WRITE TO YOUR MP!!

[LongWeek]

I recently spent some time chatting to a few MPs from different parties.
They all agreed- trans people should have equal rights, and support to transition- whether medical through drugs & surgery, or however the person wished to be.

2 of them were unaware of the self ID possibility, and were very concerned about what this would mean for women. They all agreed that this could be used by predatory men to get access to women only spaces.

So keep writing! For many it has not yet come up as a subject, and they need to know women's concerns.

I made an appointment with my MP surgery yesterday, (Wera Hobhouse). It's only the second time I've ever done this.

Obviously not everyone has time to do this but if you have it's easy to arrange in their local constituency office.

I've been invited to chat to Stella Creasey I need to plan very carefully what to say because she is very much on the TRA side.

I have an appointment to see mine, too. LongWeek do you have any tips for face to face meetings?

I DID!! (STOP SHOUTING! ). Awaiting a respone.

Done plus 3 of my MSPs. Trying to get through to my MSPs office to arrange to see them as asked is proving frustrating though!
I have 4 more MSPs to write to & then I thought I would start on relevant ministers - sport first!

I’ve written to mine. I’m wondering if this might be the first issue we agree on. I’m awaiting a reply.

I've been invited to chat to Stella Creasey I need to plan very carefully what to say because she is very much on the TRA side.

Another poster had a meeting with her a couple of weeks ago. She described her experience. Sorry I can't remember the poster's name or the thread, can anyone else?

Meeting booked and letter sent in advance, so that discussion can start from the get go. Really easy to book in.

Go for it and exercise your democratic rights! BTW I have never booked a meeting with my MP prior to this either.

@Waddlelikeapenguin I was thinking on similar lines that perhaps approaches to ministers/APPG members with responsibility for sport / education / children & young people / mental health etc may be much needed. There seem to be, perhaps unintended, consequences of self id especially for women and girls....

0phelia would be interesting to know Stella C’s thoughts on Stevie Romer running in the Boston Marathon’s women race as to me this sets a dangerous precedent to me.

Romer has (according to the press I’ve read) undertaken no hormone or surgical treatment. They have simply grown their hair and been “living as a woman”, whatever that is. How is that fair?

I am too much of a wuss to get involved on Twitter though and she is not my MP.

Link to thread about meeting with Stella Creasey:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3206625-Meeting-With-Stella-Creasy-Advice-Please

I think the experiences of some female prisoners in the UK is comparable to Boston marathon... earlier this year it was reported in The Mirror:

" A transgender woman has caused outrage among female prisoners after winning a jail's 'Miss Fitness' competition by a "country mile".
"A source said: “The rest of them shouldn’t have bothered even entering.
“It was surreal. Everybody knew it wasn’t very fair, but nobody was allowed to say it.
“The women inmates have had to accept that Stewart is being allowed to live as a woman, despite not having had surgery."

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/outrage-transgender-prisoner-living-woman-12022675

There is a template letter available if you need a bit of help getting started, please just PM me.

I've written three times now and the responses I've had (Tory MP) are definitely improving in tone - from a total brush off to a yes we're listening to the EqA is untouchable, honest!

I might well book a surgery so that I can drill down into issues such Guiding with mine.

Can I suggest you pick an issue around women's rights that is difficult to argue with and start from there?

eg; I hear the govt has dropped its promise to single sex hospital wards. would like the right to a women only gynecology ward when I am in hospital.

Here's the substantive part of the reply email I had from my MP, a male Conservative in the SW:

"Thank you for your recent email regarding proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act and Self ID.

Needless to say the concerns you raise are ones I share.

I am totally against this and have already made it clear to the government I will not support any legislation that introduces self-declaration of gender identity without medical oversight."

Oh that's a good reply, Pirrip. Needless to say, it isn't needless to say at all!

Excellent news Pirrip!

Flowersonthepiano
Not going to apologise for the shouting. I will continue to peak trans MPs where I can, but I don't meet that many, so other people need to do so.

That's great Pirrip!

I really want to write to mine but worry that I'm not articulate enough and might actually sound transphobic, which of course I'm not.

@0phelia. I do wonder if people like Stella Creasy want to eradicate single-sex provision and services. Whilst I don't think they do (this would not be a vote winner!) I struggle to see that they can value them if they are willing to recommend that they become, by default, mixed-sex through supporting policy that allows male-bodied people in to provision for female-bodied people and vice-versa.
If I could meet her I would ask her to explain under what circumstances, if any, she thinks female-bodied people should be afforded privacy and dignity through the provision of same sex (as determined by our sexed bodies) spaces and provision.
Whether she thinks it is bigoted for people with female-sexed bodies to want to know that changing rooms, hospital wards etc. that are provided for people with female-sexed bodies to not want to encounter people with male-sexed bodies in them. And if so, why.
I would centre the discussion on sexed-bodies rather than trans, female and male, as whilst important, I think arguments about language tend to be well-rehearsed.
I think we need to cut to the chase and say that differences in sexed bodies and biology are not insignificant and should be ignored. Society is not demanding the abolition of same-sex hospital wards, prisons and public changing areas, yet this is what her stance is proposing. She needs to be up front about this.
The indignity and lack of privacy that accompanies having to share a hospital ward with someone with a beard and a penis does not change as a result of the person feeling like a woman/female. What say she top this - I'd love to know.
If I met her I would state up front that I was there to talk about sex and our sex-bodies and the protections we should be afforded in relation to this (sex is after all a protected characteristic). Whatever she said about gender and gender identity, I would bring it back to sex.
I do expect, however, that she would skirt around this and avoid the question, muttering things like 'it is difficult', 'it's complicated' etc.
It really isn't. Trans people should be protected and afforded privacy and dignity, so should female-bodied people. There are ways that all can be afforded dignity and privacy.

I have contacted my MP and asked for an appointment.

MsBeau That's great thanks