Baroness Nicholson who invited WPUK, FPfW, TT to run a session on the GRA at the House of Lords) suggested that problems with the consultation - content, language, focus, process, publicity etc - should be reported. Apparently we can do so via members of the Women & Equalities Committee. Worth doing. This is so very important.
Here are some of the problems people have raised... sure there are more.
Consultation advised by TRA lobbying organisations. No women's groups or women's services consulted.
Poorly publicised (except within trans community). No public meetings arranged by govt / local govt.
No support for women who attempted to organise meetings to discuss the GRA. No condemnation of attempts to silence them or prevent them meeting, often by violent means.
No clear information available from govt, either about the GRA or the related EA. Contradictory/incorrect info supplied when specifically requested.
Focus almost entirely on the impact on trans people - few opportunities to explain the impact on women & girls who will be directly affected.
Language complex/academic & hard to understand. Frequent confusion with terms 'sex' & 'gender' - misuse is significant given the implications of the GRA.
Consultation has not been translated, further excluding those religious/cultural groups who rely on women-only spaces.
Govt Minister Penny Mordant began consultation by stating that TWAW and has met several times with Stonewall who are promoting the GRA change. She has not met with women's groups.
The collection of the data is suspect. Anyone from anywhere can complete it as many times as they wish.