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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Just had the Lib Dems at the door ...

17 replies

TeenPlusTwenties · 23/11/2019 15:48

I'm in a Tory / Lib Dem marginal.

Older male canvasser (60s?) was a bit taken aback by my tirade re women's rights, it was all new to him, but 'got' the issue that we can't tell who is real trans v male invader. Younger chap (20s) came up and tried to say 'but we have to look after minorities', older chap and I agreed not at expense of women's rights. Older chap is going to look into it...

I think next time I need to just ask 'what is a woman' and go from there.

OP posts:
WichBitchHarpyTerfThatsMe · 23/11/2019 16:03

Well said OP. I think asking any of them to define 'woman' is the first question we must ask.

MIdgebabe · 23/11/2019 16:05

They have to look after all disadvantaged people

merrymouse · 23/11/2019 16:10

Younger chap (20s) came up and tried to say 'but we have to look after minorities'

Think how shocked he will be when he learns that it's possible to be in a majority and still be a marginalised member of society!

HandsOffMyRights · 23/11/2019 16:17

I like to remind the bearded that 80-95 per cent of the 'minority' retain their male genitalia.

donquixotedelamancha · 23/11/2019 23:18

Well done, OP. Not easy to argue on the spot.

Redshoeblueshoe · 23/11/2019 23:24

WHAT ? You had a canvasser at your door
I've not seen one of those since 2016
I've not even had one leaflet
I actually think no one wants my vote Shock

midcenturylegs · 23/11/2019 23:29

Last election-type leaflet I had was from a Tory pushing a GLA election pamphlet through my No Junk Mail signed letterbox. I took great pleasure in running after her and consequently tweeting a photo of her scurrying backside

AnneLovesGilbert · 23/11/2019 23:32

Well done OP. I’ve had a similar discussion with a friend who stands for the Greens.

We’ve had one person canvassing, lived here 3 years and however many elections and this was first time and the local Tory district councillor. I told him Boris turns my stomach and he said “yes, a lot of us feel like that....” so we didn’t get on to policy.

Butterisbest · 23/11/2019 23:33

I had a Lib Dem canvasser call to my house just before a recent by election. I engaged him in conversation, he told me that his niece was soon to become his nephew. I told him that as a grown man he should realise that Human beings cannot change sex. He told me his sister is a Doctor so that's fine. I was extraordinarily restrained.
I mentioned Aimee Challenor and Sarah Brown, the lovely pleasant trans woman that runs their twitter account.
I also had a full and frank conversation with the person that kept phoning me over and over again. She seemed quite surprised at my Gender Critical stance. I don't think they'll bother me.

AutumnRose1 · 23/11/2019 23:34

“ I think next time I need to just ask 'what is a woman' and go from there”

Nope. That would just cause chaos. Sounds like you handled it perfectly.

AutumnRose1 · 23/11/2019 23:35

“ He told me his sister is a Doctor so that's fine.”

OH. MY. ALL THE GODS EVER.

GooseFeather · 23/11/2019 23:39

@redshoeblueshoe

The below is copied from another post because it beautifully explains why not everyone gets canvassed. DH was out today, party irrelevant, over a 4 hour period he managed 97 doors.

Do you know how long it takes for 2 people to knock on 100 doors (good practice is to canvas in pairs)?

If a constitutency which has a strong ld presence has only 50 active members for campaigning, then how many doors do you think 25 pairs can knock on in a 2hr session?

Remember that 25 pairs are rarely going to be available for every Canvassing session. Now think about how many Canvassing sessions the local party can organise in a week. Realistically you might get them out for 2 or 3 hours on weekend (no one really wants to do much more than that) and maybe twice during the week (and that'll be harder in December with the dark and cold).

If you assume you can knock on one door every 5 mins (and that's very very optimistic) that's 12 doors per pair per hour. If all 25 pairs turn out (that's very very optimistic) that's 300 doors per hour.

Realistically in reality you are more likely to be closer to 150 doors as a top whack unless your activists are really fanatical.

Across a week assuming that rate that's 150 x 6 hours. That's 450 doors.

The campaign period is 6 weeks so that brings you up to 2700 doors.

There are around 42,000 households in my constituency.

That's why no one is knocking on your door because the logistics of knocking on every door in a constituency are crazy. Just getting leaflets hand delivered to everyone is a feat in itself.

This is why generally speaking only target seats will be canvassed in any great amount with activists called in from neighbouring constituencies rather than doing every constituency.

This is where Labour has a big advantage as they have so many more activists than either the Lib Dems or the Conservatives.

theflushedzebra · 23/11/2019 23:40

I've had ONE canvasser at my door in 10 years of living here. They were a counsellor for the tories in the v recent council elections - talking about the greenbelt a lot.

Well done for snaring a live LibDem canvasser OP! Grin

I'm not disbelieving you, or the doorstepper, OP - but I find it unbelievable that a canvasser for the LibDems has managed to exist without knowing his own Party's stance on this, and all the controversy around it. Its a scandal the way LibDems are treating women.

I told my mum about the "don't vote LibDem unless you accept gender neutral toilets" article - and she was horrified. I told her all the stuff the LibDems would bring in if they did gain power - gender self ID, a complete loss of women-only spaces - and she was aghast. She normally votes LibDem, and now says I don't know who to vote for now! I was like, yeah - join the club.

Coyoacan · 24/11/2019 00:36

I heard someone on Radio 4's Any Answers programme this afternoon say that he would be voting LibDem because they are not extremist. I thought, if you only knew.

Butterisbest · 24/11/2019 01:02

AutumnRose1
Yes, the my sister line really shocked me. His implication was that as his sister is a medical professional she has a better understanding. I was slightly speechless, I did mention Tavistock and illegal drugs but I was talking to a Woko Haram disciple . I couldn't continue the conversation without going into full manic rant. I think I just shut the door in his face.

TeenPlusTwenties · 24/11/2019 09:09

theflushed Honestly I think at grass roots level there is a lot of ignorance among Lib Dem supporters. An acquaintance via a hobby is a local Lib Dem councillor. She didn't know about the policy or issues on self-id. At a local level it isn't an issue (until it is). So as long as no one is 'pushing' things people can stay oblivious.

OP posts:
Kit19 · 24/11/2019 09:26

I think I’m just very cynical but I expect there will be an awful lot of “my brother/uncle/friend/work colleague is a Tw” responses from LD canvassers used on doorsteps. Almost as if they might invent relatives/friends who are transitioning in order to shut women up on doorsteps

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