A vote for Labour = a vote against women's rights??

[ClaireP20]

I've been giving some thought about who women can vote for if they are concerned about protecting women's rights, and feel confident that the party will support safe spaces, ensure more protection for women prisoners, women's groups, etc etc.

I don't think I could vote, in all good conscience, for Labour again. So many examples of supporting trans activists at the expense of supporting women.

Dawn Butler, attacking what she described as outdated legal measures designed to protect single-sex facilities "Labour will remove outdated language from the Equalities Act. And there is no way these spaces will be permitted to discriminate against trans people".

Rebecca Long-Bailey, Angela Rayner and Dawn Butler backing a trans rights charter that calls on Labour to expel “transphobic” members and describes campaigns including Woman’s Place UK as “trans-exclusionist hate groups”.

Now Eddie Izzard has decided to become a Labour MP, and bringing with his all his hate filled vitriol towards women (in my humble opinion).

I think Tony Blair has it spot on in the interview below, which I'm copying as an interesting read:
www.spectator.co.uk/article/labour-s-trans-rights-problem

I can't find too much information on where Conservatives stand on the issue though (but is this deliberate?)

Who can feminists genuinely vote for?

Looks like it's communism: morningstaronline.co.uk/article/women-class-and-gender-%E2%80%93-communist-perspective

The present debate around self-identification conflates “sex” and “gender” and fails to understand that challenging the specific discrimination faced by trans people is not served by undermining resistance to the centuries-old oppression of women as a biological sex.

Absolutely cannot vote for a party that hates women and girls (and track record on anti semitism not awesome either), no matter how great their other policies are.

Actually, I wasn’t particularly impressed with their bonkers policies last time either. Saw Corbyn making some snide comment on Twitter about “big pharma” and how they’re not our friends even if they are responsible for a vaccine and I realised he honestly believes that some kind of state owned pharmaceutical company would have been better placed to respond, and somehow more ethical and efficient.

Only ever voted left, but I won't be for the foreseeable future. I told a friend recently and she cried on me.

It's not my problem that they are stuck in #bekind mode, and I'm not their fucking mother and I'm not going to fix it.
They either believe I matter or they dont. So far they dont.

not mother no, but if enough of us join and steer then we ARE the party, we cant all be ignored, thats how we can effect change.

What Guruf said. They may get my vote again but I don't think they will ever win back my allegiance. That's gone.

Here are links to the two main party’s websites. The other parties have women’s groups too but I don’t have links on this device. If anyone wants to be put in touch with any of the parties, please drop me a PM, I have contact details for all of them.

labourwomensdeclaration.org.uk/

conservativesforwomen.org/

I won't forget that WPUK held a meeting next to the Bournemouth Conference that was attacked by TRAs and not one Labour MP mentioned it. Nothing to see here, move along.

The SDP might get my vote if they put up a candidate where I live.
sdp.org.uk/policies/transgender-and-biological-sex-based-rights/
TRANSGENDER AND BIOLOGICAL SEX-BASED RIGHTS
The liberal pursuit of individual autonomy and desire must be balanced by the common good. Some citizens feel at odds with the physiology and social role associated with their natal sex and can suffer distress. Transgender people should be treated with dignity and respect, in keeping with their acquired gender in most situations. However, these rights must be balanced against the need of natal females for safety and sporting fairness. Biological sex is real and politically significant. This requires an absolute stance on relevant legal definitions in some domains.

POLICY PLEDGES:
Transgender individuals wishing to change their legal sex should be allowed to do so. However, we support the continued necessity for medical gatekeeping in any legal change of sex marker. We oppose proposals that would allow someone to change their legal sex by self-identification only.
We support segregation by biological sex in sport. Fair competition is not secured if male-bodied transgender athletes are permitted to compete in women’s sport and, in the case of contact sports, the risk of injury can increase significantly.
We support segregation by biological sex in prisons and womens’ refuges in order to safeguard the safety and privacy of natal females. Separate prisons or prison accommodation should be provided for transgender citizens to ensure their safety and privacy.
Healthcare spending and resources for gender dysphoric individuals, including long-term psychological intervention, should be provided at sufficient levels. Physical or drug-based medical treatments for gender dysphoria should be prohibited for anyone under 18 years of age.
We support the retention of biological sex and gender identity as distinct categories in public sector data gathering such as crime statistics, poverty metrics or public health research.
We support the use of plain English for discussions of biological sex in health and reproductive care.

I don't think this is just about womens' rights issues - at least, it isn't for me. I'm a Libdem by inclination, but look at the state of them.

Our political system is ineffective at best, rotten at worst, and inept at most points in between. When it's working 'properly' we have a 2 party system, which only foments rivalry and division. Here in Scotland we have a STV system, which you would think should work better but actually returns some spectacularly unfair results.

Parliament seems to be run as some kind of raging toddler group on too much caffeine, it's just shouting, crap jokes and game-playing. The HoL is undemocratic as all get out, yet it often provides the only checks and balances for parliamentary recklessness.

