Keep All-Women Shortlists Female!
Comrades, we are a group of Labour women who want to ensure all-women shortlists (AWS) remain reserved for females and that women's representation in the party increases. We believe that the election of self-identifying transwomen as women's officers and their inclusion on all-women shortlists is reducing and undermining female representation in the Labour party.
We are absolutely committed to trans people, as a marginalised group, living free from discrimination and violence: we need trans representatives, trans councillors and trans MPs in our party. We are socialists and we are egalitarians. However, trans representation must not happen at the expense of female candidates and we are furious that we are having to fight another battle for women's representation, just 100 years after the suffragette victories.
We have been advised that a legal challenge to the Labour party on this could be winnable. The party has recently allowed males to be elected as women's officers and males to be selected over females in all-woman MP candidate selections. This has happened because Labour, in practice, has started to define 'women' by sex AND by self-identification. Labour is now relying on these two antithetical definitions of 'woman' to choose candidates which is the cause of this conflict of interests. We need a resolution.
Self-identification does not define men as women, in law or in fact. Labour conference has neither agreed nor even debated self-id or rule changes to the Labour party's AWS selection process. Women, as a marginalised group, are entitled to AWS under Equality Act 2010 exemptions. Trans people who have had gender reassigment are also, rightly, protected as a group under the act but men who simply self-id as women are not. Only party members can change party rules, not its MPs, not its general secretary and not its paid bureaucrats.
As socialists we understand class analysis and we know the most meaningful way to classify women is by sex. Women are classified as second class citizens because of our biology. None of us can keep our sex a secret and if we could there would be no pay gap and no #MeToo. Whereas no one can tell what another person's gender identity is (if they even have one) just by looking at them. Sex, along with poverty, age, disability and race, is one of the major oppressive hierarchies in the world today. Women's biology has always the basis for our oppression worldwide BY MEN. Feminism is defined as the movement to liberate all women from sex-based oppression.
Self-id also impacts on lesbians and gay men who, by definition, are not homogenderists but homosexuals. Lesbians and gays are currently afforded legal, sex-based protections from discrimination and these are already being diluted by self-id. We believe gender is a manmade, toxic set of stereotypes, used to restrict men and women and we want to see it abolished, not codified into law. We support all gender non-conforming people: be they lesbian, gay or trans. Feminists have always been the vanguard of the fight for people to live their lives in a gender non-conforming way and will continue to do so - but never at the expense of women's rights and representation.
We do not classify people based on a set of gendered ideals by which most will fail: the superficial markers of clothing, hairstyles and make-up... or by body type, weight, or perceived femininity or masculinity. We do not assess people's worth by the way they look or speak - women and men succeed as women and men simply by being. The same is true for girls and boys. All girls are acceptable as girls and all boys are acceptable as boys, however they dress, look or behave. We condemn the medicalisation of pre-pubescent kids who are encouraged to take puberty blockers if they play with the 'wrong' toys or want to wear the 'wrong' clothes. Conservatives see a boy in a dress and want to change the outfit, liberals see the dress as fine but want to change the kid's body. Socialist feminists want kids to be kids and wear what tf they want.
Every penny of the money we raise will go entirely on our legal funds, we will produce all our bank statements, legal bills and legal updates and upload to this site. We want our donors to make the decisions on how to move forward and we will crowdfund direction as well as money. We will follow where you lead, and will keep in regular contact by email, so we can democratically decide how we do this, what we want to achieve, how we go about it and who we employ to act on our behalf.
Your support will mean a great deal to women, it will mean there are people who care, who have not forgotten them. It will mean they are not politically homeless: we stand with them.
Please do not give more than you can really afford, it's not necessary... and don't feel you have to donate - your support and your help in sharing the crowdfunder is enough and IS appreciated.
Any left-over funds will go to fight against self-id, against the medicalisation of children and to keep women's spaces female-only, specifically: women's hospital wards, gyny screening, prisons, domestic violence shelters, changing rooms, saunas, spas, sleeper train carriages, scholarships, quotas and national and international women's sports.
We all know that only the Labour party has the best interests of women at heart. Please help us to overturn the decisions of the party liberals, weather vanes and bureaucrats to prove this is the case. Self-id is a tory manifesto policy for heaven's sakes... which gives us all an idea of just how bad an idea it is.
Your solidarity is appreciated and ours is eternal.
