WRITE TO YOUR MP

It wasn’t for subscribers - it was open. Anyone could vote. I don’t subscribe and I voted.

BTW the Times ran an online survey of subscribers asking if they agreed with self id last week. 12500 responses. 94% said no to self id.

I emailed Boris, Liz Truss and all of the members of the Women and Equalities committee. Just said I supported Liz Truss's proposals and my experiences of sexual harrassment and why single sex spaces are important to me. Got a response from the Committee thanking me for my email and saying they had read and noted contents. Just routine of course but its reallly worth writing.

@StandUpStraight very helpful, thank you.

If people are looking for a template for a letter to Liz Truss, this was shared on Twitter (has all the relevant address details in it). www.dropbox.com/s/lte0phjx3bhqukn/MP%20Template.docx?dl=0 And Woman’s Place and Fair Play for Women both have their own letters on their website.

Bumping this. I have written to my MP and am about to post my letter to Liz Truss.
Pull!!!

I’m emailing my MP today. She’s said some really silly things since becoming MP for my constituency last year. She’s conservative and seems to be anti everyone from what o can tell, so god knows what sort of response I’ll get. I’d like to email Liz Truss with my support, is there anything worth mentioning alongside that?

Emailed mine, no acknowledgement or response though.

Shameless bump

Thanks for the thread. I’m a lurker round here but have written to my MP. I’ve also contacted my union who urged me via email to write to my MP in support of self ID don’t remember the bit of the meeting where we voted for that...

I’ve written to my MP, Liz Truss and Keir Starmer.

My MP is a Tory whip, male, in his 40s representing a fairly rural area so I’m hopeful, and anyway I’m pretty sure he’ll be towing the party line whatever his personal feelings are.

I’ve written about some incidents I’ve experienced at the hands of men in changing rooms, so I’d be pretty offended if he came back and called me a bigot.

[quote GrossePois]@Divoc2020
“50% of transgender people had experienced depression or anxiety.”

Uhhhh, I think most people have experienced those feelings.

What totally crap response.[/quote]
50% - how many women have suffered from PND? How many people post surgery have suffered depression? How many people who have nurse a dying parent have depression? How many people who have been attacked have depression and anxiety?

I think 50% seems a good deal.

It's a response that doesn't really look to your concerns. Regarding the 50% figure, that may be true, I don't know. Curious to quote a magazine/journal as your source - it could potentially be a quote from an opinion piece without any data to back it up.
Plus it's just too woolly - is that 50% at any given time, 50% chance over someone's whole life (which isn't really surprising and may be similar to non-trans) and is that a clinical diagnosis or a self-diagnosed one.

@Divoc2020
“50% of transgender people had experienced depression or anxiety.”

Uhhhh, I think most people have experienced those feelings.

What totally crap response.

Labour MP has responded, very neutral, will wait until government publishes draft legislation. (Sounds like what Keir Starmer has said but I don’t trust him on this at all.) No word on ridiculous nonsense spouted by Labour MPs about babies being born without a sex (all-time fave from Dawn Butler).

Thank you for writing about Black Lives Matter. I assure you I will do all I can to make sure White Lives Matter.

. What a pile of wank.
Single spaces must absolutely be protected, but in a way that doesn't keep the men out. Unbelievable.

Very irritating reply from my gay Tory MP (although I didn't expect much, as I know he is completely aligned with all things LGBT and sits on various committees).
Basically I wrote to give my support for the halt of the GRA reforms and self-ID, highlighting the importance of women's spaces.
I also said I hoped he supported the halt in the medicalisation of children at gender identity clinics and expressed concern about the materials being distributed in schools via the RSE toolkits. I even sent him a copy of the 'dice'!

Although he responded quickly, it's so obviously a cut and paste and it looks as if someone in his office has sent a "reassure a trans person" set of words instead! No mention of the schools materials at all:

Thank you for contacting me on the subject of proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act.

As a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Global LGBT Rights, this is an issue that I have been following closely over the past few weeks since the announcement was made, and I can assure you that I understand your concerns over these comments. The issue of single sex spaces is a complex one that affects many people, and I do believe that there is a case for them in situations where women may feel vulnerable. The difficult reality is that there are still cases of abuse, violence, and rape against women in this country, and as such single-sex spaces go a long way in giving women a place where they can feel safe and at ease.

However, as you rightly mention, it is important that these spaces, which do serve an important purpose when used correctly, are not used in a way that discriminates against transgender people. The same is true about Liz Truss’s (Minister for Equalities) comments on ‘checks and balances’ and on ‘protecting under-18-year olds’. Although no specifics were disclosed, I will be reviewing this closely to ensure that the rights of transgender people are protected. Transgender people remain vulnerable, with ‘Psychology Today’ reporting that almost 50% of transgender people had experienced depression or anxiety. Transgender people are human just like everyone else, and as such deserve human rights, civil rights, equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination. As both an MP and member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Global LGBT Rights, I will be continuing to monitor and scrutinise any legislation to make sure that this is the case, and the team are having ongoing discussions to ensure that the voice of transgender people is represented and taken into account.

Thank you for contacting me on this issue.

Grr - Just trying to work out how to reply (ideas welcome!)

I've sent a message to my local MP saying that I support a more considered approach to the reform of the GRA.
I also mentioned that there has been widespread anticipation and adoption of self-ID principles ahead of legislative change and misrepresentation of the Equality Act which I hope the Government will address but with sensitivity to all concerned.

That is a different standard line from the ones I was seeing earlier this year...

Just emailed-
Luz Truss
Boris
My local MP

Hi Baroness - on what grounds was the petition refused? Its about Government policy. Its not like it was a petition about a tv show or something. Surely that's the point of having petitions theres.

Another nail in the coffin of our supposed democratically acountable political system.

Do you know the details.