Response from MP.

[IndominusRex]

Thank you for contacting me about the Gender Recognition Act. I apologise sincerely for the delay in responding.

I am encouraged by the widespread commitment to equality. Hard work is underway to build a society that celebrates and benefits from the talents of everyone. This ensures fairness protects the most vulnerable and prioritises equal opportunities for all.

The UK is a world leader for transgender rights, and I welcome the progress that has already been made in this area. I know that guidance has been provided to employers and service providers to ensure that transphobic bullying is tackled head on. I am also encouraged that gender dysphoria is no longer considered a mental illness and gender identity services will be improved through new training of NHS staff.

Proposals to streamline and de-medicalise the process for changing gender will be part of a broad consultation of the legal system that underpins gender transition, the Gender Recognition Act. The consultation will aim to relieve the bureaucratic and medical burdens for those who want to change their gender. It will seek to improve the recognition process and reduce the stigma faced by the trans community. The proposals include removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria before being able to apply for gender recognition, and options for reducing the length and intrusiveness of the gender recognition system.

Regarding your concerns about single-sex services, the Equality Act 2010 allows organisations to provide single-sex services and I know the Government has no intention of changing the safeguards already in place to protect vulnerable women by providing these services. Those who run single-sex services are professionals and make decisions that are in the best interests of the individual in need and other service users. The consultation on the reform of the Gender Recognition Act will be a wide and open consultation, and I know the Government Equalities Office wants to hear from all stakeholders, including women's groups and refuges.

More must be done to help transgender people with the unique and often difficult challenges that they face. I am encouraged that issues such as gender self-declaration are being considered and I will closely follow the progress made in this area.

Thank you once again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Bernard Jenkin

Jesus wept

It's a form letter, I'm sure I've seen the exact same text from a different MP in a feminist Facebook group.

But thanks for sharing the MP's name. Good to know.

Well, that spectacularly misses the point.

Feels like it should be completed with a pat on the head and a lollipop from him to you for being so clever to write to him.

It's also a complete lie that they want to hear from women's groups and refuges - they have actively avoided contact with them.

Interesting if it is a pro forma.

relieve the bureaucratic and medical burdens for those who want to change their gender
is he saying they want to make it easier to have sex change surgery?

As usual, misses the point entirely and is filled up with 'yay go trans!' type cheerleading. No thought whatsoever.

is he saying they want to make it easier to have sex change surgery?

They want to make it possible to declare ones self the opposite sex without ANY kind of medical process at all. Not even a diagnosis of sex dysphoria as such a process is apparently dehumanizing

we could presumably reach a position where gender reassignment surgery takes precedence over other procedures...say knee replacement?

just speculating...I have no idea what the position right now is with gender reassignment surgery

Are they saying that sex change shouldn't need a medical process. In which case you can go to bed one night and you're a man and next morning you wake up and decide you're a woman. Transition completion. I reckon there will be loads of suing of the NHS in a few years by people who have had surgery or medical because not enough counselling was given beforehand or wrong advice. Nobody should get surgery for this IMHO. Except inter-sex people and that's entirely different.

It also didn't answer a numbe of questions I'd asked, such as recording data and statistics.

Oh for goodness sake what utter garbage (him not you)! It's just a rote PC answer than he has merrily put his name to because it's the right thing to do for his career. I bet he doesn't even agree with it. Such a cop out from the people that can make a difference.

That's a load of old cut-and-paste.

Have you asked for a meeting with him? I've finally got one with my MP, and since I am utterly confident that I know a hell of a lot more about this than he does, for once I don't feel any hesitation in pushing for what I want. I very much doubt if Bernard Jenkin knows anything at all, and you'd make mincemeat of his cut-and-paste if you met him face to face.

Only positive is that he says that the exceptions for sex segregated spaces will remain.

I have a feeling he hasn’t actually reviewed what you sent him.

What a lot of patronising twaddle. My mps reply was just abour the same except he didnt mention anything about consultation

I bet he doesn't even agree with it.

I bet he just doesn't care at all and he put his name to it thinking "no skin of my nose either way". Essentially he's saying that he has no interest at all in your concerns OP.

He probably hasn't even seen your letter, OP. It'll be a cut and paste job from staff in his office.

Bernard Jenkin needs to know about autogynephilia:

Autogynephilia remains a largely hidden idea because most people–including journalists, families, and many males with autogynephilia–strongly prefer the standard, though false, narrative: “Transsexualism is about having the mind of one sex in the body of the other sex.” Many people find this narrative both easier to understand and less disturbing than the idea that some males want a sex change because they find that idea strongly erotic.

That's a quote from this link which was also posted on another thread in this section
4thwavenow.com/2017/12/07/gender-dysphoria-is-not-one-thing/