For LGBT history month, the Liberal Democrats have put out an extraordinary statement confirming their commitment to the extreme wing of gender identity.
The party which took in Aimee Challenor after the Greens decided to investigate their actions have doubled down on embracing the pseudoscience which has caused so many to ignore the erosion of women’s rights and safety.
Lynne Featherstone in her statement conflates victories for gay rights with the push to allow self identification of gender, without “bureaucratic hurdles” as she calls them. She declares that it is our duty to fight “for trans people to be […] welcomed into all spaces”. Far from being her own personal opinion, she claims that the entire Liberal Democrats party are fighting for this cause.
She goes on to include in this the demand that all official documents include an X option “for those who do not wish to identify as male or female”. It is disappointing that someone campaigning so heavily to change the laws on gender identity is unable to distinguish between the genders of man and woman, which involve an element of identity, and the biological sexes of male and female, which are nothing more than material reality. This confusion is shared by the Liberal Democrats life peer, Brian Paddick.
Males are not going to be allowed into female only spaces as a result of proposed changes to the GRA. And what female only spaces are public spaces necessary for women to participate in public life?— Brian Paddick 🇬🇧👨❤️👨🇳🇴 (@brianpaddick) July 2, 2018
Lynne Featherstone concludes her statement with a message to those who seek to preserve female-only spaces: “You are not feminists. Your views are not welcome in the Liberal Democrats.”
In the wake of many people’s disillusionment with the Labour Party, one might be forgiven for thinking that the Liberal Democrats could be a refuge for centre left politics. But they have now made explicitly clear their commitment to doubling down on political irrelevancy, by rejecting mainstream views on gender and sex and declaring their steadfast opposition to those who disagree.
Posted by Haru Yasumi
4 February, 2019 at 5:03 pm
that's a ridiculously misleading headline. it doesn't say, 'feminists, your views are not welcome'. it says 'you are not feminist. your views are not welcome'. being transphobic is not a prerequisite of being feminist. the majority of feminists actually support trans people. the extremists that do not, are not representative of feminism. it is easily possible to be feminist and not transphobic.
Posted by S Jones
5 February, 2019 at 12:41 pm
That's a highly contentious assertion.
Being aware that biology is set and sex can not be changed, while accepting the rights of everyone to express gender however they want is not transphobic, it is simply critical of the dogma surrounding the transgender agenda. And yes, it is pretty much fundamental to actual feminism, which recognises that the problems of oppression females face is directly connected to the physical reality of their sexed bodies and their reproductive capabilities .
Posted by SJones
3 February, 2019 at 10:20 pm
Communist party recently passed a motion stating that women and girls need separate spaces, and transgender is rooted in neo-liberalism. And UKIP is the only other party which doesn't support transgender.
Posted by Alan Henness
3 February, 2019 at 7:32 pm
Featherstone states:
I asked her on Twitter where that figure comes from. I'm not holding my breath but I would like to see the source.Posted by Jo Hayes
3 February, 2019 at 8:47 pm
Be good to also be able to compare it to the number of women assaulted in their workplace...
So basically, they don't give a crap about 51% of the population. Great way to get votes you virtue signalling fools.