Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Advice on speaking to MP about sex and gender policy

135 replies

Tempanonymouse · 01/04/2026 18:06

Hello all
Longtime lurker
Am going to speak to my MP about this whole issue.
Not public IRL about this at all (job and personal cowardice reasons).
I'm so angry that something so absurd has become the required public belief. My MP is female labour not said anything public that I can find.
I don't want to sound mad and I want to have my facts at my fingertips. Any advice on best approaches? Part of me wants to make a list of the most unreasonable things eg Isla Bryson , Lia Thomas and work back logically but I think this might be too confrontational? Has anyone had good effects? At this point I am so furious I think I will come across badly. Also any advice on specific asks?
I actually want a wideranging apology from the government and an enquiry into the institutional failure that allowed it as well as all the obvious stuff. But recognise I may have radicalised myself ..
Thanks in advance

OP posts:
Thread gallery
17
CassOle · 01/04/2026 22:45

It is not transphobic to support single sex spaces.

stapletonsguitar · 01/04/2026 22:23

Emailed my MP about it last year and didn’t even get a reply. He’s a useless tosser who gives no shits about women or their rights.

AidaP · 01/04/2026 22:21

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
Tempanonymouse · 01/04/2026 22:02

@SexRealistic thanks I am so nervous I keep having paranoid thoughts that someone on her team might try and destroy my career which I think is hopefully paranoia. As you say I want MPs to know that people on this side care a lot and I do it has massively dented my faith in institutions. I will follow your script suggestion and try and stick to breezy, clear, specific and not my natural instinct of melodramatic ranting ...

OP posts:
SexRealistic · 01/04/2026 21:55

@Tempanonymouse - she likely won’t sort it out.

But you will get your point across and be heard. It’s really important that MPs see their constituents and hear what matters to them. So many of us are silenced so speaking up is a powerful step.

Well done.

My advice for what it’s worth:

Hi Jane

I like what you’ve done about X for Y reason. You’ve been really powerful in supporting constituents and effecting change.

I work in X or Y and I’ve been experiencing Z. It’s really important to me that all our protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are respected. Can you tell me
what you are doing to support women who A, B and C?

You believe in free speech….. yes so why it really matters to me is (elaborate further). So many women have been silenced or lost jobs - Forstater, Bailey, Phoenix etc. Labours failure to act has had Y & Z impact on me.

Script it so you’re clear.

Well done!

socialdilemmawhattodo · 01/04/2026 21:43

I totally agree with you, but my MP is clear on his website what issues he will engage with and what he won't so you will need to look at that. He was lovely on a doorstep campaign. Very focussed on this issue - knew his stuff (Tory, South East). At the time the local issue was a massive planning development, so I took him off guard - he still knew his stuff.

Original poster
Tempanonymouse · 01/04/2026 21:30

Thanks all. I think these are all good points. I know I would never have listened to an 'angry extremist' a few years ago I've just forgotten what would have got through to me then. I think it's absolutely true that personal examples resonate best. I don't have much though, I am pretty unaffected other than in my work role and to some extent that's a professional ethical problem rather than a political one. I think my problem is that what angers me the most is the free speech issue, even though I know there are much worse harms involved. I actually don't care that much about changing rooms etc at a personal level, ( though I recognise the need for them) I just cannot get over the fact that we are all being asked to pretend something that is not true and that we can all potentially lose our jobs for saying it out loud even though most people agree with us. I just feel like I've fallen through the looking glass and I need to tell a grown up to sort it out which I know is a pretty naive expectation of a politician. I think at some level I m hoping to peak my MP and then she will sort this whole mess out...which is not very realistic ...

OP posts:
socialdilemmawhattodo · 01/04/2026 19:45

Make it personal to you. Eg woman's bathrooms at work now mixed sex, daughter in sports - risk factors, women only shortliststhat included TIMs etc. Your MP is there for your issues and your families issues.

TwoLoonsAndASprout · 01/04/2026 19:29

Sex Matters has a lot of good resources for talking to different groups.

CassOle · 01/04/2026 18:57

I would have the Equality Act 2010 clarification by the Supreme Court on my list.