Great to be at @fvhscot.bsky.social awards tonight at London Welsh Centre. Super to catch up with a fabulous array of friends from #Lgbtq world of #Football @louenglefield.bsky.social @jonhholmes.bsky.social @iainfaefife675.bsky.social @caronmlindsay.bsky.social @pluslibdems.bsky.social @rigg.lgbt

Dinner last night with leading feminist thinkers Dr Charlotte Proudman, Prof Catherine MacKinnon and the Harvard academic Mischa Shuman. One of the most profound compliments for the work I get to do is being considered safe to be invited into intimate spaces in communities to which I do not belong.

Today is the first day of LGBT History Month LGBT+ people have always been part of our societies, but often their stories are hidden and go untold. This month is an opportunity to celebrate those stories and continue to campaign for progress.

"We honour the trailblazers who came before and stand with the next generation as they push for a fairer future. Our message is unwavering: you belong, your history matters, and we will continue fighting until everyone is truly free to be who they are." -Ed Davey www.libdems.org.uk/news/article...

California has joined the World Health Organization’s GOARN on its own after the US’s departure. We are not a sovereign member state with full voting rights but are part of its network for disease detection and response. www.abc10.com/article/news...

I can confirm that Sex Matters has been refused permission to bring its anti-democratic, exclusionary, and bigoted challenge to the inclusive space at Hampstead Ponds. More to follow.

Hampstead Ponds will remain inclusive. Our analysis of the judgment.

The High Court has blocked a legal challenge from transphobic group Sex Matters, siding with thousands of swimmers who fought to keep the ponds inclusive goodlawproject.org/hampstead-he...

It's very hard to combat this stuff - the BBC's three stage internal complaints process is designed to wear people down so it never has to come clean about its lies. The best thing to do, if only for your own self-respect, is stop paying your license fee so you are not funding its misinformation.

I have met many women who use the pool and hoped this would be the result - enjoy your swim

Organisations that have signed our “Biological Sex” and Its Variants are Transphobic Slurs open letter. Any organisation that would like to sign the letter in support, please get in touch with us via DM or our website. tacc.org.uk/biological-s... Individuals can also sign via the link above.

For those interested in the Darlington nurses judgement, the BBC now have the tribunal's summary up, but the full judgement is still pending. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6... The quotes from the claimants being used in headlines do not accurately portraying the context, based on the tribunal summary.

Keir Starmer should condemn Trump’s illegal action in Venezuela. Maduro is a brutal and illegitimate dictator, but unlawful attacks like this make us all less safe. Trump is giving a green light to the likes of Putin and Xi to attack other countries with impunity.

Former Nadeshiko Japan midfielder Marumi Yamazaki, who retired in 2023 after a career spent mostly in the Nadeshiko League with Urawa, Niigata, Nagano and Chiba (along with a short WEL stint at Omiya) has come out as a trans man and announced his marriage. h/t @rbyryo.bsky.social

I can't help but remember that "it" is also the word used by the man who murdered poor Brianna Ghey in a transphobic attack. These people don't have "reasonable concerns" - they are revolting bigots.

Decision in the Sandie Peggie case. She was not directly or indirectly discriminated against, her claim of victimisation fails entirely, her claim of harassment fails largely and her claim against Beth Upton fails entirely. www.judiciary.uk/judgments/sa...

This is the second decision - both first instance - since the appalling For (Some) Women Scotland decision to find that there is no trans bathroom ban. www.gov.uk/employment-t...

Some robust criticism is made of the way in which Naomi Cunningham conducted herself. Query whether this is going to come before her professional regulator.

This is the key paragraph in the Sandie Peggie decision.

Oooft. Sandie Peggie shared highly offensive messages and was then "untruthful" in giving evidence to the Tribunal. This is the 'hero' Gender Critical campaigners have chosen.

This is a real disaster for those - pretty much the entirety of the British media - advancing a maximalist reading of the For (Some) Women Scotland decision.

The transgender experience in the UK right now is basically just waking up to discover what else you've been banned from.

I have called on the Equalities Minister to withdraw badly written guidance for single-sex spaces to protect everyone's rights and ensure trans people are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

The EU Court of Justice has ruled that all Member States must recognise same sex marriages performed anywhere in the Union. 🌍 This is a huge step for human rights, proving that love and equality know no borders. For liberals, every love matters. 🩷 #Liberals #Equality #HumanRights #LGBTQ #CJEU

BREAKING ‼️ The Govt has just confirmed that Hong Kongers with a BNO passport will still qualify for settlement after 5 years. I know how much this will mean to so many people - and will be received with a huge sigh of relief. Proud that our campaign has paid off and the Govt has listened to us!

