Respect my sex - response from Lib Dem candidate

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I got canvassed the other day by a very nice Lib Dem candidate - first thing I asked was "What is a woman?" and explained that although I would normally be open to voting Lib Dem, who are pretty good locally, their record on this issue was appalling and I'd be spoiling my ballot paper. He looked a bit nonplussed and claimed ignorance, explaining that he was more engaged in local issues - which I felt was simultaneously understandable and frustrating! So I said I sympathised but I was a single issue voter, wished him the best of luck but asked him to report back to the party that it had come up on the doorstep and was losing them votes.

I was extremely surprised when this morning he came back to my house with a letter for me, explaining that, since telling me he didn't know much about it, he had looked into the issues and this was his response - but broadly summarised, he was supportive of everyone's rights to live as they wished unless and until that conflicted with anyone else's rights (at which I nodded and said, "Exactly!").

To nitpick, I think his position isn't quite the ringing endorsement of women's rights that I'd dream of, and some of the details are wrong (eg conflation of the Equality Act and the GRA), but it contains a clear acknowledgment of the need for single-sex spaces, and he also includes a statement from the Liberal Voice for Women which says (among other things) that Ed Davey has admitted that gender is a belief and not a fact. Basically, from someone who hadn't thought about it before, I found it very heartening. In fact I venture to hope that I may have peaked piqued his interest in the question...

I resigned my LD membership a year ago on this issue and wrote to everyone I could think of explaining why. The responses were weaker than water. This sounds as though they've progressed to herbal tea level, which is encouraging...

It’s a pity he had to
a) go away to research what a woman was
b) rolled out the ‘born in the wrong body’ trope
c) talks about ‘biological gender’

but its great that he clearly understands the impact that TWs rights may have on Women’s rights in certain sex specific situations.

I emailed all my local candidates from every party - Ive only had 1 reply so far!

herbal tea level 😀Exactly. But better than nothing...

I think that's really encouraging.

It’s a pity he had to
a) go away to research what a woman was

Yes - but usually the "Oh well I don't know much about these issues, let me tell you about potholes" means actually they don't give a shit. I was genuinely amazed that he listened and went away to do his homework.

i told the candidate from the Labour Party who came and knocked on my door that I was concerned about self ID and it’s impact on prisons. He told me that he agreed and that he also thought self ID should not apply in sports. Then we had an excellent discussion about the difference between local and National politics.

Yes my SNP councillor was encouragingly supportive of single sex spaces until it became obvious that he considered males who identified as women to be female🤔

BUT the right of one person to claim that they are the opposite sex DOES massively impact other people. So what now?

I think we have to use the Respect my Sex campaign to raise awareness amongst local.people as well as deciding how to vote. I wrote back to my conservative candidate who didn't have much knowledge but wanted to learn more with loads of links to different organisations and showed how they related by to local issues.
Things like
Safe Schools Alliance
Our Duty
Sex Matters
Transgender Trend
Fairplay for Women
Keep prisons single sex

My local Labour candidate knocked on my door today. I know him, and voted for him 4 years ago.

He said it has come up on the door step A LOT. Which shows at least he's knocking doors. I explained how furious I was with Labour not being any kind of Opposition to the Conservatives on this and the madness of Caroline Nokes et al.

He wasn't disagreeing.

I know the Lib Dem candidate as well, who is nice enough but will plead ignorance of everything about everything because he always does. I think we last saw a Tory in the wild in about 2005. Over the years it's always quite a close call between the three parties locally.

But women's rights and children's safeguarding ARE being raised on the doorstep in neck-and-neck wards.

he was supportive of everyone's rights to live as they wished unless and until that conflicted with anyone else's rights.

I don't see that as any enforcement and is a case of talking out of both sides of his mouth. It could mean I support trans women using female facilities as long as it doesn't upset the female users or it could also mean I support single sex amenities as long as it doesn't conflict with the rights of those who imagine themselves to be females using them.

As the Amercians might say, sh*t or get off the pot. If a politicians doesn't give a clear answer in one direction or the other, assume they will not stick their head above the parapet and say TW are not W.

I think you're right, Betty, in that as a blanket statement it could very well be weaselly and useless, but in the letter he talks more specifically about single-sex spaces and says something like "sports clearly fall into the category where segregation should be by sex rather than gender", which clearly implies that he's on board with that category applying to the other examples he cites too. (I'm not claiming it's a perfect response but it's not terrible, either.)

I have never had a canvasser at my door. Ever. When there's a local election, I usually only even get doorbumf posted through from one or maybe two candidates. For general elections there's more often than not complete absence of campaigning (Tory safe seat). I'm envious of you having candidates who engage with you on a one-on-one level!

Wait, no, I tell a lie. Several years ago, a pair of UKIP people turned up at our front door. DP answered it, and told them to fuck off. They fucked off. I wonder what they would've had to say about single-sex provision 🤣

I'm very impressed he came back with his thoughts. Is there another side to the letter as I would be interested in reading the full thing 😊

I think we last saw a Tory in the wild in about 2005.

Interesting as the Lib Dem line is usually heavily enforced by their activists as TWAW and plenty of women have had their place on the party become untenable because of this hard line these activists take. This canvasser doesn’t realise but saying there’s a need for safeguards is acknowledging there is a difference between trans women and women. And this is enough to get you pushed out of the party. Though it mainly happens to women.

Don't forget to upload the response to the Woman's Place website so it can be retained for historical purposes. It's a Google form link quite near the bottom, after point 5
womansplaceuk.org/2022/03/08/wpuk-questions-for-councillors/

I can't wait to see the collated results!

Also important to add to responses.

No excuse I have my glasses on. Also important to submit where you have had no responses

Ah, thank you, Female, I had a feeling the responses were being collated somewhere! Will do.

Interesting. I asked my local Mayor, who is a doctor FFS, and got the response that basically you and I know what a woman is and that this is a problem, but politically it is far too difficult and it's for feminists to sort out.

I was not impressed.

Meh, he’ll talk to his party, they’ll soon put him “right”!

Here you go, User. I think this is not from him personally but presumably he endorses it to some extent, or wouldn't have included it.

Here you go, User.

I think that completely misstates Ed Davy's position.

He is full on TWAW, supports getting rid of the gatekeeping in the GRA and replacing it with self ID and supports heavy sanctions against anyone who tries to discuss the issue.