Hive thread. Ways to take action - help please!

[DrummerWoman]

Hello everyone! Fairly new here but finding the info and insights on the Gender Bill really fascinating and obviously very worrying. I hope you can signpost me or help me with action I can take. Petitions? Are there any standard type letters I can send to my local paper/MP? Is there a lobbying group I can support? I want a list of tasks I can do that will help prevent women's rights being trampled all over.
Freedom is in peril.

This article contains a link to a petition (at the end):

fairplayforwomen.com/petition-banned-38-degrees

Write to your MP, a concise letter stating your concerns that women have had their protection as a class erased, and ask where they stand on the issue.
Many of us got a bog standard cut and paste letter back.

Yes, join in the threads on the feminist boards and put out your view on twitter etc. There is a thread on the feminist chat board with templates for writing to your MP and other persons of interest

Government proposals for amending the Gender Recognition Act:
www.gov.uk/government/news/new-action-to-promote-lgbt-equality
part of which is the consultation with lgbt people:
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-lgbt-survey
Straight women are not being asked for an opinion but note that according to Stonewall, transgender “is an inclusive, umbrella term used to describe the diversity of gender identity and expression for all people who do not conform to common ideas of gender roles.”
I’m a gender critical woman and do not conform to, or agree with, gender roles or sex stereotypes - so apparently this makes me transgender, and legitimately able to complete the survey. 500 words at end of survey to state your message.

Sign petition: Say no to dangerous gender ID bill:
www.citizengo.org/en-gb/pc/41304-say-not-dangerous-gender-identity-bill?tc=tw&tcid=37972918

Sign petition against 38degrees removing petition:
www.change.org/p/38-degrees-38-degrees-stop-silencing-and-censoring-women?utm_medium=email&utm_source=notification&utm_campaign=petition_signer_receipt

Write to your MP:
MP contact details: www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/
Check MP’s voting record: www.theyworkforyou.com/

Sample letters:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/2879137-Open-Letters-to-Our-MPs-on-the-Gender-Identity-Bill
www.criticalsisters.co.uk/campaign-resources/

The Times interview with Maria Miller covers the issues quite well:
Behind paywall: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/89e2bd02-73bd-11e7-83f1-667fddf1d78f
Full text here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/2993425-Maria-Miller-interviewed-by-Janice-Turner-full-text
Also Guardian article on mixed-sex hospital wards: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/30/mixed-sexed-wards-endanger-and-humiliate-women?CMP=share_btn_tw

Scotland
Scottish schools gender neutral toilets consultation survey:
consult.scotland.gov.uk/school-infrastructure/updating-of-the-school-premises/
This has some good info on the effects:
www.transgendertrend.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Impact-of-the-Loss-Single-Sex-Spaces-on-Girls.doc

Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to reform gender recognition law with details supposed to be out by end of summer 2017 - so well worth contacting MSPs as well.

Anything else I've missed?

That's great everyone - thanks. If anyone else has thing a they can add/what they've done then please add to this thread.

I felt like you last week, I discussed issues with friends but no-one was listening. Could not understand why everyone else was not really worried about this and thought that maybe I was just not understanding the issues. I found this video useful to help me understand why trans activists try to shut down debate by being so aggressive, it is because if you debate it logically then it makes no sense. Critically examining the doctrine of gender identity

This thread has lots of info:www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/2877199-Gender-Critical-Reference-Thread I have done lots of reading and sometimes felt I was stuck down the rabbit hole obsessing about 1 thing, the proposed bill will affect so many areas. In the last week I have written to MP and Justine Greening- no replies yet. fairplayforwomen.com/ is a useful site. Good luck

Don't know what it means, it is referred to in threads debating gender law.

The Hive Mind is just a way of appreciating that there are lots of people here with lots of skills, knowledge, interests, contacts and answers so it's good to work together to get more time if you are what I mean?
Thanks for the YouTube links. I've been working my way through things on this thread and emailing my friends about this.

Done not time

OP, if you (or anyone) wants to join the Facebook group set up by mumsnetters in order to tackle this in an organised way, PM Thisisouting. It's a secret group so you will have to be vetted.

I just wanted to add, there are some very well known feminists on the Facebook group.

It's organised and serious.

This is brilliant thank you. I peak-trans my husband and friends on holiday this week and want to do more.

My MP has emailed me back almost immediately asking me to give a quote to a local (but fairly big) newspaper as he also has concerns. That's great. He's also going to ring me too.
I've signed the petitions and read the articles (also took notes too).
I do think there's room for mediation and education. Both in terms of educating myself and the general public (many of my friends are utterly ignorant about this topic) about the terminology, legality and lifestyles and experiences of people on both sides of the debate. I've found a couple of the comments on the times article thread from trans folk quite interesting and helpful. I don't want to go to war about this because I ultimately just want every person to be treated with respect and I think a bit of empathy is a much less stressful way of going about things!!!

Pressure is on to come up with a quote, I'm trying not to write an absolute essay! Anyone have a short paragraph they can post?!?!

I think a distinction needs to be made between sex and gender. If I was you I would PM Datun , Thisisouting, BetsyM00 as they seem to have loads of information to hand and may have something you could use.

It's better not to use template letters as they're much more likely to be ignored. Also useful to use data/real life examples as much as possible. I'm going to go through the submissions to the Women and Equalities Select Committee report and quote some of them.

There's no hurry, it may be best to wait until Parliament is back and the Bill is approaching its second reading stage. I'm hoping that Janice Turner's interview with Maria Miller and other comments by sensible people will begin to have a snowball effect over the next few months.

If you need a quote you could use something like ''The rights of one group cant override another. Women are being pushed out of sports by trans women such as Lauren Hubbard and Fallon fox''.

Its a difficult one to argue against or take offence at.

Am I right in thinking that the bill awaiting second reading has to start from scratch again due to the election? Whatever the situation I think we just need to be vigilant, and prepared to challenge.

Good news. My MP has recently published an article on this matter questioning the effects in the rights of women.
Coincidentally I emailed him yesterday with my own concerns and he replied straight away. He's VERY interested in speaking out for women's rights, meeting with anyone (whether in Monmouthshire or not) and representing the views of women in parliament. If you are part of a group I know he would be particularly interested to hear from you, but individuals too. He said he can't promise to answer every peice of correspondence but every one will matter.
I can see from the comments beneath the article that he's on the end of some fairly abusive stuff, and I know he's keen to keep the discussions moderate and cooperative. Please consider emailing him: contact details here:
Email: [email protected]
Thank you

DrummerWoman

Can you link to the article?

DrummerWoman thank you, I have just emailed him a copy of the email I sent to my MP.

Here's the original article. I think getting bogged down with thoughts on genitalia isn't necesarily the best tack to begin conversations on... and I have mentioned this to him. When I spoke with him he was concerned that he felt that because he was a man he wasn't best placed to speak up for/on behalf of women. I said that anyone can be a feminist and actually men can be excellent advocates. He's quite a sensitive chap from what I can make out. Can't say I agree with him on every issue but then I could say the same about my partner and friends. That's what makes life interesting I guess.

www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/15442950.YOUR_MP_WRITES__David_Davies__MP_for_Monmouth/

Thanks Drummer. I posted a link to his article on the facebook page of the MN action group yesterday.

It's good to see MPs taking this seriously and speaking out.