WRITE TO YOUR MP

[GeneticTest]

I work for an MP.

We’ve had very few emails about GRA in the last few years- mostly against self ID.

We’ve had 4 emails in the last few days all outraged at this attack on transgender people.
All very similar. It’s a campaign.

We must keep emailing so MPs don’t think everyone agrees with the TRAs.

(My MP is GC)

Please- email your MP and let them know your views.

I emailed my MP (male, Tory, 40s) on Sunday after reading the Sunday Times article, and received a response by post today. He writes:

"I am absolutely committed to protecting women's rights and freedoms. Reforming the GRA is a complex and sensitive issue, which is why it is important for everyone's views to be heard and listened to. I hope you will be assured by the Minister for Women and Equalities who has recently said that any reforms will ensure the protection of single-sex spaces. This, I feel, is extremely important."

I wasn't sure which side of the fence he was on before, but this seems positive. I suspect having 2 young daughters plays a part in shaping his views.

Please do copy your emails to Kemi Badenoch in her new capacity as Minister for Equalities. I have written to her in the past on this topic and she seems to be aware of the issues...

I have taken my eye off the ball a bit recently, with everything else that's going on, but I am definitely going to write a few emails to the relevant people!

My Labour MP has responded. It looks like a formulated response that has been cranked out of Labour HQ. It’s basically all trans, trans, LGBT, trans, LGBT, trans, trans, trans. The EA2010 gets a tiny mention, as do women’s rights. It does not address the sex based exemptions or single sex provisions in the EA2010 even once, despite this being the focus of my email.

I’m really, really annoyed. Get your house in order, Labour! You don’t get to ignore half the electorate’s rights.

Thanks for all the info, I sent my email last night but emailed Liz Truss on the wrong address.
Has anyone got the email address for JKR please? I saw it somewhere here on one of the threads but can't find it now - I want to email her to thank her, and show my support, for bringing all this to my attention, I had no clue before!

[email protected]

[quote hypernormal][email protected][/quote]
thank you

@stumbledin

Glad to hear about WomenUniting posting info on twitter - but seriously if you are a campaign surely you need to recongnise you wont get very far if you only communicate by the least used social media platform!

And also they have got together a petition to Liz Truss but done that no hoper thing of putting it on change or some other social media platform.

Surely thisis important enough and to the Government to get it on the Parliament web site.

Thank goodness for mumsnet picking up all these unconnected threads and weaving it into a sensible whole!

The WU petition was refused by the official Parliament website.

@GeneticTest Have sent you a DM

My tory mp replied already, just to say he would share my letter with the minister.

I gave just emailed my Tory MP in support of Liz Truss.

I felt nervous sending it. Like I was applying for a job.

Hi Baroness - on what grounds was the petition refused? Its about Government policy. Its not like it was a petition about a tv show or something. Surely that's the point of having petitions theres.

Another nail in the coffin of our supposed democratically acountable political system.

Do you know the details.

Just emailed-
Luz Truss
Boris
My local MP

@EvilBug

I emailed my MP (male, Tory, 40s) on Sunday after reading the Sunday Times article, and received a response by post today. He writes:

"I am absolutely committed to protecting women's rights and freedoms. Reforming the GRA is a complex and sensitive issue, which is why it is important for everyone's views to be heard and listened to. I hope you will be assured by the Minister for Women and Equalities who has recently said that any reforms will ensure the protection of single-sex spaces. This, I feel, is extremely important."

I wasn't sure which side of the fence he was on before, but this seems positive. I suspect having 2 young daughters plays a part in shaping his views.

That is almost word-for-word the same response from another Tory MP (not male, not 40s), which suggests to me that the Party has issued a 'line to take'.

All parties will have standard lines in all topics. Whether MPs use them or not is up to them.
The standard line will be constantly updated to reflect the current position.

That is a different standard line from the ones I was seeing earlier this year...

I've sent a message to my local MP saying that I support a more considered approach to the reform of the GRA.
I also mentioned that there has been widespread anticipation and adoption of self-ID principles ahead of legislative change and misrepresentation of the Equality Act which I hope the Government will address but with sensitivity to all concerned.

