MPs who believe ‘women have a penis’ will be named and shamed ahead of general election

[fromorbit]

Brilliant plan sure plenty of Mumsnetters will be up for being part of the volunteer army asking questions:

An “army” of volunteers in an apolitical new grassroots campaign is gearing up to meet all MPs and parliamentary candidates at hustings events and on their doorsteps to ask each one the question: “What is a woman?”

Their answers will be video recorded and uploaded individually to a website which is being launched in the coming months.

It will allow voters to find out instantly whether their next MP thinks women must be born female and that binary biological sex cannot be changed, or whether they believe that male-born transgender women are women too.

Sharron Davies MBE, the former Olympic swimmer and feminist campaigner who has been appointed as the campaign’s first ambassador, said it would let voters “know if their MP will stand up for women”.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/23/mps-believe-women-penis-named-trans-election-sharron-davies/

We also need a women's issues hustings in every constituency in the election run by people who know what women are. Women Won't Wheesht (WWW) have already run the prototype in Rutherglen [the hustings was reinstated after an attempt to cancel it after they realised banning women's meetings is in fact illegal.]
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4899435-womens-group-hustings-for-rutherglen-hamilton-west-byelection-cancelled

[partystress]

What a great idea. SD goes up and up in my estimation.

[Baldieheid]

Oh, I'm all for this.

Hopefully the cowards who keep quiet and mutter about things being complicated will finally be forced to take a stance, one side of the divide or the other. I bet there will be some who refuse to answer, which is an answer in and of itself.

Bollocks on the block, lads. Lets see who has the balls to be openly anti-woman.

[fromorbit]

@Baldieheid

Oh, I'm all for this.

Hopefully the cowards who keep quiet and mutter about things being complicated will finally be forced to take a stance, one side of the divide or the other. I bet there will be some who refuse to answer, which is an answer in and of itself.

Bollocks on the block, lads. Lets see who has the balls to be openly anti-woman.

Yes the next election is really a chance to push the idea that sex matters higher on the agenda along with demanding results on sex related issues. No more sitting on the fence.

Yes it is going to result in a LOT more misogyny in the short term, but it is the only way to fight this stuff on a serious level. We need to step everything up a notch. More demos, more questions, more meetings.

Remember we still have to fight back against huge sexism in the Civil Service, NHS, academia, schools, culture industries, long long way to go.

[Crouton19]

I think we need a different set of questions, that don't cause people to run a mile and that they need to try harder to answer. Suggestions:

What is your view on children and young people being turned into lifelong medical patients due to a mental health crisis which could be resolved through letting them continue puberty, proper counselling and addressing societal gender issues?

Should scarce NHS resources and taxes be diverted to providing surgery and hormones for otherwise physically healthy people?

What do you think about pregnant women being told to avoid certain foods, drinks, medication and activities for the health of the unborn child when pregnant trans identified women still have testosterone in their systems and there is even a push to allow them to continue hormone supplements while pregnant allegedly to reduce their dysphoria?

[Brainworm]

I disagree Crouton. I think it should be kept very simple.

I think in order to not be dismissed as 'anti trans', it would be good to include something along the lines of........Do you believe that trans people can be supported without compromising provision of single sex services

[OvaHere]

I think it should be just as it is. It's to the point and effective.

Honestly could anyone have imagined even a decade ago that such a ridiculous question would be need to be put to MPs?

[AdamRyan]

I think this is going to be worse for women candidates and the men won't be asked/will evade because people expect men to be squeamish about "womens" genitalia. So I'm not entirely comfortable

[Brainworm]

My concern, Ova, is that they could say that a women is an adult human female. If it stops there, we are not them probing whether they are willing to protect sex based rights. They might support self id and want single sex prisons to include those who identify as women as well as adult human females.

I think going into more detail about children, treatment for dysphoria etc. is too much, but a declaration alone doesn't tell us much.

Having said all of that, the question posed does filter out the first layer of madnesss - the 'anyone who says they are a woman' crowd.

[UselessGardener]

Oh, this is amazing!

[OvaHere]

@Brainworm

My concern, Ova, is that they could say that a women is an adult human female. If it stops there, we are not them probing whether they are willing to protect sex based rights. They might support self id and want single sex prisons to include those who identify as women as well as adult human females.

I think going into more detail about children, treatment for dysphoria etc. is too much, but a declaration alone doesn't tell us much.

Having said all of that, the question posed does filter out the first layer of madnesss - the 'anyone who says they are a woman' crowd.

I don't disagree with that but that's too much information for an eye catching/soundbite campaign which I presume is the main or sole purpose of this.

[fromorbit]

This campaign is great right now, but it naturally leads onto bigger things. We need more depth stuff too.

Which is why I said we need women's hustings everywhere. We need to ask the basic stuff, do women exist, but that opens more questions.

Most Tories can answer what is a women. Put them on the spot on other things.

