Response from Equalities Minister to MP over self ID concerns

[WitlessHandmaiden]

Well colour me gobsmacked. Prior to the GRA amendment consultation I wrote to my female, Labour MP expressing concerns about the potential impact of self ID on women and girls. Not only was her response encouraging, but she wrote to Baroness Williams, the Equalities Minister, who has since responded. Her response, whilst still less than reassuring, is considerably more detailed than one she sent an MNer in April 2018. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3236012-letter-from-the-baroness-of-trafford-minister-for-equalities#prettyPhoto

I will respond to my MP, primarily around the reassurances given being somewhat hollow given the difficulties both socially and economically for charities and other organisations to invoke Equalities Act 2010 exemptions to provide single sex services, but would also be interested to hear your thoughts.

After years of being politically homeless over this issue, the fact my MP is prepared to quietly break party ranks to take our concerns seriously means she personally has secured my vote (her outspoken position on Brexit, which I agree with, also helps).

Imgur links if attached photos are too squinty on phone:
imgur.com/ytTwWIq
imgur.com/IVYB9AL
imgur.com/e9U79vv

Well Eve, you've certainly changed your tune.

Sounds like a reason for cautious optimism although there's still no understanding that for entities or groups that would most need to rely on the EA 2010 exemptions, these will be out of reach from a practical point of view. The first women's refuge to seek to invoke them would be looking at losing its funding and facing a legal challenge.

But at least the message is getting out that there's a problem of a conflict of rights.

Unless I've missed something, I think that the response from your MP is pretty poor, after the trouble that you have (probably) taken.

She passed on your letter to the Minister and got an answer. That action is the fig leaf for MPs who procrastinate, or aren't interested or don't feel able to express a view at the time.

She makes no comment on what you wrote. She offers no personal opinion. She promises to keep her eye on developments only. Would it have been too much for her to acknowledge women's fears about self i/d?

Ha! It's such a good insult, it needed to be a username. Although now I can no longer understand biscuit emojis or recipes. cRyInG fAcE Am I doing it right?

Agreed that's it's some weak equalities sauce wrt to women and single sex spaces, but it does represent a decent amount of movement from her position in April. The GRA response will have given many politicians some pause for thought.

No MP is going to go on record as tub thumpingly GC yet, Pam. It's a pity but that's where we are right now.
My MP's reply to my original email stated that she had already written to the Equalities Minister on this matter before I contacted her. I want to look on the bright side and think she agrees with us. She said:

I did, however, write over the summer to the Women & Equalities Minister to share my concerns that it is unacceptable for any woman to be, or feel, threatened as a result of sharing their views on this issue, and about the tone of this debate to date. I also shared with the Minister that I appreciate concerns expressed about any changes to the law which may impact upon hard-won rights, and that all voices need to be respectfully heard in this debate.

The black redacts on the letter in the photo are on the actual letter I received. There's no need for them to censor my own name in a letter to me, I am aware of it, so presume that it refers to another constituent who raised this issue before me, and she's copied me in the reply?

Their problem is that their wittering over an unchanged EqA protecting women has already been thoroughly debunked. We've analysed what EHRC et al have been putting out. We've analysed funding pressures. We've analysed the interplay between EqA and GRA. We've noted the infiltration of institutions by publicly funded transactivist lobby groups giving misleading advice.

We are so far ahead of the government/political conversation. They're sending replies to questions we were asking two years ago and, since they weren't replying then, have researched the answers ourselves.

Catch up, minister, catch up.

Bang on, Lang.

Ooh Witless I think we not only share an MP, but I'm also probably the person the original letter was written to as I've just received the exact same one from the Minister, but with my name in - and also the same comments from the MP which you posted later! Not going to name her publicly here though. I wrote to her a couple of times ages ago and then went to see her earlier in this year and she then wrote to the Minister with my comments (and WPUK flyer which I gave her ) and I'd been wondering when/whether the Minister would actually reply! Might DM you if that's OK as it would be good to talk to another GC local?

Please do ahag.

We are so far ahead of the government/political conversation. They're sending replies to questions we were asking two years ago and, since they weren't replying then, have researched the answers ourselves.

This, unfortunately is true. I hope they catch up in time.

Some of you may be already doing this but each time I see a WPUK or LAWS meeting in an MP’s constituency i’ll try to make a point of sending them the info and encouraging them to go along and listen. Even if they just send along a researcher or caseworker, valuable insight will be gathered for their team. MPs need to get up to speed on this.

I want the Government to issue statutory guidance to make it beyond clear that it's OK for a refuge set up for women to refuse access to a transwoman. And the other single sex provisions and services that don't currently dare use the legal carve-out because they risk getting branded as transphobic across social media and subjected to costly court proceedings

It still refers to "in certain circumstances"

So no clarity, not definitions, no protection, no NOTHING.

Bullshit. The EA needs to change.

That's an identikit letter that the minister is sending out to all MPs who contact her about this - I've had it, too and have a completely different MP.

It was clear that the minister hadn't even bothered to read what my MP sent to her, as it made no reference to the specific concerns.

That's interesting Vicky. Did yours have your name in then, or the redaction? And was it exactly the same, including the bit about the MP's own thoughts? I'll mention it to my MP when I reply!

Their problem is that their wittering over an unchanged EqA protecting women has already been thoroughly debunked. We've analysed what EHRC et al have been putting out. We've analysed funding pressures. We've analysed the interplay between EqA and GRA. We've noted the infiltration of institutions by publicly funded transactivist lobby groups giving misleading advice.

We are so far ahead of the government/political conversation. They're sending replies to questions we were asking two years ago and, since they weren't replying then, have researched the answers ourselves.

So much this! Excellent summary of the situation, LangCleg.

2 points.

Why is Baroness(!) answering this? She is Minister for Equalities at International Development (obviously a very interesting discussion to be had about how the UK responds to trans issues in other countries).

Would like to think the current (whichever one it is I have lost count) Minister for Women (in the UK) would answer.

Also the comments about current practice re women only services is just lip service. Everyone is aware that in practice the pressure put on Women's Aid through the stranglehold of funding is "nudging" women services to no longer prioritise women only services. Are funders, both local and national government going to cough up extra money to provide a dual service?

As it is most refuge provision has been taken over by HA who have about as much integrity as journalists or estate agents. And rape crisis lines are too often now an additional revenue stream for refuges that are losing many of the patchwork of funding they used to rely on.

There is very little overlap between women having opinions about gender critical feminism and the reality of women service providers having to jump through hoops to survive.

Write back, Vicky! It’s what I did when my MP sent a generic party-line reply: I pointed out that he’d managed to ignore every single point I’d made.
I got a more personal reply when he realised I was going to keep on at him