Thread by @LibVoice4Women

What this email reveals is the contradictory task of the @LibDems trying to meet demands of LGBT 'Plus' & abide by law. Plus has told the Party for years that misgendering is the worst thing you can do. This means ppl who ID as non-binary are now not included in the 2.5 quota 🧵

Of course people who identify as non-binary do have a biological sex. If the Party & Plus could understand 2.5 is a quota on sex not gender - so they could tick a male or female box - they could still be included. Whilst Plus shout 'misgendering' this is a consequence.

Also term 'cis' is used to avoid misgendering - now means trans ppl excluded from 2.5. The email discusses those with a GRC - some with a GRC have intimated ticking a box that is opposite to their 'acquired gender' goes against statutory declaration to 'live in that gender'

Another barrier used to put in the way of the Party changing their quotas. But given the Party has legal advice showing they need to change their quotas this use of 'cis' has resulted in males certificated as women not being able to access the male sex quota (vice versa females)

So the Party is twisting itself into a pretzel trying to avoid 'misgendering' - which is actually just the accurate recording of sex - or having people tick a box they don't want to tick - a consequence of a certificate that records the opposite 'sex' to their actual sex.

The result of this twisting into a pretzel is actually detrimental for trans people. By insisting on not being 'misgendered' trans people and those with a non-binary identity are missing out on a sex-based quota - we think it should be their choice if they want to do that

The 'statutory declaration' point also doesn't hold up. The wording is 'gender' not sex and the use of s.9(3) means the GRA can disapplied in certain contexts - this includes provisions in the Equality Act about sex e.g. positive action measures - basis of Supreme Court ruling.

To paraphrase @HJoyceGender the introduction of gender ideology into an organisation (or a rule) breaks it. The equivalent of trying to solve a maths equation with a false premise of 1 = 0 stuck in there. There is no need to be a pretzel, the law is the law and sex is immutable

There is no twist that will satisfy Plus - they call for the abolition of quota 2.5 entirely in an astonishing act of sex discrimination given it is women who are under-represented in the Party. When ppl say trans ideology is a men's rights movement - this is what they mean.