Gender/trans and the next government

[SmudgeHughes]

The Lib Dems and Greens are promising full gender self-ID, including non-binary identities. Labour is more vague, saying that it would “modernise, simplify, and reform” the Gender Recognition Act, while also promising to support the “implementation of the single sex exceptions in the Equality Act”.

The Conservatives say that, if they were re-elected, they would introduce primary legislation to clarify that the protected characteristic of sex in the Equality Act means biological sex.

Policy analysts Murray Blackburn MacKenzie say that the most straightforward way to make the Equality Act clear would be to disapply Section 9 of the Gender Recognition Act from the Equality Act, perhaps by an amendment to either one. Section 9 is the part that sets out that a gender-recognition certificate changes a person’s sex “for all [legal] purposes” other than the listed exceptions.

As gender analysts Sex Matters says, The next government will face ongoing questions about issues of sex and gender. It will become increasingly impossible to ignore that these concern women’s rights, freedom of speech and child safeguarding, and are not merely a matter of “trans rights” – that is, of interest only to a tiny minority with no impact on anyone else.

It is so depressing. I think Tory is the only way to go.

I hear you.

My tory incumbent gets mixed reviews. Far from the worst, but still... he was angling for a minor place in Lolz Truss cabinet. So... yeah.

I'm never voting for him, but it's not a great menu tbf

I have no idea how I’m going to vote, the lack of party choice when it comes to sex realist issues really bothers me. I don’t think I’ve ever voted Tory but am considering it, whoever I choose feel Ill be holding my breath to see what happens next.

You've reminded me that this was the top of the Guardian / Observer website this morning although it's dropped well down now:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/15/tories-and-labour-on-course-for-lowest-share-of-the-vote-since-1945

It's not predicted to affect the outcome in any way and it doesn't draw any link with concerns over sex based rights, but it looks as if more voters are dissatisfied with the major parties (albeit for a variety of reasons probably) and looking for alternatives.

I’ll be voting Tory for the first time in my life. People say ‘single issue’, but it’s not. Our rights underpin everything else in a civil society. I have a vulnerable daughter. At a time when VAWG, porn and misogyny are at an all time high; men are discussing which women’s rights are ok to give away to appease others….almost like it’s a students Union coffee morning debate - all of it chills me.

I'm dreading it. Labour are going to win and I don't trust them to protect women's rights or even know what a woman is - bye bye single sex spaces! The recent behaviour towards Rosie Duffield shows us they haven't changed.

I live in a Tory seat that is likely to go Labour. Tory MP absolutely understands what a woman is and has been supportive in a number of ways. Well-trained DH spoke to the Labour candidate at the door who flustered and tried to take every viewpoint presumably because DH didn't initially indicate where he stood. Gutted to have been on a work call and missed the opportunity!

So well put. It's not just a 'single-issue'. It impacts on 51% of the populations life in so many areas. And I don't want DS growing up in such an environment either.

I’ve not seen anything in the LP manifesto that is overly inspiring and that will improve anything, plus I don’t believe they have the competency. Saying that, I also know the Tories have been devastating (although we must remember the world events) and probably criminal, and many want a change in government. But, we know what will happen with Labour, nothing will become clearer and many believe our rights may become even more precarious, because of their twisty, sneaky words - personally, I’m not taking that risk. If I am defined in law, then I can (and women) can fight, protest, lobby, challenge and hold them to account. If Labour go the way I suspect, then it’s game over, we will not get those rights back.

I respect PP who might be voting tory, reluctantly or otherwise. This seems to be an own goal from labour, who clearly take those votes for granted, or think they don't need them.

Thank you, I really don’t want to vote for them, they are charlatans ….last election I was determined that Labour should get in, I paid my subs and really believed in them. But that video Starmer did for Stonewall or pink News (can’t remember which) changed everything. Everyone can vote for who they want and for whatever reasons - but I suspect by next year our rights will be in the bin under Labour - because women are easier to deal with/appease than the TRA lobby.

There is a wider choice in this election though; it seems like most areas have 6 candidates from parties who are likely to win a number of seats (Green, Labour, SDP, Lib Dem, Tories, Reform). So whereever you stand on the left-right spectrum there is an alternative party to pick if you don't like Labour or Tory.

Unfortunately I have Tories, Labour, Lib Dems, Greens, Reform and the Yorkshire Party. Out of those for me the only option is the Tories, I don't know enough about the Yorkshire Party - I have emailed, but no one has got back to me.

What a dire state our political system is in, severe compromise at every turn if you care for women and girls.

Unfortunately I have a choice between a vocal (Tory) supporter of sex based rights and a slightly less vocal labour TRA supporter. My parents would rise from their graves if I voted Tory but around here anything other than Tory/Labour is a wasted vote. I can't bring myself to vote for a party that won't explicitly support women and protect our rights, still less for a candidate who won't see that there is a need to protect them at all, but the idea of another 4+ of our Tory incumbent appalls me.

