Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain's Labour Party since 2020, recently said he's "not in favour of ideology being taught in our schools on gender. I think we need to complete the consultation process and make sure that there is guidance that is age-appropriate." Those are Starmer's words.
James Greig notes that "'gender ideology' is an amorphous and essentially meaningless term, a far-right talking point which is used to oppose teaching young people about the existence of trans people in any way, shape or form."
Greig continues:
In its new manifesto, Labour tried to have it both ways: pledging to make it easier for trans people to change their legal gender on one hand and promising to uphold the Cass Review’s effective ban on gender-affirming care for young people on the other. At the level of rhetoric, Starmer has been moving steadily to the right on trans issues. Last week, for example, he agreed with Tony Blair that “a woman is with a vagina and a man is with a penis”, where he had previously allowed that only 99.9 per cent of women do. But on this issue, more than most, you can’t play both sides without pissing everyone off. There is no compromise position between people who think being trans is legitimate and those who disagree."
One issue now is:
"Over the weekend [June 22–23, 2024], JK Rowling published an article accusing Labour of 'abandoning women' over its support for trans rights. Instead of taking the obvious lesson – that there is no point in trying to appease these people because nothing, short of the wholesale exclusion of trans people from public, will be enough – Keir Starmer seems to be trying his hardest to get them back on side."
— Keir Starmer celebrates Pride by promising to ban ‘gender ideology’: By embracing transphobic talking points, Starmer is shifting labour to the right on LGBTQ+ rights, James Greig, Dazed, June 24, 2024
More
See this article: "The Labour Party is Willing to Meet With JK Rowling?: So apparently both parties in Britain hate trans people," ElizaBeth, Medium, Jun 25, 2024
ElizaBeth says:
"Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor, has said Labour is willing to meet with JK Rowling to address her concerns." In other words, "Labour explicitly courts her."
They "endlessly push some victim narrative around her," making her seem a martyr, presenting "any pushback she gets for her comments as some excess of the patriarchy" and thus casting her as "a clear example of how trans rights have apparently engulfed cis women’s rights to free speech and power."
ElizaBeth continues: "When they agree to meet with JK Rowling, when Starmer responds to JK Rowling’s comments on Labour with an apology, it concedes that transphobia is now gonna be a central tenet of British politics."
In response to this news
Rowling has demanded that leaders of the Labour Party meet with five anti-trans groups in-person, after which Rowling says she too will consent to an in-person meeting wtih Labour to be personally assured that trans people won't have too many rights to live in our genders.
JK Rowling has agreed to a meeting with Labour after Rachel Reeves said the party would be “really happy” to “give her assurances” over its plans to change the process through which people can legally change gender.
Speaking in Scotland, Reeves said protection for women-only spaces would “absolutely stay”, adding: “We’re not going to be changing anything around biological sex … We’re really happy to talk to JK Rowling to give her assurances about that.”
But Rowling said the meeting was conditional on Labour first meeting a series of groups from across the UK that she supported [Keep Prisons Single Sex, Lesbian Labour, Women’s Rights Network, Woman’s Place UK, and LGB Alliance].
The shadow chancellor made the offer to meet the author and former Labour donor on Monday, after Rowling said she would “struggle to support” the party in next week’s general election."
— JK Rowling agrees to meeting with Labour about gender transition policy: Author responds after shadow chancellor says party would be ‘really happy’ to ‘give her assurances’. Peter Walker, Aletha Adu and Libby Brooks. 24 Jun 2024.
Kristen Smyth says:
"The attacks on the Trans and Non-Binary community and vulnerable society— be it asylum seekers, immigrants, and female Olympians during August—has created this extraordinary coalition of TERFS, fascists, and left-leaning newspapers. Like, imagine all these people in a room together. They’d eat each other alive. I often reflect on just what we’ve done to upset these people so much. If anger, bitterness, and violence are your go-to vehicles of choice to “protect” vulnerability well—I’m struck by the irony, of course, and fear for the safety of us all, including these fired up.
Let’s be clear with J.K. Rowling in particular, there's an extraordinary level of entitlement to be “right.” Never trust anyone who comes at you with absolute certainty. It is a short walk to a fascist mentality that provides no room for difference or positions of softness and conviviality."
— To Kristen Smyth, Frankenstein Is a Metaphor for the Transgender Experience Her solo show Cruel Britannia: After Frankenstein is currently running at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Dylan Parent, Playbill, August 13, 2024
Melanie Phillips in the Times:
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