What question can I ask election candidates to ascertain their views on women’s rights

[I0NA]

I’m in Scotland and we have parliamentary elections this week.

What simple questions can I ask candidates about this. I don’t think the Stanisland question will work here.

I know the Conservative party candidate is GC but I’d rather not vote Tory if I have another option.

I’m a long term SNP voter but sadly can no longer vote for them.

I’d vote Labour if they stood up for women and children.

One of the issues this election is the ease with which candidates can ignore awkward questions. For example at virtual husting the questions are selected and those that touch on genderideology ignored

I don’t think the Stanisland question will work here.

Why not? It's a really specific example of what happens with self-id.

I think you definitely need to give really specific situations, e.g. should crimes be recorded by self-identified gender or biological sex? Even domestic abuse? Rape?

If you just ask about protecting women and girls you will get lovely words that could mean anything, e.g. girls meaning girls and boys.

Yes indeed. I’m planning to email them and hope I get a reply.

We live in a marginal key constituency and are a large family of voters.

I think independence would be a disaster and the SNP have made a mess out of education. But even if your were pro indy ans thought Alba looked good you need to look at who you would actually be voting for. This time I am voting Tory.

@transsloth

I don’t think the Stanisland question will work here.

Why not? It's a really specific example of what happens with self-id.

I think you definitely need to give really specific situations, e.g. should crimes be recorded by self-identified gender or biological sex? Even domestic abuse? Rape?

If you just ask about protecting women and girls you will get lovely words that could mean anything, e.g. girls meaning girls and boys.

I fear they may think that I’m a person who SUPPORTS the rights of adult men to change and shower with teenage girls.

I haven't received answers to emails asking the politest, most basic questions about safeguarding, so I'm close to thinking that they can all go fuck themselves.

I might try one more maybe today. Possibly about girls' sports in local schools.

I'm having the same problem here in Wales . Plaid Cymru is firmly
'self ID' now and I'm not voting for them because of this .
There is no reasonable political alternative ....I'm probably going to spoil my ballot paper in protest .

@EdwinPootsLovesArchaeology

I haven't received answers to emails asking the politest, most basic questions about safeguarding, so I'm close to thinking that they can all go fuck themselves.

I might try one more maybe today. Possibly about girls' sports in local schools.

Yes I’m prepared for that outcome. And then sadly I will need to spoil my ballot.

It’s one of my children’s first election as a voter and they are upset there’s no one they can vote for. I’ve dragged them along with me for every single election and given them The Talk about why we all should Vote.

Now they have a Vote and no one to vote for.

Similar position here, @I0NA.

Maybe the question is, with what message will I spoil my ballot? Perhaps 'Woman: Adult Human Female'. One word against each candidate's name.

If you also put an emoji or other symbol against one candidate's name, it makes it more likely the candidates and agents will be shown it by the returning officer, to agree whether it not it's an acceptable attempt to vote.

It'll be rejected - but seen.

That's my plan, anyway.

(I've experience of a lot of election counts.)

Ask them what a woman is?

Or if a male rapist identifies as a woman, is it recorded in female rates? And should the victim be made to refer to him as female? And should he be housed in a women's prison?

I fear they may think that I’m a person who SUPPORTS the rights of adult men to change and shower with teenage girls.

Dear xx

I am currently deciding who to vote for in the election. I take a gender critical position which means that I do not believe it is possible to change sex and that services that are currently single sex to protect women's privacy and dignity should remain so.

Bearing this in mind, what is your response to ... standiland question.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I’ve emailed asking about the safety, privacy and dignity of

Girls school toilets ( this has been an issue locally )
Men in women’s prisons
Women in residential care not being allowed to object to male carers for intimate care

Sorry that last post wasn’t very well structured but hope it makes sense

Or you could just save time and effort and vote Conservative, OP.
Anything else risks giving the SNP an excuse for a wretched independence referendum.
And in the tinpot bankrupt woke republic of Scottistan, women’s rights would be nonexistent.

I understand that you are very pro union @Babdoc. But I’m not sure that the Conservative Government in Westminster are exactly a shining beacon for women’s rights. So it’s not as simple as vote Tory and we will be ok.

My point was more about how we can find out about candidates views on this matter that I think we can agree is important to us all, regardless of party allegiances.

I’ve emailed three candidates the following:
am trying to decide who to vote for.

Can you tell me what your position is on the following:

• should women/girls be able to request intimate services are provided by a female health care professional (someone observed as female at birth for the avoidance of doubt)? Similarly for counselling services.
• should crime data be collected on the basis of sex - ie should rapists who declare themselves to be trans be allowed to serve their sentence in a women’s prison and should the crime of rape be recorded as having been committed by a woman?
• should I be able to state that women do not have penises without fear of legal repercussion?

But I’m not sure that the Conservative Government in Westminster are exactly a shining beacon for women’s rights. So it’s not as simple as vote Tory and we will be ok.

I agree which is why it is so worrying that they are the best of the bad lot. But currently they are. In addition union means uk laws still apply. Independence would mean the SNP could do away with the Equality Act.

Absolutely, Tibtom. Any candidate’s views on women’s rights would be irrelevant if Scotland is dragged out of the UK. We would all be subject to wokery and TWAW, with no right of appeal to the UK supreme court.
That is why the constitution trumps all else in this election. We have to vote to stay in the UK to preserve what rights we still have.

Well I have a result ! I got an actual phone call from one of the candidates, who spent about 20 mins discussing the issues I raised.

I suspected he was GC because of his comments on the issues or unisex toilets in two local primary schools. He is against men in women’s prisons, female patients / nursing home residents not being able to choose female carers for intimate care and various other issues.

He told me that women should not have to give up their hard fought rights for others.

He’s a bit unclear about the whole gender v sex thing but said he has been following what has happened with Joanna Cherry and was appalled at the treatment of such a prominent lesbian by ( some of the ) LGBTQ community.

So I’m delighted to have someone I can use my first vote for ( second vote already decided ) .

The other thing to remember is the SNP vote en masse

I'm in England. Local and PCC elections in two days.

I've had just one reply to my emails. It arrived last night, and was in agreement with my views on the importance of sex-based rights and safeguarding.

It was from the Conservative candidate.

Still fuck all from Lib Dem and Labour, despite them enthusiastically pursuing my vote via leaflets, letters and emails and asking voters to raise issues with them!

@EdwinPootsLovesArchaeology has the reply changed how you vote?

@I0NA, I want to vote for the candidate that knows what a woman is, but I've never voted Conservative in my life.

OTOH, if I don't vote Labour or Lib Dem or Green, which I normally would have done in the past, the candidate-who-knows-what-a-woman-is will benefit from that, albeit in a lesser way.

@EdwinPootsLovesArchaeology I know it’s a really hard decision, isn’t it?

That’s great, I0NA, which party is he from? I don’t know what to do. Never in a million years would I vote Tory, ballot would be spoiled first.