Parliament hosting Stonewall panel event on trans issues and changes to GRA

[TheSecretMole]

See below invitation sent to all MPs. Anyone heard about it before or who is on the panel? I will try and do some digging and find out any details I can.

Dear MP,

I am writing to invite you to an afternoon panel event on trans equality, held in partnership with Maria Miller MP and PinkNews, at Speaker’s House on Tuesday 15 May, from 12:30 – 14:00.

Since last summer’s announcement that the UK Government would begin to consult on plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004, we have witnessed increasingly negative media coverage and hostility towards trans people.

This event will provide a space where parliamentarians and other relevant stakeholders can hear from trans people and allies about:

• The current levels of transphobia and marginalisation that trans people are experiencing in everyday life
• The positive impact that a reform of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 will have for trans and non-binary people
• Separating the facts from myths on some of the key areas where opponents to reform have focused.

We will also be sharing findings from a piece of research Stonewall has produced with women’s organisations, which demonstrates that many single-sex domestic and/or sexual violence services are already trans inclusive.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP with my colleague Neil McDonald by Tuesday 1 May and they will ensure your name is added to the guestlist. We will then send an official invitation.

Should you have any questions, do let myself or Neil know.

With warm wishes,

Ruth Hunt
Chief Executive, Stonewall

The problem here is that MPs will be tripping over each over to attend this to show how progressive they are.

I wonder if we could get an MP to do a web chat on MN about this?

Good idea Jaycee

I suggest MN send half a dozen representatives.

One for transsexuals
Amy for the petition and #ManFriday
The woman who organised Girl Guides campaign
The woman who organised #sexMatters
Beyond for disabled women
Datun
A parent of a gender non conforming child

Also RedToothbrush as a family member

It seems the only way to get included is to declare yourself as a man, then declare yourself to be a transwoman. Which shows you how ridiculous it all is.

Would someone like to start a petition? Or draft a suitable letter to send to our MPs?

I'd send in Julia Hartley Brewer.
She was great this morning

I thought that mp’s had already consulted trans people hence a part of the petition calling for both sides to be consulted

Did you mean a petition like this one petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118 jaxhog, or something else?

This thread is being screenshot and shared on Twitter.

We will also be sharing findings from a piece of research Stonewall has produced

Unless this is vastly different from Stonewalls previous "research" this will be their interpretation of data collected using less than rigourous methods, without any context of methodology or raw data.

I really wish someone would step up and do some proper robust research in this area.

Separating the facts from myths on some of the key areas where opponents to reform have focused.

I think this is key.

At the moment, the ‘facts and myths’ cannot be set out by anyone, as proposals for reforms have not been properly debated by Parliament or published. So how they’re going to advise on what the ‘facts’ are before facts are genuinely available is somewhat premature.

All self-ID is currently is speculation as there is no process agreed.

Surely?

I’m happy for Stonewall to lobby, but as Maria Miller is the Equalities and Women’s officer then she needs to host a Women’s Event either in tandem with Stonewall or as a separate but linked event, encouraging MPs to attend both for balance. It's in her job title!

I’m happy for Stonewall to lobby, but as Maria Miller is the Equalities and Women’s officer then she needs to host a Women’s Event either in tandem with Stonewall or as a separate but linked event, encouraging MPs to attend both for balance. It's in her job title!

Yes, exactly.

This thread is being screenshot and shared on Twitter.

I just want a balanced conversation. I am happy for Stonewall to set out the position from the perspective of trans rights. I assume they will also be happy to have a panel representing women who wish to talk about how trans rights and sex-based exemptions intersect from a different perspective? A balanced conversation in front of MPs is a reasonable request/expectation, I believe.

I thought someone else is now the minister for women and equality. This is Maria Miller's personal project. The meeting sounds like the Venice/David Davis meeting to me.

It's good that they're heading to the centre of our democracy. Hopefully they'll be able to explain how #nodebate is commensurate with living in a democracy.

The challenge is to give MPs the confidence that it is OK to ask challenging questions like;
How to ensure one group's rights don't eradicate the rights of other groups?
How to ensure everyone retains the right to privacy and dignity from the opposite sex?
How to preserve women's sport?
How to ensure that self ID isn't allowed as cover for predators?
How to ensure that no group erodes safeguarding principles for children
etc etc.

Yes, an additional meeting in which women can be heard must take place.

It is only fair. Otherwise it is the absolute proof of the silencing of women's voices.

I'm sure Maria Miller already has it in hand.

Justine would be great on the panel.

I want a balanced discussion too. It's fair and right that transpeople meet with MP's to discuss the issues which affect their lives. But given that our rights rather than compete, women must also be listened to and given a platform.

I have no objection to Stonewall meeting in HoC. But ministers and MPs need to facilitate all sides in this debate, including women and girls, and all children.

iller is the Equalities and Women’s officer then she needs to host a Women’s Event either in tandem with Stonewall or as a separate but linked event, encouraging MPs to attend both for balance. It's in her job title!

She's no longer a minister and hasn't been for some time.

She is however the chair of the women and equalities select committee.

I'm no expert at all, but my general impression is that MPs get a good few invitations from charities and so on for events like this. How many they attend I just don't know i.e. it might be very few, depending on the subject ...?

OTOH - recent work by MNers might encourage some to attend and raise points that concern feminists.

I know MNers have experience and expertise in many fields - is there anyone that can advise about lobbying?

This is fairly standard type wording for pressure group event in HoC.

Tbh, MPs are busy people so they won’t get masses of them there. There are dozens of meetings in parliament every day about every possible subject under the sun. MPs cannot go to them all, and do not want to. They have committees, debates etc to do as well.
Stonewall are not the only people organising gender discussions in parliament. There are other things going on which are not widely known about.

Maria miller is not women & equalities minister, she is sponsoring the event.

Proposals to reforms have not been made yet, and if/when they are, and are likely to be debated -That is when most MPs will start thinking more about this.

Many have simply not thought about it. The 3 MPs I chatted to last week had no idea about the self ID proposals. None were in favour.

But keep writing to MPs. Tell them your concerns.

We want debate. We want discussion. MPs are (generally) not stupid and msg will want to hear from all sides before making choices. It is unlikely that this topic would be whipped for a vote, so they get to chose and not follow party lines. (Except SNP who tend to vote en-bloc)

It’s great that stonewall are having a meeting. Parliament is a place of debate. They should be able to air their views- as should people who have concerns about self ID.

Concretesieve- around 20-30 invites a day to events, more in a busy week.

How many they attend- depends if MP is a minister (fewer) or back bench (more events likely)
Also- more likely to attend if lots of constituents have specifically emailed and asked them to go.

I work for an MP. He goes to about 2/3 of these type things a week IF they are drop ins (this is not). A panel discussion taking 1.5 hpurs- maybe once or twice a month if it’s something he has a particular interest in. He does not have the time to plan speeches, be in debates, correspondence, sit on bill and select committees, meetings with individuals, lobbying of ministers, etc etc AND go to lots of fringe charity events.