I have no idea what the solutions are, but I do wish SOMEONE would spend some time thinking about ways to reform the whole system, peacefully and constructively.

yes labour does not care about women that is why in over 100 years they have only ever elected men to be leader of the party

not mother no, but if enough of us join and steer then we ARE the party, we cant all be ignored, thats how we can effect change
So give them my money, for them to not even see me? No thanks.
I tell you another free way to effect change. Not vote for them ever again. I even went to the point of emailing the labour party, and all I got back was guff about be kind and transphobia blah. That's it for me.
Just so you dont think I'm being particularly hard, I won't step foot in a m and s again either. And they dont want to run this country.

i dont think youre being hard at all- im a new member - didnt like corbyn/momentum but want the tories out.
i know gc people in the local party and i am convinced the tra's are silencing the majority. if they kick me out i will make a loud noise (quite active on sm) and if they dont kick me out but elect the tra candidate- i will make double noise.
feel quite excited for the battle but obvs by new year i might be fed up with the self-righteous woman-hating arseholes and then i'll flounce noisily too.

Gururoof, I believe the only party which has been clear about what a woman is and defending women’s rights is the SDP but they are tiny and I certainly haven’t seen them on candidate lists for any elections in my area.

Don’t know who I will vote for in May local elections. The GE 3 years from now, I suppose any number of things will happen before then but it will be hard to forgive the parties I have previously voted for for their betrayal. I have always turned out, it will feel wrong not to. It just feels so hopeless.

I really appreciate the women trying to effect change from the inside. But why would any sane woman expose themselves to the vitriol and hatred from too many labour activists. They'll try to get you sacked from your job, they'll smear you in the local community and they'll rain hatred, rape and death threats on you. And currently nobody in the labour party will stand up either against them or for you - except other women also in receipt of the same treatment.
The labour party have allowed toddler tantrums and criminal threats to replace political debate and until that stops and democratic discourse is returned, they're unfit for purpose. But thank you for trying.

Who can feminists genuinely vote for?

Not the greens after yesterday.

How any woman can vote for Labour is utterly beyond me.

Not the greens

Full stop. They're among the worst. Fully captured.

I'm another one with no idea who to vote for. I still have two LibDem placards under the bed upstairs, but they're going back to our (lovely) local LibDem when I get a moment. I've resigned from the party, making it clear why, and unsubscribed from all the lists. I am so peed off.

It will probably be a spoilt ballot next time, possibly with a short essay explaining why.

Labour has never cared for women and it never will. If anyone thinks that a change of heart is on the cards, take a look at the big TU's, all TWAW. The LP has always had its extremists, and when it comes to a head, the leader gets rid and I sigh of relief. Then low and behold a JC comes along and is proud of letting every bloody maniac who hates women (including women) into the party to peddle CRT in its extreme. KS isn't a centrist and Labour wont be in government unless it can get into the centre ground. I am relieved that there are women joining cross party to clear the stables and I am hoping for success, however, how are we going to prevent hatred of women really taking hold, because that terrifies the life out of me and how will we be sure a Labour change of heart wont be a shallow change to get into government?

I have spoilt my ballot in the last two elections and I expect to be doing that again. Not very coherent so will head over to the Bluestocking for a pint of sherry Merry Christmas one and all

Labour have never even had a female leader. It's always been an old boy's club.

So Eddie Izzard wants to be an MP. So did Nigel Farage.

It's one thing to want it and quite another to get the party members and the electorate to vote you in. Eddie isn't that popular in the Labour Party.

All the political parties have issues around gender politics.

Maria Millar tried to get the Gender Recognition Act through, though she has since angered the TRAs by backtracking on single sex spaces.

At the beginning of this month, Benjamin Cohen welcomed Theresa May's defence of the GRA and called her an ally.

In October this year, Crispin Blunt furiously attacked Women's Rights campaigners for "provoking trans people to be angry and confrontational".
Here is an article he and Sue Pascoe, a trans woman and Conservative Party member, published in July this year:
www.conservativehome.com/platform/2020/07/crispin-blunt-and-sue-pascoe-its-time-to-correct-the-stoking-of-alarm-and-spreading-of-misinformation-about-trans-people.html

The Conservative Party have just as much of a problem. They're simply hiding it better. I have no doubt at all that, if the tide were to turn the other way, they'll be back to parroting the "Transwomen are Women" mantra again. They'll do what suits their party best.

"It will probably be a spoilt ballot next time, possibly with a short essay explaining why."

I wouldn't waste your time. No-one will bother to read it. A spoilt ballot is simply a wasted vote.
The party that wins the most votes gets in. That is all.
They don't care about anything else.

I can't find too much information on where Conservatives stand on the issue though (but is this deliberate?)

I think the Tories might have twigged the toxicity of identity politics and trans ideology in particular and they’re just going to let the other parties rip themselves apart with it all whilst steering well clear themselves.

If anyone thinks that a change of heart is on the cards, take a look at the big TU's, all TWAW

I think this is really telling

I wouldn't waste your time. No-one will bother to read it. A spoilt ballot is simply a wasted vote.
Nope. Spoilt ballots here get read and commented upon. A friend of mine often attends the count and said the number of spoilt ballots last time was unusually high; I don't think she was alone in taking notice not only of the number, but of the comments.

I'd vote, as I always have, if I could find a party to vote for.