Gender ideas in the NHS etc which they created when they were in power.

What about child care ? What about VAWG?

All the parties are failing women and to be frank men and children too. We need to demand more from them.

[EasternStandard]

Everything helps

Sounds good

I’d like a question on single sex spaces too but it is direct which is good

[rataverse]

If they answer "a woman is an adult human female" it will also be necessary to ask the follow up question "do you believe that a transwoman can become an adult human female, or do they remain a female identified adult human male?" Otherwise they might just be pretending to believe Himdia and Veruca Ivy who both claim to be adult human females because of their falsified documentation and being made of "biological stuff".

[Baldieheid]

I think as a first question, it's a biggie. But you're right - there are many many follow on questions that also need to be included and bloody answered, especially by the weasles who will try NOT to answer.

None of them are hard questions.

If they genuinely believe what they say they believe, they'll have absolutely no problem with it being stated openly, clearly and recorded for all time.

Will they?

[EasternStandard]

People do hide behind sex equals legal sex, I’ve seen it on here with some TRA posters

We also need to know which gets access to a single sex space

[BonfireLady]

I agree with keeping it simple.
My immediate follow-on question to any straight male politician (Wikipedia bio would show marital status, which is a reasonable indication) who believes that women have a penis would be "if you were single [delete as appropriate], would you be happy to date a woman who had a penis?"

[Truthlikeness]

I'm looking forward to this. My MP is a labour shadow cabinet member who has been conspicuously quiet on the whole issue, which leads me to suspect their views.

[WickedSerious]

My MP is a sex pest so his response should be interesting.

[TastesLikeStrawberriesOnASummerEvening]

Excellent.
I'm in Scotland and that'll be the first question I'll be asking anyone who chaps my door.

[IwantToRetire]

I've seen and heard this reported over the past 24 hours, but haven't been able to find a link to the group / campaign?

Does anyone know what it is, or are they just building up the info and will do a big launch day closer to the election?

But I think if terms of a campaign that makes an impact on the mass media the simple straight foward question is best. Nothing to stop local constituents or whoever asking follow up questions.

And seriously, do you think that a group made up of campaigners like Sharon Davies, aren't more than aware of anyone trying to fudge an answer?

I will be hugely surprised if the web site, once it is on line, isn't explicit that the question is about biological sex.

[fromorbit]

The website is not up yet, but they are now live on Twitter. Follow them! 

What Is A Woman Campaign
https://twitter.com/WhatIsAWomanUK

We ask MPs and prospective MPs #whatisawoman; a UK grassroots campaign bringing honesty and transparency to the next General Election & debate on sex and gender

Now over 3,500 followers in one day. Unreal! The voting public clearly demand and value transparency, just as we do. We are only just getting started. Keep sharing / reposting / liking. 

What is better they are having the first results from MPs are coming in.

Conservative MP for Workington Mark Jenkinson MP

How did we end up in a place where we need a website to tell us which politicians think women can have a penis??

They can’t, under any circumstance. 

No ifs, no buts.
https://twitter.com/markjenkinsonmp/status/1706013131841880379

On the other side Kate Osborne Labour MP for Jarrow stated:

I'll save them the bother of doorstepping me.

Yes some women have a penis.

It's clear that Tory allies will help with their #waronwoke

Vilification of trans people to distract from mess country is in.

How about asking MPs if they will eradicate Homelessness & Child Poverty? 
https://twitter.com/KateOsborneMP/status/1705899291733020676

Kate is breaking the new Labour party style of addressing sex and gender issues there. This is going to be interesting.

This launch is good timing as the Labour and Tory conferences are coming up.

[whereismysleep]

Who are they, though?

It claims to be a grass roots movement but who are they? Has anyone heard of them?

Sorry but I'm going to reserve judgment till I hear a bit more about them, as this has a strong whiff of astroturf.

Or, to put it another way, is this a grass roots women's campaign, or a bunch of (probably male) PRs using us to give legitamacy and free publicity for a campaign for a client?

Let's not be taken for a ride here.

[whereismysleep]

Astroturfing for those who haven't come across the term before.

[IwantToRetire]

It claims to be a grass roots movement but who are they? Has anyone heard of them?

Has it occured to you that they are "ordinary" women who have decided to actually do something, rather than just comment, but may very well decided not to reveal who they are because of potentia personal threats and / or their employment.

And given the current state of the world, what "client" (unless it was JKR) would want to be linked to terfs?

For me, unfortunately, I suspect they really are GC feminists as they are only on twitter, the least used social media platform. A bit like launching a campaign in your friends back room and thinking everyone will somehow find out about it!

[IwantToRetire]

hmmmmmmmmm ....

I wonder what the link is between this group and the one launched in NZ back in July? https://familyfirst.org.nz/whatisawoman/

Just asking as it may meann nothing other than loaning web space to the campaign, but the NZ on is being hosted (run?) by Family First.