WRITE TO YOUR MP

I have just received this response from my local MP. Kim Johnson the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside She replaced the hounded and bullied Louise Ellman last year, and has firmly hitched her wagon to the Momentum bandwagon. the response is generic, and does not address many of my points directly at all. No surprise. I have responded further with direct invitations to meet with women in her constituency:

"Thank you for contacting me about reform to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).

I support reform of the GRA to introduce self-declaration for transgender people, and the full roll-out of LGBT+ inclusive education across our schools.

I am further committed to eliminating remaining areas of discrimination in law, ensuring that LGBT+ people can live in safety and dignity.

LGBT+ people still face widespread discrimination, and it is clear that we must do more to enhance their rights and protections.

As you will be aware, in July 2017, the Government committed to consulting on reforming the GRA and launched its consultation in July 2018. This consultation closed in October 2018. The Government has yet to publish the findings or respond.

In May 2020, the Government said it is planning to publish its “response this summer, subject to the Government's COVID-19 response”.

As you will further be aware, in April 2020, the Women and Equalities Minister outlined three principles that the Government would be putting in place. It was stated that this includes: “the protection of single-sex spaces”, “making sure that transgender adults are free to live their lives as they wish without fear of persecution, whilst maintaining the proper checks and balances in the system” and “making sure that the under 18s are protected from decisions that they could make, that are irreversible in the future.”

It is vital that there is no rowing back on trans rights. The Government must protect the rights of the trans community in its response to its consultation on the GRA, which has already been significantly delayed.
Additionally, it is important that the Government does not interfere with protections under the Equality Act, which ensure that trans people are not wrongfully excluded from single-sex spaces.

Furthermore, it must be ensured that LGBT+ people are not disproportionately affected by coronavirus, and that all communities are protected equally.

I have received dozens of representations from my constituents on this issue, and you are the only one who has opposed the reforms to the GRA. I understand that this is an issue which evokes strong feelings on both sides, and it needs to be discussed and addressed seriously. That is why I thought JK Rowling's mocking tone was inappropriate and offensive. It was very instructive that some of the actors who made their names in the Harry Potter series felt they had to come out in support of the transgender community and distance themselves from her words.

I respect the fact that you are passionate about your viewpoint and thank you for taking the time to write to me on this important issue"

I wrote to my MP got a standard but positive response

Thank you I have sent it now. Fingers crossed they listen to us all.

That's a great letter bluebooby.

I've emailed my MP about the sex dice RSE game too. They've passed it on.

Though from the little I know of her, I suspect autism and abuse are not high on her list of priorities.

I am writing to my mp today, have finally got round to it. Have written to my previous MP a few times and was discouraged by his responses but going to cross my fingers that the new one is better.

I am very nervous in writing, I have a disability that is slowing down my brain and am on strong medication which doesn't help. I get into a flap even posting on Mumsnet sometimes. Would anyone please be able to read through it before I send?

Dear my mp,

I was very reassured to hear the statement from Liz Truss regarding the GRA reform, particularly her committment to protecting single sex spaces and protecting under 18s from making irreversible decisions that they may come to regret. However, I have become aware of mass campaigns against these proposals, one of which is being orchestrated by Google. Considering Google are an American based technology company I am dubious of their involvement in British politics, and I am concerned these campaigns may affect the government's decision on this important matter.

The right of everyone to single sex toilets, changing rooms, hospital wards, women's refuges and other facilities must be maintained, for the sake of dignity, privacy and safety. I believe this is especially important for women and girls, and as the mother of a young girl I want her to ensure her rights and boundaries are not under threat.

I hope that you will pass on my support to Liz Truss, and I hope that you will support her in making sure our country remains a place where this important right to single sex spaces is upheld.

From me.

*Unsure whether to add another paragraph about my personal concerns regarding autistic, abused and lesbian and gay children, and the newsnight on the tavistock. My dd is autistic, as am I, and I was also a victim of CSA.

Might email her about the dice thing too in a minute.

I've emailed mine again. Last time, she told me TWAW and that I need to consider them more... this time I have been rather more blunt. Every single thing I have said is a statement of fact, rather than opinion. I'm interested in how she tells me I'm a bigot this time!

