The party leadership has officially agreed to open a formal review of the policy regarding sex based rights. This outcome ensures that these essential distinctions will finally be addressed through proper internal debate. Thank you for maintaining your focus as we worked toward this result.
December 27, 2021
Liberal Democrats’ Grassroots Challenge to Policy on Women’s Sex Based Rights
Final supporters
The Liberal Democrats have always been the party to care for minorities.
In 2015 the Party passed a policy supporting gender self-identification. However no thought or debate was given to the potential risks to women’s rights with this policy, nor to the need for women's safe spaces for vulnerable women in domestic violence shelters and prisons.
We do not believe that the natural conflicts between women's sexbased rights (as defined in the Equality Act) and self-ID according gender reassignment rights have been explored enough by the Party.
We would like the Party to accept that there are differences that must be discussed between the rights of women and transwomen, just as there will be distinctions between those of a fully transitioned transwoman and an individual identifying as Trans who does not wish to undertake any hormonal or bodily changes.
We believe it is vital that these distinctions and conflicts are discussed. As Liberals we believe that any individual should be able to dress and express themselves as they wish. However we believe that important distinctions must be made between natal women, fully transitioned Transwomen and those who identify as Transgender yet have no wish to undertake physical or hormonal changes.
We believe that by not discussing these natural conflicts and tensions this will create a potentially dangerous situation for both women and fully transitioned individuals.
We believe it is vital that these distinctions and conflicts are discussed.
Our sex based declaration is as follows:
As Liberals we believe that any individual should be able to dress and express themselves as they wish. However we believe that important distinctions must be made between natal women, fully transitioned Transwomen and those who identify as Transgender yet have no wish to undertake physical or hormonal changes.
We believe that by not discussing these natural conflicts and tensions this will create a potentially dangerous situation for both women and fully transitioned individuals.
We believe that those who transition have the right to be free from prejudice and discrimination but we also believe that wider societal changes must be made.
All have the right to discuss policies which affect them free of abuse, harassment or intimidation.
We believe that:
1. Women have the right to discuss policies which affect them free of abuse, harassment or intimidation.
2. Women have the right to the preservation of their legally sex-segregated spaces, as laid out in the Equality Act 2010, including female-only spaces such as changing rooms, hospital wards, sanitary and sleeping accommodation, refuges, hostels and prisons.
3. Women have the right to take part in single-sex sports, to ensure fairness and safety at all levels of competition.
4. Women have the right to organise themselves according to their sex across a range of cultural, leisure, educational and political activities.
5. Women have the right to refuse consent to males in single sex spaces or males delivering intimate services to females such as washing, dressing or counselling.
6. Women have the right to freedom of belief, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly (Articles 18, 19 and 20 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights).
Liberal Democrats believe in individual liberty and that when liberty causes harm to other groups those conflicts must be managed fairly.
Liberal Democrats should respect women’s rights to freedom of conscience as provided in the Preamble to our Constitution.
Updates
October 10, 2021
The petition has reached one thousand signatures. This milestone confirms that there is a significant appetite for a formal debate regarding the complexities of our current internal party policy.
Reached 1,000 supporters
October 9, 2021
November 20, 2019
The petition reached one hundred signatures today. This engagement confirms that many members of the party recognize the importance of discussing these policy distinctions.
Reached 100 supporters
November 17, 2019
294 Comments
I’ve only ever voted Lib Dem in Haringey, but I have now cancelled my party membership because they have said I’m not welcome. As a woman and a mother to a daughter, I can’t bring myself to vote for them given their current stance.
Open debate and impact assessments urgently needed. Listen to women and girls who are affected hugely by rushing through Self ID gender legislation. STOP silencing views and voices and hearing only one side. Self ID has potential to cause confusion, harm and turmoil
Liberal Democrats seem utterly rational on the matter of Brexit so its hugely disappointing to see how wrong they are on the matter of safeguarding children and protecting Women's sex based rights. Really hope this petition gets rational debate going in the Party.
Without proper regard for women and girl's existing rights upon which their safeguarding depends I can no longer vote LibDem, even though a supporter for two decades and living in a marginal seat once held by the libdems. Wake up Jo Swinson, females matter.
So glad to see the call for respectful debate. I live in the Hall Green constituency and would love to vote for your candidate rather than Labour - I cannot however in good faith vote for any party that will not allow discussion of these very important issues.
We've all seen what happens when political parties allow anti trans terrorism and open hatred, regardless how it reframed or dressed up as "protecting women", "sex based rights", "think of the children", "they're dominating sport" etc. Every party that has embraced this rhetoric has been sucked into a doom spiral of vicious hate and lost support of voters. No women has been made safer by this hate, look to the police stats for the hard fact based evidence. There are differences between women/men who are medically transitioned, and those that only identify as a gender. One is biological sex change the other is a social presentation change. Both need legal recognition and protection. Women and men that are fully medically and biologically transitioned and have obtained a GRC should regain the sex recognition that they are, since sex is biologically mutable and not a single chromosome. A point that the corrupt judiciary did not bother to fact check with qualified professionals. Instead they took the word of non expert anti trans terrorist groups fronting as "women's rights groups".
Let's not forget that the invasion of women's spaces is by men, no matter how they "identify. "
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The party leadership has officially agreed to open a formal review of the policy regarding sex based rights. This outcome ensures that these essential distinctions will finally be addressed through proper internal debate. Thank you for maintaining your focus as we worked toward this result.
