Sex and Gender at the Labour party Conference

[fromorbit]

It seems the Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC) blocked motions focusing on pushing trans rights as well as those focusing on Gaza. CAC is controlled by pro leadership people so this reflects their priorities. Given what happened to the Lib Dems conference no doubt the CAC will be pretty happy in their priorities.

Obviously the conference will be shadowed by the decision to cancel the women's conference this year because of the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling. On the upside Labour party rules actually now say that women exist since earlier this year. See earlier thread.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5374205-labour-party-rules-updated-after-supreme-court-win-women-exist

By all accounts women's conference may return next year, but will face controversy because it will focus on actual women not men.

Meanwhile LWD is continuing their conference representation with an event The Supreme Court Ruling:Reflections on the Past Year & the Challenges Ahead and hosting Sex Matters and For Women Scotland reps at their stall.

Details - Conference 2025 - Labour Women's Declaration
https://labourwomensdeclaration.org.uk/conference-2025/

Labour Women's Network have a PERSISTERHOOD: Feminist Rally!
https://www.lwn.org.uk/persisterhood_rally

Labour For Trans Rights have organised a Trans Solidarity Rally Chaired by Nadia Whittome which has 8 other MPs attending including Dame Emily Thornberry MP, Dawn Butler MP and Christina McAnea, General Secretary of Unison plus the General secretaries of Aslef, and UCU unions.
https://www.labourfortransrights.co.uk/

There is also an trans activist demo outside the conference. So the TAs are scaling up protests, but their influence in the party as a whole is way weaker. They still have major sway in the unions as recent votes at TUC show. However sooner or later someone will sue more unions for sexism so they are on borrowed time.

Anyway this thread can mark off any potential drama though I can't see Labour matching either Lib Dems or the Greens conference.

Just a joke image from @moleatthedoor I believe.

https://x.com/moleatthedoor/status/1972678821116522984

The chaired Trans event with 9 mps today was very busy it seems:
https://x.com/Lab4TransRights/status/1973039361898975626

Meanwhile the LWD stall has also been very busy with various visits from MPs and MSPs. Most notable Jackie Ballie Deputy leader of Scottish Labour, Karin Smyth Minister of State for Health, Dame Diana Johnson Minister of State in the Department of Work and Pensions
https://x.com/LabWomenDec

Want to shake hands? Get consent, Labour conference posters urge
It is unclear why the signs, which are printed with Labour’s rose emblem, are placed in women’s lavatories and not in the men’s.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/29/want-shake-hands-get-consent-posters-labour-conference/
And at https://archive.is/AOfgU

True?!

My mate was working at the Conference yesterday and met Maya. She was thrilled to bits, told her her workplace is full of terfs, even though they can't speak out. It really brightened up her day so I'm glad Maya went.

Well it just shows how batshit the world has become. When I thought that it was real, and didn't spot the joke.

Lucy Powell thinks the new guidance (has she even seen it?) goes too far

https://archive.ph/xUPOL

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/09/30/trans-rules-wrong-labour-deputy-contender/

I'm not sure what she wouldn't consider to be too far. I'm struggling to think of a compromise that escaped the SC.

Apparently she's got the backing of Burnham. Does anyone know his position on gender nonsense?

Maya was in the audience at the trans rally. She was not impressed and she knows what the future holds. Biology is real. The Unions can try to be sexist as much as they like, but they are going to lose in the end.

Maya Forstater
https://x.com/MForstater/status/1973118404157685763

Today I listened as representatives of UNISON, Unite, GMB, ASLEF, UCU and CWU stood up one by one and denounced gender critical views, and the Equality Act protections on the basis of biological sex.
fiona44444 is suing her union.

They need telling that women have rights.
Quote
💙Fiona Macdonald

I am suing PCS Union for discriminating against me on the basis of my gender critical beliefs. I am raising funds via CrowdJustice: The UK's crowdfunding platform for legal action

Also at the conference.

LabourLGB
https://x.com/LabourLGB/status/1973076236722155773

As Labour Conference 2025 finishes its last full day, we here are proud of our work promoting LabourLGB
and better yet, being seen and listened to by all in Labour. Here's to LC2026!'

Powell clearly is incorrect, however bear in mind her opponent Philipson definitely is more pro-women from her recent actions/statements and has been attacked by TAs a lot.

Powell says she wants the opportunity for her and her colleagues to veto EHRC guidance which is something they can't do. They can debate it, but if they want it to change they need to change the LAW.

Philipson is the one who has power over the EHRC regulations over single sex areas as soon as Parliament starts and/or this contest is over she decides whether to push for a debate or simply just wait 40 days and they are published. So Powell's stance is a direct challenge to Philipson.

Is this Powell trying to gain votes by indicating she is "nicer" i.e more gullible than her opponent? Or is it something she deeply believes?

Powell could be a problem going forward. We shall see.

Yet there is a silver lining the TAs as already said are pursuing Philipson with their usual hateful tactics. Whether she wins or loses Philipson has huge power. Given the TAs are hounding her one suspects she is not going to be inclined to give them any leeway. Powell attacking her over it again might just make Philipson even more sure the TAs are wrong.

Burnham is somewhat incoherent on the issue. He tries play off both sides, BUT he also believes in debate. So in 2019 he met with LGB alliance when most Labour members would refuse to do so. He balanced this by talking to TAs later.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/andy-burnham-trans-community-support-17743380

So his natural instinct was towards debate rather than heresy hunting. He has done little to hold back TAs from doing crazy stuff in Manchester though. Also he talked nonsense after the Supreme Court judgement:

Andy Burnham says the Supreme Court’s ruling has made things ‘more confusing in the real world’ for trans people using public toilets.
https://x.com/FFS_WhatNow/status/1916514098616938949

Interestingly though Rosie Duffield likes him. So it looks like he is a mixed bag.
Rosie Duffield: Andy Burnham would tempt me back to Labour

Powell and Burnham are fully in " be kind" brigade - like most of the soft Left in Labour.

