Article 6 of the Declaration reads: “Reaffirming women’s rights to political participation on the basis of sex.”
Article 6 covers women’s “access to voting rights, eligibility for election, participation in the formulation of government policy and its implementation, the holding of public office, performance of all public functions, and participation in non-governmental organizations and associations concerned with public and political life.”
Historically, women have been excluded from political positions and public life on the basis of being female. Although women enjoy a greater level of equality now, discrimination and inequality still persist for those who choose to work in political spheres. This makes it necessary to amplify women’s voices and ensure that they have equal representation.
“Gender identity” vs Sex in Article 6
Women have fought hard over decades to have an equal voice in politics and a right to political participation. But the progress that has been made is under threat by the introduction of “gender identity” as a protected characteristic alongside sex.
Though measures like participation quotas and anti-discrimination laws help to increase women’s involvement in political life, the introduction of “gender identity” in law affects women’s abilities to participate.
This is because “gender identity” presents an inherent contradiction to sex: it’s impossible to protect women’s sex-based rights and opportunities when the definition of sex is expanded to allow self-identification with the opposite sex. When the definition of sex include “gender identity,” sex becomes a meaningless term.
The inclusion of “gender identity” as a protected characteristic in law represents a clear violation of women’s rights when it comes to participation in politics. A man, no matter how he identifies, can never be an effective voice for the concerns of women and girls.
This is because members of the male sex, men do not and cannot experience the sex-based discrimination and oppression that women and girls face on a routine basis due to their female bodies.
Women’s Rights to Political Participation
“Gender identity” policies effectively shut women out of political participation and keep their concerns from being represented in what historically has been a male-dominated sphere of public life. If men are allowed to take positions away from women simply by “identifying as a woman” this ensures that women’s voices cannot be heard.
One example of a man taking a political position away from a woman is Emilia Decaudin, who ran for the 37th AD “Female State Committee Member” position and “Female District Leader” 37A position in the New York state government. His opponent was an African American woman, Corinne Haynes-Woods. Decaudin beat Haynes-Woods, and was successfully elected to the position.
Even though the 37A district had a specifically designated spot for Female District Leader, they ended up with two males occupying both district leader positions. This effectively shunned a female voice, not to mention a woman of color’s voice, from representing the female residents of the district.
Furthermore, the case of Decaudin also shows the homophobia inherent in men who claim a female “gender identity.” Decaudin calls himself a lesbian. But as a man, Decaudin is unable to be a voice for the lesbian community because as a member of the male sex, he cannot understand the struggles that lesbians face.
Lesbians are already an underrepresented and marginalized community. By occupying the position of Female District Leader in the New York state government, Decaudin has taken away the opportunity for lesbians to have their voices heard in the district.
Participation in Non-Governmental Organizations and Associations
Article 6 also covers women’s participation in non-governmental organizations and associations. Men are taking away roles of influence specifically designated for women in these types of organizations as well.
For example, a man named Catherine Fitzpatrick occupies the head of Women’s Studies at Rutger University. Fitzpatrick claims to, “represent marginalized communities,” despite being a white man in a position of influence that otherwise could have been occupied by a woman.
Despite teaching Women’s Studies, as a man Fitzpatrick has no understanding of the uniquely sex-based oppression and discrimination that women and girls endure on the basis of our female bodies.
And as a man, he is occupying a position that could have amplified a woman’s voice, especially when academia still tends to be male-dominated. According to the Brookings Institution, in 2016 women represented only 26% of tenured professors.
Another example of men taking away roles meant for women is when Caitlin Jenner was named Woman of the Year by Glamour, despite being a man. Instead of celebrating a woman and her achievements and providing a chance for a woman to have her voice heard, Glamour chose to give this position of influence to a man.
Preserving Women’s Rights to Political Participation
Women have historically faced exclusion from political and public life, on the basis of their female bodies. In many parts of the world, this is still the case. Women in the U.S. fought hard to have voting access, the right to hold public office, and equal representation in politics.
But now that the definition of the word woman is being expanded to include “anyone who identifies as a woman,” the sex-based protections and measures designed to get more women involved in this area of society effectively no longer exist.
The idea that men who claim a female “gender identity” are equally if not more oppressed than women, and therefore deserve to occupy positions of influence meant for women, is a threat to all the progress women have made in the fight for sex-based rights.
Lawmakers across the U.S. must uphold the definition of sex in law and legislation, and ensure that bills seeking to expand the definition of sex to include “gender identity” do not become law.
They must also ensure that women’s concerns are heard, especially when it comes to laws that uniquely impact them, and that women are equally represented in public office.
To read the Declaration in full and become a signatory click here.
Also, check out our previous posts in our Declaration series here:
Women’s Rights Are Based On Their Sex – Article 1
Motherhood is an Exclusively Female Status – Article 2
Physical/Reproductive Integrity – Article 3
Freedom of Opinion And Expression – Article 4
Assembly and Association – Article 5
Thank you for highlighting the woman who lost her chance at being a Female District Leader because the position, absurdly, went to a man.
All of this reminds me of men’s rights activists in the 1990s, angry about “ladies’ nights”; never in my worst nightmares did I think they would end up not only saying, “Move aside, bodies with vaginas; we are the ladies,” but actually getting an entire major political party to agree with them.