Gender ID bill - Gender Critical To Do List

[BetsyM00]

There seems to be quite a few of us with concerns about the proposed bill and who want to take some steps to voice opposition to it. I've pulled together some pertinent info and compiled a To Do List from threads on here, and elsewhere.

Please join in with any other suggestions.

Found this from Fair Play for Women.

fairplayforwomen.com/science-statistics-behind-transgender-debate/

Dr Nicola Williams has written a number of articles reviewing some of the Science and Statistics behind the transgender debate. They can be all be found here. If there are any other facts you'd like to see Nicola cover please email her with your suggestions at [email protected] Statistics: How many transgender people have been murdered? How many transgender suicides have their been in prison?

Couple more petitions to consider signing:

www.citizengo.org/en-gb/pc/156132-keep-men-out-womens-shelters

www.citizengo.org/en/147194-prohibit-all-medical-treatment-gender-reassignment-below-age-18

Bump

Brilliant! I will do all these things, starting now.

Clearly I have not been spending as much time on here as I thought. how have I not seen this thread.
Excellent work Betsy, I will be back tomorrow to check all the things I need to be doing.

I'm hoping the Facebook group is still going, I've sent a request to join.

Just to say that you might want to google CitizenGO/Hazteoir before signing any of their petitions

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118

This petition is a must sign. On the government website. Just asks for a consultation on the effect on women.

Signed and agree with you Testing
Also, it’s getting on for 5k sigs already which is great.

I was just about to start a thread on stuff to do - but here is is, excellent!

Join in #manfriday

I had an idea... the stories of parents of trans kids often seem to have similar themes - e.g. belief in the (bullshit) trans suicide stats, contact with organisations like Mermaids, mention of playing with the "wrong" gender toys etc.

Lots of them are blogging about it or posting online. I'd like to do a bit of research - collect together these stories and analyse for themes to see what the common themes are.

This is the kind of thing that would be great if an academic institution was doing it - but if they're not getting the funding there's nothing to stop us.

Some original research would be very PRable - i'm sure we could get it into the press and it'd be shareable online of course.

If we found that parents seem to be supporting transing their kids because of a false fear of suicide for example - that would be a powerful story.

We need to get stories of people affected by the transcult into the public imagination IMO. And this could also help parents who are falling for the hype to see their own story reflected elsewhere.

Anyone up for it?

Just bumping this thread again with some more actions 'to do':

Petition to consult with women on proposals to enshrine gender identity in law:
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118

This was started by a Mumsnetter and it would be great if we can get it to 10k signatures.

WRITE TO YOUR MP
SCOTLAND: WRITE TO YOUR CONSTITUENCY MSP AND ALL 7 REGIONAL MSPs

I hate to nag, but this is still very important!

Contact details: www.writetothem.com/

Guidance from Woman's PlaceUK:
t.co/JJOVxHZYyn
Sample letters are in the fifth post on this thread (though some of them may be a bit outdated by now)
See also this thread.
Include the SAGES factsheet: sages.org.uk/publications/pdfs/Fact-sheet-Sex-gender-and-equal-rights-SAGES-2017.pdf

Keep writing. Anytime something newsworthy crops up, send them a link, ask questions.
Go and see them. Take a friend. Keep challenging.

There are a couple of groups compiling MP/MSP responses. It would be a great help if you could PM either Badgerthebodger or BetsyM00 with the MP/MSP's name and whether they are for or against self-id, or still undecided.
See Badger's thread here.

Meetings

A Woman's Place:
Cardiff, 12 April 2018
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-womans-place-is-speaking-up-in-wales-tickets-43752975327
Oxford, 25 April 2018 Tickets not yet available

Girl Guides

Action group raising safeguarding concerns: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3185944-victoria-derbyshire-today-and-girlguides

#ManFriday

The fabulous YesItsADebate started the ball rolling on this campaign by self-identifying as a man and attending a men-only swimming session. The original thread is here and one (of many) press reports on the swim is in the Independent.

A Facebook group has been set up to set up to keep challenging the notion of self-id with further direct action. If you would like to get involved and participate in events please pm Thisisouting with your Facebook url.

Now that Swim England's guide to engaging trans people in swimming has been tested and found wanting it might be a good time to write to them stressing the value we place on single-sex provision.
Swim England, SportPark, Pavilion 3, 3 Oakwood Drive, Loughborough University, LE11 3QF
Online contact form here.

