Feminist student society sanctioned by Bristol University

Donations increasing

Earthsight
Depends what they mean as female though. Does the Equality Act mean biologically female, or legally female? If it's legally female, then that would have include anyone who has a gender recognition certificate (unless I'm mistaken)?

The EA doesn't mention grc's or legal sex, but in the recent high court case (the AEA judicial review attempt) the judge thought trans women would be initially included as female when using single sex exemptions, and could then be excluded using the exception re gender reassignment. So you have to engage 2 exceptions to exclude trans women from an event like Women Talk Back. The judge believed that in drawing up the EA and statutory guidence parliament had not intended trans ppl to be treated the same as other members of their birth sex in the way the exceptions work. You have to justify it in addition to the justification for excluding men generally.

It seems proportionate and legit to me that they should run the events for natal women only, so I think the question is are Bristol students union allowed to disallow it? But I'm no lawyer.

No worries - it finally went through.

I've just tried to garden and it won't submit. Hasn't been pulled, has it?

Brilliant idea ! Layla Moran perhaps. Or they could bring back Aimee Challenor?

Ed Davy should go and have a cup of tea wth the Taliban. Perhaps he'd like a minister of virtue and vice here to control us uppity women? He's halfway they already.

I’d take bets on the fact that the males who are demanding access to a student women’s group remain legally as well as physically male.

Though it specifies in the EA that the protected characteristic is sex, so the implication is that all males can be excluded, GRC or otherwise. Though you are probably correct that some might try to challenge the definition.

Thanks for alerting us, Arabella. I've dug up a donation. Shame on Bristol university for allowing the Students' Union to harass women for wanting an entirely legal single-sex group.

Mind, since it's the same university that has allowed the harassment of Raquel Rosario Sanchez to continue for years, standards are pretty low. This has reminded me to send another donation to Raquel, whose case is also continuing.

But it just shows that their definition really just means, anyone.

.

modify it's definition of ‘women’ to mean: All who self define as women, including (if they wish) those with complex gender identities that include 'woman', and those who experience oppression as women.”

And how are the words 'women' / 'women' defined?
Argh at least TRY!

What an important case. I will donate.

Thanks for this, I’ve just donated.

Delighted to be able to chip in and support the legal challenge. Bristol University has been getting away with discriminating against women for far too long.

After our women-only society became affiliated in 2018, the Bristol SU changed its bylaws to modify it's definition of ‘women’ to mean: “All who self define as women, including (if they wish) those with complex gender identities that include 'woman', and those who experience oppression as women.” This definition is not in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 which defines “sex” as meaning “man or woman”. “Man” is defined as “a male of any age” and “woman” as “a female of any age”. Neither “gender” nor “gender identity” are protected characteristics under the Act. Furthermore, there is no definition of the word ‘men’ in the BSU bylaws.

They don't get to rewrite the Equality Act to suit their bonkers religion, female students have the right to single-sex exceptions under the Equality Act 2010. These exceptions allow for groups to be single-sex (in this case women-only) when being single-sex is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. A consciousness raising group for females to discuss issues that only females experience is clearly a legitimate aim.

Thanks Arabella.

Don't worry everyone - Ed Davey is running round the country personally disrupting every single incidence of women meeting without the supervision of men. He'll be in Bristol to give the boys in the Bristol SU his full support after he's finished all his current car crash interviews the Lib Dem's conference on planet Zog has finished.

That's outrageous

I've seen a few single sex male spaces pop up recently, things like men's sheds and Andy's mans club which meets every Monday in loads of locations. I've seen women be really supportive of these groups and completely understand why men sometimes want a single sex space.

I'm a member of a woman only MH support group. Instead of trying to invade Andy's mans club a group of women saw how successfull it was and set up a similar group for women.

I've lost count of how many times i have seen this group attacked online for being women only. The latest one was from a man who wanted to come along because he didn't want to go to the men's group since men are mean to each other! The attacks have been from men as well as women.

This must be really important. The union don't want to allow any group to be female only even though that is allowed under the EA. So I guess the question for the court will be is the su allowed a blanket ban on any affiliates using the single sex exceptions to run s genuinely female only event or service. Does that discriminate against who need it (yes would be my answer).

Thank you for the heads-up on this.

Ignore my link!! Not sure what's happened there!