Labour don't think sex is a protected characteristic in the EA.

[weaverbirds]

Latest 'why equality matters' statement from the LP. No mention of sex as a protected category.
Is this ignorance? Seems unlikely since it's Marsha de Cordova. So it must be gaslighting. I'm beyond angry.

labour.org.uk/latest/what-is-the-equality-act-of-2010-and-why-does-it-matter/?fbclid=IwAR2LLcUNbSgFcMboVoG7UjNQE6XCpWf9VYpNf95-j8-7j4EO0nsu4aaNl60

Do you have a Labour MP OP?

I don't so I might write to Keir Starmer.

She mentions "women who are breastfeeding" and "expectant mums."
It's funny how people who grasp onto trans ideology so eagerly don't understand it at all, about how much change it actually demands.

Ive tweeted the hell out of this nonsense. Anyone on twitter please do the same. Thanks.

Thick buggers. I feel nothing but hostility now to "my" political party.

I do have a Labour MP OhHoly. He's been pathetic on women's rights in the past; 'best I work behind the scenes' approach which translates into doing bugger all. But yes, I will write. Need to calm down a bit first!

This was shared on the Labour facebook page yesterday. I'm heartened by the number of women who joined me in pointing out the glaring omission - eight of the nine protected characteristics are detailed, but our right to single sex provisions and our right not to be discriminated against due to our sex are totally ignored.

It also misses marriage and civil partnership.

Pretty incompetent to make a an article explaining the Equality Act and then miss off two of the protected characteristics.

Shows how useless the Labour Party have become, if they can't even properly explain their own Act of Parliament.

I've just read it and I don't understand. Is this an official Labour Party statement or a personal one by Marsha de Cordova? It reads very oddly. And of course it omits sex as a protected characteristic completely and conflates 'trans people' and 'gender reassignment'. Does Marsha De Cordova think that all trans people have had gender reassignment and hold a GRC? Is she deliberately misrepresenting the legal situation or does she just not understand?

I've just written to my MP as follows;

Dear ........

As a member of the party I would like to register my concern at a press release by the Labour Party on their website. It is reasserting the importance of the equality act introduced in 2010.

https://labour.org.uk/latest/what-is-the-equality-act-of-2010-and-why-does-it-matter/?fbclid=IwAR2LLcUNbSgFcMboVoG7UjNQE6XCpWf9VYpNf95-j8-7j4EO0nsu4aaNl600_

I am a vocal supporter of the act however I find it incredibly concerning that Sex seems to have been left out of this release? Sex is a protected characteristic for reason and women still face sex discrimination every day; this feels like erasure.

Do you agree with the wording of this press release? I am not the only person among my peers that is rightly concerned by this statement and I worry that the Labour Party is riding roughshod over the concerns of women.

Yours sincerely
.....

@InspiralCoalescenceRingdown

It also misses marriage and civil partnership.

Pretty incompetent to make a an article explaining the Equality Act and then miss off two of the protected characteristics.

Shows how useless the Labour Party have become, if they can't even properly explain their own Act of Parliament.

This.

The Labour Party - for the men, not for you.

All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others, eh?

Signed, yet another politically homeless woman.

Good to hear Tyro. I'm astonished by their arrogance - feels like a deliberate provocation - so it's good to know that there's a push back.

No idea whether this is 'official' doctrine or not Shed. Either way it's clear that Starmer is happy to let the misogyny continue.

Weaverbirds, did it come to you direct from Labour HQ, as it were? On her Twitter account it seems that the statement comes from MDC's blog.

Marsha de Cordova is Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities. It may just be her blog but it's shocking that someone in her position could omit the protected characteristic that covers 51% of the population — a population for which she holds the remit.

What the actual fuck are they playing at..they cannot just remove a protected characteristic because they don't think it should be there..that kind of undermines the whole protected characteristic thing to begin with surely..

@Shedbuilder It's on their website

Thank you, that answers my question. The links I've been sent are from Twitter and I was wondering at what point an MP's blog becomes an official Labour Party statement.

Marsha de Cordova is Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities
and she misquotes the Equality Act, leaving out women.

I think we all know where women stand in Labour’s list of priorities now.

I've emailed both Keir and Marsha. Idiots.

That picture is telling too. Of all the images they could have chosen to represent protected characteristics, which one was their immediate go-to...?

for the men, not for you

We've got a strong contender for quote of the day there!

@AbsintheFriends

That picture is telling too. Of all the images they could have chosen to represent protected characteristics, which one was their immediate go-to...?

yep its always the rainbow innit

you dont want to be clogging up the place with for example people with disabilities now do you?

there's no big powerful disability organisation with celebrity followers that'll make labour look good now is there

Clowns. So transparent.

I've emailed Starmer too. I think we need a concerted email campaign to make him realise this is no longer a 'fringe' issue, that he needs to make a stand and make Labour's position clear. Worst govt in my lifetime and Labour still make it feel impossible for me to vote for them.

Don't think we can pretend that it's a slip-up, or ignorance, or a misunderstanding any longer. This is a direct provocation - particularly when combined with the rainbow image. Men are the priority for Labour and the other 51% just need to be kind, and preferably silent.

It's sexism. In a statement about the relevance of the Equality Act. Don't know whether to rage or weep.

mobile.twitter.com/MarshadeCordova/status/1311993483973062661

She's now posted this which is interesting.

Not on Twitter but looking at the screen shot you shared shed, but has anyone else noticed that these days , wherever we see an article about the equality act/diversity/inclusivity etc etc, of all the protected characteristics there are, the visual we see is almost always the blue/pink rainbow flag or a reference to trans? Like it's top of the pecking order or something ...