Lib Dem canvassing guidance

[poshme]

Lib Dem
Guidance for canvassers for those who ask 'transphobic questions'

www.aldc.org/2022/04/canvassing-tips-for-trans-issues-and-handling-transphobic-language-lgbt-liberal-democrats/

Thank you for posting this. Disturbing and sinister strategies. I had no inclination to vote LD but will be ready respond dhould they come knocking. Shame as years back we had the most amazing female LD Councillor elected in our ward. She was formidable and a real champion for local people and local issues. I'm sure she would be dismayed at this nonsense.

@Abitofalark its an interesting point you make and while I agree with the principle, I actually think giving examples are precisely what is needed to show how outrageously indefensible the TWAW stance is. It is only within the last year to 18 months that I have seen the light on all this I’m fairly liberal and the trans rights movements seemed like an extension of the gay rights movement. The penny only dropped when the implications of TWAW were made clear by reference to specific examples.
It is easy in the abstract to offer platitudes about trans people deserving dignity and respect (and I agree with that - in principle), but when you give concrete examples (womens prison’s, rape crisis centres, school changing rooms etc etc etc) it is much more difficult to offer any credible defence.

Perhaps I should have mentioned that the candidate with whom I was corresponding is a woman…! (Not that it should make a difference I suppose but it’s interesting context).

@SamphirethePogoingStickerist as to your final query about whether she was held down and made to type some of her nonsense, it does indeed appear that she has been given some third party input - I can tell from the fact her reply contains different fonts. But who know what she meant by “intrusive checks”.

However, I can only assume that she would have no issue with her 13 year old daughter sharing a changing facility with, eg transgender Jamie Wallis MP and him exposing his female penis and testicles to her (JW still presenting as a man having said he still prefers to use male pronouns).

But in her world we cannot even ask someone who appears to be male if they are a transwoman, meaning she must also be happy for any and all men to use the women’s changing room and expose themselves to her daughter, regardless of their motivations for doing so. 🙄

This demonstrates the utter contempt they have for all their voters. To them, everyone else is a moron and can be hoodwinked into voting for them because ordinary voters can’t possibly think for themselves or work out they’ve been had, hahaha.

I used to be on friendly terms with our lib dem councillor. I now can't look her in the eye when we cross in the street.

Samphire, That statement stuck out for me too. But there's a sleight of hand involved in it too. Even before you get to the point about who they may be alleging would be affected by violence, to start off by saying 'implementing restrictions' is to imply that this is something new, when it isn't. We have a long established system of separate facilities which is the very reason that women and girls are comfortable and safe in public facilities.

I wonder if the better approach here is not to allow canvassers to start spouting that TWAW, and pretend that any one who dares to disagree is a transphobe, but instead to pin them down on what the Equalities Act says about single sex provision. It means knowing what it says ourselves. I know that Stonewall don't like it, but what Stonewall says isn't law, however much they want it to be.

Maybe start conversations as though you agree twaw then lead into areas of conflict so they don't get their guard up?

Yes, or asking very clear, specific questions.

One that may be relevant to many women is if they have daughters in school - will the councillor support mixed sex toilets or support separate toilets for boys and girls?

This is what we need ultimately, anyway - clear, sensible, practical and down to earth solutions that protect women and girls.

This is what we need ultimately, anyway - clear, sensible, practical and down to earth solutions that protect women and girls.

At this isn't to deny that men who identify as transwomen may well have problems - but their problems are going to be with other men's attitudes and it's not up to we women to sort it out for them.