Victoria Atkins on the GRA consultation

[MrsSnippyPants]

Only a snippet, but the first we have heard for a while I think

twitter.com/LesleySemmens/status/1220350068949209089?s=20

Some people are unimpressed that this is still a priority for Labour given the other serious issues women are facing

twitter.com/djunasaurus/status/1220380651091898370?s=20

Trouble is what does VA mean by single sex spaces? And when she says women, does she mean anyone who identifies as a woman or female people who need same sex only options?

Yes, it needs to be got right. Would be very easy to create a law that it will take a decade to sort out when it proves to be a disaster for a significant proportion of female people now paying taxes for spaces they themselves have no access to. Many due to their religion, culture, disability and other recognised socially important reasons not trumped by any other single characteristic.

She mentioned trans adults' rights and protecting women's single sex spaces. Sounds like a clear distinction to me.

Also the specific allusion to adults interests me...

Why is Dawn Butler demanding "get the GRA done" without seeing the consultation results?

Because Dawn is either a) daft or b) deluded. Actually she is probably both...

Or captured. Or all three.

Are you suggesting someone or some group is holding her cat to ransom?

It is going to be a very long time before I vote Labour again.

I'm highly cynical tea I've heard too many politicians talk about protecting single sex spaces and then it emerging that they do in fact mean anyone can be any sex they like. Rendering them mixed sex spaces. Language has been so messed up by the trans lobby that shared meaning has become almost impossible.

Sorry what does the tweet say? Twitter doesn't work for me as it just keeps hounding me to login but I can't. But I'm really interested in this issue.

Yes single sex does tend to mean:
Women and transwomen in one place
Men in another
Transmen who the hell cares

Michelle - I agree. It's so important to use words accurately, otherwise they become meaningless and women's rights are lost.

Also the specific allusion to adults interests me...
Yes. The aim to protect trans adults rights and single sex provision for women. I 100% agree with this.

Dawn Butler does not come over well - let’s ‘get it done’ - get what done, you don’t know what the consultation says yet!

Stealth Dawn Butler tweeted a short video of her asking about GRA in the House and VA saying the above... can’t link the video outside of twitter tho and can’t see it on Hansard yet.

Thsnk you

Linking to the idea of writing to our MPs - confirming what they actually mean by single sex might be an excellent place to start.

And capture in sense of policy, not feline

I think VA’s statement clearly differentiates between trans rights and single sex spaces, and between children and trans adults. This is promising.

However I fully agree with @Michelleoftheresistance @Mayomaynot and @Stealth that the current Orwellian distortion of language - looking at you SNP and ‘proud feminist’ Nicola Sturgeon, Dawn Butler, Greens etc - means that we can’t take this at face value.

This is what the Scots Gov have done:

fairplayforwomen.com/scottish_stole_woman/

Great research by Nic Williams!

We all need to look out for the small print to check women means ‘adult human female’ and not ‘anyone who feels like a woman’

We all need to write to VA to ensure woman means woman.

Language has been so messed up by the trans lobby that shared meaning has become almost impossible.

The sooner politicians start addressing this^ issue the better. Like VA in that clip, Maria Miller has said single-sex spaces must be protected. She has also said that transwomen are women and must have access to women's services including refuges.
I don't even know what any of them mean when they say 'transwomen'. I doubt they know either, except those who support self id (transwoman = any male who says he is a woman).

I have cautious faith in VA. When I saw my MP he mentioned her and commented on the flack being received from TRAs. I suspect she's keeping things close to her chest to deliver something bullet proof.
But hey maybe clinging to straws.
I take heart that she clearly says 'adult'

Let's be honest, because it's obviously impossible to gatekeep, it isn't even a requirement for a male to state he is transitioning. Any male by being in a female single sex space has invoked the protections by walking through the door. Single sex spaces simply become 'females and any males who wish to be there'.

There have to be spaces for those females for whom this is just not possible. However allowing those females' needs to be met is wholly unacceptable to the TRA political lobby, because it retains female as a distinct biological group that cannot be entered by someone born male.

I have cautious faith in VA. When I saw my MP he mentioned her and commented on the flack being received from TRAs. I suspect she's keeping things close to her chest to deliver something bullet proof.

Yes, Ive thought the same

Dawn Butler’s tweet about let’s just get the GRA done, says ‘Let’s end this misery for the LGBT+ community’. Eh?

Why does she think a GRA reform bringing in self-ID would be any benefit to lesbians whatsoever? It’s the legal end for any kind of woman-only space. What would be the benefit of self-ID for gay men or for bisexual people?

Is she a bit confused- does she think sexual orientation and gender identity are the same thing? Why doesn’t she want to see the very glaringly obvious problems for a lot of people with what she’s arguing for?

Who does she think the LGB Alliance has been founded to advocate for?

mobile.twitter.com/DawnButlerBrent/status/1220328589482176512

Those people don't matter. They're just a few pretty letters that trip off the tongue.

Are you suggesting someone or some group is holding her cat to ransom?

I too am quietly optimistic about Victoria Atkins.

I trust that she knows the issues involved here. She didn't say anything at all there to placate the TRAs.