Jennifer James Garston and Halewood CLP
Dr. Viv Pointon Stone CLP
Emma Salmon Bexhill and Battle CLP
Suzanne Weaver Stroud CLP
Pilgrim Tucker Vauxhall CLP
Christine Bayliss Bexhill and Battle CLP
Miranda Yardley Southend West CLP
Samantha Marshall-Cameron. Sheffield Central CLP
Debra Atkinson Chesterfield CLP
Alice Bondi Women's Officer Penrith and the Border CLP
Karen Kruzycka Romford CLP
Avril Moussalli Altrincham & Sale West CLP
Jan Oliver Enfield North CLP
Toni Morris Vauxhall CLP
Jacky Holyoake Halesowen and Rowley Regis CLP
Matesa McKeefery Rossendale and Darwen CLP
Eleanor Hill Cardiff West CLP
Bronwen Davies Cardiff North CLP
Emma Aynsley Cardiff Central CLP
Susan Matthews Dulwich and West Norwood CLP
Catherine Costello Hartlepool CLP
Jessica Budynkiewicz Bournemouth East CLP
Rachel King Moseley and Kings Heath CLP
Claire Jones Leeds North West CLP
Chinzia Ogilvie Portsmouth South CLP
Dinah Stubbs Islington South CLP
Sian Henry Watford CLP
Liz Vickers Winchester CLP
Barbara Ulargiu Bermondsey & Old Southwark CLP
Stacey Charlesworth Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP
Rebecca Heath Brent CLP
Debra Halliday Huddersfield CLP
Cátia Freitas Esher and Walton CLP
Liz Hemingway Knowsley North CLP
Emma Thomas Hackney South and Shoreditch CLP
Cherry Austin North Herefordshire CLP
Shelley Charlesworth Islington North CLP
Stephanie Shelford Lewisham Deptford CLP
Dr Lesley Semmens Bradford West
Abigail Wyatt St Ives and Penzance CLP
Louise Paine St Ives CLP
Mandy Moore Canterbury CLP
Karen Ingala Smith Walthamstow CLP
Susi Wisniewski Warwick & Leamington CLP
Penny O'Donnell Gedling CLP
Phoebe Alexander Middlesbrough and South East Cleveland CLP
Paula Boulton Corby and East Northants CLP
And Our Male Allies:
Michael Murphy Tiverton & Honiton CLP
Christopher Goldie Bury North CLP
Michael Weaver Stroud CLP
Lee Holland Newport West CLP
Mark Wisniewski Warwick and Leamington CLP
Ken Stringer Telford CLP
+ Read More
We are absolutely committed to trans people, as a marginalised group, living free from discrimination and violence: we need trans representatives, trans councillors and trans MPs in our party. We are socialists and we are egalitarians. However, trans representation must not happen at the expense of female candidates and we are furious that we are having to fight another battle for women's representation, just 100 years after the suffragette victories.
We have been advised that a legal challenge to the Labour party on this could be winnable. The party has recently allowed males to be elected as women's officers and males to be selected over females in all-woman MP candidate selections. This has happened because Labour, in practice, has started to define 'women' by sex AND by self-identification. Labour is now relying on these two antithetical definitions of 'woman' to choose candidates which is the cause of this conflict of interests. We need a resolution.
Self-identification does not define men as women, in law or in fact. Labour conference has neither agreed nor even debated self-id or rule changes to the Labour party's AWS selection process. Women, as a marginalised group, are entitled to AWS under Equality Act 2010 exemptions. Trans people who have had gender reassigment are also, rightly, protected as a group under the act but men who simply self-id as women are not. Only party members can change party rules, not its MPs, not its general secretary and not its paid bureaucrats.
As socialists we understand class analysis and we know the most meaningful way to classify women is by sex. Women are classified as second class citizens because of our biology. None of us can keep our sex a secret and if we could there would be no pay gap and no #MeToo. Whereas no one can tell what another person's gender identity is (if they even have one) just by looking at them. Sex, along with poverty, age, disability and race, is one of the major oppressive hierarchies in the world today. Women's biology has always the basis for our oppression worldwide BY MEN. Feminism is defined as the movement to liberate all women from sex-based oppression.
