donors are hugely invested in surgery that makes men look more like women. Where do women's rights figure in this handy donor pathway?

#StopBetrayingWomen

twitter.com/JeanHatchet/status/1202625643487354882?s=19

It is also worth noting that it appears from a search of @spirehealthcare website that no less than 313 consultant surgeons working for them offer facial feminisation surgery. That is a lot of financial incentive to drop £280,000 on @joswinson* Isn't it? Would @maitlis* look into? t.co/nJdhzhmq8r

twitter.com/JeanHatchet/status/1202625649032224768?s=19

[OldCrone]

It is also worth noting that it appears from a search of @ spirehealthcare website that no less than 313 consultant surgeons working for them offer facial feminisation surgery.

How did she get that? I selected facial feminisation surgery from the menu and got 2 results, not 313.

www.spirehealthcare.com/consultants/profiles/?filterByTreatment=62309&filterBySpecialty=&filterByHospital=&filterByName=&filterByPostCode=&filterByBookable=false

[Butterisbest]

OldCrone
I think it depends where you live. Bigger cities have more options

[OldCrone]

I left the location field blank, so it should have found all the relevant doctors working for them in the whole country.

How many doctors did the search function find when you did it Butterisbest?

[Butterisbest]

None, to be truthful here I didn't allow google to track my location. I never allow that, I can be a bit tinfoil hat at times.
I'm very uncomfortable about the provenance of this information.

[OldCrone]

I'm very uncomfortable about the provenance of this information.

I thought it was worth checking whether the information was correct. And from my search, I don't think it is.

Not sure what google location tracking has to do with a simple search on the Spire Healthcare website, though.

[Butterisbest]

When I clicked on the link google tracking wanted me to allow location. I don't allow and never do.
I thought that maybe you'd had a different result because of your location

[SpringFan]

Jo Swinson is on Women's Hour today (Friday). Not sure if she will be taking questions or whether the WH team will accept suggestion for topics.

[popehilarious]

Re: Spire - nothing to do with tracking.
Looks like Jean just searched for 'facial feminisation surgeon' on the Spire website search and got 313 results as 'consultants'.
The ones I clicked on seem to be Maxillofacial Surgeon or Plastic Surgeons, rather than specialising in FFS. Using the filters by specialty finds only two - one of whom is a 'pioneer' in FFS and the other doesn't have FFS specifically listed in their profile. So it's unclear why one search finds 2 results and one finds 313.

[Butterisbest]

Ok, when I clicked on the link it came up "Allow Google to access your location" I said No.
I always say NO.
I used the word tracking and it was probably the wrong word to use.

[NotAssigned]

I'm concerned about Jean's info too.

We need to guard against seizing on something without due diligence otherwise it makes us look like conspiracy theorists.

[SomeVelvetMorning]

I'm concerned about Jean's info too

We need to guard against seizing on something without due diligence otherwise it makes us look like conspiracy theorists

Spire is the largest provider of private hospitals in the UK.

Here is the result of searching facial feminisation surgery for all their hospitals - 12 surgeons.

www.spirehealthcare.com/search/?query=facial+feminisation+surgery+ffs&profile=

Here is the result for endometrial ablation surgery (picked because I had that done at at a Spire hospital)

www.spirehealthcare.com/search/?query=endometrial+ablation+surgery&profile=
7,977 surgeons.

It is conspiracy theory with several dozen tin foil hats to think Spire is lobbying the Lib Dems because Spire are going to make pots of money from facial feminisation surgery- it's a tiny part of their business.

[SomeVelvetMorning]

And the 12 I found are general plastic surgeons.

[SomeVelvetMorning]

It's not as if there isn't plenty of unquestioning ammunition about how awful Jo Swinson is.

For example

mobile.twitter.com/joswinson/status/1202224091706667008

[anxioussue]

I have emailed our LD candidate twice asking for information about their stance on gender issues as I was going to vote for them. No reply so no vote.

[OldCrone]

We need to guard against seizing on something without due diligence otherwise it makes us look like conspiracy theorists

Yes. That was why I did my own search.

Spire is the largest provider of private hospitals in the UK.

And it's not surprising that they have a lot of plastic surgeons since that's something that people often have to use private healthcare for.

[DontBuyANewMumCashmere]

Well.

I didn't vote Lib Dem.

I (clearly) voted Labour and also wrote W=AHF on my ballot. I didn't want to not vote, but their reply to me and Swinson's massive bellendery this last week prevented me from supporting them. I will not be responsible for my own oppression.

(I am also in a Tory stronghold and found out 75% of my constituency voted for them! Shocking.)

So I hope Lib Dems reflect on their losses and realise what were vote winners and what were vote losers.