The questions and answers from Penny Mordaunt on sex & gender identity

[MForstater]

(posting in my own name for a change....it feels like walking naked into the supermarket)

I put the 85 questions that were asked to PM on sex and gender on a blogpost

medium.com/@MForstater/85-questions-outside-the-minister-for-womens-office-32cf4c084b05

There is a spreadsheet too if anyone wants it

Its shocking when you set it out just how few were were answered. And the ones that were are non-answers. And how good the long questions are, and just how bad the answers are.

I think it is worth a set of follow up questions (since we did not get a chance to on the webchat).

Would people write to Mordaunt (I think you may have to do it via your MP because she is a Minister) and re-ask their questions? Set out the sub-questions as numbered points, highlight that the question was ignored or inadequately answered.... or if your MP is willing put a question into parliamentary questions (I think the one about the ROGD investigation has to be asked and answered)

This is excellent. My impression is that a couple of SPADs have answered most of these and that they, and Penny Mordaunt, simply don’t understand the issues and have no idea how to deal with them.

Well done for this! And yes, Pencils' response shows just how poor even the few responses Penny did make were.

My impression is that a couple of SPADs have answered most of these and that they, and Penny Mordaunt, simply don’t understand the issues and have no idea how to deal with them.

Yes. This.

Its her job though. The one question she did give a straight answer to is "Are transwomen women?" (yes)..... and that is the problem, by holding to that piece of dogma neither she or her SPADs could answer the other questions or even engage with them.

Thanks very much for doing this op.

Interesting how, amidst all that ducking and diving, she chose to answer this question clearly and unequivocally:
Do you stand by your earlier statement that transwomen are women? Yes I do.

Ha! MForstater beat me to it

It's remarkable though how she can be so woolly about everything else and yet so clear about this. I wonder whether any of Mordaunt's constituents would be willing to follow this up?

And yes, now I've read MForstater's post all the way through, this is bang on:
and that is the problem, by holding to that piece of dogma neither she or her SPADs could answer the other questions or even engage with them.

I am considering sending this to my (Tory, youngish, probably wokeish male) MP.

DO IT!

Seriously, the Tories are actually (marginally) better on this issue than the left.

Unless your MP is GPS in knives bloke? In which case zoopla is your friend.

Ben Bradford, young Male Tory has spoken out, he’s not a fan of this insanity.

Thanks for this MForsater, fantastic work

Every time I look at this situation, I discover it's worse for women than I thought.

MForstater Thank you for doing this.
Can I just add that I asked Penny about the Tampon Tax on Page 2?

''I'd also like to ask about the Tampon Tax. Women are at a disadvantage compared to men in paying a tax on these essentials, and originally George Osborne promised the tax would be used to fund Womens Aid, D.V. and Rape Crisis. That hasn't happened.

Why is the Tampon Tax being spread around so many different groups that aren't for the benefit of women?

''Women-only charities lose out in funding from tampon tax''
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/may/03/women-only-charities-lose-out-in-funding-from-tampon-tax

Pennys 'answer' page 18;
''Thanks for raising this. The fund has made £62 million available to support vulnerable women and girls, but I’m not aware of why some projects were awarded and not others, or who applied to the fund and didn’t get support, it may be to do with the different themes that were given as focus areas for different rounds. I will find out more from DCMS, the department in charge of distributing the funding.''

Men do not have to pay any similar tax to the Tampon Tax, theres no tax on men used to fund Rape Crisis or DV shelters.
I believe this puts women at a disadvantage which is bad enough, but then when women only groups are denied funding and the money goes to groups such as Life, its a double insult.

Bumping this for the evening crowd. for your work

(PS How's that 'walking into a supermarket naked going?!)

It's weird pombear, weird!

Just looking at the Government Equalities Office own diversity monitoring form assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/753144/LGBT_Advisory_Panel_-_Additional_Forms.odt - it does not consider the protected characteristic of sex.

It only asks about "gender identity,".....the Government Equalities Office have forgotten that sex exists.

Which make their answers and non-answers make sense!

With that level of detail op you can only be one poster!
Thank you so much for this, I'm planning on contacting my MP soon. I've contacted him before but I got the usual wokey cokey shit back. This will give me much more ammunition so again thank you.
I've been a lurker here for a while and have had a few name changes but this one really describes how I feel. If women don't fight back we're fucked.

Right. My MSPs are getting yet another email ( I’m going from full time to part time work in 2 weeks. I’ll be asking for meetings then!) Will use these questions to put to them and equalities minister in Scotland ( who is hopeless).
Actually got asked for a meeting by one - a Tory bloke. The woman Green Party MSP has never even acknowledged my emails.
(For sake of clarity, in Scotland we have a constituency MSP and list MSPs for our region. We can email loads of them!)

This is sterling work! Thank you so much for this analysis. Penny Mordaunt should feel deeply ashamed

Thank you so much for such clear and , for Penny Mordant MP, devastating analysis.

Absolutepowercorrupts... No I'm not that poster! I think I met that poster last week though

MForstater
I see now that you're not who I thought you were. However it makes no odds and thank you for the detail. I'm very angry about all of this and need help to be more articulate. Thank you

're tampon tax fund: allocation has changed from female-only purposes to now include funding aimed at males who identify as trans but exclude funding aimed at females who identify as trans.

That was a point made at the For Women Scotland meeting by someone who works for an organisation that decides on allocating tampon tax funds in Scotland.

Allocation started off female only as intended, now some males included while some females are excluded (much to the disgust of staff members who tried very hard to get funding through aimed at supporting females who identify as trans, to no avail).