A consultation guide for feminist and LGBTQ+ academics and allies circulated at my workplace

[Beesneeze82]

I feel a bit lightheaded to see this land in my inbox. It's a plea to fill in the consultation with guide responses and explanation of the backlash by those hostile to trans rights. It talks about anti trans groups with significant funding claiming to be feminists with powerful voices in the media. I work for a university and this has been distributed by the LGBT network.

What can i do?

I would reply saying that’s terrible here are some reputable grassroots women’s rights groups funded by crowdfunders and run by volunteers, and put links to WPUK and FPFW, read them instead of any of those other groups.

good work Beesneeze82!

I didn't get the email from the LGBTQ+ network directly. It was forwarded to the whole of our Institute by one of the Equality and Inclusion reps using the offical Institute E&I email address. I think the institute level I've raised it with is appropriate because of this. But I could suggest I would take it to HR.

The guide does preface that it's not intended to be prescriptive but it certainly reads like it is.

It says UK doesn't distinguish between sex and gender. Is that right?

No, sex is one of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act along with gender reassignment not gender on it's own.

That's what i thought Ova

But they are right that the law uses the terms sex and gender interchangeably and doesn't define them. I think that's because both are taken to mean sex. The judge in the case about non binary on passports made the point that the law should at some point deal with the fact that the two are not the same but hadn't done so yet.

Your employer has a legal duty to foster good relations between groups that have a protected characteristic.I would point out that they are doing precisely the opposite.

Why do these people never mention the sizeable grants received by trans organisations from the Government, lottery etc? Stonewall received £871,806 last year. Mermaids received £46,386. What the various women's groups have raised is small in comparison, and all has come from ordinary people, not big grants from public and private bodies.

I would check your institutions IT policy for email use. Mine says that email is provided for academic, career development and administrative purposes and unnecessary messages should not be sent.

Hence, I would question whether a mass emailing presuming a particular advocacy position and effectively lobbying colleagues on a political point is appropriate.

I do not think you need give your own position on this, but the parallel with advising colleagues what to vote is apt.

Big Lottery has given £1/3m to trans projects since 2015.

BBC Children in Need currently gives £1/2m to trans, and another £1m to LGBT which is disproportionately channeled to trans.

Oh, lordy.

Complete the consultation giving your own views. The FairPlayForWomen site has an already completed form if going through the actual thing is too arduous. Do not let other people tell you what you think! We're not living in a Stalinist state yet.