The Big Lie - how the WEP was always about gender rather than sex

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

An anonymous blog by a WEP insider hosted on Graham Linehan's website.

"^When the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) was co-founded in March 2015 by author Catherine Mayer and TV presenter Sandi Toksvig at the annual Women of the World festival, held at the Southbank Centre in London, tens of thousands of women rushed to join, feeling for the first time that a political party had been formed that was dedicated to us. After all, we were in the name!

Since then thousands of women have been leaving, feeling let down by a party that was meant to be for women & girls and our rights. But it is a mistake to think that WEP was captured by gender ideology – it was founded on gender ideology. We women will never ‘recapture’ it as it was never ours to begin with.^

https://grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/the-big-lie?r=7vhv8&utmcampaign=post&utmmmedium=email&utmsource=copy

I was a founder member too but despite writing to them about my disquiet with questions about their sex gender policies I got no answers at all but they thought they could still write to me I stopped my subs last year they didn’t even acknowledge that still getting cheery letters from them. They are dead. A mask. I see Sophie Walker is GC on Twitter why didn’t she blow the whistle, break into the database and tell us all what was happening. How dare they use our name in vain when they don’t even know what woman means.

I don't think Sophie would have had any control over this latest decision, as when she left they were going to consult the membership.

I would really like to know a bit more detail on Sophie's thinking on this whole issue. I got the impression, probably from reading accounts here, that she did not act well towards Heather b-e, or at least contributed to her being shut down. But since she has left wep she has been pretty gc on twitter. Has she changed thoughts or was she acting against her beliefs before? If the founding leader was gender critical (broadly speaking) that rather undermines the claims on Glinner's blog (a while ago) that right from the beginning those who set up the party believed twaw and that belief was baked in.

I am not so negative about wep as some on here (I'm a member) but I don't think this development is good at all. Mandu's speech did say some important things (we should not shy away from trying to understand why so many girls are being referred to gi clinics), but i found myself shaking my head through much of it. They should continue with a proper consultation.

I think Sophie changed her position after the Heather situation. There was a confrontation between Sophie and Heather at a meeting organised by A Woman's Place in London.

So the Committee position was not one held that strongly by Sophie as she's dropped it since learning more. This makes her leadership during the Heather situation pretty weak, letting extremists in the party bully someone out so visibly when you are not even especially committed to or understanding of the bullies bullshit isn't good leadership.

It's so tiny that it has ended up being a vehicle for a miniscule number of people's political ambitions.

from twitter now:
Georgia Ladbury Green heartPurple heart
@GeorgiaLadbury
For these reasons, among others, it's with a heavy heart that I've decided to step down from the Policy Committee and leave the party. I hope one day to return with the enthusiasm I first felt for it, but for now I'm sad to say I feel it has lost its way.
8:24 PM · Sep 8, 2021·Twitter Web App

Sophie Walker
@SophieRunning
14h
Replying to
@GeorgiaLadbury
I’m so sorry to read this Georgia. I’m also sorry to you and others who feel let down that under my leadership the party was not more decisive on this. I had hoped that my 2018 motion to consult all members on self ID would repair that disappointment. I don’t see any momentum now

Thanks Fitt. That makes alot if sense.

Very easy to find the name of the man who has bought/is only donor for the Women’s’ Equality Party on the electoral commission site and his twitter account makes it very obvious that his interest in women’s rights is solely focused on trans rights. He tweeted out about ‘trans daughter’

WEP should be deeply ashamed of themselves for selling out women like this

Just how did we get here? I was wondering this as I realise that every single day you see a rainbow (not the nhs one) - and more and more the ‘reboot 12” extended version’ (which is pretty much the driving force).

Just how?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2078r20ljxo

Seemed like a good idea but got hijacked and now they are going to campaign. I wonder if they are just going to be putting their energy into women's needs now.

They’re like Stonewall. They’ve completely run out of credibility & I for one don’t trust them.

How can they not understand that yes it is about the trans issue, if 70% of their members voted against self ID, and they ignored them!

They're ignoring them still.

Yes, I'm sure when women resigned they cited finance as the reason - all the government departments cited the same thing when they left Stonewall.

They still can't admit that a man running the party, and a party meant to support women but can't define one, was bound to fail.

Defending their approach, Mayer said the party had been "very clear" and "supported the right, from the beginning, for people to determine their own gender".

it just looks like a game from where I'm standing. Let's all be lovely and talk gently about women, that's if the men don't mind?

And there's absolutely no way that Sandi Toksvig doesn't get it. Her almanac about women fairly bursts with fury over how they are written out of history, ignored and have all their achievements credited to men.

But, if I remember correctly, she also included two transwomen in that almanac.

So I really don't understand. Her 'lived experience', must be vastly at odds with her knowledge of historical sexism. She must, genuinely, see these men as a sacred caste.