Complaints about the literacy level required to respond to the GRA

[theOtherPamAyres]

I am getting feedback that, despite guidelines and helpful notes, people are finding it impossible to fill in the GRA consultation.

I am going to raise the matter with my MP and I would urge anyone else to draw attention to this insurmountable barrier to participation.

It's almost as if the government only want to hear from "the right sort" of person and organisation.

My previous post was a response to the last post on the preceding page, by chaoticgood:

"I agree it's elitist and prohibitively complicated.

It's also manipulative.

All the concepts and language that we base our feminist thought upon are disallowed before you even get to the first question."

Yes.

This is a link to the gov.uk consultation principles:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/691383/ConsultationnPrinciples11.pdf

I think it could reasonably be argued that several of the principles are broken by the consultation.

Well those principles of consultation are enlightening. Thanks for finding them @gatheringheretc.

They are not only enlightening but they underline the need for plain English and clear questions, rather than obscure language with added bias. They recommend that there should be a variety of ways to consult those affected - not just a questionnaire.

As we reach the final furlong, we may need to encourage people to use Yes and No answers.

Perhaps choosing to add detail in two or three areas, where time is short and we are unable to sweat the responses over a couple of hours.

If this was the government's cunning plan to prevent submissions from the "wrong sort" of people (ie individual women), then it must fail.

We can do this.

I found it very hard to follow when I was completing it. A lot of the questions just seemed unnecessarily wordy. When I've been trying to convince people to complete it, they all seem willing, until they actually sit down to do it because it is quite complicated :(

The wording of the questions comes from a nonsensical trans ideological position, which makes them difficult to understand and answer, from a woman's point of view, and a woman safeguarding children point of view. Which makes it all the more important that we do persevere, because we're women and we're trying to protect women and children from male violence.

I've done a barebones summary of the FPFW guidance here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3382148-Could-someone-help-me-fill-out-the-GRA-questionnaire-please

We can just enter Yes/No answers for the 8 questions that FPFW highlight - there is not need to answer all 22.

It would be good to enter a comment for Q22 even if nowhere else but it can just be a list of what you think the consultation omitted. It can still just be 'Yes'.

I did mine today as I knew I'd probably run out of time if I left it another week. I used the FPFW guide and answered only the questions they suggested but it still took several hours because I wrote quite a lot. It's not easy but it can be done if you plug away.

I'm really proud of Dh - who filled it out at my suggestion and even took them to task for their poor use of language

The contact details for the consultation are [email protected], 0370 000 2288.
I've filled out plenty of government consultations in the past and I've never seen one that you have to use an online form for, although more recently they use these more as it makes analysis easier. Some consultations have responses from groups who report back on a consultation meeting - for example people using a disability service could be consulted and their words quoted in a joint response without being directly named.
If anyone is in a position to gather individual or group consultation responses from others who are for whatever reason unable to use the official form, email them off and ask for confirmation that these will be included in the analysis of consultation responses. If they replied no, they'd be saying explicitly that the consultation will not be accessible to vulnerable people.

Muttley, I want to complain about the consultation - do you think that's where I should complain to?

muttley you don't have to fill it out online. This is from consult.education.gov.uk/government-equalities-office/reform-of-the-gender-recognition-act/user_uploads/gra-consultation-document.pdf

^There are a number of ways you can respond to this consultation:
 You can complete the online response form.
 You can e-mail your responses to the questions in this consultation to:
[email protected]
 You can write to the Government Equalities Office at:
Gender Recognition Act Consultation
Government Equalities Office - 6
th Floor Sanctuary Buildings
20 Great Smith Street, London
SW1P 3BT
You can also ask for hard copies and easy to read versions by emailing^