Local elections and sex/gender/trans issues

[DameHelena]

I am REALLY struggling to see who I can vote for tomorrow, due to their position on this issue.
Labour: no
Lib Dems: no
Green: no
Very much would like not to vote Tory (am historically Labour and/or Green and tend to go Green in local elections).
We have a Womens Equality Party candidate, but I can't find their official stance on women's sex-based rights. Does anyone have any knowledge? And how are you voting if you're in the same position as me?

I imagine that suffrage campaigners would be far more concerned with the fact so many women feel they lack adequate representation over 100 years after the first women in the UK gained the right to vote; Constance Markievicz was elected; & Nancy Astor was elected & took her seat. We’re just over 6 years away from the centenary of the Equal Franchise Act (it was passed in July) too.

Spoiling one’s ballot is making use of one’s vote. It’s not something that should be done lightly, obviously, but you’re not obliged to choose the least-worst candidate Because The Suffragettes or any other reason. The point was to be able to freely & fully participate in the democratic process - voting for a candidate simply to have voted for someone isn’t a responsible use of your vote. Spoiling your ballot (there’s information available here about doing so) is a form of [political] protest & it should not be confused with not voting.

It really is so tiresomely sexist that people try to browbeat women into political participation by invoking suffrage campaigners. Actually, when people do this it always seems to be the suffragettes they mention, which is of course not without irony, but that’s not really the point… Nobody makes similar demands of men in the name of the Chartists or the Reform League - apparently we’re somehow still stuck in a world where the vote belongs to men as a part of the natural order; & women must be eternally grateful the franchise has been extended to them.

"Then again if you're looking at it from an 'I'm cool with Tories standing up for women who look like me, couldnt cate less about others that dont look like me' stance then it doesn't matter much"

So I'm really picking up that woman = Labour voter

Ironic considering that the Greens, Lib Dems and have both had at least one female party leader and Conservatives two female PMs

There is NOTHING more offensively sexist than attempting to erase the very concept of womanhood. Nothing.

I found it ironic in the extreme that Angela Raynor was deeply offended by sexism in that whole disgusting MoS article and there were debates on whether misogyny should be a crime. Lol you don't support the very concept of womanhood so where is the sexism? Based on what??!!

@NitroNine well put.

So polling stations have just opened. Good luck, women. Another day, another shitty decision to make about our least worst options (that we apparently should feel lucky to have in 2022.)

@TooBigForMyBoots
Vote Conservative. The UK is absolutely fucked and central Conservative government punish Labour councils.

I did wonder if it’s worth voting Tory solely for this reason. That they would get more funding than a Labour council.

Not Labour due to women rights issue (and other) but for this election that issue

will decide at polling station re who else

I’m confused, this is all happening already under a Tory government why do you think continuing to vote for them would change this?

Do you think Boris Johnson, a serial philanderer cares about womens rights? and it’s not as if it stops at Boris Johnson.

just this past month there’s been reports on watching porn in the house of commons amp.theguardian.com/politics/2022/apr/29/tory-mp-neil-parish-faces-investigation-over-claims-of-watching-pornography-in-commons

or giving out sexist of the year awards amp.lbc.co.uk/news/sexist-award-downing-street-christmas-party/

or inews.co.uk/news/politics/mp-reveal-tory-angela-rayners-legs-1592447

also as someone else has pointed out Boris Johnson has referred to Muslim women as letterboxes and the Conservatives in general have a terrible track record regarding racism. I’m baffled why you would think they are better than any of the other current parties on womens rights????

If you honestly believe the Tories are going to actually do anything to help women I’ve got a fucking bridge to sell you.
I have to try and vote to get the Tories out.
As PP said, Johnson’s fucking racist and the Tories hate the poor- so what women are they interested in protecting the rights of?

This thread has made me decide to vote Tory. I never thought I’d say that.

You could spoil your vote.
"Respect my sex if you want my X"

The candidates will know why they didn't get your vote. It's read out to them. Not recorded officially but they will be aware.

PLEASE DON'T VOTE TORY 🙏🙏🙏

Some of the aggressive posts re how other people vote put me off even more.

I thought local elections have hee haw effect on what happens nationally? My city is a disgrace, those in charge couldn't run a bath however kept getting voted in because of the usual rhetoric of 'SNP=Independence, I'd rather die than vote Tory!' stance. Then the same people moan about the state of the city.

I couldn't vote Tory in a general election but surely we should be voting for who is going to do best by our city (and for GC folk like myself)?

I find it interesting that people here think the tories are only for white people. Our tory candidate is an Asian woman and the tories have a history of putting women and ethnic minorities in power.

