On 18 February Scottish Labour Party conference voted down a motion submitted via the Scottish Labour women’s conference which had urged it to “acknowledge the principle of women’s sex-based rights” (established code words for trans exclusion). The large unions used their votes to block policy seeking to push Labour further from trans inclusion.
On a card vote, 69.3% of Constituency Labour Party (CLP) delegates’ votes were for the motion. Votes are weighted equally between CLP delegates and party affiliates. The motion fell because 77% of affiliate votes were against it.
The motion had urged Scottish Labour “to acknowledge the principle of women’s sex-based rights, as well as those conferred upon them by other protected characteristics”. It called on the conference Scottish Labour to “encourage positive debate within the Labour Party. Conference also calls on Scottish Labour to take account of the primacy of the Equality Act 2010 in policy development and to take the steps required to end inequality and protect women and girls from violence, discrimination, and exploitation,”
In compositing some of the most egregious anti-trans content had been lost including the line “We recommend that Scottish Labour leadership follow Keir Starmer’s lead and openly recognise women as adult human females.”
Supporters of Labour Women’s Declaration, which backed the motion, took to social media to denounce Unite, GMB and Unite. Some went on to target trans lay members of UNISON sharing their photos.
Labour MP Rosie Duffield posted on X in support of LWD and the motion, adding: “We will continue to demand our rights whether these organisations like it or not.” The Labour leadership have been moving back on trans rights, apparently trying to court small-c conservative voters, running up to the election. This pandering could give confidence to transphobes.
Affiliated unions were right to block this motion and should fight at conference for a clear pro-trans-rights position and fight for it to be implemented in the run up to election and in government.
Union activists must stand in solidarity with all those been targeted by transphobic online harassment.
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