Fair Play For Women meeting MPs at House of Common on 16th October

[DoctorW]

In fact even better than that, Woman's Place UK and Transgender Trend will be going too.

I (Nicola Williams) will be one of the three women attending in order to answer MP’s questions about how proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act will affect women’s rights.

Womans Place UK and Fair Play For Women have both requested to meet with Penny Mordaunt, Minister for Women and Equalities, to represent the concerns and questions of the thousands of women who support us, but have not been granted a meeting.

So, we are taking the meeting to the House of Commons to give Penny Mordaunt, and all MPs, the opportunity to meet us, ask questions and hear our views. All they need to do is drop in and meet us. This is the opportunity for MPs to hear the voices of women concerned by these changes and to increase their knowledge about this subject in a calm, confidential environment.

Every MP has received a formal invitation for this meeting but we need YOU to make sure they come. Please email your constituency MP telling them that you support us and ask them to confirm to you that they will attend this meeting.

You can find your MPs details here www.writetothem.com/
Email them this weekend before their diaries get filled. The meeting is just 10 days from now.

Meeting: How will changes to the Gender Recognition Act affect women’s rights? Tuesday 16th October 2018 at 10:30am until 12:30pm in Room S, House of Commons

GOOD LUCK for today! Please update with how it goes.

No reply from mine either

I wonder how this is going? My MP is "too busy" to go after I chased this up. When asked if they could send a rep, I was rushed off and told they are "too busy"

She was first asked 2 weeks ago and has bern asked several times.

Happily, mine said she is also very concerned and would make every effort to turn up! I’m not going to out her but I was extremely pleased with her response. Would love to know how it went once you’ve all had chance to get a cup of tea and catch your breath

My MP has it in her diary and I am told intends to attend. I spoke with her assistant yesterday and asked a reprentative to go if my MP was held up.

I hope the names of the ones who do go aren't published. They shouldn't get delivered on a plate for TRA's spamming. But I would appreciate some numbers of how many went or sent someone.

Just got an email from my MP's assistant.

MP had a prior engagement but his assistant went. Said it was very well-attended (the assistant only recognised Tory and Labour MPs but other parties could have sent researchers that the assistant didn't recognise).

The MPs were listening very carefully to the reasonable and eloquent speakers apparently.

I hope the names of the ones who do go aren't published.

MPs were told it would be confidential, I believe.

Journalists were asked to leave before it started. There were a range of both MPs & staffers there. I know both Labour & Tory MPs were there, not sure about other parties.

My boss (MP) said it was very interesting.

Got email today from my male Labour MP's office. As I expected, he did not attend.

Well done and thank you to everyone involved in organising this.

I don't know if my MP went or not, but I had a long phone conversation with them yesterday which revealed they are definitely GC and definitely opposed to GRA reform proposals.

They say that they - and many other like-minded MPs - will speak up loudly and clearly if legislation is brought forward.

David TC Davies tweeted earlier.

twitter.com/DavidTCDavies/status/1052088292173377536

Someone with a penis cannot be a woman. The laws of nature will trump the laws of Parliament. I have invited MPs to meet women’s rights campaigners today to hear fears over self- definition of gender laws."

Wonder if he'll get chucked off Twitter for that hate speech?

Genetictest thanks for letting us know. That sounds positive.
My MP said she would try to pop in, would that have been possible.

My (Tory) MP's office only responded to say it had been passed on to the person responsible for his diary. I don't hold out much hope he was there, but I hope they sent someone, as I asked in my email. Even if they didn't, I am content to have done a small bit to prompt them and get it on the radar.

Nic must have been up early to fit in womans hour( what a travesty) and then get to the meeting . Thank you. Hope the meeting in H of C worth doing

My MP did not reply. I have no idea if Karen Buck attended.

I didn't hear back from Rupa Huq/her office.

@DoctorW how did it go? Well attended as a pp was advised?
Was there any form of registration where we can find out if our MPs attended (in good faith?)

I never heard back from Harriet Harman, no idea if she was there.

Nicola Williams said it was a drop-in session for MPs to hear voices of women concerned about these matters in a 'confidential' environment.

If we want to know whether our own MP attended we can ask them.

Yes, I was going to, but that would make it the 4th contact in relatively quick succession about this, and I am reluctant to start coming across as a nuisance as they can then write me off as vexatious.

(the fact this has to be a confidential event though )

My MP replies to emails by post, (blatantly typed on a PC though) so I haven't had a answer to my email about the meeting yet.

Lots kicking off on Twitter about how awful it is that MPs asked for anonymity on this meeting. People definitely shocked by that