UPDATE: CONTACT/VISIT YOUR MP FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

[CandidPeel]

Update on this action ......

Here is the event page www.facebook.com/events/2199432710322104/

VISIT your MP on International Women's Day - March 8th (or contact them and visit them later)
PRINT out a card to give/send them bit.ly/2IBU4Nc
TALK to them about women's single sex spaces
GIVE them this briefing bit.ly/2GPDjws
ASK them to write to the Minister for Women calling for guidance to be published on single sex exemptions to the Equality Act
SHARE photos, cards, tweets with hashtag #IWDQuestions #askyourMP

MPs my little group are covering
David Gauke
Anne Main
Bim Afolami
Grant Schapps
Richard Harrington

Fab idea, thank you for preparing this.

Excellent resource. Thanks.

Excellent! Will write.

This is awesome, sharing with all my friends

Have emailed my MP, waiting to hear back. If you're on facebook, make sure to click, 'Going' on the event page!

My female labour MP thinks a woman is anyone who says they are.

Hopefully any MP can support the action - write to Penny Mordaunt, Ask for clearer published guidance on single sex spaces.

Who can be against clear guidance

Candid - you got there before me as I was just about to bum this thread as it's a great example of something you can do'.

I learnt something during my time with the lovely group of gathered women I was with this week in the pub (whole-heartedly recommend linking up with people offline for inspiration and solidarity ) about the % of talking amongst ourselves and % doing stuff that makes activism, though now it's Friday I can't remember all of it!

But it reminded me that every action, big or small, is an action.

You don't have to be a big name or being doing something massive - it could be a sticker, an email to your MP, a conversation (and yes, that's to you, Mr Lib Dem canvasser on my doorstep last week, you, who I had a conversation with about why I'm politically homeless, and you shared your email for me to send you information because you thought your MP-candidate would be interested, but have now ignored me! I hope my email sparked at least a tiny interest in finding out about the issue).

bump this thread, not bum this thread, obviously!

Though my typo's a really good excuse to bum/bump the thread yet again

This is an important and useful thing to do I think

The EHRC guidance on single sex spaces and gender reassignment is really week and confused. This puts women and transwomen at risk of humiliation, and leaves service providers with impossible tasks such as deciding if some one is "visually and for all practical purposes indistinguishable from" a member of the opposite sex.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3522262-MNHQ-have-you-seen-this-new-EHRC-guidance

I'm writing to my MP (Anne Milton who used to be Minister for Women). I don't expect much, I've written before when she was MfW and never heard anything back.

Excellent will write to my MSPs too

We are delighted to join in this action with the ReSisters.

The Equality Act is reserved to Westminster, and the EHRC has recently called on the UK Government to clarify the operation of exceptions in the Equality Act 2010 that protect single-sex spaces and services - see page 13.

Also, from James Kirkup's article, "the word in Whitehall is that Penny Mordaunt, the Equalities Minister, is starting to have doubts about changing the law to allow people to self-identify their sex."

So let's get as many MP's writing to Penny Mordaunt as possible - women and women's service providers want to be able to actually use the provisions for single-sex spaces given in the Equality Act!

More info is on our website: forwomen.scot/iwd/

Waddle can you divert your attention to your MP for this one?

We recommend phoning. MPs should be in their constituency office tomorrow AND Friday - so a quick call tomorrow to see if they have any open surgeries/appointments for Friday should work well. If you can't make Friday, please send your MP an email on the day (or make a later appointment if preferred).

And MPs must pass your concerns to the relevant Minister if asked to do so - they don't have to agree with your opinion.

Of course, (bloody useless) MP it is

I’ll email I’ve already met my MP and they’re used to hearing from me about this.

Great resources & fantastic work on there Forwomemscot!
[& a nice easy donate button people ]

Bump!

That's a brilliant document, thank you to everyone involved in putting it together.

My MP doesn't appear to live locally (surprise surprise) or publish the dates and locations of their surgeries. I've left a telephone message asking for details of the surgeries but haven't heard back yet. I think I'll follow up with an email but would appreciate any pro tips from seasoned campaigners about what to do to increase my chances of getting a response. Another friend emailed our MP some months ago and never heard anything back.

Bump

I'd like to do this but I'm not sure what to put in the email to my MP.

Can I just be short and sweet and ask for an appointment or do I need to go into detail?

howmanybiscuits

Short and sweet is fine. The important thing is that MP’s are repeatedly contacted about these issues so that they know the public are in favour of sex segregated spaces for women.

Sent my email. Not expecting a response but I'll share if I get one. I tried to keep it succinct and focused on the issue I'm most concerned with (sexual assault).