Local elections and GC feminism thread

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

Hi, just thought I'd start a thread as have seen threads recently about campaigning but not about the actual elections.

I live in a Tory-controlled area which has recently been in the news for bad mismanagement and Lab and LDs snapping at their heels here in different council seats. I don't necessarily want the Tories in but also worried now about the impact on local women's services if anyone else gets in - we currently have good council-run leisure facilities with clearly sex-segregated changing and a local SARC that is female-only.

I am worried these things will be lost.

How is everyone feeling/ voting as we move into Thurs?

I voted Conservative. I was going to vote Lib Dem, but I just couldn't do it.

If GC feminism is the hill I've chosen to die on, then die on it I will.

Just came on to wish Needmoresleep luck.☘️

I’ve got a good solid GC independent standing in my ward, so I’ll give her a vote. I get three though and despite it being polling day I still haven’t decided where my other two are going. I think, whisper it, it’s going to have to be Tory.

It doesn’t matter really because it’s a tight Labour-Green marginal so voting for anyone other than those two is basically a waste anyway. But I can’t in good conscience do either.

Ah this is the thread I wanted. I started another thread about my local wannabe councillor. What women centred issues can I bring up with him? He thinks he has no influence over lib Dem policy on for example GRA reform (true), but I wanted to tell him where he could influence things locally for women. I stuck to my kids, local pool facility is mixed sex for example, or not wanting boys to compete against my girl at school. But the school is an academy, the pool a franchise. Any help appreciated.

My initial thoughts were that this looked promising but on second reading, it does not support single sex spaces. My take is that it appears to be proposing self ID with additional risk assessments as a way forward but it's hard to be certain. That's not good enough for me. I will not be voting Labour today.

There’s nobody I can vote for with a clear GC conscience so like everyone else I’ve weighed things up. Personally I’m voting for a female Labour candidate, in a Tory area with substantial deprivation. The Tories have been appalling on the local economy, the environment and transport and the cost of living and are literally blighting lives.

I will continue to engage with Labour and also the incumbent Tories on GC issues. To me the Tories are not a party to vote for solely because I have gender critical views. This whole shit show has happened on their watch. And this government have yet to act conclusively in support of sex-based women’s rights, despite a big Parliamentary majority and 13 years in which to do it.

I want to see proper sex-based legal protections for girls and women in my lifetime. There isn’t any GC party to vote for at the moment. And individual posters on here and elsewhere, have done way, way more to protect girls and women than the Tory party has done in 13 years in office, by crowd-funding women’s legal challenges and protesting and raising awareness of these issues on social media and repeatedly with elected officials and candidates.

My options are dismal:

Lib Dem candidate: retweeting a post calling the Equality and Human rights commission's letter supporting the need to define 'sex' in the equally act as biological, as part of an "attack" fuelled by "hysteria and hate".

labour Candidate: oddly silent. Can't find any pledges anywhere. Though another labour candidate I did get to speak to was lovely. Until I explained why I wasn't voting Lib Dem.

Heritage party candidate: doesn't quite deny human contribution to global warming, just thinks it isn't a problem just yet so .. full steam ahead.

Conservative candidate: wow-fully inexperience and ...just ick

It's either spoil my vote or vote Tory.

I voted Labour because the thought of the Tories was just too much.

But I wish now I had clearly voted Labour, but also spoiled my Bally paper by writing something like “I’m a Labour voter but until you can be clear that a woman is an adult human female, and stop pandering to anti-woman activists, I will spoil my ballot paper, thus depriving you of my vote.”

Gritting my teeth I voted Libdem as the candidate standing for reelection has a good reputation locally for helping communities in a very productive way.

He is a sensible-looking middle-aged man. It was a difficult decision. I hope he doesn’t disappoint me.

Anyone got any short and to the point messages to write on my ballot paper? Only have labour or conservative to vote for and can't vote for either as a GC NHS worker

Voted Conservative. I would love to have voted Green but they hate women so...

If you want my X
Respect my sex.

I voted Tory. They're the only ones who have the slightest grip on reality for women.

I don't really understand why people think a party where everyone either doesn't understand the basic science about men and women or is too scared to state the bloody obvious would do a good job with anything else. Having a grip on reality should be the bare minimum for elected representatives. Thinking men are women if they just say so fails that test.

As I said on another thread - I have zero confidence they wouldn't just 'identify' as having fixed the NHS. If you can think that's a realistic option for a sex change then anything is possible.

What I don’t understand is that none of these candidates do anything but shove a leaflet through your letterbox, but still expect you to turn up and vote tribally.

It’s only the Indy candidates who make the effort which I appreciate. If they had given the right answers on sex and gender they would get my vote no question.

The people at the polling station must have wondered why it took me so long to "vote". I wrote a couple of sentences against each of the four candidates, giving my reasons for not getting my X. Even if only one person reads it and thinks for a moment it will have been worth it.

Yes I had this, voting booths in full sight so no hiding my sticker and additions so they will be able to figure out where the terf lives. Good thing they were older women but likely they'll be bemused

Help, What do I do now?

My local Labour candidate has been round, to see if I have voted. ( I have not). Said I couldn’t bring myself to vote Labour, he asked why, and he got it, both barrels. He couldn’t define what a woman is, but said that he is in total agreement, that women need safe spaces and those spaces should be free of men and Trans women.

I asked if he is going to push that up through the party, that ‘our leader’ needs to know that ‘99.9% of women don’t have a penis’ comment is unacceptable. He said he will do what he can do at a local level.

I was already to spoil my ballot paper, bugger!

I wrote on my ballot. Who knows if any of the buggers will read it or care but I wasn't going to let it lie.

He couldn’t define what a woman is

Right there is why you cannot vote for him surely?

I had sent mine in before I knew there was an extremely misogynistic tra trans identified male who has been harassing a local feminist who is vocal about her feminist activism on the list. For labour.

I wish I'd spoilt it and written a few comments.

those eligible to vote in our house went with Lib Dem or green.

Feel confident the local geen is GC. No idea about the Lib Dem but is v good on local issues. Doubt knows much about it.

I wouldn't be too sure that your Green is GC as it's practically a hanging offence in that party.

Noone really reads them though, so I wouldn't waste much time agonising over what you write

Hello fellow GCers, back from the polling booth where my black Sharpie came in very useful on the ballot paper. I wrote a short essay on the importance of single sex spaces to women.
Have not voted Tory ever but it will happen at the General Election if Mere Starmer doesn’t do a U turn on some women have willies. Wanker.

I know there can be bad apples all over, but ultimately you are still dealing with an individual and their own opinions. He was a very dodgy character and is thankfully gone.

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/mayor-quizzed-gender-neutral-toilets-16437625

I cast one vote for labour and one for LD's (get 2). I know local elections are used to give a forecast for a GE but I voted on who I felt was the best option locally. A vote for them is a vote against the dipsticks.