Labour suspends male activist who claimed to self-identify as a woman ‘on Wednesdays’ A man has been suspended from Labour after he attempted to subvert the party’s rules on gender self-identification. Party activist […]

A man has been suspended from Labour after he attempted to subvert the party’s rules on gender self-identification.

Party activist David Lewis claimed he identified as a woman “on Wednesdays”, and so was eligible to stand for the constituency Labour Party’s (CLP) women’s officer position, as the election happened to fall on a Wednesday.

Lewis said he had decided to stand for the role, which party rules say can only be held by a woman, in order to draw attention to Labour’s policy of self-definition, where a person is recognised as a the gender they publicly define as.

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Wednesday woman

He told the Spectator: “I self-identify as a woman on Wednesdays, between 6.50am when my alarm goes off and around midnight when I go to bed.

“My womanness is expressed by my saying ‘I self-identify as a woman’ now and again on Wednesdays. I make no changes in my behaviour or my appearance.

“I keep my name, David and my male pronouns,” added Lewis. “I wear the same sort of clothes I wear the rest of the week. I keep my beard. I enjoy the full womanness of my beard.”

On Tuesday the party’s national executive committee formally confirmed Labor’s policy that women only positions “are open to all women, including self-identifying trans women.”

It added: “Similarly, women’s officers and minimum quotas for women in the Labour Party are open to all women, including self-identifying trans women.”

Mr Lewis, who acknowledges that he is not a woman nor transgender, says he was attempting to highlight flaws in the newly approved policy by telling people he is a woman.

All women shortlists

A Labour spokesperson said that party was “committed to upholding the principle of affirmative action for women” and would not stand for an obvious attempt to take advantage of the rules.

“Anyone attempting to breach Labour Party rules and subvert the intention of all-women shortlists, women’s officers or minimum quotas for women will be dealt with via our established safeguards, selection procedures and disciplinary measures,” the party added.

In its statement, the party condemned members who have employed “abuse or intimidation” in the debate around trans rights, having suspended a number of anti-trans campaigners.