50:50 Parliament Campaign to Encourage Women in Politics now have TWO Transwomen on the Panel

[gardenbird48]

I saw 50:50 women tweet to Sue Pascoe Chair of the Conservative Women’s Organisation some time ago on their #askhertostand, but then I couldn’t find the tweet and thought maybe they’d realised their mistake (can you guess?) and deleted it.

However, how wrong I was! There are now two people that have extremely limited ‘lived experience’ as a female (Sue was a married father and successful businessman and Master to Foxhounds until a few years ago). The other person has said hi on here recently.

I don’t mean to be rude but surely the whole point of encouraging women to stand for Parliament is to help overcome the barriers women face in entering politics. Any barriers that trans people face are rather different. It is also interesting that on a panel of three for their ‘Encouraging LGBT+ Women to Stand’ campaign, there us only one person with actual lived experience of being a woman (I am hoping that Mandu Reid of the WEP was born female at least...??)

Posting walls of text which amount to TWAW and gleefully screenshotting and posting on Twitter, while slagging off MN will get you a ban for sure.

So thank you MNHQ, @RowanMumsnet, @MichaelMumsnet.

@Datun

EmpressWitchDoesntBurn

I thought you lived your whole life as an example of dignified restraint and moderation?

Haha! Why yes, yes I do. 😇

You can be the Goddess of FWR instead if you want. There's a big difference between being divine & being holy

I turn my back for five minutes and ... this whole thread seems to have birthed some kind of awful elf-eared fever dream.

I, for one, welcome our new Barracker overlord, anyway. Or is it overlady?

Also, who do I write to to get some of these terfy boots? Are they comfortable?

If the terf boots are anything like DMs I recommend anti-blister socks for breaking them in with.

You can get anti-blister socks??? That is amazing.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3399104-Times-Lib-Dem-trans-activists-hounded-abuse-victim-Natalie-Bird-Article-refers-to-Zoe-OConnell-Sarah-Brown

Thread about Natalie Bird due to article in The Times about the subject.

Natalie was chair (? I think) of the Radical Association but she was hounded out because of her views. She was a survivor of domestic abuse.

I can personally confirm every word in the Times article to be true because someone i know was involved in the mess themselves personally and stood up for Natalie. I saw the correspondence going on myself.

It was a complete stitch up. Utterly disgraceful shitshow the whole thing.

I then had people PMing on MN about who I was because of my comments.

This lot are utterly fragrant and completely politically toxic. Yet are getting candidates put up for election.

We tend to hear about the Tory and Labour batshit candidates who really should be vetted better. In the LDs they seem to end up taken seriously and make it onto Exec and parliamentary candidates.

Am blocked on all these Twitter accounts

Is that our leader barracker keeping her subjects safe from harm ?

Thank you my esteemed leader

As long as terf boots come in black. They'll be a nice addition to my --woman costume-- clothes.

They have significant influence within the LDs and there are a number who will say they are responsible for a lot of bullying and abuse with the party. They have an utter contempt for women. Special group that one.

They are just about the last people who should be having anything to do with 50:50 Parliament. They have no interest whatsoever in women's political issues.

God, Toothbrush, that is absolutely unbelievable. I hope Natalie Bird recovered okay. How toxic and vile these people are.

Apart from to get women removed from political positions and influence.

I mean the Radical Association kicked out their chair because they didn't like her talking about the impact of domestic violence because it offended them.

Thats the level we are talking.

They actively want to silence actual women who have experience of issues which are particularly marginalised and overlooked.

@bourbonne

I have dipped in and out of this thread and found it truly upsetting, more than any thread here I can remember. We are being trampled over by people who have absolutely no connection to material reality, people who talk absolute nonsense.

I know there are trans people out there who are not like this, who are under no illusions - I wish they would continue to speak up in bigger numbers and speak out against this insane extremism, and I wish the media would give them more of a voice (even anonymously).

Same here bourbonne. I usually read without posting (mainly because I don't feel I have much to add) and this thread has got to me more than any other. It was created to discuss the choice of panel for an organisation designed to support all women, but specifically LGBT women in politics. As a bisexual woman it's been heartbreaking to read the sheer contempt held by one of those appointed to represent and support people like me to enter politics. Not only do I feel unsupported and unrepresented, but the refusal to even listen or engage shows a perverse power imbalance. It's never been more evident and I only hope that many other lurkers have read this thread too.

In terms of another poster telling us we have no right to acknowledge biological reality, well again let's just hope there are many, many people reading this.

@ArabellaScott

God, Toothbrush, that is absolutely unbelievable. I hope Natalie Bird recovered okay. How toxic and vile these people are.

I believe Natalie is ok. She's been on here a little and i think she's done some campaigning since leaving the LDs.

The Radical Association are a massive liability for the LDs on a par with the LGBTLDs, if not worse.

The institutionalised sexism is off the scale.

They actively want to silence actual women who have experience of issues which are particularly marginalised and overlooked.

So how in the name of ever-loving fuck have they been allowed anywhere near an organisation like 50:50 parliament? Where are the grown ups to say 'you don't get a place on this platform, no matter how much you want one or feel you should be allowed. The answer is no.'

@AbsintheFriends

They actively want to silence actual women who have experience of issues which are particularly marginalised and overlooked.

So how in the name of ever-loving fuck have they been allowed anywhere near an organisation like 50:50 parliament? Where are the grown ups to say 'you don't get a place on this platform, no matter how much you want one or feel you should be allowed. The answer is no.'

Because the LD leadership think the sun shines out their arse and some of their members / former members are besties with the MPs and senior leadership.

They are the LD leadership.

That’s interesting re the perception that we must have a “leader”

As an ex teacher, and also just as an observer, I'd say males of most species are often looking for, and amenable to, leadership. Once the pack knows who the top dog is, then the others tend to fall into line; except for the occasional challenge from some young buccaneer.

Lads, we don't need high priestesses here. The gobbiness is all our own doing.

And I'd like to add NO. Neither Jaz nor Robin speak for me, a woman.

@Winesalot

You can get anti-blister socks??? That is amazing.

That is easily the most useful thing to come out of this thread.

Its actually quite something that Ed Davie got the nod ovet Layla Moran tbh. But the wider grass roots membership do not tend to reflect the more involved internal membership of the groups that run the party.

The irony is that because women of a particular age (child-bearing and rearing age) struggle to find the time to get involved in politics in this way because of their commitments in life, these are the people in party who have filled that void.

There is a lot of older and retired women in local politics but one of the most unrepresented groups in politics per head of population is the 30 - 50 age group for women i believe if memory serves (id have to look it up again to be sure).

I don't think there's a coincedence. I stand by my assertion that its not about identity its about power.