Should the GRA be repealed ...

the Gender Reassignment pc in the EA 2010 gives people undergoing transition protection against discrimination. It would be interesting to find out more detail about the workings of that as it seems that only one case has been brought in the last four years for bullying in the workplace (but that seems low so maybe I've missed some, there have been many many Sex discrimination cases brought in the meantime).

The current use of the GRC has moved some distance from the original intention provided for in the GRA and, along with the ability to change documents including obtaining a changed birth certificate and new NI number (is this unique to trans people as well?) is now being utilised not just to help prevent discrimination based on a pc defined in the EA 2010 (like all the other protected characteristics) but to eradicate any possibility of discrimination by totally concealing the basis for this perceived discrimination. The Hate Crime legislation potentially covers any gaps creating by a person not 'passing' and that are missed by the ban on disclosure and discussion of a trans status in the GRA.

This seems to be a total 'belt and braces' approach to the issue which gives a unique double level of protection. I would be interested to see some stats about how serious and extensive the discrimination against trans people is and how it compares to people covered by any other protected characteristic. I think the hate crime stats places trans related hate crime quite low when compared to race or religion.

There is a fundamental difference here where the priority for many trans people is to conceal the fact that they are in the group with the protected characteristic at all costs whereas I don't think any other pc group attempts or even wants that. The additional measures and contortions needed to achieve this total concealment while receiving full protection seem to be a growing list.

And serious legal protection against discrimination for any type of gender non-conformity

Gender reassignment is already a protected characteristic. 'Reassignment' doesn't mean surgery, so it must include gender non conformity.

The GRA needs to go, I think it would be fine if documents included sex and an optional gender. And serious legal protection against discrimination for any type of gender non-conformity, (regardless of whether a person identifies as anything), why on earth should one have to identify as trans to benefit from this?

A perfectly sensible solution. It's extraordinary that this wasn't the original solution.

Yes, I think it should be repealed.

Female-only spaces need to be based on sex and, to state the obvious, you can't change sex. Gender-identity or presentation should be irrelevent in this case.

I'm sympathetic to anyone with gender dysphoria, but this was a badly thought-out law with obvious long-term consequences to many other groups. It's not our fault the inevitable happened.

It requires authoritarian means to compel speech and force statements of belief.

And it's especially ironic that in the rare occasions when a proponent of legally changing sex tries to explain what "living as a woman (or man) " means, the most specific point they tend to mention is "asking" (the term I've heard them use, but they're actually trying to compel, at risk of legal consequences, or loss of work) others to use their "preferred" (I would say "demanded") pronouns.

How strange they get away with saying they are using whichever pronouns for themselves, when actually they are insisting everyone else does, and making this a part of what makes them supposedly literally the opposite sex...
The GRA needs to go, I think it would be fine if documents included sex and an optional gender. And serious legal protection against discrimination for any type of gender non-conformity, (regardless of whether a person identifies as anything), why on earth should one have to identify as trans to benefit from this?

Yes the GRA should be repealed.

It is an insult to women and makes it ever harder represent and meet the needs of women and analyse/demonstrate data which highlight those needs. It relies on sexist stereotypes and encourages the entrenchment and ossification of those stereotypes making life harder for anyone who does not conform to them.

It is an assault on the principles of objective truth and reality.

It requires authoritarian means to compel speech and force statements of belief.

Of course it should be repealed. Not least because of how terrified people have been, and organisations and institutions still are, of suggesting it.

If something is that brutally policed something nasty is going on.

Yes it should be repealed.

I also support repealing the GRA, it enables lots of harm and no good.

Boundaries. It's all about boundaries, the fear of policing firm boundaries and the inability to deal with someone who does not respect other people's boundaries and uses angry, upset and uncontrolled behaviour to try and get their way at someone else's expense.

This is why, in my opinion, one so often hears the words, particularly on here, where are the grown-ups?

So many people are using this site who are completely mired in that part of raising a family which requires boundaries and a firm No.