Self-id also impacts on lesbians and gay men who, by definition, are not homogenderists but homosexuals. Lesbians and gays are currently afforded legal, sex-based protections from discrimination and these are already being diluted by self-id. We believe gender is a manmade, toxic set of stereotypes, used to restrict men and women and we want to see it abolished, not codified into law. We support all gender non-conforming people: be they lesbian, gay or trans. Feminists have always been the vanguard of the fight for people to live their lives in a gender non-conforming way and will continue to do so - but never at the expense of women's rights and representation.
We do not classify people based on a set of gendered ideals by which most will fail: the superficial markers of clothing, hairstyles and make-up... or by body type, weight, or perceived femininity or masculinity. We do not assess people's worth by the way they look or speak - women and men succeed as women and men simply by being. The same is true for girls and boys. All girls are acceptable as girls and all boys are acceptable as boys, however they dress, look or behave. We condemn the medicalisation of pre-pubescent kids who are encouraged to take puberty blockers if they play with the 'wrong' toys or want to wear the 'wrong' clothes. Conservatives see a boy in a dress and want to change the outfit, liberals see the dress as fine but want to change the kid's body. Socialist feminists want kids to be kids and wear what tf they want.
Every penny of the money we raise will go entirely on our legal funds, we will produce all our bank statements, legal bills and legal updates and upload to this site. We want our donors to make the decisions on how to move forward and we will crowdfund direction as well as money. We will follow where you lead, and will keep in regular contact by email, so we can democratically decide how we do this, what we want to achieve, how we go about it and who we employ to act on our behalf.
Your support will mean a great deal to women, it will mean there are people who care, who have not forgotten them. It will mean they are not politically homeless: we stand with them.
Please do not give more than you can really afford, it's not necessary... and don't feel you have to donate - your support and your help in sharing the crowdfunder is enough and IS appreciated.
Any left-over funds will go to fight against self-id, against the medicalisation of children and to keep women's spaces female-only, specifically: women's hospital wards, gyny screening, prisons, domestic violence shelters, changing rooms, saunas, spas, sleeper train carriages, scholarships, quotas and national and international women's sports.
We all know that only the Labour party has the best interests of women at heart. Please help us to overturn the decisions of the party liberals, weather vanes and bureaucrats to prove this is the case. Self-id is a tory manifesto policy for heaven's sakes... which gives us all an idea of just how bad an idea it is.
Your solidarity is appreciated and ours is eternal.
Jennifer James Garston and Halewood CLP
Dr. Viv Pointon Stone CLP
Emma Salmon Bexhill and Battle CLP
Suzanne Weaver Stroud CLP
Pilgrim Tucker Vauxhall CLP
Christine Bayliss Bexhill and Battle CLP
Miranda Yardley Southend West CLP
Samantha Marshall-Cameron. Sheffield Central CLP
Debra Atkinson Chesterfield CLP
Alice Bondi Women's Officer Penrith and the Border CLP
Karen Kruzycka Romford CLP
Avril Moussalli Altrincham & Sale West CLP
Jan Oliver Enfield North CLP
Toni Morris Vauxhall CLP
Jacky Holyoake Halesowen and Rowley Regis CLP
Matesa McKeefery Rossendale and Darwen CLP
Eleanor Hill Cardiff West CLP
Bronwen Davies Cardiff North CLP
Emma Aynsley Cardiff Central CLP
Susan Matthews Dulwich and West Norwood CLP
Catherine Costello Hartlepool CLP
Jessica Budynkiewicz Bournemouth East CLP
Rachel King Moseley and Kings Heath CLP
Claire Jones Leeds North West CLP
Chinzia Ogilvie Portsmouth South CLP
Dinah Stubbs Islington South CLP
Sian Henry Watford CLP
Liz Vickers Winchester CLP
Barbara Ulargiu Bermondsey & Old Southwark CLP
Stacey Charlesworth Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP
Rebecca Heath Brent CLP
Debra Halliday Huddersfield CLP
Cátia Freitas Esher and Walton CLP
Liz Hemingway Knowsley North CLP
Emma Thomas Hackney South and Shoreditch CLP
Cherry Austin North Herefordshire CLP
Shelley Charlesworth Islington North CLP
Stephanie Shelford Lewisham Deptford CLP
Dr Lesley Semmens Bradford West
Abigail Wyatt St Ives and Penzance CLP
Louise Paine St Ives CLP
Mandy Moore Canterbury CLP
Karen Ingala Smith Walthamstow CLP
Susi Wisniewski Warwick & Leamington CLP
Penny O'Donnell Gedling CLP
Phoebe Alexander Middlesbrough and South East Cleveland CLP
Paula Boulton Corby and East Northants CLP
And Our Male Allies:
Michael Murphy Tiverton & Honiton CLP
Christopher Goldie Bury North CLP
Michael Weaver Stroud CLP
Lee Holland Newport West CLP
Mark Wisniewski Warwick and Leamington CLP
Ken Stringer Telford CLP
Hi all,
I wanted to mention the Jess Bradley news in case anyone has missed it. Jess Bradley is a high-profile transwoman, and the National Union of Students' trans officer.
