Will Gender Ideology influence how you vote?

[Heylo]

Hi, new to Mumsnet. Full disclaimer I have no kids yet but will start trying March 24 (lesbian with some embryos in the freezer!). I decided to join after the hilarious responses to the Dawn Butler debacle over the weekend.

I’ve historically been a Labour voter but I’m voting Tory next year because I’m concerned about women’s and children’s rights in relation to Gender Ideology. The lesbian scene especially has been culturally bulldozed by the new additions to womanhood & a lot of us (in our 30s) now self - exclude based on some of the militant trans rights activists (TRAs) pressuring women into taking on trans women as partners and socialise more closely with them. (Only media reporting on this is Telegraph & The Daily Mail. There has been a media blackout on this at the BBC and The Guardian). Actually a couple of women have tried to run same - sex speed dating nights but TRAs have sent them threats, doxxed them to their employers and called the venues to get the nights / events shut down. You can read more about that here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12401009/amp/Lesbian-speed-dating-event-sparks-transphobia-row-organisers-insist-adult-human-females-attend-popular-weekly-event.html

Anyway sorry for the segue, my question is to anyone who is interested in answering- if you are historically a Labour voter would the Gender issue sway you to voting conservative?

its a big topic at the moment in Gender Critical lesbian and bi circles. Everyone is usually a Labour voter but we’re all worried about what craziness Keir Starmer is going to introduce re erasing women’s spaces. I was curious what Mumsnet users think as outside of lesbians you are the next group (parents) who are most affected by this.

The answer isn’t to vote Tory as they don’t give a shit about women’s rights. They are just opportunists. If there is a critical mass of people who feel the way we do, we should organise and lobby Labour to change their stance.

And other bizarre statements.

Even my lifelong staunch Tory-voting Wellington-schooled straight-into-the-army father is so disgusted by this government's demonisation of minorities, catastrophic mishandling of the country and constant brazen dishonesty that he is no longer voting for them.

I would urge anyone who has been swayed by the Tories' current bout of 'standing up for women' lies to have a look at their track record, political connections and influences (including funding sources) and overall philosophy and then engage in a little critical thinking.

Thanks. Saved me the trouble of typing that out.

There have been eleventy billion threads on this. They always end up in a huge row with women being scolded for whichever choice they make plus partial screenshots ending up on TRA twitter/facebook

Anyone who votes Tory after the absolute devastation they have wreaked on the UK in the past decade+ ( Brexit referendum, COVID response, NHS, schools, children's mental health services, adult social care, housing, Universal Credit with all the misery that has brought, Liz Truss and the collapse of the economy, the shit show in the Home Office, the ever widening chasm between rich and poor and the general contempt this government has for us peasants) because they think the Tories are somehow on the side of women is severely short sighted.
Men have been sent to women's prisons under the Tories. Schools have been teaching insane gender crap under the Tories. Poorer people (and that is increasingly including the previously comfy middle classes) have been relentlessly targeted and dehumanised under the Tories.
I can't stand a lot of Labour politicians, but I would still rather give them a go than the current lying, cheating, moral- free scumbags we have now.
I don't mind Kier and think he will.go whichever way the country pushes him, rather than impose more ideology that damages women's rights. As opposed to whatever swivel eyed right wing ideologue the Tories will re-animate to front their next grift.
I'm a pragmatist and will choose the least worst option. But MN is full of solidly middle class people who feel safe with their paid off mortgages, secure jobs and fat pensions so I'm not surprised lots on here will vote idealogically, and screw the poor.

In an ideal world I would vote for the party that best protects women's sex based rights - but I could never bring myself to vote for the Conservative Party.
I've always been a Labour Party voter and despite this one major issue I will still vote for them.
Party politics and what is best for the general public are not just about this one sticking point and the Tories are evil. They only care about the ultra wealthy and maintaining that privilege - they don't give a hoot about anyone else and things will only continue to get worse if we allow them to stay in power. In my opinion people who vote conservative are inherently selfish.

Hey I completely understand and agree that the Tories are disastrous re women's rights. However for this single issue which I feel strongly about I personally think voting Tories is the best option (tactically). We must find the good in every situation.

No.

However I vote it makes no difference I live in a solid Labour seat.

I’ve only ever voted Labour once (‘97) and I usually vote for the socialist candidate if they stand.

My vote is worthless.

No. I vote tactically, whichever party I need to get the Tories out.

Surely no women can vote Tory either as their policies disproportionately impact women? You want to vote for a party where a prominent cabinet member jokes about giving his wife rohypnol and women bear 86% of the austerity burden (Guardian and various sources).

Whilst self ID is a huge and important issue (and I am sure someone will come on and say that there won't be women if we vote labour etc) the needs of every woman should be put first and then fight the self ID bullshit. If more women had less worried about poverty and bills and surviving they would have more time to back the ID cause.

Before anyone jumps on me I don't agree with self ID and everything connected to it - but I work with the kids who are suffering from the poverty that 13 years of a Tory government have caused and that is the priority.

Well you do you, as is everyone's right.

However you asked a question. For me the answer is no.

I'm GC but I can't vote Tory!

The Home Secretary thiinks it's ok to joke about drugging his wife with Rohypnol! FGS!

they will rip families apart with their new limits for spouse & work visas!

changing how holiday days and pay are calculated for people who do not work full-time throughout the year, such as shift-workers, school employees and those on zero-hours contracts. This will mainly affect women!

Never mind the broken post system, railway systems, sewerage into sea! Their 'green policies or the lack of that will affect our kids lives!

