Gender vs Sex. Is it too late to reclaim the correct meanings?

[Macareaux]

The two are used so interchangeably in common parlance. But is it worth correcting people and organisations or is the conflation too deeply ingrained?

I was prompted to think about this by a tweet from 50:50 Parliament (but then remembered that they count men in dresses towards their 50% goal.)

Ah thanks I want to have this conversation. Watching.

I think it would help with the trans issue if the terms were used properly.

You can change your gender but not your sex... IMHO.

I don't think it does anyone any good to have ambiguous language in use anywhere but especially in legislation. It is worth fighting for clarity.

It may be a very good time for clarifying the distinction. Whereas once, 'gender' might be loosely a euphemism for 'sex', now we have people who are 'gender fluid' or define as agender or genderqueer or many other 'genders', or who reject being defined in terms of 'gender' at all.

I wince every time I hear it used incorrectly.

But it is everywhere! Even Jenni Murray used Gender instead of Sex, last week. The govt use it “Gender pay gap”, the BBC. I fear it’s too late to have a discussion, it’s endemic.

It's never too late but TRA were replacing it in policy documents and mission statements a decade ago and more. They did a lot under the radar, and have admitted doing so.

A few social media adverts, paper adverts and stunts would help. I would do a stunt around a blue/pink cake they misnamed gender reveal and a pregnant bump, it would be shared on social media if funny, then rename that excuse for a party.

You could have a grandmother question how the baby knows it's gender expression does it have a pink bow invitro, what if it's non binary, don't you mishandled me etc. What if the baby is born, is sexed a girls, has a girls gender ex and happens to like the colour blue, they may not like pink what will they do? Then the grandmother could ask the biological sex?

misgender not mishandled

I was watching that 'There are only 2 genders, change my mind' video on you tube yesterday (there was a thread that I can't find now).
The students on there seemed well aware there was a difference between gender and sex but didn't come to the obvious conclusion that if you don't conform to sex stereotypes that doesn't make you the opposite sex. They seemed to think that you have a biological sex and then a gender identity and that it's the gender identity which determines whether you are a man or woman. It was baffling

It's worth speaking out-most people think they are one and the same.

I noticed that bloody POLICE STATEMENTS, the back bit for name and address asks for gender. Wtf-surely this question is there for Equality Act monitoring?

MsSensibleWay

Link to the Change my Mind Video Thread

I think this is something we all can easily pick up on and ask the organisation to replace gender with sex when it means sex. Nothing controversial about a request for accuracy.

Taking this further, I'm beginning to question the medical profession's involvement in muddying the waters in all this. By appropriating female terminology for faux female reconstruction surgery, they have perpetuated the belief that men can be transformed into women. Vaginoplasty doesn't give a person a real vagina; it gives them a transvagina. Ditto scrotoplasty and phalloplasty: phalloplasty requires an implanted erectile prosthesis to achieve an erection.

It's all smoke and mirrors by the medical profession, isn't it? Shame on them.

Poorly written laws have conflated the two so it needs to be sorted before the confusion is used to do more harm than it already has.

Yes definitely bewilderness, the whole local authority gender scandal blew up just in time.

I dont think its too late, I think this is just the right time to start pushing the message.

The students on there seemed well aware there was a difference between gender and sex but didn't come to the obvious conclusion that if you don't conform to sex stereotypes that doesn't make you the opposite sex. They seemed to think that you have a biological sex and then a gender identity and that it's the gender identity which determines whether you are a man or woman. It was baffling

I know. You would think wouldn't you, with them being university students and all, that they'd be campaigning to do away with all this sex stereotypes bollox, instead they're fucking obsessed. 'I'm non binary, call me they', fuck me! Just wear what you like, shag who you like and remember to use contraception if you both have different bits!

It's all smoke and mirrors by the medical profession, isn't it? Shame on them.

Smoke and mirrors, arrogance on the part of the surgeons and gender clinicians and belief in a false worldview by the patients.

Sex is a protected class under the Equalities Act 2010. Gender is not.

There is a grass roots campaign to check your local council, MPs etc equalities statement and email them if they need to correct it.

I found my councils equality statement with a very quick google. It states that the protected class is "Sex (gender)" which is incorrect. I've emailed them, pointing out the error and asking them to rectify so they comply with the EA 2010, and I will chase up reply tomorrow. If they don't respond I will start tweeting at them. I will keep at them until they correct it.

Please check your councils EA statement and let them know if they have got it wrong. Women are doing this all over the UK so get stuck in!!

Important acts to start correcting things where it matters. As this is about complying with the law there is no debate to be had about it. Just facts.

This is an excellent resource:

sexandgenderintro.com/

I'm not sure I can bring myself to watch students but am curious whether their stance varied at all depending on their subject.

Sex is a protected class under the Equalities Act 2010. Gender is not.

Writing regulations that permit males to change their sex by deed poll on all their legal documents makes a mockery of sex as a protected category under the EA.

Absolute it does.

They talked about this approach to councils and other bodies who have the EA wrong/screwed up at the Woman Place meeting in Hastings last week.

What we can all do NOW, is challenge this confusion re sex and gender (and the implication that they are the same thing) at a really important level. And the beauty of it is there are no emotive arguments to be had with anyone. The law is on our side.

So lets make sure we start getting the language right, where institutions and organisations who should know better have got it very wrong.

any such new regulations would be breaching the EA - and can be challenged on this basis.

Facts!!!!

Writing regulations that permit males to change their sex by deed poll on all their legal documents makes a mockery of sex as a protected category under the EA.

it absolutely does, it's just so obvious.

Clitterati that is brilliant

Gender Reassignment is also a protected characteristic.

Broadening the definition of "gender reassignment" from the current system to self ID creates a direct conflict with the protected "sex"