Spreadsheet of local authorities that record sex not gender - let's complete it together!

Hi Knickknackpaddyflak, where were you looking for Northamptonshire? I found a doc which listed sex. It's from 2012, did you find something more recent? www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/council-and-democracy/equalities/Documents/EqualityDutyInformationReport2012.pdf

Hi everyone, I'm the person doing the spreadsheet. Sorry the Google Docs access hasnt been working, I'm not sure why as I made it public access but my GD knowledge is limited when it doesnt work. If you list your LA and the outcome on here I will add it to the sheet.

Hi NaturalBornWoman, what is your LA?

Its shocking how many councils are either omitting sex or putting it alongside gender as though it means the same on a legal context when they know full well it doesnt

Northamptonshire it's an N.

They mention the sex discrimination act, but gender is front and centre while sex is missing from the list of characteristics the policy names as supporting.

I've emailed Derbyshire changing do feel free to join me!

The document linked is already inaccurate. I can't edit it but I checked my LA policy and it replaces sex with gender, no mention of sex. On the doc it's listed as Y.

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/sex-discrimination

Link not clicky before so seeing if this works.

It is on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website, one click from the page that a poster suggested as good to send to confused councils. Just wanted to point out that they have sex (gender) on this page like many councils are using, so I don't think it will help in those cases.

I think this is a really useful thing to do but sadly it will need to be done offline. there will be various people interested in this, not all for the same reasons.

tweek not tweet

This is shocking - that local authorities can just meddle with the Equality Act! And tweet it how they fancy

An Equality impact assessment looks at a policy or procedure and sees if it discriminates or is likely to discriminate against somebody because of their Race, Gender, Disability, Age, Sexual Orientation, Religion, Belief and any other likely characteristic

From Bolsover District Council

Protected characteristics which are covered by the Equality Act 2010 are age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, gender and sexual orientation.

From Derbyshire County Council

Both confuse gender with sex.

Sex(gender) on Mine! . Not sure if that's a yes or a no. Gender reassignment is listed separately though

Can't edit here so add a no to Dover District Council

Yes boat, when they start telling us we have nothing to worry our silly little heads about...

We should also be archiving copies of docs and listing refs/version numbers on the spreadsheet so when they all get yanked on Monday (as the Swim England guidance was), we have originals we can point to and/or share with local political representatives.

I think one of the campaign groups on this (eg WPUK) needs to collate this offline & contributors use an email account or twitter feed to submit info, which should include html links to policy docs & page refs to make confirmation easier.

I checked my LA and they get a ⭐️ for correctly listing all the EA categories & getting sex right, but I’m not naming them here.

Hi can anyone North West Leicestershire District Council for me please? Can’t edit on my phone....

It’s a no- they refer to gender throughout, no mention of sex!

I'm astonished at this. I'm not a lawyer but surely it's obvious that when giving guidance on the law you have to be absolutely scrupulous about the wording. All these organisations have in-house legal teams - why haven't they checked that the wording of the website pages accords with the law? Asleep on the job.

I'll check a few places later today.

How long before the TRAs hijack this?

Surprised they haven't already TBH

How long before the TRAs hijack this?

If it ends up editable by anyone, there's no way we will know if the content is accurate or not, as data could be so easily changed or falsified with malicious intent.

Has anyone looked yet at the NHS or police forces

I checked DWP and Home office yesterday both had gender and gender identity. No reference to sex.

I can't edit the spreadsheet either..

I've kept things very simple and non-accusatory, just a request that they rectify their mistake:

I note with some concern that your equality and diversity policy conflates the term sex with gender

www.richmondshire.gov.uk/media/8372/equality-policy.pdf

ie Sex (gender)

The Equalities Act 2010

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/4

specifically states 'sex' as the protected characteristic, not' sex (gender)' which could lead to some confusion as the two are not interchangeable. In these days of identity politics, I'm sure you'll agree that accuracy in these matters is important. I would be grateful if you could look into this.

Thank you

Can someone add Cornwall Council in for me? They list sex and then gender reassignment. I’m surprised.

Also, they have their own guidance for schools on trans issues. And while not perfect, it’s certainly trying to address sex-segregated spaces too and talks about why it may not be appropriate for older trans children who are going through puberty to compete in sports against girls.

How long before the TRAs hijack this?

It's a good idea but I think the tone of the letter is wrong.