UPDATE: CONTACT/VISIT YOUR MP FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Done- have written to my MP.

Great leaflets, excellent briefing sheet and seriously useful action. Face to face conversations with MPs are essential. Otherwise they just stick their fingers in their ears and pretend we aren't here. Unless we are blokes of course.

Excellent, thank you so much, I'll share that via ReSisters.

Happy International Women's day everyone!

Definitely think it’s OK! The important thing is that as many people as possible email with the resisters IWD stuff and request a meeting and then at that meeting physically put the stuff in their hands.

Do you think that's OK?

And if it is, I hope people feel free to steal it!

Actually. I don't like the word "safe spaces" sounds too woke!

Dear [my MP's name],

I am writing to you as my constituency MP. Please could I request a meeting with you to discuss the issue of single-sex spaces for women - for example in women's refuges and support sessions, in changing rooms at leisure centres and schools and in sports at amateur level.

The Equality Act 2010 is clear that it is lawful to provide single sex spaces where there is a genuine need. However, many businesses, organisations and schools seem to be confused about the legislation and are misinterpreting it, putting the safety of women and girls at risk.

Please see attached a briefing note outlining the issues.

Please let me know when it would be convenient to visit you.

Yours sincerely

Brilliant biscuits thank you and well done

How's this?

Dear [my MP's name],

I am writing to you as my constituency MP. Please could I request a meeting with you to discuss the issue of single sex safe spaces.

The Equality Act 2010 is clear that it is lawful to provide single sex spaces if there is a genuine need. However, many businesses, organisations and schools seem to be confused about the legislation and are misinterpreting it, putting the safety of women and girls at risk.

Please see attached a briefing note outlining the issues.

Please let me know when it would be convenient to visit you?

Yours sincerely,

my MP (extremely senior woman MP) is so terrified of being deselected by Momentum that she's not prepared to stick her head above the parapet on this. Momentum have taken over Labour in my area, a lot of older members have simply stopped going to meetings. It's a mess.

Good luck Latin!

I'm going to see my mp today. Bit nervous I'm going to get tongue tied. Wish me luck!

Sent my email. Not expecting a response but I'll share if I get one. I tried to keep it succinct and focused on the issue I'm most concerned with (sexual assault).

howmanybiscuits

Short and sweet is fine. The important thing is that MP’s are repeatedly contacted about these issues so that they know the public are in favour of sex segregated spaces for women.

I'd like to do this but I'm not sure what to put in the email to my MP.

Can I just be short and sweet and ask for an appointment or do I need to go into detail?

Bump

That's a brilliant document, thank you to everyone involved in putting it together.

My MP doesn't appear to live locally (surprise surprise) or publish the dates and locations of their surgeries. I've left a telephone message asking for details of the surgeries but haven't heard back yet. I think I'll follow up with an email but would appreciate any pro tips from seasoned campaigners about what to do to increase my chances of getting a response. Another friend emailed our MP some months ago and never heard anything back.

Bump!

Great resources & fantastic work on there Forwomemscot!
[& a nice easy donate button people ]

I’ll email I’ve already met my MP and they’re used to hearing from me about this.

Of course, (bloody useless) MP it is

Waddle can you divert your attention to your MP for this one?

We recommend phoning. MPs should be in their constituency office tomorrow AND Friday - so a quick call tomorrow to see if they have any open surgeries/appointments for Friday should work well. If you can't make Friday, please send your MP an email on the day (or make a later appointment if preferred).

And MPs must pass your concerns to the relevant Minister if asked to do so - they don't have to agree with your opinion.

We are delighted to join in this action with the ReSisters.

The Equality Act is reserved to Westminster, and the EHRC has recently called on the UK Government to clarify the operation of exceptions in the Equality Act 2010 that protect single-sex spaces and services - see page 13.

Also, from James Kirkup's article, "the word in Whitehall is that Penny Mordaunt, the Equalities Minister, is starting to have doubts about changing the law to allow people to self-identify their sex."

So let's get as many MP's writing to Penny Mordaunt as possible - women and women's service providers want to be able to actually use the provisions for single-sex spaces given in the Equality Act!

More info is on our website: forwomen.scot/iwd/

Excellent will write to my MSPs too

I'm writing to my MP (Anne Milton who used to be Minister for Women). I don't expect much, I've written before when she was MfW and never heard anything back.

This is an important and useful thing to do I think

The EHRC guidance on single sex spaces and gender reassignment is really week and confused. This puts women and transwomen at risk of humiliation, and leaves service providers with impossible tasks such as deciding if some one is "visually and for all practical purposes indistinguishable from" a member of the opposite sex.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3522262-MNHQ-have-you-seen-this-new-EHRC-guidance