Former Plaid Cymru candidate ‘horrified’ by ‘transphobia’ voting Green
A former Plaid Cymru candidate who has been “horrified” by “transphobia” has said he is voting for the Green Party.
Mike Parker, who unsuccessfully stood to be a Plaid Cymru MP in Ceredigion, said he’d be voting for the Greens on the regional list at the Senedd election on May 6.
He said that he cannot cast a vote that “might prolong the political career” of Helen Mary Jones, who is standing for Plaid Cymru in the Mid and West Wales region, because of “stuff she has put on social media”.
Last month she issued an apology to the trans community and said that she had “taken time to reflect” on her past comments and actions that “caused a lot of hurt and harm to a lot of people”.
This was following the resignation of one of the party’s regional candidates for North Wales, Owen Hurcum, who said that they were standing down after being unable to share a platform with her because of her past statements on the subject.
Mike Parker said: “Though a Plaid member, and indeed former candidate, I’m voting Wales Green Party on the regional list on May 6.
“I’d urge other progressive Plaid and independence supporters to think about doing the same. Here’s why.
“Sadly, I can’t cast a vote that might prolong the political career of Helen Mary Jones. Some stuff she has put on social media has horrified me.
“I’m a queer man and remember all too well the vile homophobia of the 80s. Very much of today’s transphobia is an awful echo of that.
“It’s not just an anti vote though. We need more parties in the Senedd outlining positive, progressive, pro-indy politics.
“I hugely welcome the Greens movement in this direction, and believe that the Welsh party can play as great a part in our future as their Scottish comrades.
“The voting system for the Senedd is awful, though it’s still better than first past the post, and it means that smaller parties can win a top-up seat on around 8% of the vote.
“That is a very achievable target for the Greens, especially perhaps here in the Mid & West region.
“Most importantly, we need MSs that get the potential severity of the climate crisis. We are all seeing real changes, even here, in equable northern Europe.
“Forget the pandemic, Brexit, independence: none of it means a stuff if we have an unliveable planet.”
Plaid Cymru have been contacted for a response.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Don’t you feel for Helen Mary she has tried all her political life to be a poster person for every kind of leftie cause,and now they have found an angle which demonizes her?
Hard to muster much in the way of sympathy because of the way she has slammed into anyone with a contrary view in the past. Plenty of form as an aggressive promoter of certain “progressive” lines of thinking so getting caught on the wrong side of the dogma boundary must have hurt. I share her concerns about safe spaces for women and we are a long way off from sorting pathways for youngsters who have questioned whether they are living their lives in the correct gender. It certainly isn’t all about self identification as it is in that zone that… Read more »
On the 10th of March ITV reported, “In December, Ms Jones apologised after sharing a tweet that criticised people who equated trans discrimination with the Holocaust.” So, Plaid Cymru equates trans discrimination with the Holocaust. I wonder how Jewish people feel about that. Are Trans people being transported in cattle wagons to death camps, being gassed and incinerated because they are trans?
Yes they were! Queer and gender non-conforming people were put to death in vast numbers by the Nazis. Please read some history.
The question is posed in the present tense – “Are Trans people being transported in cattle wagons to death camps, being gassed and incinerated because they are trans?” The answer is no. Not that Jews are either but they are treated as bogey men by an assortment of new generation fascistic types who appear not to have learned anything from the 1933-45 era.
I find it very hypocritical that someone can criticise a person for apparent transphobia and then describe themselves as ‘queer’ – which is a hate word. As a gay man I find the use of that particular word much more insulting. Please stop using that dreadful word to describe persons of homo or bi-sexual orientation.
I believe Helen Mary Jones has been victimised. She is somebody who has dedicated her life to Wales and the causes she believes in. She does not deserve this nasty slander.