Charities using sex and gender interchangeably

[MipMipMip]

I've noticed quite a few charities you both sex and gender and it isn't clear what they mean. This includes things like advice on if housing is overcrowded with people sharing. I think in some cases it really matters, others less so.

What, if anything, can and should we do?

Anyone?

Shelter:

From a current thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/a3375580-girlguiding-issue-coming-up-good-morning-britain?msgid=81297279#81297279

"Someone on Twitter has made a very good point that there are rules (when it comes to social housing at least) regarding boys and girls sharing bedrooms at home"

It is also part of housing legislation. In assessing possible overcrowding:
Section 325 of the Housing Act 1985 provides that there is
overcrowding wherever there are so many people in a house that any
two or more of those persons, being ten or more years old, and of
opposite sexes, not being persons living together as husband and wife, must sleep in the same room.
For these purposes, children under ten may be disregarded and a room means any room normally used as either a bedroom or a living room. A kitchen can be a living room provided it is big enough to accommodate a bed.
When interpreting this definition, a local authority looks at how the
sleeping arrangements within the premises could be organised, rather than how they are organised.

Thus, a couple, with two children of opposite sexes and aged ten years or more, with two living rooms (e.g. bedrooms), may not be statutorily overcrowded because the couple could occupy separate rooms, with one each of the children (of the appropriate sex) .
There is no limit on the number of people of the same sex who can live in the same room under section 325 although there may be a
contravention of the space standard"
House of Commons BRIEFING PAPER
Number 1013, 21 September 2018
Overcrowded housing
(England)

It is noteworthy that Shelter's guidelines have substituted the word 'gender' for 'sex' contrary to the legislation which could have implications:
england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/check_if_your_home_is_overcrowded_by_law

The reasons for the statuatory requirement of single sex space sleeping space for children over 10 years old should be obvious to all. This is Safeguarding and Child Protection.

I saw that one. But Ruth Hunt (Stonewall) is now a trustee so I can't see anything changing.

It should be a really easy one to challenge since it is incorrectly quoting key housing legislation.

even my daughters school does this. I had to fill in a bursary application form and crossed out 'gender' and wrote in large letters: SEX: FEMALE.

I just had a workplace satisfaction survey which had gender instead of sex. Online and mandatory. So in the free text section for what you like/ dislike, I wrote a 'like' about the flexible employment I have, and how this is crucial for combatting structural sexism(and some other positive stuff) , and in the dislike, that I didn't like forms which used gender instead of sex as the former is no longer merely a euphemism for the latter, and that as a scientist I valued accurate objective language.

It's a huge company so I doubt anyone will take much notice but I had to draw my small line in the sand.

The council that I work for has started using gender or gender identity in surveys and consultations. Every time I complete one I always use the comments box to say I don't have one and that my sex is female. I also remind them if they are monitoring this for equalities they need to monitor both sex and gender reassignment as these are the protected characteristics. So far I have been largely ignored though

Not just charities, I started a thread today regarding Gender : Girl or Boy on my child's flu immunisation form. I have crossed it out and put Sex Female or Male and ticked the box which fits. And then spent the day ringing the various people to ask why they had put gender instead of sex and of course no one knows. I imagine they were rolling their eyes at the end of the phone.

I think we need to start contacting organisations that are getting it wrong.

R0wantrees at the bottom of that Shelter page is "Last updated 01 Oct 2018". What's the betting that that last update was the change to "gender" from "sex"?

Shelter have changed gender to sex on that page. Haven't checked the rest of the website. Good for them!
england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/check_if_your_home_is_overcrowded_by_law

Mumsnet use gender in user profiles

Ie mumsnet asks what gender you are when you sign up

I've asked MN about this more than once in the past (pointing out that a parenting site really does not need to use a euphemism for sex!) ... I don't remember getting any response. That was quite a while ago, maybe they didn't realise it matters... it really wasn't an issue when MN started.

Shelter have changed gender to sex on that page. Haven't checked the rest of the website. Good for them!

It was Housing Law and its housing law which is fundemental to any organisation offering support to those who are homeless or vulnerably housed.

To have misquoted such imporant legislation as this is a massive failing.

Of course they corrected.

They still did it. Let's face it - girl guides a lot of organisations seem to be denying there is anything to change.

It would have been indefensible.