Has everyone written to their MP and (if applicable) AM?

[Victoriapestis]

I work in a politics related field and one thing I’ve realised over the last few years is that MPs do really notice their post bag. Especially if they get several letters on one topic.

Most of us reading these threads will have responded to the GRA consultation ( the one which asked us, the public, what the legal effect of changing the law would be- almost as though whoever framed it wanted to make it difficult to complete, strange that). But have we all also contacted our MPs and AMs?

I’d suggest a straightforward letter saying:

1. I am concerned about the growing threat to women and girls;
2. it is impossible for anyone to change their biological sex;
3. women need sex based rights and protections;
4. we need to know we and our daughters will have female only spaces (changing rooms and prisons in particular);
5. We need to have sports events that are restricted to us as women (proper women, biological women) in order to avoid females dropping out of sports, since men are bigger faster and stronger than us;
6. we need to be able to accurately monitor the pay gap, offending rates, health services and needs, and violence against women by reference to biological sex;
7. As mothers we are desperately concerned that vulnerable children are being convinced of an impossibility, that they can change biological sex, and encouraged down a route that may permanently impair their ability to have functioning and fulfilling sexual relationships;
8. that protection for transpeople should be accorded to them as a separate category, ie transpeople, not by admitting them to the spaces and rights of a biological sex to which they do not belong;
9. that we, women, are afraid that the biological category of women is bring marginalised and threatened by extremists and
10. what are you, my MP, going to do to protect the rights, freedom and dignity of your female constituents?

Of course, everyone may have done this already! Grandmother, eggs, etc. I’m just conscious that it is possible to overestimate the extent to which MPs take notice of twitter etc, and underestimate the effect of direct “I am your constituent” type communications.

I am lucky, because my MP is gender critical. Others who are not need to know that we see them, and we vote, and so do our mothers and aunts and girlfriends and sisters.

I wrote to my MP and got a proforma response which didn't address any of the issues I raised at all. He will vote however he is told to vote anyway, going by his previous record. I doubt he loses sleep at night over vulnerable women and children - after all, this is the man who denied that local parents were struggling without electric/washing facilities/heating/food/clothing to the pojnt they were passing out from hunger and forced to use food banks for months on end. He said he'd not been made aware of this and such parents should be referred to social services as a child protection concern! So I have done my bit but am not holding my breath. My local Labour candidate has been much more receptive to discussion and agrees there is a massive safeguarding issue at stake here.

Good post.

Even if you have written before, It is important to keep up the dialogue.

I have just received a response to mine (he is also gender critical) and I will write to thank him and put another couple of points to him. Mainly stuff culled from here.

I don't want any MP to think that by responding once that they have ticked a box on a subject that they never have to touch again.

We need to keep the issue front and centre.

I've written to my Conservative MP (with a very long service and in a very safe seat) twice, once about the GRA, once asking him to attend David Davies's meeting. No response whatsoever.

I think writing little and often can be helpful.

And maybe push the uncertain political climate angle.

So you could write and ask them if there were a snap general election called tomorrow, how would they explain to voters why fully-intact male people are entitled to access women's spaces. Based solely on their claim to be a different sex.

You could also draw attention to the fact that The Times had an online poll of "Should everyone who identifies as female have access to women-only spaces?" The vote closed with 9,816 votes, of which 97% said no.

You won't get a straight answer from the majority of them but it is worth posing the question because it will get them thinking about how they could answer it when they are out campaigning on the streets of Wolverhampton.

WPUK is asking us to continue writing to our MPs and to visit them.

womansplaceuk.org/gender-recognition-act-lobby-your-mp/

Placemarking - my MP has been ignoring me so I will write again over the holidays.

I wrote politely to mine the first time, followed up by three frustrated rants re. the Tory position on this (I'm a paid up member) and then copied him into my thank you to David Davies MP, so I'm hoping he's got the message.

If you’ve got the time please make an appt to see yr MP. Mine had previously replied by email that TWAW and the most vulnerable group in society etc etc, but a face to face meeting was much more positive. She was not aware of what was going on in GG, was horrified when I showed her pictures of some of the transwomen currently in women’s prisons and definitely agreed that women need sex segregated space to change/ sleep in. I note that she has never said this publicly but I think she is much more aware now.

I have written to mine but, as he is busy self aggrandising over Brexit, he isn't responding and his office Sec has stopped.

I'll start again in the New Year! I'll demand bloody answer

I've tried once, some time ago, with no response, but will try again. Mine is a loyal, lobby-fodder Conservative who will be retiring at the next election, so I don't expect much from him, but that doesn't mean leaving him in peace. He hasn't used Twitter for a couple of years, ever since getting badly barracked when he tweeted something very silly which went viral.

I agree we need to keep trying, keep the pressure on. I received a generic reply from my AM and no reply from my MP (both after several, increasingly cross emails from me). I followed up with an email & hard copy that I took along to their surgery - harder to ignore someone who is sitting in front of you. I'll continue to push for a proper face-to-face discussion on this, probably go with a couple of other constituents so that we can be sure to cover all the bases.

I wrote to mine

Heard nothing

I can almost promise you, that if you sit opposite yr MP and raise valid concerns, in a calm, friendly way, they will agree with you.....transwomen are transwomen and have differing health needs to women-it helps no one lumping them in with women. So much rubbish is posted on twitter, but in the real world people tend to be much more sensible.
Half of all trans prisoners are sex offenders.....show them pictures.....then the penny drops.

Just to say, if anyone lives in Wales, I think it would be very advisable to write to your AM. The new Labour leader is very Momentum friendly, and I can imagine that anti-woman policies, that promote and encourage people with penises (penii?) coming into our spaces would be cheap and easily implemented.

Labour leader in Wales, obviously!

Sorry to be thick, but what's an AM?

what's an AM? - Assembly Member - part of political structure in Wales.

Good reminder OP. I have written twice in the last year to my MP (old school, conservative, very well known and respected). I also wrote with the dates of the Fair Play briefing at Westminster and copied their diary assistant and asked if he or a researcher could attend. Not even an acknowledgement to any of them.
I might write again though now you’ve brought it to mind.

Thanks arran.

I did email my MP and got no reply - will write a letter this time. Thanks OP for the helpful list of points.

I had a great reply from my MP today. I'd written asking him to attend the drop-in session organised by FairPlay for Women back in October. I kept meaning to write again but real life got in the way. This response has reminded me that I must pursue it. I've copied part of it below. I mean FFS I've never contacted him before, let alone about farming! It's a bit poor really.

"Hello

Thank you for contacting me about the impact of the UK's decision to leave the European Union on farming. Unfortunately, due to prior planned engagements I was not able to attend the debate you mentioned.

Food and farming is a bedrock of our economy and environment, generating £112 billion a year and helping shape some of our finest habitats and landscapes. I am pleased that the Government will continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this Parliament in 2022. Once we have the freedom to move away from the Common Agricultural Policy, the proposal is for an 'agricultural transition' period in England, allowing farmers to prepare for a new system."

I got a christmas card from my MP.