Has anyone had a positive response from their PPC?

[DrunkenUnicorn]

I sent my Lib Dem one a message last week, followed up today, asking if she’d had a chance to think about what I’d said.

I added that I was very disappointed with the Luciana interview this morning and the manifesto commitment to reform the GRC, and reminded her that according to a poll commissioned by YouGov/pink news only 18% of the population are happy with no checks or balances with self id.

This is what I got back:

Hi X

Thank you for you messages, I am glad you have taken the step to get in touch about your thoughts on this issue. I am a feminist and across my career have promoted women’s rights. I come from a working in a male-dominated finance environment and, in line with the party constitution, am working for a fair, free and open society for all.

This wish extends to the transgender community and in office I would support the manifesto pledge to reform the Gender Recognition Act. Here is a resource which I have found very insightful on this topic: www.stonewall.org.uk/truth-about-trans

Urgh... stonewall... banging my head against a stone wall!

I’m assuming she is trotting out the party line as last week she said there were a lot of questions and she’d have get back to me...

I have from the Tory candidate 😭

thank you for getting in touch. I sense your question is around how do we protect woman's rights as we accept the transgender community, a very sensitive and important area. I understand your concerns.

Let me start by saying, that I think it is very positive that society is now recognising transgender people and treating them as they wish to be treated. But that does not mean, that we can dismiss legitimate concerns like yours.

It is clearly not appropriate for trans-women, who have been convicted as male sex offenders, to be allowed to enter a woman's prison for example. That is not progressive at all. I appreciate some lines are more blurred than this and need to be taken on their merits and need to be dealt with sensitivity to all.

I also do not think it is tenable in women's sport for those with a clear biological advantage to be breaking world records consistently.

I hope this is helpful and thank you again for contacting me.

Had a pretty good one from my incumbent Tory MP. I sent

do you agree that:
Women have the right to discuss policies which affect them, without being abused, harassed or intimidated
Women have the right to maintain their sex-based protections, as set out in the Equality Act 2010. These include female-only spaces such as changing rooms, hospital wards, sanitary and sleeping accommodation, refuges, hostels and prisons
Women have the right to participate in single-sex sports, to ensure fairness and safety at all levels of competition

and got back

To be honest, yes I do agree with you. Abuse and intimidation is wrong in all areas of life (ask MPs) and I have growing concerns around where we are going in terms of males identifying as females. It's far too complicated to put down in one single email, but I hope you get my thrust and if I am re-elected this is certainly something I will be looking at closely in the next Parliament.

Got zero response from the Lib Dem PPC and an offer of a phone call to talk it through from the local labour women's officer.

i really, really don't want to vote conservative in December. what the fuck am I going to do?

Mine (Tory) said he doesn’t agree at all with “pre-op transsexuals” using female facilities
He’s quite old hence talking about transsexuals and I don’t think he realises the extent of the trans umbrella.

Only asked today so no response yet

Asked the Lib Dem PPC on Monday - no response.

I wrote to our Labour candidate (have already met the current Tory MP who is likely to win again and who already is sympathetic to this issue, but I cannot vote Tory!), and her reply included this:

"This gender self-identification issue is a really difficult one, and whilst I am totally supportive of the LGBTQ community, I am notat all happy about action which could open the door (literally) and put women and children at risk. Maybe, over time, a practical solution can be found to accommodate both sides of the debate, but until then, I err very strongly on the side of women’s safety.

Thank you too for bringing this petition to my notice as I hadn’t seen it previously. Unfortunately I can’t see all of the screenon this council tablet so have sent to my personal email and will sign from there later."

MIRACULOUS! (That last bit was because I shared the petition with her).

So happy because I already thought that our local Labour people were trying to be fair over this issue, and so were not just going along with the party line but were recognising it for being a complex and emotive issue. This confirms what I thought.

I will be voting for her.

I wrote to my MP today (Tory, safe seat) saying that I am considering voting Tory for the first time ever, purely on the back of women's rights. Linked to the Times article from today as well. Haven't heard back yet but I'm not expecting a quick reply during election season, hopefully I will hear back though.

I put this on another thread:
Got this response from the Con candidate in my area, no response from the other candidates. Interested to hear what you think about it. Personally, I don't like the focus on my 'feelings' and 'worries' rather than the facts I have presented, feels belittling. Also, the reassurance about the Equality Act shows ignorance as to how it's already being undermined. The mention of criminal laws being in place to prosecute anyone acting inappropriately in changing rooms shows a massive amount of ignorance and lack of analysis on this issue (in that case lets take all the locks off our front doors, because there are laws in place to prosecute anyone who steals from us...) In contrast, flattering my 'important points' (without mentioning what they were) suggests she's hoping to win my vote by massaging my ego. Not impressed overall, feels very glib:

Many thanks for your email and for including the links. I do appreciate how emotive this issue is for many people and how strongly you feel.

