A dispute has erupted at Calne Town Council in Wiltshire following a proposal to introduce gender-neutral honorary titles alongside traditional designations.
Liberal Democrat councillor Aitch King, who identifies as a queer non-binary person, submitted plans to create alternatives to the current Honorary Freeman and Honorary Freewoman titles for individuals who prefer not to use gendered terminology.
A committee voted unanimously to recommend the full council adopt the revised honours policy, which would incorporate inclusive terminology such as Person of Distinction or Honorary Citizen.
The suggestion would provide options for those who do not wish to be recognised using gender-specific titles. However, the proposal has sparked significant opposition from Conservative members of the council.
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Bobby Seymour has attacked the initiative as “crackers” and raised questions about its legality. He stated the Local Government Act 1972 permits councils to bestow only the titles of Honorary Freeman and Honorary Freewoman.
Mr Seymour added: “After the Supreme Court ruling, declaring there were only two sexes, you’d think that would have given it a rest by now,” he said.
He accused political opponents of prioritising ideological concerns over practical matters. “The extreme left has shown that its priorities are to impose its own gender-obsessed ideology and waste money and time, with something that has already prohibited, rather than dealing with the real problems of Calne residents,” Cllr Seymour stated.
He also criticised the Lib Dems for what he characterised as rejecting basic facts. “Sadly, the common sense that people are either male or female still appears to be controversial in the Liberal Democrats,” he added.
Mr Seymour expanded his attack to encompass wider concerns about council priorities and the protection of single-sex facilities. He claimed the Lib Dems should focus on safeguarding spaces designated for women and girls rather than pursuing their current agenda.
“It’s about time they stopped trying to eliminate single-sex spaces which protect women and girls and erasing our own local history,” he said.
He contrasted the attention given to the honours proposal with other matters requiring council attention. “Earlier this year the Calne Liberal Democrats had the opportunity to repair our parks. Instead, they have been too busy chatting about cancelling traditions with this bizarre obsession that human beings can be anything other than male or female,” Mr Seymour said.
He added such matters exceeded the proper remit of town councillors. “It’s just not what town councillors are there to do, and I suspect most people think it’s utterly crackers,” he stated.
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Responding to the criticism, the Lib Dem councillor defended the initiative as an expansion of existing traditions rather than their abolition. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the politician emphasised the traditional titles would not be discontinued.
“This is not and was never a proposal to move away from or cancel a tradition; it is a proposal to update a tradition to better align with the reality that not everyone wants to use specifically gendered terms,” the Lib Dem councillor stated.
The politician pointed out during the actual committee discussion, Mr Seymour raised no objections beyond seeking legal clarification.
“When I spoke at the meeting about this proposal, I made it explicitly clear that I was not suggesting that we scrap the existing titles, I was instead proposing that we add an additional title so that a non-gendered version be available for use by those who want to,” the Lib Dem councillor said.
The Lib Dem councillor noted all fellow councillors are aware of this background and the considerable pressures currently facing their community.
“Whether my colleague wishes to acknowledge or accept that non-binary people, and people who simply do not wish to use a gendered term exist or not is beside the point,” the politician stated.
In a professional capacity, the Lib Dem councillor works as an accessibility specialist focused on improving conditions for disabled people.
“I am working to better the lives of all residents in Calne, not only the LGBTQIA+ community,” the politician said.
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