The brilliant SexMatters just posted this link on another thread so adding this here in case useful for your actions:

‘This fantastic resource was just shared with us on twitter www.aroomofourown.org/a-uk-guide-for-non-lawyers-about-protecting-women-only-spaces-june-2016/ ‘

It’s really useful and gives loads of good examples to illustrate how the Equality Act can be used to protect spaces. It provides good rebuttal material for orgs that are being told it is mean and noninclusive for them to protect women’s spaces by those who want everyone to be acting ‘ahead of the law’ )

Over 10K signatures now on the
Petition to consult with women on proposals to enshrine gender identity in law:

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118

@BetsyMoo do you realise you posted the most useful thing ever constructed, with the possible exception of a washing machine, and then apologised for doing so?

I wasn't on MN in August so clearly missed this and it's just what I need: thank you.

Thank you @AncientLights

Glad you found it useful. There's a lot more activism happening these days but I'll try and keep it updated periodically.

(with my apologies for copy and pasting this on a few threads- I know though that people do not have time to follow every thread, especially as things seem to be moving so quickly)

There is a pressing need to separate women's rights and concerns from that which is regarded as being 'anti-trans/ transphobic'

The Women's and Equalities Committee must surely be asked to consider the impact of misogyny as a matter of urgency?
www.parliament.uk/womenandequalities

"The not-remotely funny thing is, it is these women and transwomen who are being removed from office, interviewed under police caution, verbally abused, threatened, intimidated, shoved, beaten and surrounded by baying mobs of these terrifying TRAs. This is not a few crazies sounding off on Twitter. This is real.

To our politicians: will you speak up now against this avalanche of violent misogyny? If not, why not?"

manfridayuk.org/2018/05/04/manfriday-the-11th-our-very-own-art-exhibition/

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/29/violent-misogyny-not-confined-to-internet-incels

Woman's Hour
'The Manosphere'
This week Alek Minassian was arrested and accused of killing 10 people in Toronto when he drove his van into them. Just before the attack, he posted praise on social media for the 'incel rebellion' - an online community of men united by their inability to convince women to have sex with them. The incel rebellion is just one of a number of men's rights groups that have been accused of vulgar sexism, under the umbrella collective of the 'manosphere'. We hear from Mike Wendling an assistant editor at BBC Trending, and Ruby Lott-Lavigna an online journalist who's spent time undercover exploring the manosphere and the people behind it.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09zt3qq

especially in the context of the forthcoming events:
9th May Caitlin Jenner speaks on Diversity

15th May Stonewall reception for MPs

17th May Peter Kyle MP (Labour) Has secured a 3 hour debate in the Commons to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

consultation period on the proposed changes to the GRA

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3237973-Commons-debate
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3223840-Parliament-hosting-Stonewall-panel-event-on-trans-issues-and-changes-to-GRA

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/05/why-are-some-mps-trying-to-shut-down-the-transgender-debate/

An in depth interview which explains #ManFriday
"We are a group of women who oppose the push towards self-identification, both in law and in practice. We are concerned that self-identification removes gatekeeping to women’s identity, protected spaces, services, and roles. It also denies biology and women’s lived experiences of sex-based discrimination and violence.

We also want to ensure that current sex-based exemptions in the Equality Act are applied. The current push to base GRA on self-identification [if adopted, the legislation would replace the term “gender reassignment” with “gender identity,” meaning that Gender Recognition Certificates (GRC) could be issued without any conditions, by a process of self-declaration alone] has caused a lot of companies and service-providers to jump on a self-identification bandwagon and create policies that allow people to use whatever facilities they opt to. We are asking for the exemptions in the Equality Act to be applied, so that companies and service-providers, like [retail stores with changing rooms], swimming pools, etc. to enforce the exemptions which would allow for sex to have primacy over gender and that state we can have spaces separated by sex.

This is why Amy started a petition which demands a respectful and evidence-based discussion about the impact of the proposed changes; for women’s voices to be heard; that the government consult with women’s organizations on how self-declaration would impact women-only services and spaces, data-gathering, as well as the monitoring of sex-based discrimination; and that the principle of single-sex spaces be upheld. We are asking to be taken seriously at the next consultation. We are asking to be included in consultation as the earlier consultation about changes included trans groups, but not women."

www.feministcurrent.com/2018/04/09/interview-uk-women-self-identifying-men-challenge-proposed-changes-gra-part-manfriday/

Betsy just making sure this doesnt drop too much further overnight

this thread may be of interest to people who have followed the Gender Quake debate on channel 4.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3243464-Channel-4s-Genderquake-Debate-is-heavily-criticised-boycotted-by-prominent-transgender-activists-allies?watched=1&msgid=77733511#77733511

There is a fund raising campaign for Nicola Williams if anyone would like to contribute to her fight fund for expenses.

I think most of us know of Nic - she's a full-time voluntary campaigner and is responsible for all the fact sheets, legal info and statistics on fairplayforwomen.com, and is oftentimes on radio/TV fighting our corner.

Not sure if MN will let me link directly to the fund, but if you go to gofundme and search for 'nic's campaign' it should be the first result.