Civil Service Gender Champion

[grumpycivilservant]

NC for this.

As part of National Inclusion Week the Cabinet Office Gender Equality Group and Cross Government Gender Network are hosting a conversation with Antonia Romeo, the Civil Service Gender Champion.

What should I ask her? I want to ask why everything is framed around gender rather than sex but I'm struggling to formulate a question that sounds inclusive

What is gender? What is the benefit of gender to me?

Ask her to explain the difference between gender and sex. If you get a follow-up, see if she can define the word woman in less than a paragraph. 😉

Perhaps something relating to the conflation and confusion between sex and gender, and how that needs to be clarified for women's sex based rights to be restored and upheld?
Someone ought to think of a new title ... it's a demonstration (I hope) of euphemistic use, as 'civil service sex champion' really wouldn't sound good. Neither would 'sex network'.

Does she see any risk that the increased focus on gender is increasing gender stereotypes? Or forcing people into “gender boxes”?

Given individual differences, she would not need an indefinite of gender identities to avoid an individual conforming in some (however minor) way?

And if she does have an indefinite amount of gender identities, how do these identities reconcile with sex and single sex protection under the equality act?

She's quite an unusual civil servant:

www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article/misogyny-behind-romeo-criticism-union-chief-says

echoing what others have said about the need for clarity and the difference between sex and gender being upheld

I'd want to know which version of gender she's a champion of and what would happen when there's a conflict of interests between gender expectations from different groups and cultures meet. After all, gender expression isn't a constant.

What does gender equality actually mean when there are endless choices?
Do they mean equality between the female sex role stereotypes and the male sex role stereotypes?

Why is a persons 'gender' being placed above and beyond sex based rights?

The term gender has been used for many years as interchangeable with biological sex, although recent policy debates (for ex. the decision not to proceed with proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act and updated guidance on gender identity in schools) show that gender and sex are not equivalent and are indeed a source of great political contention nowadays. Given the Civil Service's duty of political impartiality, do you think that networks, initiatives and champions coming under the banner of 'gender equality' should offer greater clarity in their aims and scope, in direct acknowledgement of the political nature of 'gender' as a concept?

Maybe ask why the Civil Service who is meant to be impartial is involved with relationships with political groups like Stonewall who openly campaign to remove women's rights, eg sport?

Thanks all, some good ideas there. Unfortunately they have just cancelled the talk tomorrow so I will keep them for when it's rearranged.

Why does the civil service need a 'gender champion?'

Along similar lines to persistentwoman, I'd suggest a theme that goes to the heart of what the civil service is supposed to be about: how a minority lobby group Stonewall - others as well? - came to be providing advice, education and material to schools and institutions including even the EHRC? and the Cabinet Office? when that is the responsibility of relevant government departments administered by senior civil servants? Who in government is responsible for overseeing the EHRC?

Are senior civil servants abdicating their responsibility as public servants / to serve the public, through elected politicians / ministers, rather than specific special interests? How did the civil servants become captured to such an extent? Have they been following a personal agenda rather than acting in the public interest? Have civil servants been involved in awarding and / or approving grants of money to Stonewall? How have they been held to account for this happening under their watch? Has the impartial, non-political senior civil service been corrupted in this way? Is there any internal or external inquiry under way into the senior civil service in light of this scandal? Have the senior leaders and legal directors of EHRC been sacked for gross incompetence in providing wrong guidance on the Equality Act. to the detriment of the very people mainly reliant on the protection of the Act, women and girls?

"How can someone find out what their gender is?"
Do they believe that gender is assigned at birth, and if so, where is it recorded and by whom, and what is the process to establish it?