Tories to stand transphobe in Gorton and Denton

The Conservative Party have announced their pick for the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, choosing to stand former police officer and member of the LGB Alliance Charlotte Cadden.

The controversial charity Sex Matters, part of the LGB Alliance, has long drawn criticism for the hate group who work to normalise political attacks against trans people.

As a member of that group, this pick likely signals that the Tories are intending on using trans people as a scapegoat in a culture war.

Glossy slogans with no real solutions for Gorton and Denton

Cadden arguably represents more of the same out-of-touch politics that Gorton and Denton have likely had more than enough of. Backed by a party long disconnected from the everyday struggles of working families, Cadden’s right-wing campaign likely relies on glossy slogans than real solutions. Constituents should watch closely how Cadden plans to tackle rising living costs, crumbling public services, and declining community wellbeing.

In a northern “worker bee” constituency, austerity and underinvestment have hit residents hardest. Manchester voters need leaders who put people above party politics. However, Cadden’s connections to Sex Matters and LGB Alliance raise serious questions about whether she delivers for the communities she seeks to represent.

In 2022, Consortium, a coalition of LGBT organisations, told a court that LGB Alliance was set up to:

promote transphobic activity rather than pro-LGB activities.

As usual, the Tories have no ideas beyond peddling hatred against minorities. What they do have is the commitment to making life even more unsafe for trans people.

Culture wars whilst ignoring actual abuse

And, the Epstein scandal only underscores how safety is threatened. Yet again, recent reports show how men are all too capable of orchestrating the rape and abuse of women and girls for their own gain. Even, at times, with the aid of women themselves. Therefore, it’s clear that the real threat comes from those who abuse power, men or women, not from trans people, like mainstream media headlines would have us believe.

Member of a ‘hate group’

As the satirical account below points out, LGB Alliance’s anti-trans rhetoric satisfies qualifying criteria to be designated officially as a hate group:

This X account shows the attitudes exacerbated by far-right misogyny, targeting vulnerable groups. Legitimising attacks at others simply works to uphold patriarchal dominance in British society:

The Tories’ latest stunts show they’ve learned nothing from their record in government. Ordinary people bore the brunt of brutal austerity, while the wealthiest soared to record profits:

Culture wars: distraction tactics for right-wingers

This candidate announcement from the Tory party makes one thing abundantly clear. Right-wingers are intent on pitching their campaigns firmly on culture war issues around denigrating trans people’s rights under the guise of supporting women’s safety. Yet again the establishment parties are refusing to confront the real issues in society. Instead, true to form, they seek to create even more issues to distract us from the daily struggle affecting everyone’s lives.

After all, if the establishment want to win out, they can’t let the UK population unite against the threat facing us all.

The super-rich billionaires fleecing us left, right and centre.

Featured image via Just Giving