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...??)

Interesting excerpts that Datun posted there from that article.

Sorry @RobinMoiraWhite run it by me again, what was it.... Listening to each other? Working together to make progress?

Aye right...

Laverne Cox also stated being uncomfortable wasn’t legitimate as well, in an article on the weekend. It seems to be a common theme. “WE aren’t dangerous, so what are you complaining about?”

I wonder whether Cox (and others) have ever considered that their feeling of being uncomfortable may not be enough of a reason to validate their presence in women’s spaces.

What is tedious is that when women say ‘no, we have had enough now. We want to hear women speak not a male perspective.’ We are told it is abuse.

In fact, Stonewall pointed out this exactly in a tweet supporting Bergdorf after they ‘deleted’ twitter again. It seems Bergdorf has again been asked to speak somewhere representing women on international women’s day. Not sure where but, the announcement was met with objections. (Love to know if anyone can tell me)

I guess organizers are after pr. But surely these days the negative PR is going to sink the event. It being a pandemic and all means our tolerance for bs is very low.

Robin
My view is that we all need to listen to each other to understand how we can make progress together
So what action do you take to make sure the voices of natal women are heard? When you’re asked to speak on behalf of women what’s to stop you replying: “I’d love to come and talk to you about my experiences but if you want to hear a female perspective can I suggest you speak to X.”
If you’re really all about learning from each other rather than appropriating women’s lives experiences then I’m sure you’ll have done that many times?

"My view is that we all need to listen to each other to understand how we can make progress together"

You really don't get it, do you? Women have been listening (forced to listen as we had little or no voice of our own) to male bodied people for millennia. How about you start listening to us? And stop taking one of the limited numbers of platform positions for women while you are at it?

I wonder whether Cox (and others) have ever considered that their feeling of being uncomfortable may not be enough of a reason to validate their presence in women’s spaces.

Do you know, Empress, I bet that's never occurred to them?

@Helmetbymidnight

extraordinary.

why not set up a campaign to get more tw into politics? i'll be on the panel if you like. ive had struggles too.

instead a campaign to get more women into politics has a panel with two men who merely identify as women and we're meant to sit back and listen to you and all your struggles?

no.

instead a campaign to get more women into politics has a panel with two men who merely identify as women and we're meant to sit back and listen to you and all your struggles?

Not just that, but the implication that those struggles are far worse than any woman could have had.

I hope that you have not had to tread some of the difficult paths or visit some of the (personal) dark places that I have had to.

It's extraordinary. The living embodiment of the 12th rule of misogyny.

With a hefty dose of 3, 5 and 7.

Interesting excerpts that Datun posted there from that article.

There are probably loads more. I didn't finish it.

@NotBadConsidering

Laverne Cox also stated being uncomfortable wasn’t legitimate as well, in an article on the weekend. It seems to be a common theme. “WE aren’t dangerous, so what are you complaining about?”

Males who don’t care about how uncomfortable they make my teenage daughters with their presence and who show so little empathy are the last group of people I want anywhere near them, whether dangerous or not.

Lavern Cox who said that misgendering is an act of violence? That Lavern Cox?

Gaslighting arsehole.

www.google.com/amp/s/hellogiggles.com/news/laverne-cox-twitter-essay-misgendering-deadnaming-trans-people-violence/%3famp=true

It would be interesting to start collating a list of the women’s voices lost so far. Where a position of influence designated for a woman has been taken by someone who has faced none of the barriers to entry faced by women.

I’ll start:

• Heather Peto, place on All Women’s Shortlist, place on Jo Cox’s Women in Leadership Programme
• Suzannah Hopwood, place on Royal College of Obs/Gyn Women’s Network (Mission statement. 'Improving women's health and experience of obstetrics and gynaecology services.') interestingly Suzannah also featured in a Prostatecanceruk article re their experience with prostate cancer.
• Lily Madigan Constituency Labour Party Woman’s Officer and National Women’s Officer of Labour Students
• Mridhul Wadwha manager of Forth Valley Rape Crisis Centre, place on All Women Shortlist for SNP in Stirling
• Kathryn Bristow co chair of Green Party Women (arguably an additional post alongside the other co chair but Kathryn doesn’t seem at all keen to work with her female colleague so it is likely to be a detrimental relationship)
• Sue Pascoe Chair of Conservatives Women North Yorkshire, 50:50 Parliament Panellist - Sue Pascoe
• Robin Moira White 50:50 Parliament Panellist
• Dr Victoria McCloud - ‘Youngest Female Master in the High Court of England’ an accolade that gives a platform and visibility
• Pips Bunce winner of ‘Top 100 Women in Business’ award giving a platform and visibility.

There was another Green Party group (?) that was supposed to be 50:50 representation but ended up being 80:20 male as I remember.

