Men who say they are women will continue to be allowed on Labour’s all-women shortlists, a leaked letter from the Party’s General Secretary has confirmed.
Homosexual news website PinkNews obtained Jennie Formby’s letter, which says Labour is running an “inclusive operation” of the shortlists for “all women – including self-identifying Trans women”.
Earlier this month, over 300 women quit the Labour Party because of its policy on transsexualism.
Self-declared
In the letter, dated 29 March, Formby lays out Labour’s position in response to a legal challenge.
Noting the Party’s push for LGBT rights, she says Labour supports altering the Gender Recognition Act “so it is in line with the principles of gender self-declaration”.
“The Party has therefore chosen to give effect to these policies by allowing, in particular, the inclusive operation of AWS (all-women shortlists) – so that those shortlists are open to all women – including self-identifying Trans women.
“In adopting this position, the Party is satisfied that it is acting consistently with both the letter and spirit of the relevant legislation – in particular the Equality Act 2010 and the Gender Recognition Act 2004.”
Dismay
Formby claims the position promotes women rather than victimises them.
However, a source from the legal challengers told PinkNews that they were not satisfied.
In the announcement of their departure from Labour at the beginning of the month, the women said they were “dismayed” at the Party’s position.
“We now face a situation in which any man can simply claim to be a woman and be included on all-women shortlists. Sex is not a self-defined characteristic and it is disingenuous for Labour to pretend that it is.”
Suspended
In an interview with Andrew Marr in January, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that he believes men who self-identify as women are women.
He added that party members are “free to campaign within the party and publicly” on the issue of self-identification.
However, two Labour members have this year been suspended for saying that transsexuals who were born male are not women.