....that should have been spent on campaigning. We continue to advocate for changing the law to reverse the effects of the FWS decision. We are also working across the party to develop constitutional proposals to bring back suspended quotas, esp. the LGBT+ quota, to the fullest extent possible. 4/4

...and that the only viable alternative in the face of legal threats would be to suspend gender quotas, despite this being completely against our values. The attempt to instead third-space trans people has wasted a huge amount of staff and volunteer time and effort, not to mention money... 3/4

...and those threatening to sue clearly care about trans exclusion and not women’s liberation. Several months ago, well before the elections, we advised the party that we supported the existing trans-inclusive gender quotas... 2/4

We are disappointed that, due to legal pressure from transphobic campaign groups following the For Woman Scotland decision, two eminently reasonable quotas in our party's election regulations have been suspended. These suspensions are profoundly anti-queer, anti-trans and anti-feminist... 1/4

After several difficult years for the trans community, we must continue to stand up for the rights of trans people across the UK and the world and fight discrimination wherever we find it #TransAwarenessWeek

Congratulations to our Honorary Vice President @joshbabarinde.bsky.social on being elected Party President of the @libdems.org.uk. We're delighted to see this result and look forward to continue working closely with him to achieve liberation for all. 🧡

Our challenge to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s interim guidance has begun in the High Court. This is only one step in a long battle. But we’re ready to fight it. Our team is in court and we’ll let you know as soon as the court reaches a decision.

We stand firmly for LGBT+ rights as inalienable human rights. We'll support our members and we're committed to seeking advice from fellow AOs on their area of expertise.

Today is Intersex Solidarity Day. Intersex people are a distinct and uniquely vulnerable minority who face specific issues in life. Lib Dem policy, as passed this Spring Conference, calls for a ban on medically unnecessary, non-consensual treatments or surgeries for intersex infants and children.

The last two weeks have been a tough one for @libdems.org.uk members, through no fault of their own. We're grateful to the huge number of members, internal election candidates, and fellow Affiliated Organisations like @libdemwomen.bsky.social who have stood alongside us. Statement below:

Are you a 🔶 @libdems.org.uk member? If so, you get a vote in the party's internal elections, but it's a long ballot. Our recommendations on how to vote are here - some excellent candidates standing. 👇

It’s not like me to be lost for words but the decision by @libdems.org.uk returning officer for federal elections is completely wrong - goes against our firmly held values and views passed by conference. It is a disgrace that #trans and #nonbinary people in our party are being treated in this way!

Our party claims to value equality, consent, and self-determination. If this is still true, it must reverse this decision immediately. Open letter: lgbtlibdems.org.uk/civicrm/peti... Revocation form: lgbtlibdems.org.uk/civicrm/peti... 4/4

The new regulations make a mockery of both our constitution and the clear will of Federal Conference. We also believe the party is now in violation of data and human rights law. 3/4

LGBT+ Liberal Democrats condemn our party's decision to base internal gender quotas on sex assigmed at birth. This trans-exclusionary decision is an attack on one of the most vulnerable groups in our society. 1/4

Please sign our open letter to the @libdems.org.uk party asling for the awful decision over diversity quotas to be scrapped. 👇 lgbtlibdems.org.uk/civicrm/peti...

If you're a candidate in the @libdems.org.uk internal elections, or ever have been, please revoke the party's right to use or hold your sex assigned at birth. We have a handy form: 👇 lgbtlibdems.org.uk/civicrm/peti...

But I also wish to be clear that the blame lies primarily with people who, for all they wear shirts claiming that 'Liberals debate.' won't accept that they, in fact, keep losing the debate. You don't want to debate. You want to control.

In addition, I am requesting that the party remove any data it holds about whether my gender matches my Assigned Sex At Birth for my own protection. I would strongly urge other Lib Dems, cis or trans, to do the same.

Sadly this recommendation has been ignored. We are currently exploring legal and other options and a formal Statement from LGBT+ Lib Dems will follow.

It was and remains my position, that if it is impossible to use the gender quota for our committees in a way that doesn't invalidate trans people's existence then the fairest option is to not use it at all given they are not a legal requirment.

It is also a direct betrayal of our party manifesto from 2024, a direct contravention of party policy passed in March and in complete opposition to the expressed intent of the group who drafted the amendment that created those quotas and the conference that passed them.

Following the announcement by the Lib Dems returning officer on quotas in our federal elections I would like to make it clear I spent many hours and more emails trying to point out that this decision went against the expressed will of conference barely a month ago.

The voices of trans people must be heard in Parliament.️‍‍ I’ve urged full scrutiny of EHRC’s guidance, which risks undermining their rights. Lib Dems call on the Government to protect everyone fairly and ensure people aren’t excluded from safe facilities or public life.

Thank you to @tomgordonld.bsky.social, Lib Dem MP, for speaking up for Trans+ people.