Labour promises to keep single-sex exemptions

[RoyalCorgi]

From the manifesto:

labour.org.uk/manifesto/tackle-poverty-and-inequality/

"Ensure that the single-sex-based exemptions contained in the Equality Act 2010 are understood and fully enforced in service provision."

This is quite something.

As a former MP and former shadow minister, she speaks only for herself. She does not speak for Labour, and we should go by what’s in the manifesto, which of course could be clearer.

we should go by what’s in the manifesto

So we should go by the muddy jumbled mess of contradictions which no one wants to clarify?

NO.....

Maybe we've got it wrong, thinking DB was Shadow Minister for Women.

Maybe she was Minister for Shadow Women.

It makes a lot more sense.

Unformidable
we should go by what’s in the manifesto

Which is why I won't be voting Labour. I really don't care what their policies on trans issues are- there are plenty of other reasons not to vote for the Labour party.

On a related note, the Labour Women's Deceleration is just 52 signatures shy of 3,000.

www.ipetitions.com/petition/labour-womens-declaration

I'm no longer a member but I've signed.

What is happening re all women shortlists and Jennifer James' challenge?

Piddock was asked a straight question on R4 about whether transwomen should be allowed in womens safe spaces such as refuges. She didn’t answer the question, but swerved around it, stressing trans inclusion.
In the discussion about the EA exceptions we are forgetting that there are two types of exceptions relating to single sex spaces: exceptions that allow services to be provided only to women (or only to men); and other exceptions that allow single sex service providers to discriminate because of gender reassignment (subject to the legitimate aim test). The provision of single sex services was discussed in the recent WEC report on enforcing the Equality Act. The report states “...public authority commissioners appear to be commissioning gender neutral services in breach of the public sector equality duty.” This led to a recommendation for the GEO to produce a statement to clarify the law on single sex service provision. (There was a separate discussion about the inclusion of transwomen in single sex services which led to a separate recommendation to EHRC for new guidance on the application of the exceptions).
I strongly suspect that Labour has latched onto the first recommendation in the WEC report, and the statement in their manifesto relates the services providers complying with their PSED duty to provide single sex services (women only) as opposed to mixed sex services (women and men). As Labour are refusing to give a straight answer about whether the gender reassignment exceptions will be enforced, but instead state that there will be no discrimination of trans people in single sex spaces, can only mean that the exceptions relating to gender reassignment will not be enforced.

As a former MP and former shadow minister, she speaks only for herself.

She is only a former MP and former shadow minister because parliament has been dissolved.

Jeremy Corbyn is also a former MP at the moment.

I emailed my local Labour candidate for clarification on the sex exemptions and his reply was unsurprisingly vague. He said he doesn't know "what the Labour party's understanding of the single-sex based exemptions in the EA is" but that he is "opposed to inequality". Leaves it open for the LP to do whatever they like.

"what the Labour party's understanding of the single-sex based exemptions in the EA is"

This is unforgivable.

How can he claim ignorance of his party's policy on legislation that affects 50% of the population?

According to this article written after the Piddock interview Labour intend to change the Equality Act from saying ‘gender assignment’ to ‘gender identity’.

Not sure how Sex as an exemption then works or could work.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Our commitment to reforming the Gender Recognition Act to introduce self-declaration for transgender people is undimmed.

“Labour will amend the Equality Act 2010 to ensure it protects trans people by changing the protected characteristic of ‘gender assignment’ to ‘gender identity’ and removing other outdated language such as ‘transsexual’.

“The Equality Act will continue to allow for separate and single-sex services, providing that such treatment by a provider is justified, but no spaces will be permitted to discriminate against trans people.”

Shadow cabinet minister Laura Pidcock told Today: "I think that there has to be the enforcement of single space exemptions for women to heal and recover and it is absolutely crucial that there are spaces, that there is provision, for trans people to also get the help and support they need."

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-manifesto-trans-rights-women-only-spaces-single-sex-corbyn-a9214656.html

The Labour Youth Manifesto has now been released. Here is part of the section on equality:

Reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004 to introduce self-declaration for transgender people.
Eliminate remaining areas of discrimination in law, ensuring that LGBT+ people can live in safety and dignity.
Put LGBT+ equality at the heart of government, ensuring our public services are LGBT+ inclusive and delivering on the national LGBT Action Plan.

Still as clear as mud then.

Labour is an absolute car crash, nothing here has changed they are still charging ahead with self ID.

According to this article written after the Piddock interview Labour intend to change the Equality Act from saying ‘gender assignment’ to ‘gender identity’.

It's not an official Labour source. It's the same non-affiliated Labour LGBT network lobby group that O'Hagan et al were posting.

Useless journalism adding to the mud, not clearing it away.

We have had no official clarification from Labour of how these two manifesto commitments knit together (probably because they don't knit together).

Eliminate remaining areas of discrimination in law, ensuring that LGBT+ people can live in safety and dignity.

What does this mean? What are the 'remaining areas of discrimination in law'? This sounds suspiciously like getting rid of the protected characteristic of sex by making it impossible to define.

We have had no official clarification from Labour of how these two manifesto commitments knit together (probably because they don't knit together)

I don't expect we will ever get one.

What's the relationship of Labour Youth to the Labour Party?

This sounds suspiciously like getting rid of the protected characteristic of sex by making it impossible to define.

That was my thought also

Sorry posted too soon - I mean are they officially part of the party and do they have any influence?

LangCleg Can you clarify which source it is and I am happy to add it as a comment to the article.

ie just to point out it isn't the official Labour source.

Thanks

floisme The link to Youth manifesto was tweeted on JC twitter a/c
Here is the full document:
labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Digital-Youth-Manifesto.pdf

Thanks Flinty

As to influence, I'm not sure, but suspect they form a big part of the DB fan club.

In the discussion about the EA exceptions we are forgetting that there are two types of exceptions relating to single sex spaces: exceptions that allow services to be provided only to women (or only to men); and other exceptions that allow single sex service providers to discriminate because of gender reassignment (subject to the legitimate aim test).

That was exactly the point I tried to make earlier in the thread (not very clearly it seems). When labour say they're going to enforce the single-sex exemptions, they mean that they're moving away from gender neutral/mixed sex to single sex. It says nothing about what they're going to do regarding the proportionate/legitimate exclusion of people with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment (with or without a GRC).

They don't say how it will be enforced, because obviously it can't be enforced if you allow GRC holders to acquire a new birth certificate with an opposite sex marker for their legal sex. How do you distinguish between a woman with 'female' on her birth certificate and a man with a GRC who now also has a birth certificate which says 'female'? You can't.