Rosie Duffield probably quite likes him because apart from her standing up for women she is also a bit of a soft Leftie.

I read a comment somewhere that said Lucy Powell was the favourite to get the Deputy Dawg job, if she does can she use the position to torpedo the guidance, even if the can't do anything about the law (unless they change it) they can still prevent the law from being implemented by obfuscating the issue. 😠

Yes, she's the favourite amongst the membership, but Phillipson is the cabinet choice. The membership, though, is still very much TWAW.

How Labour members view the deputy leadership candidates ( and all of the cabinet members and potential leaders etc).

There seems to be more antipathy from Lucy Powell supporters towards Bridget Phillipson than the other way around. We really could do without Lucy Powell muddying the clear waters of the recent Supreme Court judgement ( through her own ignorance)

https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/53080-how-do-labour-members-feel-about-the-party-ahead-of-the-2025-labour-deputy-leadership-election

Deputy Leadership role has not much real power. She will have an important platform, but that doesn't mean much without ministerial roles or other roles in the party.

It is still unclear how deeply Powell feels this. As others said this is all about being nice. The thing is when you look into the issue seriously there is no nice solution unless you think women giving everything to men in dresses and that still not being enough is a solution.

Remember according to most TAs now everyone in Labour is a genocidial nazi. Sooner or later Powell is going to realise this.

Turns out the trans rally had some insane rhetoric.

Nadia Whittome: Supreme Court trans ruling like ‘Putin’s Russia’
https://archive.is/h7hfS#

Trans athletes should be able to compete in some women’s sports, suggests Nandy
Culture Secretary says issue of trans athletes competing alongside biological women still not clear cut
https://archive.is/WLe4c

Asked about trans inclusion at a fringe event on sport at the Labour Party conference, she said: “So we’ve been looking a lot at this... it’s not for Government, obviously, to decide how competitions are run, but there are three things that we’re trying to achieve.
“The first is inclusion, the second is fairness, and the third is safety. And there are some sports where it’s perfectly possible to include everybody and still meet those principles around fairness and safety.
“There are others where it isn’t, and that’s where I think we need to make sure that we put as much energy and ambition into competitions that the trans community can participate in fully as we do into all of the others.”
Asked by The Telegraph if April’s judgment could cause a problem for trans inclusion, she said: “The sporting bodies are currently looking at the Supreme Court ruling and what it means for sport and it’s obviously their choice as to how to manage that.
“But obviously, as a Government, we’re keen to support them to take a sensible and proportionate approach to observe the law, but make sure that we don’t shut people out from opportunities to participate in sport.”
Asked whether she thought trans women should be able to compete in some sports alongside biological women, where they meet those three criteria on inclusion, safety and fairness, she said: “We’re going to be led by the sporting bodies in this, but we want to make sure that they’re as inclusive as possible, but understand there are limits to how possible that is in some sports.”
She said the issue was complicated because of “physical differences and others”, adding that the sporting bodies were “working really hard and thoughtfully to make sure we get the right approach and we’re supporting them with it"

I think the Telegraph is twisting Nandy here. I think she is trying to be nice she knows that men are going to be booted out of al of them, but she is doesn't want to say that plainly.

Nandy, the bacterial Culture Secretary, has it completely ass-backwards. Fiona McAnena, from lower down in the same article, corrects her

The first priority in sport is safety. Next comes fairness. The Sports Council’s guidance says that letting trans-identifying men into women’s sport is neither safe nor fair for women and girls. There is no middle ground.

Eta Nandy really needs to sit and have a think. She can't really believe that anyone's safety should be put at risk so someone else can feel included. Can she? Perhaps have a chat with Fiona?

The power and influence of LWD is growing lots of MPs, Councilors and others visiting the stall and key figures from other Labour groups.

LabourWomen’sDeclaration 🦖

The last day at our conference stall has been as busy as ever with visitors keen to engage.
Here's Secretary of State for Wales JoStevens Labour in conversation with Dee McCullough of LesbianLabour & LabourLGB

LabourWomen’sDeclaration 🦖

Congrats to our long-time friends & supporters Labour Asians Society (LAS)
.
We welcomed Chair Atta Ul Haq to our stall earlier today during a busy time of conversations with two paramedics attending conference and also with
JoStevensLabour
.

LabourWomen’sDeclaration 🦖

Oct 1
It's notable this year how many UKLabour, WelshLabour & ScottishLabour councillors & candidates have visited our #Lab25 stall to show support & discuss the need for local authorities to comply with the Equality Act.

Here are a few pics, more in due course
https://x.com/LabWomenDec/status/1973284338260394080

Fall out from the trans rally.

Mick Whelan proud to be called ‘woke wr’ over support for trans rights
https://labourlist.org/2025/09/mick-whelan-trans-rights-labour-conference/

Cathy Devine

Dear MickWhelanASLEF
,
I note you're 'proud to be called a “woke w**r”' over your support for trans rights.
Can you clarify for UKLabour leftie feminists if this means you support over-writing sex with gender identity in women's services provisions & sports when sex matters?

LWD are all in on supporting GWD who have just been kicked out of the Green conference.

LabourWomen’sDeclaration 🦖

Massive solidarity with our sisters in GWDDeclaration

Please help them fight this discrimination with your donations if you can.

Thread:
^ https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5328986-greens-internal-drama-warms-up?page=18&reply=147535836^

I didn't get that sense. Were you referring to the admonitions to be respectful, etc? Which I admit can be a clue. But I would have expected a proud/belligerent statement about "inclusivity" if they were including the lady-lads.