This list is off the top of my head and it strikes me that many of the people have held more than one position of influence and in one case in particular it is an absolute mystery (apart from the fact they work for Stonewall) why they are in the role at all.

Each position held is one less woman’s voice influencing society and being able to be a role model or mentor for younger women coming up.

Any more?

I’m smiling at the dripping entitlement of Robin who had obviously been very successful in being welcome and lauded with their new identity, and has moseyed on over here to Mumsnet to consult us all out of our wrongthink.

I’ve got news for you Robin. You are not welcome and we see you.

Yep having read more, I think we all know what kind of male enjoys all the privilege being male has in our society and then decides in middle age to transition. And exactly how, er enjoyable it is for them to be lauded as women in this way.
As others have said, it’s a no from me.
I think garden’s suggestion of using this thread to list the occasions where women have been replaced by men is much better than engaging with mansplaining.

Solid “no, thanks” from me, too.

I am very polite. You should see the roiling mass of Thought Crime I keep hidden in my head though. It’s not one bit polite and there’s not a damn thing appeals to my female socialisation, gaslighting or heavy emotional manipulation can do about it. Maddening, isn’t it?

It seems Bergdorf has again been asked to speak somewhere representing women on international women’s day. Not sure where but, the announcement was met with objections. (Love to know if anyone can tell me)

Oops forgot that one - MAC Theatre in Belfast couldn’t find any actual Irish women to open their International Women’s Day event so they invited MB. Seeing as MB openly seems to hate women and has zero background in doing anything remotely positive for women (including getting our Baroness Nicholson sacked from the board of the Booker Prize set up by her late husband) I am astounded that of all the women of Ireland they decided that MB was the best choice.

They have now deleted their announcement of the invitation, the reaction of derision to which caused MB s Twitter flounce now being given much sympathy by Stonewall.

Compare and contrast - Allison Bailey - ‘Stonewall, please can you represent my interests as a black lesbian?’ Stonewall ‘no’. Allison ‘ok I’ll set up my own support network’ Stonewall to Allison’s employer ‘get rid of her or else’ ... etc.

gardenbird. This list should be a permanent one. I have copied it. Should we start a thread to collect them on as I suspect this one won’t stand long.

Have they invited Allison Bailey to speak? I understand she has trodden some difficult paths too.

Oh come on, are you seriously suggesting that a black female, working class, sex-abuse survivor and lesbian knows anything about:
a being a woman
b being oppressed

Surely you know middle age, middle class white men who've been 'living as women' (arf) for about 10 years are the experts on our lives and our struggles. Their struggles have been so much worse than any others have faced. We must listen to them more.

The quickest way to achieve 50-50 representation in parliament would be to get loads of existing male MP's to id as female on weekdays? AKA pippa bunce style. Why don't the campaign just do that? They clearly don't care about getting more women in politics at all.

Yep having read more, I think we all know what kind of male enjoys all the privilege being male has in our society and then decides in middle age to transition. And exactly how, er enjoyable it is for them to be lauded as women in this way.
As others have said, it’s a no from me.

I’ve mentioned before, that until they get ignored, talked down to, talked over, mansplained to and generally assumed to be a bit stupid on the basis of being female, many of the people listed above are not even close to getting the authentic female experience.

I am very polite. You should see the roiling mass of Thought Crime I keep hidden in my head though. It’s not one bit polite and there’s not a damn thing appeals to my female socialisation, gaslighting or heavy emotional manipulation can do about it. Maddening, isn’t it?

This with bells on. We say no.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4160290-Have-you-ever-Things-women-have-to-deal-with-that-men-dont?msgid=104557715

@Winesalot

gardenbird. This list should be a permanent one. I have copied it. Should we start a thread to collect them on as I suspect this one won’t stand long.

Good thinking. Do you think including names makes it more risky - I was in two minds about that but at the same time we need it all to be independently verifiable for the fact checkers among us - I’ve got my list saved elsewhere if this one goes

Another one to add to gardenbird's list.

Dan Orr, Women's officer at Leicester Uni. Can be found on twitter as "@LeicsWomen"

twitter.com/leicswomen?lang=en

Allison Bailey would be the perfect person for the 50:50 LGBT+ women's panel. Or Linda Bellos. Or Joanna Cherry. Or - actually - any number of amazing lesbian women who have overcome a LIFETIME of sexism, misogyny and homophobia to have their voices heard.

(It's a no from me as well.)

Allison Bailey would be the perfect person for the 50:50 LGBT+ women's panel. Or Linda Bellos. Or Joanna Cherry. Or - actually - any number of amazing lesbian women who have overcome a LIFETIME of sexism, misogyny and homophobia to have their voices heard.

Indeed. The need to control women and control their narrative is just so desperate. What are they sooo scared of?