I emailed mine yesterday - no response yet but will wait and see.
He's labour but am not sure what his views on the matter are.
This is what I emailed - a lot was taken from the SAGE fact sheet
I am writing to you in regard to the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition act.
I am concerned about the proposed changes and their effect on women and children.
I am specifically concerned about the following
Women only spaces - Sex segregation exists to provide safety and dignity were women are physically and sexually vulnerable. The proposed changes would allow trans -identifying males to access women only spaces such as changing rooms, refuges, hospital wars, prisons and shared sleeping arrangements with no exceptions. This will put women at risk of sexual assault, and violence but will also prevent some women from accessing services they need.
Women who have been previously sexually assaulted or raped may no longer feel able to access these services in case they meet a male person in the space and women from many religions will now not be able to access this space because their religion forbids it. In my life I was first catcalled at 9, flashed at 11, groped at 12 and still get harassed at the age of 41. I now have that risk in spaces where I previously felt safe
Intimate care and contact – under the new proposals, disabled and elderly women who prefer a female carer for washing and dressing and so on won’t be sure of getting one.
Women who want to see a female professional for intimate care such as bra fittings or gynaecological issues like smear tests may find this harder to arranged and may not be allowed to object.
Therapy – 97% of women surveyed by the women’s resource centre in 2007 thought that women should have the choice of accessing a woman only support service if they had been the victim of sexual assault. Under the proposed changes trans-identifying males will be able to work as counsellors in women only services and join therapy groups for women who have survived sexual assault, rape and domestic violence.
Discrimination – Gathering accurate statistics is essential for monitoring crime, health and discrimination and addressing inequalities. Women are often discriminated against because of their potential or perceived ability to bear children and have far higher rates of being sexually assaulted or trafficked for the sex industry. If we monitor gender identity but ignore sex we can’t tackle sex based discrimination.
Impacts on children and young people – under the new proposals single sex schools, activities clubs and dormitories may no longer be available. If a person of the opposite sex cannot be challenged for being in a single sex space, it becomes harder for children to stay safe.
In addition, there is increasing pressure on young people to accept gender identity and to go through the transition process before they are mature enough to understand the consequences. This can include taking drugs that block puberty and may leave the child sterile.
I was a tom boy as a child, I did not conform to the gender stereotypes associated with girls but I knew I was still a girl. Today I would have been told that I am a boy and would have been pressured to make that change. This has lasting effects on mental health.
Impacts on the lesbian community - Lesbians are currently being bullied and being accused of transphobia for wanting to partner only with females and not with males who identify with women, even when those males retain their penis. This is disgraceful. These women should be allowed to partner with their chosen person, if that person also wishes to partner them and should not be bullied or threatened with attack if they continue to do so
Crime – Offence committed by trans identifying males are being recorded as being committed by women. This distorts crime statistics and makes harder to address underlying problems. In investigating crime the use of DNA will identify sex, not gender identity. Recording gender identity in official records instead of sex will make it more difficult to solve crimes.
Impacts on trans identifying people – by changing to self ID Trans people will not be recorded as trans but by the gender they have selected. This means they may be missing out on appropriate health care and other services to tackle discrimination.
Finally, I am very concerned that language that was used to discuss women’s reproductive functions and female anatomy is being changed to be inclusive of trans people. Female reproductive health is a key area in which women are often discriminated against and it is essential for them to describe it. The proposed legal changes make the word women meaningless. Women are adult human females, members of the sex class able to bear children. If the law changes women become anyone who identifies as woman. This does not change the realist that half the population will still face discrimination because of their sex but we will find it very difficult to fight this or talk about is as the words will no longer be there. I am a woman, not a cis woman I do not accept that label. I do not accept that the language I used to refer to myself is being taken from me.
In considering the impact of the proposed changes I ask you to take account of these five demands drawn up by a Woman’s Place UK
- Respectful and evidence based discussion about the impact of the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act to be allowed to take place and for women’s voices to be heard;
- The principle of women only spaces to be upheld – and where necessary extended;
- A review of how the exemptions in the Equality Act which allow for single sex services or requirements that only a woman can apply for a job (such as in a domestic violence refuge) are being applied in practice;
- Government to consult with women’s organisations on how self-declaration would impact on women only services and spaces;
- Government to consult on how self-declaration will impact upon data gathering – such as crime, employment, pay and health statistics – and monitoring of sex based discrimination such as the gender pay gap.
I await your response