Saielle DaSilvaDec 4, 2022

#UK folks, there's a petition to keep protection of transgender people in the equality act.

It's pretty scary being trans in this country at the moment, and we could use your help to protect our rights.

Feel free to share broadly/openly with others. Steal, boost, whatever. Let's get 100k signatures, please.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/627984

Petition: Commit to not amending the Equality Act's definition of sex

It has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.

Petitions - UK Government and Parliament
Show threadmgladdishDec 5, 2022

@intentionaut I think this petition misunderstands the law in the same way that Stonewall got in to hot water over recently? The human rights act does not cover gender identity, and Stonewall were found to have been giving illegal advice to public bodies based on what they wanted the law to mean rather than what it actually said.

Note: This is not a comment on the appropriateness of the law, or whether I agree or disagree with it. Just on its legally accepted meaning.

Show threadSaielle DaSilvaDec 5, 2022
@mgladdish oh interesting. thanks. i’ll double check.
Show threadmgladdishDec 5, 2022

@intentionaut Here's a link to the report by Akua Reindorf into the recent controversy at Essex University. Note recommendation 18 where the protected characteristics are laid out clearly. And recommendation 28 makes particularly uncomfortable reading for Stonewall and their "interpretation" of the human rights act.

https://www.essex.ac.uk/-/media/documents/review/events-review-report-university-of-essex-september-2021.pdf

Show threadSaielle DaSilvaDec 5, 2022
@mgladdish interesting and thanks for sharing. My understanding of Sunak’s plan it’s to amend and remove gender reassignment from the protected characteristics which would differentiate this from the GC right wing movement’s case against Stonewall substantially.
Show threadmgladdishDec 5, 2022
@intentionaut Ah, interesting. That's quite different to what this petition is about, though?
Show threadSaielle DaSilva

@mgladdish

Currently, the Act protects trans people from discrimination on the basis of both sex and “gender reassignment”, regardless of whether they have undergone medical transition or hold a Gender Recognition Certificate. It allows trans people to access certain protected spaces equally.

Proposed change would explicitly remove those protections and limit trans access to spaces such as such as DV shelters, bathrooms and hospital wards. #Trans

Dec 5, 2022 at 12:13pmWeb
Show threadmgladdishDec 5, 2022
@intentionaut In which case I think you need a different petition. The one linked doesn't address this.