Trans row threatens to overshadow Lib Dem conference

[IwantToRetire]

Sir Ed Davey faces activist revolt over party rules that allow biological men to take women’s posts

The current rules allow those who “self-identify as women” to stand for party posts set aside for women, which the activists say dilutes the chance that biological women can reach the top of the party.

The vote will be put before conference on Saturday, but it is understood that trans rights activists will try to get it cancelled to avoid embarrassment. This is despite a YouGov poll showing that three-quarters of Lib Dem members do not support the party’s stance on allowing gender self-ID.

Full article at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/09/17/trans-row-threatens-to-overshadow-lib-dem-conference/

Also at https://archive.is/hykSr

So that's four of us on this thread who left the LibDems over the genderwang - @MarvellousMonsters , @Peregrina , @ScrollingLeaves and me.

I told them why I was going, and they had no shits to give.

I wonder how many members they lost, knowing why we were leaving? It's not as though it's a huge party.

I would have joined by now, were it not so deeply captured by the utter nonsense.

Mind you, I just watched Zack Polanski singing Aint No Mountain at conference, and I think that was the final straw.

Five of us.

Six of us! I was a member for years, former councillor, can’t say more as it’s outing.

I think there was something on this a long while back. There were quite a few members who left over the subject but the party tried to pretend it was just extreme/isolated individuals. This didn't seem to match other information.

The same seemed to happen with Labour.

It would be fascinating to know just how many women left political parties of all colours over gender wang.

Keep in mind these are politically engaged women who in many respects are hugely important to left wing / liberal parties. They aren't right wing women.

The party, now half the size it was five years ago, doesn't want to believe that people left because of this very issue. Perhaps a mass outing to the party by leavers would jolt them out of their comfortable, indulgent cuckoo cloud.

Me too. And the local party really don’t care that they’re losing long established, activist members over it.

I told them why I was going, and they had no shits to give.

Same with me. And Lynne Featherstone (?) opined that there was no place for us in the Party. OK, so you can forgo my subs then.

They ought to use their brains and realise that women like us are the bedrock of the organisation - how much work would get done if they just relied on the Transactivists? Precious little, I would warrant.

Just to say, there is a very vocal, intelligent and active group from within the party that are fighting tooth and nail to stop the party from bringing itself into disrepute. It reminds the party that it must act legally, which it is in danger of not doing.

That's a great idea.

So 8 on this thread alone, plus someone else who might have joined.

I had been asked if I would run for the local council, and very likely would have done by now.

I am now completely disengaged politically, other than on here.

It is.
I might never trust them again though unless there is a root and branch apology.

I don't think that would work. There are a lot of party activists, not just in libdems but other parties too, who would rather seek total ethical purity even if it means that they never get a sniff of actual power again. The coalition taught them that making compromises for political expediency can blow up in your face, so I think they would rather be a small and insignificant party that's got rid of the people who disagree with them.

What is frustrating is that I know LibDems who remain active in the party who haven't drunk the KoolAid, but also either don't think it's a big enough issue to make them want to rock the boat, or who know it's a big issue but prefer to keep working in their local communities on the things that matter day to to day in those communities - housing, school places, potholes, policing.

Lid Dems don't stand for election expecting to win....

The more they force out, the greater power they can wield.