Let me start by giving you some reassurance, under the Equality Act 2010, some organisations may treat people with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment differently in particular circumstances when it comes to accessing single- and separate-sex services, such as services provided to survivors of domestic abuse. The guidance on the issue makes it explicitly clear that the exception can only be used in particular circumstances and where there is no less discriminatory way of providing the service.

Single sex services for vulnerable people, such as refuges, have robust risk assessment procedures that allow them to turn away anyone who poses a threat to vulnerable women. There are already existing laws to protect women, such as the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which contains a wide range of offences designed to protect people of all ages from sexual abuse and exploitation. Criminal laws are in place to stop anyone of any gender behaving in a threatening manner in a toilet or changing room, or harassing or attacking people.

My view has always been that people should be largely free to do whatever they want with their own lives unless it impacts on someone else. That said, you raise some very important points and I do think it is important to have a full and open debate on issues such as this.

If I am elected on December 12th, I would be very happy to meet with you and discuss all of your worries in detail. I will then very happily take the issue up with the relevant Minister on your behalf, to ensure that your serious concerns are properly considered.

I've heard nothing from my Labour MP who I would have voted for if Labour hadn't treated women so badly over this.

This might be an obvious question but how do I find out who the Tory candidate is for my area? I'd like to email them to ask them their thoughts on this because I am, unbelievably, considering voting for them because the tories are the only ones who seem to be holding back on self ID.

Ceridwen I just typed into google the name of my ward and the Labour party, and that showed me who their candidate was.

whocanivotefor.co.uk/

Probably over a year ago I wrote to my Conservative MP with my (many, lengthy) concerns: for the first time ever, he agreed with me. He's firmly nailed his colours though - he's written at least one article in the local paper, given speeches, asked Qs in the Commons and was declared 'anti-trans' by Prick News.

Trouble is, he's pretty appalling in many other ways and I'd be glad to see the back of him. However, with a 24,000 majority I accept that he's keeping his seat. I have emailed my Labour PPC, I've emailed the Greens' info address to find out my PPC's email address, and I've tweeted the Lib Dem PPC to try and get an email address out of her. But in such a safe seat nobody puts any money into this seat - not even the sitting MP! The last election the Labour Party's campaigning here consisted of one Saturday the candidate standing in town in the rain handing out leaflets - by himself!

i really, really don't want to vote conservative in December. what the fuck am I going to do?

You can't vote Tory if you care about women, in my opinion.

I work (and hopefully still will after December 12) for a Labour PPC. Neither now, nor when he was still an MP, has anyone contacted him about this issue. I so, so wish that they would. He generally agrees when I've mentioned it, but doesn't think it's particularly important or a big deal, and he never will unless constituents get in touch with him.

Please do contact your PPCs.

Neverwould but why doesn't he think it's a big deal? Of course it is, especially when you look at the medicalisation of children. This is what I don't understand - why does an MP (you said he was one previously) need someone to contact them before they make a stand for what's right?

My MP has views about many things that I don't agree with, and some I find appalling, but he's never been afraid to share them. That is after all his job. When did all these MPs become so afraid of losing a few votes that they stop standing up for what's right?

No response from my Labour PPC who I emailed 3 days ago to ask if she would be signing the petition. Currently in Tory seat 🤮

He isn't scared of losing votes, Lysis. I don't think he would be scared to say he supported us publicly either.

We live in an area where it's very much not on the radar. No one around here seems particularly confused about what men and women are. People are struggling with their benefits being stripped, the utter incompetency of the Home Office, the almost complete depletion of local authority services and basically just surviving. This is what makes up the bulk of our casework. Dozens of emails a day, and dozens of people at surgeries every week, about not having services, their benefits being cut and not knowing their immigration status.

Not one single person has contacted him about this issue. Not one.

He is concentrating on what he feels is important to the lives of the people in the constituency. Constituents need to lobby MPs and PPCs to put this on their agenda.

I have asked incumbent Labour PPC and she wants to talk to me; won't write anything down. I think this is probably a good thing wrt her views but sad she's nervous.

If any party other than the Conservatives get in we are getting self-ID, and probably fast-track self-ID, because Stonewall and other trans organisations know that time is of the essence. They know that the dangers and consequences of self-ID are becoming more widely known. Many people are still not fully aware and many don’t care that much because it appears, on the surface, to be unlikely to affect them much, but there is a growing outrage among those who have engaged with the issue.

