I'm delighted- someone to vote for !
KJK standing for Bristol Central
Sausagenbacon · 09/06/2024 08:51
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WhereAreWeNow · 19/06/2024 13:08
Thangham is GC so it seems odd to stand against her. Especially when there's a very real risk that Greens could get in (I think Greens are good on a lot of issues but not women!).
duc748 · 19/06/2024 14:19
I don't understand these people who a 'voting on Gaza'. What do they want/expect a Labour govt to do? They can't stop the war, or influence either side. They could commit to fully recognising a Palestine state, but even that would only be a token gesture. But it seems these days, token gestures are often preferable to real-life decisions that can make a real difference.
duc748 · 19/06/2024 14:19
I don't understand these people who a 'voting on Gaza'. What do they want/expect a Labour govt to do? They can't stop the war, or influence either side. They could commit to fully recognising a Palestine state, but even that would only be a token gesture. But it seems these days, token gestures are often preferable to real-life decisions that can make a real difference.
PainOngoing · 19/06/2024 11:04
I got a reply from Thangam Debbonaire to my e-mail:
"Thanks for your email.
I really appreciate you contacting me about this issue, and I'm sorry that you feel I haven't been vocal enough on it. Particularly because the rights and safety of women and girls is so important to me. I hope I'm able to reassure you now.
You mention single-sex spaces, the participation of transwomen in women's sport, and gender self-identification, so I will lay out my position on those issues now, and if there is anything else then please don't hesitate to follow up.
Firstly, as you may know, before I was an MP I spent decades working in the Violence Against Women and Girls sector. I know personally the importance of single sex spaces and services, and I am a fierce defender of them. I'm proud of Labour’s 2010 Equality Act, which enshrined single-sex spaces along with other rights and exemptions for women. I want to absolutely assure you of my and the Labour Party’s commitment to the 2010 Equality Act and its single-sex exemptions.
Secondly, as well as having been your MP I am also the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and in this capacity I have taken a particular interest in women’s sport. I want every girl to have the opportunities that I wasn’t fortunate enough to have as a child – access to brilliant, competitive and exciting sport. We have to ensure that sport is inclusive, and we have to balance this with considerations around safety and competitiveness. As Keir Starmer said in April, it is up to sporting bodies to take a decision whether to permit transgender athletes to participate. Some have already decided not to allow transwomen to compete in women’s sport, and we support their right to do so and the decisions they have made.
Thirdly, regarding gender recognition, Labour will modernise, simplify, and reform the current gender recognition process. This new process will retain the need for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a specialist doctor and is not gender self-identification. We are making this change because the current process is intrusive and outdated and does not give trans people the recognition and acceptance that they deserve. I hope you will agree that this approach strikes the appropriate balance.
I really hope that has helped clarify my views.
And these are not just my views, they are also the official policies of the Labour Party. Labour has always been the party of equality and the party responsible for advancing equality for women, whether that is the 2010 Equality Act, the 1970 Equal Pay Act or the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, to name just a few. In our manifesto, published yesterday and which you can read here, we pledged to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, and we were explicit that women's equality sits at the heart of our missions for the UK.
I hope this reassures you that a vote for me, as your Labour candidate, is a vote for someone who will stand up for women's rights and women's equality, and it is a vote for a party that will put women's equality at the heart of everything it does.
As I said before, I really appreciate you contacting me about this issue and giving me a chance to set out my views directly to you. Representing the people of Bristol is my first priority, and no matter what I will always listen and be a voice for Bristol Central in Parliament and, if Labour win the election, at the heart of government.
Please don't hesitate to get back in touch if you have anything else you'd like to ask me."
I'm still thinking of what to say in my reply!
Chariothorses · 19/06/2024 17:14
I have seen recent correspondence with Thangam's office about the failure to provide any female only abuse support in Bristol, because of the Council's requirement all service providers pretend TWAW. The silence from Thangam on this issue has been, and continues to be, deafening. And to be honest, very disappointing.
https://childrenoftransitioners.org/2024/04/13/the-trans-lobby-has-destroyed-provision-for-female-abuse-victims-in-bristol-and-elsewhere-and-will-do-the-same-for-the-victims-bill/
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Chariothorses · 19/06/2024 17:45
And to be very clear , it's not just domestic abuse support organisations - all of the support organisations funded by the council are the same. One that particularly shocks me is Sarsas, who provide rape and sexual abuse support in Bristol. They have a 'women only' group support option for survivors- but don't tell female rape victims it's actually mixed sex, as they pretend TWAW. (Yes even the 'women only' rape support group includes any man who identifies as a woman- it's so cruel). I think this is what 'sarah surviving' is bringing to court soon as this was her experience in Brighton. They could easily have both single sex and mixed sex options but they won't.
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