Welsh government: rights not up for discussion

[tabbycatstripy]

Mark Drakeford calls government’s CT u-turn “alarming, shameful, unacceptable”.

In his view, none are equal while rights are up for discussion.

Does that mean we can all assert rights and have them recognised without discussion?

Or that only some people can?

I wouldn’t vote for someone who was prepared to govern in this draconian way.

Does that include women’s rights to single sex spaces? Do they actually think these things through before they say them?

No, I don’t think they do.

But the CT ban would be about children’s rights. Specifically, children’s rights to have an open-ended exploration of their gender-related or other distress. Drakeford appears to be speaking without regard to any specific definition of ‘conversion therapy’, since there wasn’t one in the proposed legislation. Whether he knows about the harm that might have been done or not, he should have his facts in order before speaking.

Ooh Drakeford. Hi. Take a seat.

Homosexual rights. How do you feel about those? And the right of homosexual people to assemble and to talk about their issues unsupervised? And to be homosexual openly, without fear or harrassment, say threats of being lynched and excluded from Pride for refusing to say you'd do straight sex if told to?

Disabled people! Let's chat about their rights. What about the disabled female type people who can't access mixed sex spaces?

The Equality Act! Let's talk about how many characteristics are in there. And where it explains about direct and indirect discrimination, such as making certain things inaccessible due to blanket policies (such as male people get to use this space first and if that blocks you from having any access oh well)? How about pointing out how you manage to balance rights and access? Diversity of provision? Where exactly does it say that one right trumps the other eight?

Women's sex based rights! Let's chat about that one?

You've seen all those as right up for discussion so far! You and many others with this so interesting agenda that believes so much in inclusive exclusion and a two tier society with rights only for the politically obedient.

Quite. ‘No debate’ is undemocratic.