I just emailed my MP

[Bloodybridget]

I've done very little to support campaigns fighting for women's rights in respect of sex-segregated spaces, fairness in sport, etc. I live in a solid Labour constituency and it occurred to me to write to my MP - AFAIK she has never said anything insulting about TERFs and so on but I don't know where she stands. She was a Corbynite . .

Anyway I'm sharing my email and will add her response when/if I get one.
-------------------------
I am one of your constituents, and a lifetime Labour voter. However, I am unhappy with the Party's apparent position on sex and gender issues, with a number of MPs speaking in favour of transwomen who retain all their male genitals having unlimited access to all women's spaces which are designated as sex-segregated. This begs the question of why we have any separate spaces for women and men.

Some Labour MPs seem to think it is possible for humans to change sex: it isn't. Sex is determined by chromosomes, which can't change, no matter how our bodies may be changed by surgery, accidents or illness. Gender identity is a completely separate issue - personally I see gender as a social construct, but respect others' rights to claim a gender identity that does not correspond to their sex, and, of course, to call themselves whatever they like and dress how they choose.

David Lammy has referred to women campaigning for the retention of sex-segregated spaces as "dinosaurs who want to hoard rights". Rebecca Long-Bailey, Angela Rayner and Dawn Butler support a trans rights charter calling for expulsion of "transphobic" party members and describing gender-critical women's organisations such as Woman's Place UK as "trans-exclusionist hate groups".

I don't know what your views are, and I would like to. If I knew that you would support women's rights as an MP, I would be happy to continue voting Labour.

Good letter- I think a few of us will copy, if that's okay?
I live in a Tory area and I want to know why under their government men are housed in women's prisons.

Will be interesting to see what you get back. I emailed mine a few weeks ago with similar sentiments. I had a reply with a reference number, asking for my full address and postcode so she could log my case (which I provided but am unsure if I'm now on a hitlist!) and then nothing since.

Can I ask whether you gave your full name and address?

I emailed my MP on this issue and was told that they could only reply if I gave them my full details so that they could check whether I was a constituent.

I haven't answered so far. I'm worried that giving my details would leave me open to abuse.

Yeah I did, full name, address, personal email address. And I wrote a full essay!

Gender identity and biological sex are different. Trans ppl are discriminated against/abused because of one, women are discriminated against/abused because of the other. We need to keep everyone safe, we need to be able to recognise the needs of vulnerable women as well as trans ppl in any discussion about this. I really wanted her to hear that and have to think about it and engage with it.

Thanks for reminding me to do something like this.

A few years ago I contacted my MP, Stella Creasey after a high profile case compelled me to contact her about the importance of maintaining same sex spaces for women in her constituency.

The reply was cut and paste from Stonewall. She's probably been on a few fancy holidays paid by them.

Thank GOD I've moved!! In a Tory area now. No idea what they think about all this. I'll find out!

My MPs John Spellar and he always replies to my letters/emails but I emailed him about the police recording offences by gender identity petition at the start of August and never got a reply. On any other subject i get a full response but I reckon on anything to do with the trans issue Labour MPs have been told to ignore it unless of course its on the TRA side such as attacking Rosie etc

V happy for anyone to copy or use any part of it. I gave my full name but not my address, I wondered about that but thought unnecessary; perhaps I should have.

They will only reply to constituents, so I would resubmit your email with your address.

Ok I will!

Why dont we all March on Downing Street?? We are not being heard!!! I have 2 daughters and my teenager shares my view but it unable to express that view at school or with friends. It's dangerous and is putting women's fight for equality back generations!! I can't believe they're are taking away our fucking biological fact of being a woman.

Hi OP, I wrote to my female Labour MP recently (SE London) and just got this reply back:

*Many thanks for your email on this important issue and I can assure you that I understand your concerns and that our Party will always stand up for the rights of women. Everyone should have the right to live with respect and dignity in an equal and inclusive society and no one should suffer discrimination, abuse or violence because of who they are.

