Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Response from my MP re MM's gender identity bill

81 replies

Gallavich · 28/03/2017 23:27

Anyone else want to share here?
@italiangreyhound

Response from my MP re MM's gender identity bill
Response from my MP re MM's gender identity bill
OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
egosumquisum1 · 31/03/2017 18:34

You might find this interesting

www.nytimes.com/2017/03/30/us/north-carolina-senate-acts-to-repeal-restrictive-bathroom-law.html

Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, signed legislation repealing the law after it was approved by the Republican-controlled legislature. House Bill 2 had restricted the ability of municipalities to enact anti-discrimination policies and required transgender people in government and public buildings to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate.

In addition to repealing House Bill 2, the new law gives the General Assembly the sole power to regulate access to “multiple occupancy restrooms, showers or changing facilities.” It also creates a moratorium on local nondiscrimination ordinances through 2020.

On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal, a gay rights group, called the compromise a “fake” repeal bill that “keeps in place the most harmful parts of the law.” The Human Rights Campaign and other gay rights groups called the deal “shameful” and accused the governor and the legislature of engaging in a “sell out” of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Some religious and cultural conservatives denounced the removal of transgender bathroom provisions. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, based in Washington, said the compromise showed that “elected officials are ultimately willing to surrender to the courts and the N.C.A.A. on matters of safety and public policy.” Others argued that girls and women would be robbed of privacy and dignity if forced to confront biological men in restrooms.

Under the new law, transgender people in state government buildings will not be prohibited from using a bathroom that does not match the gender on their birth certificate. Mr. Cooper emphasized the impact on school children. “Now transgender kids aren’t subject to the horrible requirement and embarrassment that could put them in more danger of being bullied or preyed on,” he said.

The Obama-era Justice Department had issued guidelines to public schools stating that denying students the ability to use the restrooms of their choice violated Title IX, the 1972 federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. A Virginia case that might have settled the matter was scheduled to be heard by the United States Supreme Court, but when President Trump’s Justice Department rescinded the guidelines, the justices in March sent it back to a lower court to decide.

Jane Wettach, a law professor at Duke, said that beyond schools, few institutions had ever policed people’s bathroom choices. “Which is what made the law sort of symbolic,” she said, referring to House Bill 2.

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 31/03/2017 18:08

Vicky Foxcroft
Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford

I'm SO relieved to see that.

She's my MP too and I've sent several emails & received disappointing or non-existent replies. Looks like she is listening after all!

Gaspode, is there any chance you could post Justine Greening's response?

nauticant · 31/03/2017 08:09

Ah, that's useful to know. Still, at least I've got a chance to engage with my MP and if I receive a similarly blinkered and unthinking response I can ask "do you really believe this yourself when the potential consequence is X*".

The main thing is that some MPs get prompted to think about this for themselves rather than going with the herd because it's safe and to do otherwise would be "difficult".

  • or maybe XY
Datun · 30/03/2017 23:27

nauticant

Last December my MP forwarded my (first) letter to Caroline Dinenage. She sent me back a reply with a photocopied sheet saying how businesses, schools, pubs etc have to let people in loos according to their gender identity.

She also said that the very existence of AGP was 'controversial'.

So I wouldn't hold out much hope. Although it would be interesting to know whether or not opinions have evolved given mainstream media's new questioning of the trans agenda.

nauticant · 30/03/2017 22:02

I owe my MP an apology for my post above. I just received a reply and, in addition to them apologising for their delay, they said they'd raised the issue with Caroline Dinenage MP who apparently is the responsible minister and I'll get a fuller response once my MP has heard back from CD. Let's see.

Datun · 30/03/2017 14:01

Are a few rants on the Jess Phillips loved-in thread.

Thelilywhite · 30/03/2017 13:57

Have just been on. Questions on sex and gender bared from 13.42 by Mumsnet HQ 'so that the thread doesn't feel focused only on that issue'

Eh???

Datun · 30/03/2017 09:58

Well let's hope that his response is just perhaps the turning of the tide.