I know it’s an awful choice, I’m rationalising it by just thinking of my daughter and the rights I want to exist for her; desperately hoping by the next election there is more choice and a party that fits more of my principles.

Here's a good summary.

https://www.transgendertrend.com/political-party-manifestos-general-election-2024/

Not that I believe a word any of them say, they're is no way they we aren't building up to peak trans nonsense

I will be voting Labour.
The tory party only seem to spouting this now its election time, they having been saying they know what a woman is, but carry on regardless to allow men in our spaces -

I can't take people seriously who are saying they are voting tory because of this issue - they must be delusional to the tory party or would vote tory no matter what they said and are using this as its the only half reason they can muster up to sound a tiny bit credible in their voting for the tories.

It baffles me - I would like to say I can rest easy labour should walk it - but with how crazy the world it at the moment, anything is possible- even the tories getting back in after the devastation they have caused.

Agree.

We've seen how fast women's rights have gone backwards in other parts of the world - Iran and Afghanistan, for example.

This could happen here. Of course it could, anyone who says otherwise is deluded. Women haven't even had the vote for very long in historical terms. Women being an underclass without rights is the norm, we have to fight hard to stop this country reverting to that norm.

And beyond the women's rights and child safeguarding issues, there's the issue of trust.

If politicians are willing to lie about something as fundamental as biological sex in order to gain power, they'll lie about anything: gravity, the earth being flat, evolution, climate change. Anything. Any politician who says that not only women have cervixes / some women have a penis is demonstrating that they're willing to lie about anything to appease powerful lobby groups and to gain power. So how can they be trusted? If they say any man who says he's a woman is literally a woman in all ways then how are we supposed to trust them on anything else?

Let's take a hopefully hypothetical example: if there's another pandemic, do you want someone who says that in charge? It's highly likely that any new virus may affect the sexes differently, as covid did. How are you supposed to believe 'stay home / don't go and visit your dying relatives' is the absolute best option from anyone who also says some women have a penis? It's undermining to the whole of democracy and structure of government.

I don't particularly want to vote Tory and I'll vote for any independent / SDP / POW candidate (as long as they affirm their intention to stand up for women's and children's rights).

But if I don't have that choice, I'll vote Tory as the least worst option.

While I understand everyone has different views

How are you supposed to believe 'stay home / don't go and visit your dying relatives' is the absolute best option from anyone who also says some women have a penis? It's undermining to the whole of democracy and structure of government

This statement is ludicrous after all the hypocrisy and corruption the tories carried on with during the pandemic - not a great example to bring back up as a defence 🙄

My views are very simple. I want my 3 children to be able to live in a world that isn’t topsy-turvy. To indoctrinate them into believing they can choose to be whatever sex they want, is abuse.

Males that reject being men don’t miraculously become women. They just become man-rejectors.
For some reason, I can grudgingly accept that a woman might want to escape the shitty role society places on them and they might choose to redefine themselves as men. They still can’t opt out of their sex.

I read something recently that describes the importance of woman as the backbone of families and communities. They provide care, support, and nurturing to their families and are essential to the development of children. Women also play a significant role in community building.

Women’s empowerment and the promotion of equality are essential for the development of a just and equitable society. Empowering women leads to improved health outcomes, increased economic growth, and poverty reduction. However, women continue to face numerous challenges that hinder their ability to contribute fully to society. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from individuals, communities, and governments. Only by working together can we create a more just and equitable world for everyone.

I will not be voting for any political party that doesn’t respect my rights.

If anyone has a Communist Party (GB) candidate their manifesto says they support women's sex based rights. (There have been good articles in the Morning Star.)

The problem is most of us live in constituencies that there would have to be an unprecedentated change in voter patterns. So voting is farily meaningless.

As it is most polls say people find Starmer uninspiring, and there isn't real support for Labour, its all about "time for a change".

So we may well get a Labour Government not because the majority want it, but because the y / we want to punish the Tories or want a change.

Not about manifestos or politicies.

Maybe the Tories, Reform and Reclaim (who all support women's sex based rights) could form a coalition and claim that together they have more votes than the labour paryt and so should form the next Government.

It is.

Please please don't vote Tory over this one thing. Look at the state of our country. Please, open your eyes.

I’ll be voting Alba.

They explicitly support women’s right. Here’s their policy: https://www.albaparty.org/the_rights_of_women

I live in Scotland. Alba is the group led by Alex Salmond that broke away from the SNP.

Neal Hanvey, my local MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, is a gay man and a staunch supporter of sex-based rights.

You open your eyes.

Once we have lost everything its too late to get it back.

And we will lose everything.