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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Sex Equality and Equity Network - Gender crit network for civil servants.

558 replies

fromorbit · 10/11/2022 10:06

Important new initiative for government workers. This is where a huge fight back is going to happen in behind the scenes government, in memos and meetings. If we don't win in the civil service, it doesn't matter how many demos or cases we win, how many twitter threads we write, sooner or later sex differences will be erased. If you work in government/public sector get involved asp.

seen-network.uk/

"We are happy to announce the launch of our new UK cross-government staff network, the Sex Equality and Equity Network.
SEEN is a staff network committed to promoting and supporting sex equality and equity between women and men in our workplaces, and helping all staff to thrive at work and fulfil their potential. The focus of our network is on challenging sex discrimination and upholding rights and protections that relate to sex (including the protections provided to those with the protected characteristics of sex, pregnancy and maternity and sexual orientation, as set out in the Equality Act 2010). We recognise that to achieve this and ensure sex equality and equity sometimes requires treating women and men differently, according to our different rights and needs.

We are also committed to the protected belief (covered by the protected characteristic of religion and belief in the Equality Act 2010) that biological sex is binary and immutable, that biological sex matters for both women and men in our everyday lives, including for our rights and needs in the workplace, and that biological sex must not be conflated with, or replaced by, the concepts of gender or gender identity."

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Playludo · 12/11/2022 09:59

This is the official list (last updated in June)

www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-staff-networks/civil-service-networks

These are civil service wide, cabinet office approved networks, and are distinct from departmental networks.

ChiefClerkDrumknott · 12/11/2022 09:43

@TumbleFryer I think I used to work in the same department as you. I was a member of the women’s network and left once it became GEN. I’m now in a different department but have been undergoing intensive training so haven’t had a chance to really look in to the networks. I will next week though, including this one.

LuciferRising · 12/11/2022 09:38

I'm relatively new to the CS so not sure what official looks like tbh.

ChiefClerkDrumknott · 12/11/2022 09:37

Oops, looking to join, that should read

ChiefClerkDrumknott · 12/11/2022 09:37

Another civil servant here. I’ll certainly be looking to joining when I log in at work on Monday

Playludo · 12/11/2022 09:36

LuciferRising · 12/11/2022 09:19

Be good to understand what would encourage people to join. For me, it would be seeing confirmation that this is a confirmed network and some advertising of it. I'd join in an instant then.

It certainly is legit, but appreciate that difficult to trust until you see it through official channels/on the official list.

Slothtoes · 12/11/2022 09:27

Your D&I policy doesn’t reflect the law and that is a legal risk for your employer. My previous employer did that and I pointed it out in writing with a link to the Equality Act, expressing that they remained at risk so long as there was an uncorrected error in their policy wording, which said it quoted the Equality Act but didn’t actually match the protected characteristics of the Equality Act. They obviously can’t just make the law up however some expensive campaigning ‘trainer’ has misled them. I just said politely that it was a risk to have legal inaccuracies in our company material. They changed it back with no apology or admission of error but at least it’s accurate now. Hopefully they’ve stopped booking that ‘trainer’..

LuciferRising · 12/11/2022 09:19

Be good to understand what would encourage people to join. For me, it would be seeing confirmation that this is a confirmed network and some advertising of it. I'd join in an instant then.

LuciferRising · 12/11/2022 09:17

TumbleFryer · 12/11/2022 07:42

It’s great that it exists but I’m not sure how many people will have the balls to join it. In my departments I’m surrounded by people who think it should be about gender equality, not sex. About a year ago our “womens network” was renamed the “gender equality network”. And a lot of people have optionally out their preferred pronouns in their e-mail footer. The rot has well and truly set in.

I won't join yet. Our D&I policy doesn't even mention sex. Only gender.

Floisme · 12/11/2022 08:43

Well done.

FrancescaContini · 12/11/2022 08:33

Thank you. I plan to pass this on to helpful colleagues.

Justforthissnippet · 12/11/2022 08:02

*different the departments

Justforthissnippet · 12/11/2022 07:59

I wonder how different the difference departments are on this stuff? Definitely more pronouns in signatures in my new one when I moved.

TumbleFryer · 12/11/2022 07:42

It’s great that it exists but I’m not sure how many people will have the balls to join it. In my departments I’m surrounded by people who think it should be about gender equality, not sex. About a year ago our “womens network” was renamed the “gender equality network”. And a lot of people have optionally out their preferred pronouns in their e-mail footer. The rot has well and truly set in.

ABrotherWhoLooksLikeHellMugYou · 12/11/2022 07:26

Almost makes me wish I still worked in the civil service. Almost.
Good luck all. Would love to know how many members there are.

dandelionthistle · 12/11/2022 07:14

I hadn't heard anything about this until reading it on here. Anticipate voices of fury within my Department too. Not sure how visible I want to be (am sure that my unusual overlap of LGBT network member + no pronouns on email sig has been noted by some) but really excited this has been set up and will def join.

dandelionthistle · 12/11/2022 07:10

MotherOfDottirs · 12/11/2022 05:45

Are you sure that local .gov addresses won’t be accepted?

"We restrict our responses to membership enquiries to official UK government email addresses (central government departments, agencies, and their associated public bodies including arm’s length bodies)."

This doesn't include LAs. Would love to see networks spring up which do encompass other bits of the public sector, but it would make this network an oddity among other CS networks in terms of admitting a much wider membership, whereas what I think it really needs to do is stand on a par with them.

MotherOfDottirs · 12/11/2022 05:45

Are you sure that local .gov addresses won’t be accepted?

Justforthissnippet · 12/11/2022 01:00

I am also nervous of joining, which is pretty bloody terrifying really. But I will :)

Justforthissnippet · 12/11/2022 00:49

Great - name change happened. I noticed that the equality training in FCDO uses ‘gender’ instead of ‘sex’ when listing the protected characteristics in the Equalities Act. I raised the error and had absolutely nothing back. If even government can’t describe their own legislation correctly, we NEED this group!

Justforthissnippet · 12/11/2022 00:47

Test

Tallisker · 11/11/2022 23:56

See HotPenguin's response

Tallisker · 11/11/2022 23:54

Noideahowtovoicemyconcern · 11/11/2022 21:55

Tried to join with my NHS email but it the online form doesn’t go through?

Think it's civil service and ALBs, not wider public sector.

Tallisker · 11/11/2022 23:53

Me too

emsyj37 · 11/11/2022 23:06

Happy to be contacted via PM