Greens accuse Scottish Labour of ignoring complaints raised against ‘anti-trans’ councillor
This article was updated at 10am on Wednesday 26 October to reflect that Charley O’Hear is not a politician as previously stated, but a Scottish Green Party co-convener.
A Scottish Green Party convener has accused Scottish Labour of ignoring complaints raised against one of its councillors. This councillor attended a rally organised by For Women Scotland, a group which has likened transgender people to fetishists.
For Women Scotland
Labour councillor Alison Ann-Dowling is a representative in the Houston, Crossless and Linwood ward of Renfrewshire. The accusations against her are due to the fact that she spoke at the ‘Scottish Women’s Rally’ on 6 October. This was an event that For Women Scotland organised.
According to a press release from Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Green Party, For Women Scotland has:
been widely described as an anti-trans group, and its members oppose the strengthening of rights for LGBT+ people, have repeatedly belittled trans identities, suggested being trans is a “fetish”, and have been accused of hounding rape crisis centres in Scotland to the point of closure.
The same press release said:
Leadership within Scottish Labour in Renfrewshire and across Scotland have ignored complaints raised about an elected councillor after she spoke at a demonstration organised by an anti-LGBT organisation.
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‘Zero-tolerance’
The press release also noted that Scottish Labour had pledged a “zero-tolerance” approach to sexuality and gender-based discrimination. It linked to Scottish Labour’s National Recovery Plan, which contains text stating that the party will:
reform the Gender Recognition Act to demedicalise the process and allow for the recognition of people who identify as neither men nor women.
This plan is in stark opposition to the aims of For Women Scotland. The group is urging people to write to their local politicians to state that:
Our Government’s proposals to amend the Gender Recognition Act by removing the requirement for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria are deeply concerning
‘Slowly losing hope’
Charley O’Hear, who is co-convener of Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Greens, said:
Our complaints to the Labour Party, the Co-Op Party and the leader of Labour in Renfrewshire Council were submitted in the hope that these officials were simply unaware of the views of Councillor Dowling or her presence at this anti-trans rally.
Unfortunately, we have yet to receive a response with regards to this. We are slowly losing hope that any response received would be sufficient in addressing and owning up to the harm Councillor Dowling’s actions have caused.
O’Hear added that Scottish Labour’s lack of action amounts to a failure in its duty to follow through with the policy platform the party promoted:
A Labour politician using her profile as a councillor to attend events and promote views that contradict party policy is simply unacceptable – not just to transgender people in Renfrewshire and Scotland but also to everyone who believed the Labour Party’s policies at council elections.
Everybody deserves to be able to elect politicians, and political parties, who stick to their word and their own policies. Sadly, those who have voted Labour will now know that they have backed a party who do not stand up for the rights of trans people across the country. Both Councillor Dowling and the Labour Party have failed in their duty.
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Trying to shut down women again? There’s obviously a difference of opinion over this devisive issue. Concentrating on this instead of economic problems, which are exacerbating financial difficulties for families all over the country is indefensible
Which women are being ‘shut down’? Given the massive reporting to anti-trans ideologues such as multi-millionaire J K Rowling, there’s not the slightest indication that their fanatical hatred of transgender people will be ignored. The Scottish Greens spend plenty of time and resources on working against the economic problems of the country and it’s refreshing to see that they, unlike many other parties, have at least some space to support transgender people. Is it only families that are suffering in the UK?
It is disingenuous to describe those with concerns about men in women’s spaces, the safety of women’s sports when biological men are included, or concerns that vulnerable children are persuaded into Gender reassignment surgery without proper counselling, as “transphobic”. Most people have no problem with consenting adults changing their sex, and getting married as such. Nor would they support discrimination with regards to housing and employment, including many so called “turfs”. However, there are many Questions that need to asked and much needs to be discussed, especially where children may be damaged for life.
The Green party have closed down the discussion, and you are not allowed to be in the Green Party if you do not go along with identitarian agenda. This amounts to censorship and is undemocratic. It also raises the question, “what are Trans rights activists trying to hide?”
To describe critics of this approach as “transphobic” is like calling critics of Israel “antisemitic”. It is especially silly when there are Trans people who oppose the ideology of Trans Rights activists.
I agree very much with Frank Freeman , having been completely shut down simply for trying to open a discussion about this issue on the Scottish Green Party members forum. My post was immediately removed and was accused of being ‘transphobic’ and worse. Nobody then or since has explained to me what this is all about, or why people should be permitted to ‘self-identify’ as whatever gender they choose. At the same time, I have been contacted by women afraid now to enter women only areas, or go onto (for example) lesbian dating sites for fear of abuse from ‘trans’ activists. I was a Green Party, and later Scottish Green Party for decades, in fact my involvement went right back to the days of the Ecology Party. I stood as a candidate twice, and was for a time the Highlands and Islands Branch Treasurer. But I suddenly discovered that my membership of the party had been cancelled when I could no longer log in. I was told I was no longer their ‘target demographic’. Later I was invited to rejoin if I accepted the transgender agenda without question.
It is simply not true that those of us with serious concerns about transgenderism are ‘bigots’ or ‘anti-trans’ or whatever. To refuse all debate or discussion, and blindly attack and refuse to discuss is not ‘Green’ at all. It is the exact opposite.
So in the absence of any engagement. and in the face of sheer hatred and hostility, I have to make up my own mind about this. And the conclusion I come to is that, whatever its social expression, which can be reexamined and changed, gender is actually a matter of chromosomes, of biology and not of ‘assignment’ or choice. To deny that is to deny the existence of gender difference and threaten both biological genders, women in particular. Humans are simply one species among many that share the characteristic of gender. I believe the attempts by the Tavistock Clinic and others to undermine and destroy the gender confidence of children and the vulnerable is abusive. We rightly condemn the attempts to ‘cure’ homosexuality and to promote ‘gender reassignment’ surgery is equally criminal.
Trying to understand this abusive behaviour it seems to me – correct me if I am mistaken! – that there are some things we should at least investigate. (1) the capitalist, individualist system that drives demand for goods and services by undermining people and making them fearful. For over a century now we have had advertisers telling us that our bodies, lifestyles, are not good enough and to be happy we need something more. Like cosmetic surgery. Is there an element of manufactured victimhood? (2) the fascist ‘trans-human’ agenda that seeks to create designer humans – a ‘superhuman’ master race at the top, while the rest of us are mere ‘human resources’ for their greed, to be exploited and discarded. The 4th Industrial Revolution , whereby our biology is supposedly controlled by their technology, is an utterly horrific, and ultimately futile idea. I do not consent to the ‘Internet of Bodies’ ( https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/internet-of-bodies-covid19-recovery-governance-health-data/ ). (3) It occurs to me that the growth in gender dysphoria might be connected to the growth of hormone-affecting chemicals such as micro-plastics in the environment, which have been shown to affect other species. It must be very convenient for the polluters to avoid any responsibility for their criminal negligence. If you are affected by gender dysphoria, you are just part of a persecuted community, it’s nothing to do with them (4) Is there perhaps a political aspect, a way to divide and rule us through behavioural psychology? To associate ‘trans activists’ with gay lesbian and bisexual people as ‘woke’ enemies of the state and stir up hostility against all?
Please note that I wish no hostility or harm to any trans person by these observations. But I also care about everyone, who like me has suffered abuse by activists. And the children whose abuse has finally (thank goodness) closed the Tavistock down.
I accept I may be completely wrong here, so I await correction. But if you do disagree with me, at least give me a considered and evidence based reason for doing so. Shouting blind hostility, calling me a ‘bigot’ or ‘because everyone says so’ simply won’t do.