I don't really give a fuck if she thinks that. I don't see that as a good reason to stop sending emails. Actually, it seems to mean she is so outraged she replies personally, rather than staff doing so, so one of these days, she may yet see my point...

Today's point being: I've been raped enough times. Trans women offend at the same rate and pattern as men, including in matters of rape and sexual assault. Sex based protections are there to prevent attacks like this. Don't get rid of sex based protections, or more women will be attacked, it's statistically obvious. I would like to limit the likelihood of yet another rape against my person.

Written to my MP today. Meant to do it last week hey ho!! Perhaps Liz Truss and Keir Starmer next. I think my MP will be on side.

I've emailed my MP ( Andrew Mitchell) about the sex dice RSE game and he's passed it to the education minister for response

Someone posted a response from Lamy on twitter. He doesn’t surprise to be honest.

Is it fair to assume that because there is a whopping Tory majority, reform would be voted down or kicked into the long grass anyway? If the Times article is right, that is.

I emailed my Tory MP, too soon for a reply.

I'd emailed back in Oct 2018, the first reply from her staff member back then had assumed I was in favour of the GRA and was vague generic words about supporting everyone. When I rather crossly replied that they clearly hadn't read my email I'd got a much better more individual reply saying my MP had passed on my concerns.

so love hearing there are SOME positive interactions with MPs!

I have met my male Tory MP and wrote to him to thank him and Liz for standing up for women. I got a really good reply with an invitation to meet again.

He's supportive, he says they are committed and he has a special interest in prisons and reforms so he also gets it.

Who would like to join me in bumping this thread every time it leaves the first page? It is SO IMPORTANT... I'm keen everyone of us who wants to does so....

I think the worse thing about all this is we know they are all lying. And they know we know they are lying. They are cowards the lot of them. Not a single person would look at some of these peope and truly believe they are who they say they are. If they did then they would not systematically ignore us,.dodge questions, send out standard responses that say nothing , spout lies constantly even though it's been proven to be an lie, and keep doubling down and repeating these lies until it results in the inevitable situation where they have to follow everything through to its logical conclusion, and commit career suicide by ending up stood in a room full of people and their camera phones saying that a male rapist is still the most oppressed on earth and belongs in a.womans prison.

I am.so very angry thay they would rather do that and leave every single one of us women banging our heads against a wall and lying to our faces.

I give up. I was checking out redundancy for my sister (just laid off). Oh look, you can’t be laid off on the basis of ‘sex’ - nah I’m kidding, it’s ‘gender’ 🙄

My MP probably think transpeople should be stuck in a camp or something, along with the women and the gays and the brown people.

shamelessly bumping

Don’t have it to hand but pretty much identical- from a medical doctor. Her twitter occasionally gets spicy with people wanting to know if that means she provides inappropriate treatment/ withholds necessary screening on the basis of the self id rather than biology. She remains adamant that a person can self identify as pretty much anything

[quote TryAnotherNickname]@northstars are you tooting by any chance? Amazing line to come from a qualified doctor, huh?[/quote]
@TryAnotherNickname not Tooting, am in south east London! Have you heard similar from your MP?

@northstars are you tooting by any chance? Amazing line to come from a qualified doctor, huh?

I am absolutely committed to protecting women’s rights and freedoms. I am especially glad that the Minister for Women and Equalities has recently said that any reforms will ensure the protection of single-sex spaces, which I recognise is extremely important.
I know that many people also have concerns about the impact of this legislation on children. I have raised this with colleagues in the Government and Equalities Office who have assured me of their commitment to ensuring under 18s are protected from making decisions that are irreversible in the future. I believe strongly that adults should have the freedom to live their life but I do think it is very important we protect young adults, who are still developing their decision making processes and capabilities, from taking action which they potentially cannot reverse

This bit is pretty much word for word what I was signposted to.

Tbh it's not as positive as it sounds really.

It all hinges on what their definition of women is as any words about single sex spaces are meaningless without this definition. And this is the one thing even those who havent said twaw, have yet to enlighten us with get constitutes a woman.

And the part about children, may sound reassuring BUT would there be so much of a need to worry about irreversible damage to children if these groups were stopped from coming into schools and reinforcing stereotypes. Surely the school bullying policies should cover everything. What's the point of them being there if not to influence the children.