Labour is determined to continue to listen and engage with women and LGBT+ communities to ensure we put in place the appropriate policies that protect and respect everyone's rights. We want to take the heat out of this debate so that we can work together to make life better for women and the trans community alike.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.*

no real answers, just fence-sitting vagueness. I hope you get a better response, though I doubt it if your MP is Labour.

@northstars it is vague, but at least she doesn't talk about transphobia. I think what someone said upthread is probably correct, that they've been told either to not reply, or to be soothing and non-committal.

Good letter, but I doubt you will find out what her actual personal views are. I expect most politicians spouting the TWAW party line know perfectly well what a woman is in real life, especially when it comes to situations where it would affect their own daughters, sisters, mothers etc.

Hi Op, as it happens I wrote to my MP, Ed Davey, last month after his comments on women only spaces. Haven't heard back so I emailed again this morning to nudge him and mentioning Kathleen Stock plus Robert Winston on last night's Question Time. Can't say I'm holding my breath, but MPs need to stop and think. Their platitudes are having serious consequences for vulnerable women. A concerted emailing campaign would help to get them to see that this isn't some storm in a teacup small side issue to do with kindness, it's important and real for all women that we are listened to and not redefined and pushed aside.

I'd march on No 10 over this issue and I'm not a marcher or a protester in the normal course of things at all.

Just to update - I haven't had any response from Diane Abbott.

That is very disappointing, but not unexpected

I exist in a more or less permanent state of rage with the Labour Party, but I do have a bit of sympathy with Diane Abbott who supposedly already gets a huge amount of abuse. I guess it would go off the scale if she broke ranks on the trans issue. Among young lefties the mantras “TWAW” and “Sex Work is Work” seem to go together, so I think in taking on the Durham University sex work issue, she is actually taking this faction on. That is probably quite brave.

I suspect many of the older lefties don’t really agree with gender ideology. However, I also think that Keir Starmer is trying to crush the left wing of the party right now, and so it’s almost impossible for them to say so, because their own supporters are mainly young Momentum types who are so sold on it. So unfortunately we are in the current situation, where the one thing the left and the right actually are prepared to agree on is telling women to shut up.

Keir Starmer is my MP. I have emailed him several times on GC/women's safety issues and have never had a response.

I've emailed Ed Davey three times, roughly once a month since September, and had no response. I keep it brief and ask if he still believes that biological women should not have any safe single sex spaces.

I won't vote for a political party that doesn't back my right to safety in refuges, prisons and health and crisis support centres. If they won't commit to reasonable sex-based policy decisions then they do not deserve to have my vote

Excellent letter OP.

I've written to my Labour MP ages ago about my concerns over Women's safe spaces. No response.

I recently wrote again urging her to not automatically vote through the Governments Conversion Therapy ban and why. I wait with baited breath 🙄

I think a lot of Tory MPs are better than this. I neighbour several tory constituencies including Jacob Rees Mogg's snd I know people who have had favourable responses and the MPs have engaged.

If anyone gets any reply from your MP, it’s worth passing it on to Labour Women’s Declaration or Conservatives for Women groups as appropriate, as they work with MPs behind the scenes. Individuals who will not/cannot speak publicly do liase “off the record” with these groups.

I emailed my female Labour MP in late Sept, after Kier Starmer was on the Andrew Marr show, and said “Only women have a cervix is … something that should not be said.”

She’s normally very good at responding. But I haven’t had a response to that one.
It’s probably because I said I could no longer vote for a party that doesn’t respect, or care about women.

I sent the Sex Matters email to my MP regarding the Conversion Therapy Bill with a covering note from me about the importance of allowing the full 12 week consultation.

I've had nothing back.

Not a huge surprise as his responses are usually cut and paste versions of his e-newsletter but still, yet more proof of the disdain they hold for female voters.