Singularly unhelpful response from my MP

[DappledOliveGroves]

I've been emailing my MP for over a year on my concerns regarding the proposed amendments to the GRA. She finally responded yesterday - I've copied and pasted her text below:

"Thank you for your email following media reports of a leaked paper that the government may have decided not to introduce changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (GRA).

At the General Election last December I stood on a manifesto which supported updating the GRA and upholding the Equality Act, and my position on this has not changed. It is not appropriate for the government to side-step Parliament by leaking their response to the 2018 consultation on changing the GRA.

When the government do, finally, publish their proposals later this summer I shall scrutinise them carefully. I have grave concerns that instead of seeking a collaborative and inclusive approach the government will seek to further divide opinion on this sensitive issue.

Yours sincerely,

Karin Smyth
Labour MP for Bristol South"

Notwithstanding the fact she's taken over a year to respond, I find her tone and comments dismissive and a failure to address any of my concerns. I don't vote Labour anyway, but this abject failure to take note of women's concerns is utterly depressing.

Every single one of these replies shows how far the trans agenda has infiltrated government. They are all so very careful with their wording. Politicians are adept at dancing around issues, but if we look at how they replied to Brexit concerns - either side of the debate - their language was clearer.

None of them has come out and said that bio sex is unchangeable therefore they support single sex provision, for example.

Water is wet. Yet they're all dancing around avoiding mentioning the word referring to that innate quality of water. It utterly depressing.

I emailed my (Tory) MP in July and have received a response:

The Government Equalities Offices takes these matters seriously. During the consultation which we ran in 2018, we made a particular effort to reach out to a diverse range of voices. We wanted to understand how any changes to the GRA might affect women, providers of single- sex services, transgender people themselves, and other groups.

One message that came through quite strongly was, as your constituent has also outlined, that progressing the rights of transgender people should not have a detrimental effect on the rights of others, especially women. Campaigners have raised concerns that some men may misuse
a gender recognition certificate to access women’s single-sex spaces to harm women. Maintaining access to single-sex spaces a provided for in the Equality Act is important.

Finally, you make an important point about the tone of the debate on transgender issues. The issues raised by the consultation on the Gender Recognition Act have generated strong views and profound differences of opinion, but you are right that any debate should be conducted in an environment of respect and empathy for everyones’ views, with the discussion being grounded in facts.