Jess 'identifies as a woman' and has been advocating on national tv and in government select committees for transwomen to have access to all women's rights and spaces, be it changing rooms, hospital wards, prisons, sports etc.
So it turns out Jess has been getting his dick out and masturbating in public. At his place of work, on trains, at bus stops and in public parks. And photographing himself doing it and posting to social media. He's also been reblogging paedophilia. There's evidence of this on my timeline, search @msjenniferjames and 'for the record'.
Jess Bradley is exactly the type of man we are worried about and I think the news about his criminal behaviour MAY represent a turning point in our fight. Extremist trans activists can no longer use the 'this would never happen' argument. Jess Bradley is probably one of their best known advocates. Some trans people have gender dysphoria and are 100% genuine and just want to live their lives. Others, like Jess, are men with a fetish and we just unwillingly form part of their fantasy. That's all I have to say on that.
---------------
There's a facility on gofundme to individually thank each donor... I started to use it when we kicked it off but soon got overwhelmed by the task... as there's 1,600 donations!
Anyway I just want each and every one of you wonderful women (and the handful of loyal male allies) to know... that... I have read evey single one of your names and every single comment.
When I feel apathetic and need motivating about the case or when I feel daunted by the climb ahead I sit down and read through the donors' names and comments. So many of you are not doing this for yourselves, even, but for the next generation of women.
I read your ideas, support, praise and solidarity in this and it is the most wonderful feeling... the warmth and connection I feel is powerful. I know that you have my back and you know I have yours. Thank you.
Now the Labour party are literally wriggling madly in a last-ditch attempt to avoid having a court make decision on self-id I will tell you straight... I can smell victory.
It's not a bad life is it. :-)
#IGetByWithALittleHelpFromMyFriends
Jennifer
I wanted to mention the Jess Bradley news in case anyone has missed it. Jess Bradley is a high-profile transwoman, and the National Union of Students' trans officer.
Jess 'identifies as a woman' and has been advocating on national tv and in government select committees for transwomen to have access to all women's rights and spaces, be it changing rooms, hospital wards, prisons, sports etc.
So it turns out Jess has been getting his dick out and masturbating in public. At his place of work, on trains, at bus stops and in public parks. And photographing himself doing it and posting to social media. He's also been reblogging paedophilia. There's evidence of this on my timeline, search @msjenniferjames and 'for the record'.
Jess Bradley is exactly the type of man we are worried about and I think the news about his criminal behaviour MAY represent a turning point in our fight. Extremist trans activists can no longer use the 'this would never happen' argument. Jess Bradley is probably one of their best known advocates. Some trans people have gender dysphoria and are 100% genuine and just want to live their lives. Others, like Jess, are men with a fetish and we just unwillingly form part of their fantasy. That's all I have to say on that.
---------------
There's a facility on gofundme to individually thank each donor... I started to use it when we kicked it off but soon got overwhelmed by the task... as there's 1,600 donations!
Anyway I just want each and every one of you wonderful women (and the handful of loyal male allies) to know... that... I have read evey single one of your names and every single comment.
When I feel apathetic and need motivating about the case or when I feel daunted by the climb ahead I sit down and read through the donors' names and comments. So many of you are not doing this for yourselves, even, but for the next generation of women.
I read your ideas, support, praise and solidarity in this and it is the most wonderful feeling... the warmth and connection I feel is powerful. I know that you have my back and you know I have yours. Thank you.
Now the Labour party are literally wriggling madly in a last-ditch attempt to avoid having a court make decision on self-id I will tell you straight... I can smell victory.
It's not a bad life is it. :-)
#IGetByWithALittleHelpFromMyFriends
Jennifer
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