Anyone listening to toddlers just losing it, or the never-ending creative ways teens can come up with to get what they want, knows that enforcing boundaries and saying no becomes a daily occurrence. Which often requires a degree of mental strength that appears lacking in a lot of places where one might otherwise expect it.

It taught me that even in a perfect society human nature is such that some selfish bastard will soon turn up to exploit it

I find myself thinking about the phrase 'good fences make good neighbours' a lot lately.

Boundaries. It's all about boundaries, the fear of policing firm boundaries and the inability to deal with someone who does not respect other people's boundaries and uses angry, upset and uncontrolled behaviour to try and get their way at someone else's expense.

*Added to that: the US gatekeeping on support animals is having to be reviewed, not just because people's choice of animals became unexpectedly challenging and impractical in all situations, but because they discovered that inevitably, there will always be humans who see a personal advantage and will take the piss.

In this case, the US authorities are finding that many people are using the useful phrase 'it's my support animal' to take their pet wherever they like.

The side effect is inevitably that those who need support animals, fought to open these doors, did not push the system to breaking point and would have used it responsibly with properly trained animals, are now encountering services and provisions and a general public that has become wary, cynical and is closing doors again, throwing inclusion into reverse.*

I read "Island" by Aldous Huxley relaxing after finishing my A levels.
It taught me that even in a perfect society human nature is such that some selfish bastard will soon turn up to exploit it, usually for their own financial gain, and ruin the previously perfect set up.
Age hasn't given me any reason to change my opinion, though maybe the book is due another reread.

In this day and age it ought to be quite possible to have that information stored in 'back end' data, but not actually printed on a physical card or passport. I know that doesn't get to the root of the problem, but it would solve the immediate issue for those described above, who just hate having a gender on their documents that they don't feel comfortable with.

There is no need for 'gender' on documents, sex can be. Key documents are used in many situations for identification with Safeguarding implications where electronic data would not/could not ever be read.
There is evidence that it was deliberate strategy by Press For Change to conflate gender and sex.

"Also, people suggesting that sex dysphoria should be treated as an illness/disability: TRAs don't want this and have successfully lobbied the WHO to this end. It's surely a non-starter.

But if it's not an illness or disability, why does it need medical treatment?"

Well quite. But that is the situation we're in.

who just hate having a gender on their documents

but it isn't their gender it's their sex

it's like indulging people who don't want to have been born in 1975 but would rather be 10 years younger by stating their their year of birth in documents as 1985

it's bonkers

Sorry, posted to soon - meant to add:

In this day and age it ought to be quite possible to have that information stored in 'back end' data, but not actually printed on a physical card or passport. I know that doesn't get to the root of the problem, but it would solve the immediate issue for those described above, who just hate having a gender on their documents that they don't feel comfortable with. Maybe technology isn't quite sufficiently advanced for that kind of overhaul though.

Thanks all. I do still wonder if a lot of this could be avoided by sex being recorded but not prominently stated on official documentation. This would help for the cases where trans people are simply uncomfortable having MALE or FEMALE next to their name when they feel otherwise, without endangering any data.

Genuine question - is there a compelling reason why sex needs to be stated on passports?

There are many compelling reasons why sex should be accurately recorded on passports in the context of travel and security as well as when passports are used for Safeguarding purposes.

It's a piece of hopelessly sexist legislation, ratifying clothing and hair style into law, and then shocking itself into mute immobility when it doesn't work.

Yes, it should.

Repeal the GRA has been hashing on Twitter for long time.

Good to see it now has a home

My thoughts also!

Excellent use of the word salami Michelle

How many of us would have been aware of the GRA before they tried to reform it? I for one wasn’t aware of it. It’s about time this law had proper scrutiny because they certainly didn’t consult women about it back in 2004. It is bad law.

The Freddie McConnel case brought it home how shonky the GRA is. FM sighed a legal document changing their legal gender from female to male then days later went for female fertility treatment. And there were no consequences for effectively breaking the terms of a legally binding document.
Likewise there seems to be no way to rescind a GRC if the holder changes their mind.

Brilliant post Michelle