LarryDavid wrote:

I get the point, though. In an ideal world pubs across the land would add an extra ‘lavatory for people of indeterminate gender or with gender confusion issues’. But that’s unlikely to happen. Plus the Mail would go mental about it if anywhere did.

legaldinho wrote:

Yossarian wrote:

Trans issues are a real flashpoint on the left right now, I’m not really sure where I stand on any of it.

On the one hand, I tend instictively towards accepting self-identification, on the other, I recognise that I won’t be at the sharp end of any issues that could theoretically arise from the acceptance of this and that those that are should be heard out and their concerns taken seriously.

Quite how to balance these two sets of rights is beyond me.

Surely the answer is simple. You can self identify as trans, and as a matter of politeness that should be it. But if you are running for election which is on a woman-only shortlist, there should be some discussion of what, if any, safeguards there should be about abuse of the right to self-identify. There should certainly be scope for debating this policy without being shouted down as transphobic, listed on private Facebook groups as such, and targeted for ousting from the labour party, sacking from your job atthe NUT, or both.

legaldinho wrote:

I think that is another CLP - Lily Allen's, up in Kent or summat. That was a Vauxhall CLP meeting to discuss self-identifying trans women to run for reserved posts.

a month for 3 months.


Labour suspends activist in transgender row
Lucy Bannerman
January 27 2018, 12:01am, The Times

Jennifer James said Labour had a secret police group
Jennifer James said Labour had a secret police group
Share
Save
The founder of a crowdfunding campaign to bar transgender women from all-women shortlists has been suspended from the Labour Party after her name appeared on a “secret hit list” submitted to party officials.

Jennifer James, 51, a Labour activist, set up the campaign this month to fund a legal challenge to the decision to open all-women shortlists up to “all self- defining women” regardless of their legal gender. She says that she supports greater representation of transgender people but that that should not mean fewer places for those born female.

Two days after setting up the group, the names of Ms James, a former physics teacher from Liverpool, and dozens of other supporters appeared on a list compiled by members of a closed Facebook group called Labour Against Transphobia. The group is run by Aisling Musson, a political science student at the University of York and disabled students officer at the university’s students union. Its members include Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, and Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North.

In a post seen by The Times, Ms Musson explained to members that the “intention of the spreadsheet was only ever created to hold evidence of transphobia, which could be emailed to compliance to get people kicked out of the party”. The evidence included links to social media posts and invitations to public meetings to discuss proposals to change gender identity laws.

Within 11 days of the list’s circulation Ms James received notification from Labour officials that she had been suspended from the party, which she joined in 1990. At least two of the women on the list have reported the matter to police. One said that she was expecting “a brick through the window any minute”.

Lily Madigan, a women’s officer for the party, who is transgender, admitted being “vaguely aware of a list” but screenshots seen by The Times show her discussing it in detail with other members of the group.

Ms James said: “Labour has, essentially, a secret police group with a hit list, picking off crowdfunder women signatories one at a time. I have been suspended for saying women don’t have penises and men don’t have vaginas.”

Emma Salmon, 51, whose Labour membership number was also shared among the group, called it “a vigilante witch-hunt to collate evidence on those who were trying to stand up for women’s rights, [which is] seemingly endorsed by the party I was a member of”.

Helena Wojtczak, 59, who has never been a Labour member, found herself on the list, having supported the crowdfunder. She said she felt “great empathy for trans women”, who she felt were being used as a “political football” by misogynists to launch a covert attack on women.

The list includes many other campaigners who have raised concerns over the implications of allowing people to self-declare their gender.

Ms Musson declined to respond to questions about the list. Ms Rayner could not be reached for comment.

Mr Streeting said he joined the group “because a group against transphobia sounds like a good group to be part of” but said he did not condone the “tactic” behind the list.

The Labour Party refused to say whether its officials were aware of the list, or what they planned to do with the information. A party spokeswoman said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints seriously, which are investigated in line with party procedures.”