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...??)

Nice one Arabella.
In all these years of womaning inadequately I have never come across a better demonstration of the fact that transwomen are somehow not the same as women.
Extraordinary. And yet not.

Otherwise you are saying that some women seem to have the view that women are obsessed with women, rather than focus on the many real issues facing women

This makes perfect sense

Glad you've managed to archive Arabella

So not only has Robin taken the place from a woman in an event about women's under-representation in politics, Robin believes only they are focussing on what the 'real issues' women face in society today.

You could not make this up.

Thanks Arabella

@RobinMoiraWhite

Some trans women have the view that radical feminists are obsessed with trans women rather than focussing on the many real issues facing women in our society. Would the fact that this thread will shortly pass 900 posts tend to support that opinion?

Maybe the fact that women were moved to make 900+ posts in a matter of hours is a massive sign that women believe transwomen taking two important political positions away from women is very much a real issue for women.

For me its about women being pushed out the label of women. And with that our issues 'disappear' or disregarded as irrelevant.

Its a squeeze on what we already don't have.

Just as lesbians have been squeezed out of LGBT representation.

Its not that transwomen shouldn't have their own representation. Its that they shouldn't have it in our name because it means our political issues disappear.

But I am increasingly minded to say thats deliberate for certain groups (and certainly not restricted to transwomen) because if you can't see sex you can't see sexism. If you can't see biology you can't see issues arising from biology.

And you don't have to make policy and have costs associated with that.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

Good point, Datun. As always the tells are illuminating.

Robin has the luxury of instantly distinguishing between feminists, and men, and women's issues. Funnily enough. As soon as they have a point to make. On this very thread, where they refused to waive that power, and give women the same opportunity and face them as equals.

But we don't.

For me its about women being pushed out the label of women. And with that our issues 'disappear' or disregarded as irrelevant

This is the key issue. It increasingly seems to me that there isn't a desire at all to be one of or part of women, to speak on behalf of all women - more an impression that the biggest problem with womanhood is all the bloody women cluttering it up.

bit.ly/3jZdOcz

Archive link, in case anyone wants it.

"No doubt you'll use sophistry or claims of "science" to try and claim that I can't possibly be a woman. But I would remind you, you don't get a say in the facts of who I am. The fact that I am a woman."

Sorry, but I just can't get past this post.
"Science"....in INVERTED commas. Is this what you really believe JAZ? Back to school for you!
You seem to be very confused. Let me remind you, there are X chromosomes and Y chromosomes. You are either XX (female) or XY (male) or any number of rare combinations of these (DSDs, or 'intersex', but still belonging genetically to male or female). You produce (or have the capacity to produce whether it works or not) either large gametes (eggs) or small gametes (sperm). You cannot produce both, and no-one has ever produced something else. If you are a large gamete producer you are female.

The above is not pseudo science. It is not a 'belief' that you can opt in or out of. It is irrefutable, unchangeable, immutable and undisputable. "Sophistry" means to produce a false argument to deceive someone. NOTHING about the genetics of male and females is "sophistry". It's just something YOU don't want to hear or believe. So actually I DO get a say in the facts of who you are (biologically), because trans men are biologically male. In every cell of their body. For life.
WOMEN share their biological reality regardless of their fertile status, their lifestyles, their race, their age, their class. We do not share that reality with biological men.

I'm reminded of an episode of Scooby Doo. The character rips of her lady mask at the end of the episode only to shake a fist at them...."and I would have got away with it too, if it hadn't been for pesky science and genetics!"

You may identify as a woman. You are a trans woman. Why can't that be enough for you?

@KindKylie

I'd like to thank every contributor on this thread. I've read every post, on every page.

I am a long time lurker and listener and thinker. I'm a mother of daughters. I'm absolutely terrified and so frustrated and angry at the situation we find ourselves in as biological women.

To have caught up just in time to read a patronising post (from someone who purports to be prepared to listen) suggesting that these 35+ pages of considered, cogent, honest and heartfelt posts are just misguided mad feminists obsessed with TW and neglecting the 'real issues' is the icing on the cowpat quite frankly.

Absolutely this ^^ This thread has been an absolute eye-opener (and I've been lurking here for years) and a crystal clear demonstration of the need for women to think, speak, act and organise by themselves, for themselves. Thank you to the many extraordinarily well-informed and eloquent women who continue to post here in the face of such blatent disrespect

Robin and Jaz - it's a NO from me too!

You are choosing to stand ostensibly to represent women, Robin.

We are telling you - right here, right now - what we want, what matters to us, what we care about, what we think, feel and experience. And you are mocking, deriding and dismissing us.

You are not representing me. You don't speak for me - you can't speak for me.

How many women agree that you are able to represent their issues, speak on their behalf? Have you ever even thought to ask, or did you just force your way to the top of the pile because you thought you were entitled to do so?

You do not speak for me. Don't presume to represent me or speak on my behalf.