So this is our one chance to stop self-ID and the Conservatives are the only party who seem to be having a rethink on the issue now its implications are becoming known. A new Conservative government is likely to continue to keep self-ID on the back burner, allowing us more time to inform (and enrage) the general public about its dangers. Most MPs follow what they believe the public mood to be, so educating the public is the best way to get them onside. Fast-track self-ID proposed by Lib-dem, Labour and Greens will not give us enough time to do the public education work required.

I’ve never voted Tory before and there are many reasons I don’t like them which mostly boil down to their arrogance about the sources of their success, not crediting their family background and therefore unfairly blaming people who haven’t achieved the same success because they haven’t had the same beneficial start in life. However I’m not sure to what extent Labour would be better for women. Lib-dem probably would be better for women if not for their views on self-ID where they are absolutely disastrous.

There is strong lobbying on this board against the Conservatives but if self-ID is your number one issue they really need to be considered at this election.

Problematic If she won’t put anything in writing then she’s extremely unlikely to vote against self-ID. That won’t be a secret ballot.

However I’m not sure to what extent Labour would be better for women.

Women might stand a chance of not being stuck on forever lengthening hospital waiting lists. They might be able to ring their doctor and actually get an appointment.

They wouldn't be denied Child Benefit for a third child. They won't have to prove they were raped if that is how the third child was conceived.

Many of the lowest paid women might not have to go and stand in queues for food banks so that they can get sanitary products and food for themselves and their children.

They won't be subjected to delays to Universal Credit payments which leaves them desperately ringing around everyone they can think of to beg for an emergency loan so that they can feed their household and keep the electric on.

They won't be subject to the Bedroom Tax when their eldest child moves out.

Asylum seeking women won't have to wait for years to find out their immigration status and begin living their lives. They won't be forced to be separated from their children who are British born.

WASPI women would get some justice.

Mothers would have access to a Sure Start Centre in constituency, and 30 hours of free childcare for 2, 3 & 4 year olds.

Statutory Maternity Pay would increase to 12 months.

A Workers' Protection Agency would be established with power to fine organisations which failed to report their sex pay gap.

86% of the Tories' austerity cuts have fallen onto women. The Conservatives are not concerned with helping women.

I know that the Labour Party's stance on trans issues is deeply frustrating, and I share that frustration.

But electing the Tories will not help women.

Any party can promise the earth Never. The question is how these proposals would be funded, is the funding sustainable and what would be cut to meet these proposals? Endless debt will just lead to pain further down the line, whoever is in government then. And Labour will give us self-ID, quickly.

It isn't the earth, though. It's things that only ten years ago were considered commonplace.

Sure Start Centres and functioning hospitals did not cause the national debt. Neither did people not being subjected to the Bedroom Tax, or getting Child Benefit for every child.

The use of food banks has gone up ten fold in ten years. People being able to buy tampons and food didn't cause national debt.

Nor did a functioning Home Office. Universal Credit cost a fortune, doesn't work, and was introduced purely through cruel ideology. Lack of it doesn't cause national debt.

The debt also wasn't caused by giving women a fair pension deal.

Lack of banking regulations caused in 2007/8 banking crisis, and that is what sent the debt soaring. The Tories have borrowed more than the Labour Party did.

The policies I listed are not the equivalent of paving the streets in gold. They are bringing back services that we mostly had until 2010.

If any party other than the Conservatives get in we are getting self-ID,...... and probably fast-track self-ID, there is strong lobbying on this board against the Conservatives but if self-ID is your number one issue they really need to be considered at this election

I think that’s an accurate summary. The Lib Dems and Labour have shown their explicit support for these policies. Berger yesterday repeatedly refused to acknowledge the inconvenient truth that these are competing rights and the promotion of one group is to the detriment of the other. The Lib Dems and Labour simply expect women to obediently vote for them irrespective of this.

@BernardBlacksWineIceLolly - do you mind if I pinch your question format there?

I ranted wrote to my MP twice during the UK consultation and got nothing back. I can have a tendency to wordiness, so was wondering if I might get something better back if I was more succinct 😅

Did people who got responses send paper letters or email/contact form?

Realistically, we are either going to get a Conservative government or a Labour government. There is no chance the Lib Dems or any other party are going to win.

At the moment, it seems much more likely that the Conservatives will win - and if they do, I doubt they'd push through reform of the GRA. However, they will implement a whole load of other nasty anti-women policies.

If Labour get in, there's a good chance they will try to implement GRA reform, particularly if they end up doing a deal with the SNP or (heaven forbid) the Lib Dems. However, I genuinely believe that enough people are now so strongly opposed to it that they would have difficulty getting it through. It is, slowly, breaking through to the general public, and once enough people truly understand the implications, all hell will break loose. If Labour do get in, those of us who care about this issue will have to fight as hard as we can to stop it.