Respect my Sex

[LilithRises]

so this evening, my doorbell rings, and its the local labour party, doing the friendly rounds ahead of the local elections. they asked if there was anything i was concerned about locally. initially, i wasn't going to engage, and then i ended up talking about women's rights and safety and the need for single sexed spaces. i mentioned my concerns with gender self ID and how this affects the above. I also mentioned my dismay with the LP leader over his lack of clarity and leadership and how i feel somewhat frustrated with my local MP (labour) who has not bothered to respond to previous emails regarding these issues and my safeguarding concerns. I advised I was politically homeless right now. Even though i wasn't as articulate as I would have liked (caught on the hop so to speak) it actually felt good to speak up.

Well done. What was their reaction?

I think that’s brilliant. Every little thing we do makes a difference, however small. You’ve written to your MP now voiced your concerns face to face with someone canvassing opinions.

My conservative MP is equally ignorant. I also wrote to him voicing my concerns and got nothing in reply. When writing did you include your full name and address as my understanding is they are only obliged to take account of correspondence from constituents?

Did the person have anything to say to you? How did they react?

They listened to what I said but remained neutral and didn't really offer anything - i mentioned that women's sex based rights were a key concern for me - and if they had any contact with the actual local MP perhaps they could relay etc etc. In hindsight, i wish I had pressed further, but i hadn't really been expecting them.

Good for you
I'll be doing the same if/when they knock on my door

I did it! A Labour canvasser knocked at my door and I asked him the question straight out: Can a woman have a penis?
He was completely thrown, didn't know how to respond, so I asked him again and he started faffing around with 'feelings', blah blah, so I interrupted him and told him that no, a woman couldn't have a penis because a woman is an adult human female etc etc.
Turns out the guy is a doctor, and as soon as he clocked which side I was coming down on, he joined me there. But the damage was done, I said he should go back to HQ and tell them that he'd been asked 'the question'

Of course, since then, I've been kicking myself for not asking if intact biological men should be allowed to be in a changing room with young girls, or if male-born people should be allowed to compete in female sports.... next time ; )

This was my first bit of public GC activism (have done quiet things like emails, donating, 'correcting' forms etc.), and it felt great - thank you for the words!

Well done both of you.👏

The respect my sex campaign has a handy crib sheet you can print off and leave by your front door. See under the Take Action section women-uniting.co.uk/respectmysex/
I've not had any callers, though I have now stuck my Respect my Sex poster in my window, but I have emailed all my candidates. Believe it or not my labour candidate is fully on board. The conservative didn't really know much but was willing to learn more. The Reform party had to do research before responding but answered well. Nothing from Liberals or greens yet. I think the campaign is a brilliant way to raise awareness. Many people just don't know what is going on.

If you do write to your MP you do need to put full postal address as they will only reply to their constituents.

@MissSueFlay Ha! So funny, and tragic. He was a medical doctor I assume? I advise writing your main questions all down on paper and keeping it by your door so you'll have it ready if your approached again :D Actually, if you see them out & about, you could keep one in your coat as well. I'm sure they'll LOVE the debate!

Just popped this on another thread. I'm on holiday at the moment so sent messages to my local candidates. Lib dem no reply. Conservative a woman is a woman its biology and she will stand up for women's rights. Labour told me the question was a poor choice. And ignored my follow up.

"of poor choice"?

Illiterate as well as ignorant. Where do Labour (and other political parties) get these bozos?

I would be wondering how well labour do in the local elections. I wonder how much these issues and Respect My Sex is widely known, outside of Daily Mail readership who are assumed to be staunch Tory types.

There are so many small grassroots women's groups, but so so many people don't know the full issues or the extent of what is happening. I wish that these elections could be used as a clear message to the greens and labour of what people are thinking. That is, I'm assuming the GC view is widespread?? Maybe it's not yet.

Obviously attended the same school as Keir "harks of" Starmer.

They cannot believe in 'equal rights' when they believe that males should be included which enforces excluding females, and that a male's desire for the physical presence of a female when she is toileting, undressing, showering, on a hospital bed, is of greater priority than her consent.

That isn't equal, that's entirely sex based thinking and it's called male supremacism. Lying about it and saying pretty words to distort reality? Yeah, doesn't work.

I’m jealous! I have never ever had a poltical canvasser knock on my door. I’ve always lived in ‘safe’ seats where neither party bother campaigning. Wrote to my MP a few weeks ago re womens rights issues, still no reply. Wrote to Kier once to through his website, no reply there either.

Sometimes when I squint it doesn’t look much like a functional democracy.