Looks like the Guardian can't ignore sex vs gender any more

[Lovelyview]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/02/this-isnt-a-culture-war-uk-women-feel-politically-homeless

Quoting the relevant part, to bump the thread:

"....the final straw for me is the issue of women’s rights,” [according to]
Sharon [who] was one of hundreds of women who shared that sex-based rights for women and girls was a main political concern of theirs this election.
Women from across the country, dozens of them economically disadvantaged or with disabilities, said they would abandon Labour, the Lib Dems or the Greens over this issue and vote either Conservative, Reform or spoil their ballot – particularly women from marginal areas Labour is hoping to gain, such as Lincoln, Darlington, Derbyshire, Warrington North and Truro and Falmouth.
Various said they felt “politically homeless” because of this issue, with Starmer having repeatedly referred to the debate over trans rights as “divisive and toxic” culture wars.
“This ain’t a culture war,” said Kerri Clarke, a 46-year-old stay-at-home mother from Hertfordshire. “I’ll be voting Conservative for the first time in my life, as the child of Labour activists.”
Clarke worries that the current Labour party is “utterly uninterested in women, our rights to safety and dignity”.
“This is about supporting our sisters in prisons and women’s shelters,” said Anne, 61, from Burnley, Labour’s “most winnable seat”.
Having always voted Labour, Anne said she might abstain for the first time unless she heard something positive from Labour on the protection of women’s and girls’ “safety and opportunities” this week.
Tracy, from Kent, in her 40s and usually a Labour voter, is likely to spoil her ballot. “I want to vote Labour but I can’t bear to support a party that so struggles to define the word woman.
“There are some contexts where biological sex matters, and women’s rights have been affected in recent years by a failure of law and policy to recognise this. Starmer wants this to go away, but it’s not going to go away.”
Some expressed fears for the safety of trans-identified relatives in the current political climate, such as a woman from the West Country who said her teenage daughter was transgender and felt “concerned by the aggressive and inhumane discussion of marginalised people”.

I'm so heartened by the fact that there were hundreds of women saying it, and also noted with interest the use of the term 'trans-identified'. Doesn't the Graun usually just say 'trans'?

Other thread here:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5106546-the-guardian-has-a-request-for-female-voters-to-tell-them-what-issues-will-decide-their-vote?page=2

Not a bad article, and bloody amazing from The Guardian!

Too little too late, two days to go and they've finally realised women are people with the vote

They are SO late with this. And still contradicting themselves via the linguistic manipulation of 'conversion therapy'.
I cant trust them, wont vote Tory - am utterly torn, will probably spoil my ballot.

I get the feeling the Guardian are only just realising the damage done to the left and their readership over this issue.

Bloody hell. No-one is interested, tho...

This is great to see in the Guardian. All those people who rely solely on this newspaper (and the BBC) for their news - because they’d never sully themselves with the Telegraph, Mail or GB News - will finally get a little sunlight. A little sunlight that shows the concern for women’s sex-based rights is not some niche issue that has been blown up by crusty old frumps (thanks Indy). It’s a real concern, it’s valid, and it’s about time people sat up and paid attention instead of dismissing women as hateful bigots.

I really want them to win, but by far less of a margin than expected.

Exactly.

But this never comes up on the doorstep.

I brought it up on the doorstep. Candidate was cautious but didn't tell me I was a TERF. And this is in one of the wokest constituencies of the lot.

A day late and a dollar short. It might have been a talking point 3 months ago.

I brought it up on my doorstep to my lib dem candidate. He told me, as he stormed off down my path, that he wouldn't talk to me about it. He said the same again when I emailed him.

I had a postal vote. I voted conservative because this issue is a deal breaker and the parties just won't engage and listen.

I've emailed my labour candidate, no reply
greens - TWAW
Conservative - trans women are men and should stay out of women's stuff.
Lib Dem - TWAW but that's the party line, can't really rely on a candidate who can't speak freely. Also I emailed the local Lib Dem office who are fullon TRAs and they were all about the most vulnerable, be kind must include all women.

My Lib Dem candidate was the same. He (genuinely) said if it causes risk to women then it would only be low numbers.
Oh that’s okay then?! He is predicted to win - I think I’m going to vote Tory who are the only real opposition. I hate the tories. But the Lib Dem’s will be a dangerous influence on labour.

I’m going to mark my ballot paper with a tiny little - but recognisable - cross when I vote Labour on Thursday.
Single sex spaces and sports concern me but I do think that some trans women are women - it’s not a line in the sand for me.
I hope there will be detailed discussion and progress after the election. It’s a much more nuanced subject than either “side” allows. I’m more concerned about housing and health and it’s these issues which weaken my support.
Any thoughts of drifting towards one of the smaller parties or independents are trumped by the need to get rid of the truly unbelievable atrocious government the Tories have run. In my constituency that means voting Labour.

Single sex spaces and sports concern me but I do think that some trans women are women - it’s not a line in the sand for me.

Which ones?

about to ask the same. Is it like being ‘a bit dead’ ??

Excellent! I brought it up on the doorstep as well and told them that now they could tell their cronies that it IS coming up on the doorstep and they’re losing votes because of it.

The Labour bloke tried to argue that the candidate believed in single sex spaces, so I could vote for him with a clear conscience, but I pointed out that a vote for Labour would be taken as a mandate by the party on this. Nah. Not on my watch.

The Lib Dem canvasser looked like he’d just turned 18. He was like a rabbit in the headlights and just scuttled off after a bit of umming and ahing about passing on my feedback.

A dear friend of mine is trans.

Lovely demonstration of an understanding of how democracy works by your Lib Dem man there.

I'm sure they're lovely but they shouldn't expect to access facilities and services meant for the opposite sex.

My brother is trans. I still don't want to change beside him. And yes, he is a 'him' because people cannot change sex.

I brought it up on the doorstep. Said I’d been lifelong Labour and they’d lost me. Woman canvasser was ready to talk when she assumed it was the 20mph thing (In Wales, personally I like the change, living semi rurally happy to whizz along at national speed limit, but in built up areas it makes sense, bewildered that a speed limit would be a vote changer).

When I told her it was the Woman Problem she pretty much ran away, with me saying I’m sorry, you’re a woman too so I don’t want to fall out (I don’t why I said the last bit, social conditioning, eh). I think Welsh Labour have a don’t talk about it to ‘bigots’ cognitive dissonance thing happening. It’s not really happening if you run away and don’t listen.

Thankfully our long-standing Tory MP is a thoroughly decent sort who spends a lot of time getting to know his constituents and doing real things to help them, so my conscience is clear. In fact, I’m a bit embarrassed by my previous tribalism, if I’d looked at the candidates more closely without the current women’s rights issue being a factor, I’d still vote for him.