SCOTTISH GRA REFORM ANNOUNCEMENT BROUGHT FORWARD

[Mbwashenzi]

It was going to be announced on the 25th - now moved forward to Thursday. Anyone going to join me in the public gallery at Holyrood??

twitter.com/wornoutmumhack/status/1140953953758261248?s=19

I wondered what would happen with the voice recognition banking - there was a case not that long ago with a trans woman being very upset that their voice wasn’t recognised as female so they had problems doing phone banking.

Here you go

The GRA needs abolished not filled with exemptions.

I agree. I also think that is vanishingly unlikely to happen in the near future.

Just because politicians are unlikely to support it now doesn't mean that women shouldn't demand it. In fact, it's all the more reason to put the idea on the table, because it shifts the Overton Window.

Demanding more than the measly 'exceptions' being offered will put women in a stronger negotiating position, put TRAs on the back foot and, most importantly, force politicians to acknowledge the root of the problem, which is their establishment of an unworkable legal fiction back in 2004. (In this the UK is not alone - most Western countries have similar legislation.)

All the current problems are rooted in the lie that it is possible for human beings to change sex. It isn't, and governments around the world must stop enforcing this lie. I agree with Barracker who said in the 'top three feminist issues' thread that legal recognition of women as a biological sex class has to be the primary goal of feminists at this time. Without that, we have nothing. Men can and will take everything from us while denying us the language to even describe what is happening.

That isn't to say that women shouldn't fight to strengthen the EA, or come up with creative solutions and workarounds to the current legal situation, but I do think we HAVE to stop asking for the minimum and being grateful for crumbs.

TRAs demand the moon and then complain that they are literally dying because they weren't given Jupiter, Saturn and Mars as well, and politicians fall over themselves to do their bidding. Women ask merely to be 'consulted' on our own annihilation as a legal category and they feel free to patronise or ignore us. Women think that if we keep compromising and giving ground, people will like us more and maybe even start listening to us. That isn't how negotiating works. That isn't how power works.

Shift the Overton Window. Make 'abolish the GRA' a politically speakable idea, even if it's not a realistic short-term goal. Long term, our aim must be to end the legal fiction of 'sex change' worldwide.

I wholeheartedly agree DonkeySkin and while we're at it, let's make all set asides intended for women and girls, and all sex segregated services, spaces and provisions allowed by the Eqality Act apply its exemptions by default.

Unless such services and set asides apply to opt out from the exemptions they must remain single-sex.

And unless these providers can prove they have done Equality Impact Assessment (which obviously are meant to include public and private consultations with all affected groups) such an exemption will mot be granted.

And for that we need to demand that the funding restrictions requiring opposite-sex inclusion for all sex-seggregated provisions must be rescinded. Instead, the government itself could ensure that additional services ie separate services are provided independently of single-sex provisions.

Donkeyskin I wholeheartedly agree, bad laws can't last, legal fictions can not be allowed to stand, now that we are all aware of them!

Where a tw has a GRC, and therefore a new birth certificate that says 'female', there appears to be no way of preventing them from claiming to have always been female.

Yes, this is something I've never gotten an answer to.

We've got the supposed EA exemptions but how can they be applied if you can't ask who had a GRC and who doesn't (and there's no obligation to disclose)? I don't understand it. Are we going to be checking genitals before allowing participation in women's sport, for example. Of course not! The exemptions are unworkable (unless there's something I've missed).

We could extend the "reasonable suspicion" clause granted to ministers and priests to single-sex services. If a Catholic priest for instance is asked to marry a man and a woman and the priest suspects that either party is trans, they are allowed to refuse to perform the ceremony.

Given that most males who identify as trans don't pass, this would solve a few problems (there will inevitably be some false positives, but im sure we would get that fixed.)

Absolutely agree, Donkeyskin.

I genuinely would like the GRA revoked - and this is not a position I was in 2 years. But the past 2 years of TRAs making the most outrageous demands on government, policy-makers and organisations like schools, the NHS etc have just opened my eyes to what a ridiculous legal fiction the GRC is.

I would like it gone - and even if that's never going to happen, I think it should be one of the demands from women - as you say, to shift the overton window. The category of woman: biological sex must remain a legally protected characteristic without any male-borns being able to barge their way into it.

I am completely bloody sick of TRA - aggressive, demanding, science denying, misogynists. Every last one of them.

If we can't abolish GRCs at this time we must explicitly reject Stonewall's definition of Trans for who is entitled to apply for a GRC. Flush this crap out into the open they have hidden their agenda under the carpet for too long. Make them

I dont think that 'suspecting someone is trans' is an reasonable way to run a society. It shouldn't be hidden, and it shouldn't be a problem.
If you can conceal it then you cannot ringfence womens rights.

Eexplain why cross dressers and people who fetishize being a woman need access to women only spaces

Was that directed at me? I dont. Read the last sentance of my post.

Inebriati - it looks to me like Appollo posted too soon & was pipped to tagging the remainder on to their post by you getting in between.

I would like it gone - and even if that's never going to happen, I think it should be one of the demands from women - as you say, to shift the overton window

This is a good idea^ At the moment the argument is the current GRA is unfit for purpose so should be improved. Let's make the argument the current GRA is unfit for purpose, is no longer necessary and should be repealed.

TRAs demand the moon and then complain that they are literally dying because they weren't given Jupiter, Saturn and Mars as well, and politicians fall over themselves to do their bidding. Women ask merely to be 'consulted' on our own annihilation as a legal category and they feel free to patronise or ignore us. Women think that if we keep compromising and giving ground, people will like us more and maybe even start listening to us. That isn't how negotiating works. That isn't how power works.

Shift the Overton Window. Make 'abolish the GRA' a politically speakable idea, even if it's not a realistic short-term goal. Long term, our aim must be to end the legal fiction of 'sex change' worldwide.

Completely agree. Fantastic post, Donkey.

For everyone asking how we “live like a woman” ( wtf 😂 ) this individual has the answer. Unless you’re in a ball gown right you’re not womaning properly I guess? I’m not clearly 🤔

Where is that gust coming from? 💨

That’s Jonathon/Jessica Yaniv btw. OBSESSED with 9-10 year old girls using tampons.

Oh Fekko 😂

JY wants to show 10yr old girls how to use tampons, and has approached Canadian schools about "providing Sanitary products for them" - has taken selfies of themself in the women's toilets with young girls in the background, and pronounced "YESSSS!!" on twitter in response to some policy saying transwomen could use the changing rooms according to their gender identity. Now deleted, but screenshotted.

But that's funny Fecko

The Scottish Government have produced draft guidance for the implementation of the Gender Representation on Public Boards Act, in which they have had a go at clarifying just how one "lives as a woman".

They have quite sensibly tried to sidestep the whole stereotypes argument and instead plumped for: change your gas bill to Ms and get your mates to call you 'she'.

What exactly is 'female language' to describe oneself?

Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrronouns, innit?

She has called herself a she and therefore she must be a she.

It's the magic word.

'living as a woman' just involves switching your pronouns?

Ergo anyone who chooses to be called 'she' has open access to all women's spaces?

Insane.