Cassidy Laurens, former leader of the Social Democratic Party, has today announced that she is quitting the SDP in order to join the Feminist Party. Laurens, who was in the centre of a scandal during the 2019 election campaign where she was criticised for making “pro-Kerlile” comments, has said that Lauchenoiria needs to do more to combat sexism in the present day.
“In 2020, women in Lauchenoiria are still subjected to sexist comments on the street, discriminatory hiring practices and abuse because of our gender,” says Laurens. “The progress towards full equality has been halted because of a lack of motivation among those in power to tackle the problem, and conspiracy theories about Kerlile that have led to any woman seeking equality to be labelled a traitor and spy.”
“I have joined the Feminist Party because they are the only party which is serious about tackling sexism. The SDP have let themselves down by distancing themselves from any woman who is willing to stand up against sexist abuse. I am not abandoning the SDP: rather, they are abandoning their principles and the entire female gender out of fear because of rumours and suspicion spread by the far-right to discredit women and encourage hatred.”
The SDP lost all their seats in the 2019 parliamentary elections after Laurens, then party leader, was caught on microphone sympathising with Kerlian policy on women’s issues. Following this incident, the party plummeted in the polls due to widespread dislike of the Matriarchy after the 2018 war, and related invasion of Yervia Province and other locations by the Kerlians. It also prompted speculation that Laurens was a Kerlian sleeper agent known as an “Aurora”.
The Feminist Party has long contended with rumours that it is secretly funded by Kerlile, and subject to influence by the Kerlian ruling Council. The party has consistently denied these rumours, calling them slanderous. Paul Doberman, leader of Lauchenoiria First, has been the main champion of these rumours in recent years, and has been running a campaign for increased vetting of female candidates in elections in light of the allegations of Kerlian sleeper agents infiltrating Lauchenoiria.
The Feminist Party has welcomed Laurens, with leader Katherine Wright saying: “we are thrilled to have a skilled, and caring woman like Cassidy Laurens in our party. She has consistently proven that she cares deeply about women’s rights, and about improving the lives of Lauchenoirians across the country. The SDP ought to take note of this, and revise their policies on women’s rights before they lose yet more talented individuals like Laurens.”