I don't think the Country can stand another 5 years - there will be nothing left!

While I agree with your point, I do find threads like this help me think things through.

At some point I really must look back at similar threads over the years to see at how I've travelled from, 'Don't be absurd' to 'Oh please Labour, just say any old nonsense and I'll vote for you', to now where I'm on the edge of outright contempt for them, and which I'm not sure I can ever come back from.

What a thoroughly depressing conversation this is, where's the sherry.

I've voted either labour or green all my life, right up until the last election, when I spoilt my ballot.

I feel betrayed by all the parties on the left, and don't think Labour can be trusted to protect the rights of the most disadvantaged.

I haven't forgotten the way New Labour claimed they were the party of "WORKING people" and continued dismantling the social security system that protected women and children, they also continued to saddle the NHS with loads of PFI debt, benefiting their own cronies, in the exact same way the tory politicians sometimes do.

I was prepared to still vote for them, as being the best of a rotten lot, until they started pretending that women are just a bunch of non-men who have no special needs or rights, and that child safeguarding was a conspiracy of right wing pearl clutchers on the wrong side of history.

If the Party of Women isn't up and running by the next election giving me someone to vote for, then I will be voting Conservative.

Well the Party of Women isn't going to win any seats is it?
.

I'm a second wave feminist who despairs at what is happening to our rights. I am politically homeless. Tories definitely don't care about women - their only saving grace is that they appear to know what a woman actually is, which is not true of any of the other major parties, so can't vote for them either.

The best thing the Tories could do is to bring in legislation before the election to put an end to this horrible trans mess. Sort of "stuff you" - we are going down but will at least bequeath the country some legislation that will save our children, stop the brainwashing in schools, universities and by government, non-government bodies and business. Then, if Labour when they win, want to pander to 0.5%k of the population at the expense of 50% they will have to have the balls to reverse the legislation. That will end well (not).

I won’t be voting Tory, but I’d like to highlight this:

“I just don't like the hypocrisy of saying the Tories are the party of women's rights. They're not.”

Labour and the libs sometimes talk a good game about equality for women, but where is the action? There have been three (!) Tory female PMs - Labour have never even had a woman as party leader.

I will be voting Labour as I spoke to my Labour candidate and I was reassured by his answers on this subject. Best of a poor lot of choices. The only thing that might change my mind is if we have an SDP candidate.

It absolutely will, I was wavering but Dawn Butler finished me off.
Take note if you're reading.
No way will I touch labour now.

@TastesLikeStrawberriesOnASummerEvening I feel you. Dawn Butlers response symbolises everything I'm worried about with Labour. Lisa Nandy also seems totally deluded 'my heart breaks' but just not for the vulnerable women who have been attacked in jails.

What the hell happened to Labour they've lost their minds over the last ten years.

I voted for Blair back in the day although I consider myself centre right.

The current Labour Party are an absolute disgrace on women's rights and whilst Rosie Duffield is demonised and ostracised and idiots like Dawn Butler are feted and promoted, the LP is sending a very clear message to women. I am listening and take note and will not vote for them ever again - the betrayal is huge.

Not sure if I can bring myself to vote for my current MP - in a very safe Tory constituency so my vote is worthless in any case - so may well spoil my ballot again with one of KJK's stickers.
If I had a feisty female Tory MP who was standing up for women I would have no qualms about voting Tory but my MP is a limp man who does nothing for the area really.

I’ve voted Green, Labour, Lib Dem & Tory in the past - based on the manifesto and particular candidates.

I disagree with pp’s who say the Tory’s have presided over this mess - if it had been Labour in charge, I think we’d now be much closer to the `Canadian/Australian experience. There’s a reason we’re known as terf island!

Not sure which way I’ll vote this time, but women’s rights will be core to my decision, and it’s hard to see any choice but Tory - but there’s a long way to go, so 🤞 we’ll have a wider realistic choice come polling day

At present my MP is Steve Baker, though we worked hard to try to get rid of him last time.

I shall not be voting for him.

It's possible that if she turns out not to be a loon I might vote for the Labour candidate (Emma Reynolds, but I lack information about her); otherwise I may end up writing "None of the above" on my ballot for the first time in over fifty years of never not voting in an election – after all, my grandmother chained herself to railings to get me that vote, and I wouldn't want to disrespect Granny, she'd be a terrifying haunt.

@Heylo
I'm in Scotland.
Obviously I won't touch the SNP, Libs, Labour, Greens, that leaves me the Torys, and ouch.
As a single mother, and a disabled one at that, they've never done anything for me.

I never thought I'd be a single issue voter, but I'm considering it.
It's either that or spoil.

So open minded, their brains fell out.
It's completely insane as we all know.

Not really. I'm voting Lib Dem tactically to keep a Tory out.

This government has is so stratospherically incompetent, they genuinely frighten me. We've been at the mercy of Farage, Steve Baker, Rees-Mogg and other hideous individuals sniping from the right for 13 years. At first they were outside chivvying Cameron to push to the right, then God help us they were in the Cabinet. Braverman has left the Home Office in a total administrative mess, even if I agreed with her policies, which obviously I don't. The only things this lot got right were Hong Kong and Ukraine. Hong Kong is probably a major factor in us still having an economy.

Labour have shifted enough for me to feel OK about voting in a way that supports them. All the parties fight like rats in a sack on this issue, because there are women behind the scenes who aren't letting go. God you should see the Lib Dem WhatsApp groups. Stay in and fight.