Very irritating reply from my gay Tory MP (although I didn't expect much, as I know he is completely aligned with all things LGBT and sits on various committees).
Basically I wrote to give my support for the halt of the GRA reforms and self-ID, highlighting the importance of women's spaces.
I also said I hoped he supported the halt in the medicalisation of children at gender identity clinics and expressed concern about the materials being distributed in schools via the RSE toolkits. I even sent him a copy of the 'dice'!

Although he responded quickly, it's so obviously a cut and paste and it looks as if someone in his office has sent a "reassure a trans person" set of words instead! No mention of the schools materials at all:

Thank you for contacting me on the subject of proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act.

As a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Global LGBT Rights, this is an issue that I have been following closely over the past few weeks since the announcement was made, and I can assure you that I understand your concerns over these comments. The issue of single sex spaces is a complex one that affects many people, and I do believe that there is a case for them in situations where women may feel vulnerable. The difficult reality is that there are still cases of abuse, violence, and rape against women in this country, and as such single-sex spaces go a long way in giving women a place where they can feel safe and at ease.

However, as you rightly mention, it is important that these spaces, which do serve an important purpose when used correctly, are not used in a way that discriminates against transgender people. The same is true about Liz Truss’s (Minister for Equalities) comments on ‘checks and balances’ and on ‘protecting under-18-year olds’. Although no specifics were disclosed, I will be reviewing this closely to ensure that the rights of transgender people are protected. Transgender people remain vulnerable, with ‘Psychology Today’ reporting that almost 50% of transgender people had experienced depression or anxiety. Transgender people are human just like everyone else, and as such deserve human rights, civil rights, equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination. As both an MP and member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Global LGBT Rights, I will be continuing to monitor and scrutinise any legislation to make sure that this is the case, and the team are having ongoing discussions to ensure that the voice of transgender people is represented and taken into account.

Thank you for contacting me on this issue.

Grr - Just trying to work out how to reply (ideas welcome!)

. What a pile of wank.
Single spaces must absolutely be protected, but in a way that doesn't keep the men out. Unbelievable.

Thank you for writing about Black Lives Matter. I assure you I will do all I can to make sure White Lives Matter.

Labour MP has responded, very neutral, will wait until government publishes draft legislation. (Sounds like what Keir Starmer has said but I don’t trust him on this at all.) No word on ridiculous nonsense spouted by Labour MPs about babies being born without a sex (all-time fave from Dawn Butler).

@Binterested

Thank you for writing about Black Lives Matter. I assure you I will do all I can to make sure White Lives Matter.

This is a good summary of my MPs response. I am planning to reply commenting on their tone deaf response, which entirely proves my point.

@Divoc2020
“50% of transgender people had experienced depression or anxiety.”

Uhhhh, I think most people have experienced those feelings.

What totally crap response.

It's a response that doesn't really look to your concerns. Regarding the 50% figure, that may be true, I don't know. Curious to quote a magazine/journal as your source - it could potentially be a quote from an opinion piece without any data to back it up.
Plus it's just too woolly - is that 50% at any given time, 50% chance over someone's whole life (which isn't really surprising and may be similar to non-trans) and is that a clinical diagnosis or a self-diagnosed one.

[quote GrossePois]@Divoc2020
“50% of transgender people had experienced depression or anxiety.”

Uhhhh, I think most people have experienced those feelings.

What totally crap response.[/quote]
50% - how many women have suffered from PND? How many people post surgery have suffered depression? How many people who have nurse a dying parent have depression? How many people who have been attacked have depression and anxiety?

I think 50% seems a good deal.

I’ve written to my MP, Liz Truss and Keir Starmer.

My MP is a Tory whip, male, in his 40s representing a fairly rural area so I’m hopeful, and anyway I’m pretty sure he’ll be towing the party line whatever his personal feelings are.

I’ve written about some incidents I’ve experienced at the hands of men in changing rooms, so I’d be pretty offended if he came back and called me a bigot.