December 27, 2021
Liberal Democrats’ Grassroots Challenge to Policy on Women’s Sex Based Rights
Final supporters
The Liberal Democrats have always been the party to care for minorities.
In 2015 the Party passed a policy supporting gender self-identification. However no thought or debate was given to the potential risks to women’s rights with this policy, nor to the need for women's safe spaces for vulnerable women in domestic violence shelters and prisons.
We do not believe that the natural conflicts between women's sexbased rights (as defined in the Equality Act) and self-ID according gender reassignment rights have been explored enough by the Party.
We would like the Party to accept that there are differences that must be discussed between the rights of women and transwomen, just as there will be distinctions between those of a fully transitioned transwoman and an individual identifying as Trans who does not wish to undertake any hormonal or bodily changes.
We believe it is vital that these distinctions and conflicts are discussed. As Liberals we believe that any individual should be able to dress and express themselves as they wish. However we believe that important distinctions must be made between natal women, fully transitioned Transwomen and those who identify as Transgender yet have no wish to undertake physical or hormonal changes.
We believe that by not discussing these natural conflicts and tensions this will create a potentially dangerous situation for both women and fully transitioned individuals.
We believe it is vital that these distinctions and conflicts are discussed.
Our sex based declaration is as follows:
As Liberals we believe that any individual should be able to dress and express themselves as they wish. However we believe that important distinctions must be made between natal women, fully transitioned Transwomen and those who identify as Transgender yet have no wish to undertake physical or hormonal changes.
We believe that by not discussing these natural conflicts and tensions this will create a potentially dangerous situation for both women and fully transitioned individuals.
We believe that those who transition have the right to be free from prejudice and discrimination but we also believe that wider societal changes must be made.
All have the right to discuss policies which affect them free of abuse, harassment or intimidation.
We believe that:
1. Women have the right to discuss policies which affect them free of abuse, harassment or intimidation.
2. Women have the right to the preservation of their legally sex-segregated spaces, as laid out in the Equality Act 2010, including female-only spaces such as changing rooms, hospital wards, sanitary and sleeping accommodation, refuges, hostels and prisons.
3. Women have the right to take part in single-sex sports, to ensure fairness and safety at all levels of competition.
4. Women have the right to organise themselves according to their sex across a range of cultural, leisure, educational and political activities.
5. Women have the right to refuse consent to males in single sex spaces or males delivering intimate services to females such as washing, dressing or counselling.
6. Women have the right to freedom of belief, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly (Articles 18, 19 and 20 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights).
Liberal Democrats believe in individual liberty and that when liberty causes harm to other groups those conflicts must be managed fairly.
Liberal Democrats should respect women’s rights to freedom of conscience as provided in the Preamble to our Constitution.
Updates
October 10, 2021
The petition has reached one thousand signatures. This milestone confirms that there is a significant appetite for a formal debate regarding the complexities of our current internal party policy.
Reached 1,000 supporters
October 9, 2021
November 20, 2019
The petition reached one hundred signatures today. This engagement confirms that many members of the party recognize the importance of discussing these policy distinctions.
Reached 100 supporters
November 17, 2019
294 Comments
I've been a Lib Dem voter all my life, but cannot support them any more until they accept this declaration and agree that this is a complex issue that needs open debate free of intimidation. Without debate, how can the party claim to be "Democrats"?
I’ve only ever voted Lib Dem in Haringey, but I have now cancelled my party membership because they have said I’m not welcome. As a woman and a mother to a daughter, I can’t bring myself to vote for them given their current stance.
Open debate and impact assessments urgently needed. Listen to women and girls who are affected hugely by rushing through Self ID gender legislation. STOP silencing views and voices and hearing only one side. Self ID has potential to cause confusion, harm and turmoil
Liberal Democrats seem utterly rational on the matter of Brexit so its hugely disappointing to see how wrong they are on the matter of safeguarding children and protecting Women's sex based rights. Really hope this petition gets rational debate going in the Party.
Without proper regard for women and girl's existing rights upon which their safeguarding depends I can no longer vote LibDem, even though a supporter for two decades and living in a marginal seat once held by the libdems. Wake up Jo Swinson, females matter.
So glad to see the call for respectful debate. I live in the Hall Green constituency and would love to vote for your candidate rather than Labour - I cannot however in good faith vote for any party that will not allow discussion of these very important issues.
We've all seen what happens when political parties allow anti trans terrorism and open hatred, regardless how it reframed or dressed up as "protecting women", "sex based rights", "think of the children", "they're dominating sport" etc. Every party that has embraced this rhetoric has been sucked into a doom spiral of vicious hate and lost support of voters. No women has been made safer by this hate, look to the police stats for the hard fact based evidence. There are differences between women/men who are medically transitioned, and those that only identify as a gender. One is biological sex change the other is a social presentation change. Both need legal recognition and protection. Women and men that are fully medically and biologically transitioned and have obtained a GRC should regain the sex recognition that they are, since sex is biologically mutable and not a single chromosome. A point that the corrupt judiciary did not bother to fact check with qualified professionals. Instead they took the word of non expert anti trans terrorist groups fronting as "women's rights groups".
Let's not forget that the invasion of women's spaces is by men, no matter how they "identify. "
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I've been a Lib Dem voter all my life, but cannot support them any more until they accept this declaration and agree that this is a complex issue that needs open debate free of intimidation. Without debate, how can the party claim to be "Democrats"?