I've never voted tory before, but this isn't something I'd hold against them. Yes there are racist individuals, but then Labour also has its issues. The only 2 female PMs were tories.

The thing is, Boris Johnson is replaceable, whereas the whole of the Labour Party/Lib Dems/Greens etc who have come out and claimed men are women if they say do, are not all replaceable.
Voting Tory isn't ignoring racism, it's acknowledging that twaw will damage all of us and will inhibit some women from religious backgrounds from taking part in public life, if there are no sex protected spaces.
BJ is an arse but if there's one thing I'd guarantee, it's that he knows what a woman is! He changes according to whichever way the wind blows, so it's important to let him know this issue matters and is a vote winner/loser.

I have a separate thread on my labour candidates. I was going to vote for the Labour guy as he is really on board with the whole protecting women's sex based rights. On the other hand I don't really want to give the whole Labour party a boost, as I don't want them to win a general election and destroy women's safety and women's rights. The fact that women's prisoners are being housed with men disgusts me and I will not have any part in facilitating this with my vote.

So WWYD. Our Tory candidate is strong on women's sex based rights. So maybe I will just go for him.

I'm also spoiling my ballot with "respect my sex".

No-one I can vote for in good conscience.

Well in this case, its low income women who are most affected in so many areas. Women in prisons are from the poorest and most vulnerable demographic of women and they are being housed with men, forced to shower in front of men and threatened with punishments if they try to assert any boundaries on this. Women in refuges are most likely to be poor women as they lack the economic means to escape under their own resources. Rape survivor groups I suspect are most likely used by lower income women ( this was certainly the experience of my friend who attended a (cost free) rape survivors group), as they are less likely to be able to afford one to one counselling to deal with trauma. So if the Tories work to maintain sex segegration, rather than gender segregation, low income women are more likely to be protected in this area at least, than under Labour. And this area is about such basic rights such as not being subject to male sexual violence and intimidation. Its pretty basic. If the Labour party cannot support this you can see that they haven't really internalised what women's equality means, have they? Which is not surprising, being as they cannot even define what a woman is.

@octopusdweller Okay, and all those things have happened under a Tory government, not to mention the cost of living crisis that is hitting low income women hardest. As a low income woman myself, I am certainly not feeling protected by the Tories.

The tories are decimating this country and are totally ingrained in the patriarchy. They are screwing the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. Voting for them is selfish and short sighted, imo. There will always be fights and disagreements. Labour are embarrassing currently but the tories are plain greedy bad and wrong.
I find it hard to believe people vote tory and have any integrity or real interest in fairness

I've voted Green because of the local candidate's characteristics and ability to work with people and get stuff done.

Tories are using this issue to shore up their vote. I think their commitment to women's rights is only real by their own standards. Boris is probably solid on abortion rights because he's requested that so many women have them. Only a Labour woman got something changed on abortion for women in Northern Ireland.

This is extremely offensive, as well as off the mark. Here's why:

• 'gullible women'? How many people on here sound to you as if they really believe the Tories? There's a big discussion about the Tory effect on women more generally and an acknowledgement that sometimes voting is about sending a message.
• You suggest that people are dissembling about their reasons for voting Tory and that they actually 'want to' . Why are you disbelieving/second-guessing what people – women – are telling you? How fucking arrogant.

I'm in NI. Being a left leaning Liberal who once considered themselves a progressive, its been a bit of a no-brainer, for me, on who to vote for locally for some years. Not that they ever end up with significant power but, on most issues, we've been aligned. I was ignored and lied to when I bought up my concerns about self ID and the conversion therapy bill when I bought it up with my local Councillor. As such, I will be spoiling my vote for the first time in my life. And yes, IME during the count, messages will be read out and messages directed at particular parties/candidates are seen.

The thing is I don't think the Tories are any better, they're just better at hiding it. The fuckwitery that's been going on the last 5-10 years has all happened on their watch, they're no friends to women 🙄

I will be spoiling my vote. I've talked about doing it before but always managed to find a least worst choice I could live with. This time the game's up. I will not vote for any party that will not uphold my legal rights. I will not vote Tory because this has all the signs of being a weathervane election and I don't want to give this government the slightest idea that I might endorse them.

I've been at counts so I know that some candidates / agents scrutinise every spoiled vote and that some don't bother. That's on them and the message will be there if they care to look: 'Respect my sex if you want my X' (I might add 'Liars' next to the Tory candidate for good measure.)

To those who disagree with me, I say, 'Fair enough'. I have no time for posters who come on here to lecture or who try and shame us into changing our minds. It's a shit situation and we all have to make the best decision we can.