Ok so I’m catching up, which means following up links you peeps have shared, so let’s read Green Party tearing itself apart over trans rights, leaked dossier reveals from December 12.

Subhead:

Lawyers warn guidance on identifying ‘queerphobia’ risks discriminating against members who question gender ideology

Do they now!?! That is good to know. Of course it does, so it’s excellent news that lawyers are now pointing out that it does.

The 53-page report on legal and reputational risk to the party, leaked to The Telegraph, exposes an extraordinary row over the party’s policies on transgender and LGBT rights. It poses material legal and financial risks to Zack Polanski’s movement, the dossier reveals.

The report, drawn up by the party’s own lawyers, raises concerns over “expulsions” of members who question gender ideology. It says these have not always followed “due process”, suggesting party lieutenants have been taking disciplinary action against members because of “individual hostility to gender-critical beliefs, or assumed beliefs”.

I think “hostility” is the wrong word there. Skepticism or doubt would be a better fit. There probably is some hostility about all the pressure to pretend to believe bullshit, but it’s pointless to feel “hostility” towards the beliefs themselves.

That’s sort of what the whole conflict is based on, isn’t it – the weird new assumption that we have a duty to believe people can change sex, and that it’s mean and rude and hostile to be unable to comply. We can’t believe it. We can only pretend to, and trying to force us to pretend to does tend to make us feel hostile – toward the forcers. The beliefs themselves don’t care what we think, because they’re beliefs, not people.

The report also reveals the party is spending almost £200,000 a year on its legal costs and external investigations of disciplinary cases, threatening its ability to carry out key functions.

But still worth every penny, right? Right?

H/t Sackbut December 15