SEX-BASED rights are clearly an election issue. In the past two weeks there have been numerous articles in the national press and some in-depth investigative journalism both on radio and TV about sex-based rights and the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).

A subject which was previously ignored or only discussed within a social media echo chamber is suddenly in the public sphere. What has caused the issue to be brought out of the margins into the mainstream?

On the surface, since reform of the GRA is a flagship Liberal Democrat election policy, journalists have been able to ask meaningful questions about what that would mean for women’s rights and safety. 

Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson and Dr Sarah Wollaston have both appeared on prime-time TV trying to explain their position.  

Both have been unconvincing. Their Twitter feeds have been overflowing with comments from the public showing how many people are unhappy with this manifesto pledge.

The revelation that drug company Ferring Pharmaceuticals, which makes puberty blockers, has been donating to the Liberal Democrats has further tarnished their case.

As in other parties, open discussion of the subject between members has been toxic and polarised and often women’s voices have been blocked. 

Natalie Bird, a women’s rights activist within the Liberal Democrat Party said: “There has been significant lobbying with the Lib Dems for self-ID since 2015 led by members of the Stonewall Trans Alliance. 

“While there has been lobbying on the alternative viewpoint for the last few years, I am concerned about the internal culture within the party which appears to disregard women’s views. 

“I have personally lobbied Jo Swinson on this issue and asked that the sex-based rights provisions be included in our manifesto, but have had no response.”

The same story can be heard right across the women’s movement, regardless of party. 

So what do people in general make of the Lib Dems’ manifesto pledge?

I would say it was a vote loser, myself. In fact so would thousands of people right across the political spectrum who have signed and commented on a series of petitions and declarations in defence of women’s sex-based rights over the past few months.

A group of Labour members launched a petition on November 12 with 300 founding signatories, including three MSPs and 24 Labour councillors. 

They hoped to influence the Labour manifesto and were thrilled that the 2019 manifesto committed to maintaining and strengthening the single-sex exemptions within the 2010 Equality Act. 

Shortly afterwards members of other parties followed suit in launching petitions and declarations to lobby their parties — including the Liberal Democrats, Women’s Equality Party, the Greens and the Conservative Party. The SNP had already launched their pledge back in October.

Though each declaration is individual, the various pledges assert women’s right to:

• Discuss policies which affect them, such as the proposed self-identification of sex, without being abused or silenced
• Maintain their sex-based protections as set out in the Equality Act 2010. These include female-only spaces such as changing rooms, hospital wards, sanitary and sleeping accommodation, refuges, hostels and prisons.
• Refuse consent to males in single-sex spaces or males delivering intimate services to females such as washing, dressing or counselling.
• Single-sex sports to ensure fairness and safety at all levels of competition.
• Organise themselves according to their sex class across a range of cultural, leisure, educational and political activities.
• Since this is clearly a cross-party issue, the women have now set up a co-ordinating group — Women Uniting — so that whatever the outcome of the general election they can continue to work together to preserve single-sex spaces and prevent any more authorities across Britain from replacing recognition of sex with self-identified gender.  

They are setting up a website and have plans for a launch in the new year.

A spokeswoman from the Labour Women’s Declaration, speaking on behalf of the cross-party group, said: “In times of such division it is heartening that women are taking the lead and coming together to seek a way forward. 

“Women across the political divide are united in their defence of women’s sex-based rights. These rights were fought for and won by generations of women who claimed our right to vote, to equal pay and to equal protection. 

“They established women-only services, fought for women-only spaces and secured women-only seats. We will not see these rights eroded.”

If preserving sex-based rights is an issue for you, then Labour have the strongest manifesto commitment on this. But whatever happens in the polls it will take our brothers in the trade unions to stand by us, to become informed about this issue and to work with us. 

Our elected representatives need to be bold and speak out. It will mean keeping the subject in the public eye and undoing the policy capture which has already taken place. 

We can get this right. Let’s stop being afraid of the subject. As we know, policy made in the shadows will not survive in the light.

Paula Boulton is a co-founder of the Labour Women’s Declaration. In advance of the Women Uniting launch, contact in the meantime can be made via [email protected].

The women’s declarations can be found at the following links: SNP (mstar.link/SNPWomensPledge), Labour (mstar.link/LabourWomensDeclaration), 
Lib Dems (mstar.link/LibDemWomensPetition), Green Party (mstar.link/GreenWomensDeclaration), Women’s Equality Party (mstar.link/WEPWomensRights) Conservative Party (mstar.link/ConservativeWomensPledge).