Catherine Mayer of the Women's Equality Party is doing a web chat here at 1 o'clock today. If anyone fancies engaging.

dementedcommuter · 30/03/2017 00:14

Really not impressive, nor are the other two I sent, sorry. From the heart though! Also I didn't say this in the email, but I have been married to a Muslim immigrant for 19 years. Only mentioning on here as referring to trans and muslims negatively in the same post may allow some to assume I'm a bigot. Children being transed are my main concern, so make no apologies for my focus.

"Please note my objections to this bill which threatens women and children.

How can we be giving children puberty blockers when 75% of people with body dismporthia ultimately identify as their assigned birth sex.

This is eugenics and will ultimately be as big as scandal as allowing children to be sexually abused by Muslim men was.

Womens safe spaces are also at risk.

Read the link I agree with all the points and want to be represented by you at the debate".

www.transgendertrend.com/gender-identity-rights-of-the-child/

dementedcommuter · 29/03/2017 23:10

There were several emails. I thought he was ignoring me but found 3 in my outbox last week that hadn't been sent so sent again. I'll share tomorrow nothing great though, but all included reference to links provided by or to threads from mumsnet.

Datun · 29/03/2017 23:06

dementedcommuter

Result !!

Can you copy and post your letter for others to see? It was obviously persuasive.

dementedcommuter · 29/03/2017 22:59

He took a while to get back. I sent all the links from here.

venusinscorpio · 29/03/2017 22:56

Wow your MP sounds great demented.

dementedcommuter · 29/03/2017 22:50

Surprised but delighted. It's worth it.

Response from my MP re MM's gender identity bill
JoinTheUnicorns · 29/03/2017 12:52

My MP has said that while he's usually in his constituency that day of the week, he will try to be there for the second reading of the bill.

Nothing on if he'll actually do anything about it, but that's a better response than most people on here seem to have received!

nauticant · 29/03/2017 10:56

No response here either.

But since the first time I ever wrote to them their office attempted to mislead me (in a very minor matter simply to save themselves some inconvenience) I started off with very low expectations.

BMacklin · 29/03/2017 10:34

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/2879137-Open-Letters-to-Our-MPs-on-the-Gender-Identity-Bill

There's discussion on here about responses given.

AlistairSim · 29/03/2017 08:33

I would love to share my MP's response but as he didn't bother to reply, I can't.

ExitPursuedByUser54321 · 29/03/2017 08:31

My MP hasn't bothered to even acknowledge my letter.

She did infer I was a rascist bigot when I wrote to her about the attacks on women in Cologne, so she clearly has my card marked.

Datun · 29/03/2017 08:28

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Was Justine Greening's response encouraging?

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 29/03/2017 08:11

Yes, I thought so. I'm quite impressed with her all round, actually.

venusinscorpio · 29/03/2017 07:36

That's a fairly decent letter. She acknowledges that there are issues and mentions other concerned constituents.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 29/03/2017 07:32

Here's mine.

*
Thank you for getting in touch with me with your concerns about Maria Miller’s Gender Identity Bill. I am aware that this is a prominent issue at the moment and have received several emails from transgender constituents seeking protection from discrimination, as well as a number from those such as yourself who are concerned about self-declaration of gender and its consequences for women and girls.

I hope we can all agree it is vital that transgender people are protected from discrimination. While the UK has made extraordinary progress on improving the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in recent years, unfortunately this pace has not been replicated for trans rights.

However, I also understand that there are legitimate concerns surrounding the possibility that a man could ‘self-declare’ himself to be a transwoman in order to gain access to refuges, prisons and changing rooms designated as women-only spaces.

It is worth noting that the Government has made no definite commitment to changing the law in line with the principles of gender self-declaration. Minister have, instead, said that they are keen to receive further representations and evidence on the availability and use of the exceptions in the Equality Act 2010 from all affected parties, which they will take into account for future policy discussions.

I recently wrote to Justine Greening MP, Women and Equalities Minister, on behalf of several constituents who shared your concerns. I am attaching a copy of her response to this email in case you are interested.

Thank you once again for sharing your thoughts on this Bill with me.

Kind regards,

Vicky

Vicky Foxcroft
Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford
***

Datun · 29/03/2017 07:26

I still don't understand the reasons for de-medicalising gender dysphoria.

venusinscorpio · 29/03/2017 00:30

Gallavich's MP appears to have more concerns. Only slightly. But they do say that they have concerns about de-medicalisation and how it would work.