Women & Equalities Commitee live today at 2.30

[ArabellaScott]

'The Women & Equalities Committee will hear from witnesses tomorrow 9/12 on Reform of The GRA at 2.30 pm. Witnesses include @Docstockk
@ProfAliceS
@GoonerProf
& Prof. Stephen Whittle, Alex Sharpe.'

(from Allison Bailey's twitter feed)

www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/dfc9f53e-2ac4-4c30-8712-e3df47938fd7

Will the non-TRA people be able to correct all of these mistruths / half-truths?

Ha Can I self identify as young then Ruth

"All of us self-identify all the time" -- no we do not.

"As a trans woman my lived sex is female" -- no it is not...

Census data skewed then. Transwomen will say they are female, according to Ruth Pearce, and why not, as their life experience is female.

I don't agree.

Sharpe saying Gender critical feminism is a solution in search of a problem. Oh really.

Nice to hear the TW (sorry, don't know their name) confirming that sex based exemptions apply even with a GRC, I'm sure it had been argued in some quarters that they didn't..

Sharpe claiming that all transwomen can have the sex-based exceptions in the Equalities Act. Is there a crowdfunder to get that clarified?

Self ID, we do and will continue to do regardless.

Beer drinker, a knitter, a footballer are all identities we self identify, and is no different from self ID!

They all use the same slight of hand.

Stating that sex based exceptions will exist against those with a GRC. Until they get rid of sex as a PC.

Arguing for demedicalisation. So again, why is our NHS paying for treatment if it's not a physical or mental issue?

I may have misheard that one then ...

Alex Sharpe: Gender Critical feminism is a solution in search of a problem.
Also is claiming that there's "no empirical basis for alarm" on the interaction with between the GRA and the Equality Act.

Will a transcript of this be made available?

Yup, Ireland being promoted as the best example. One of them has just asserted that everyone who enters a women's loo does so because they identify as a woman — it's the same as identifying as a vegetarian and we all self-identify multiple times every day — and that anyway taking sex hormones makes some people female (with the implication that even if they aren't.)

And now one of them is on and on about moral panics and absolutely no need for anyone to worry. Talking about GC feminism as 'a solution in search of a policy.' Grrr. Now the second panel. Fingers crossed.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

I may have misheard that one then ...

It's very possible that I did...

Sharpe claiming that all transwomen can have the sex-based exceptions in the Equalities Act. Is there a crowdfunder to get that clarified?

There was a recent statement on this in Parliament, and it isn't true.

The whole point is it was never true but too much Stonewall training has made some people, including some women's groups think it is true.

Dont have time to find the link, but there was a recent thread about this.

Okay - have found time (we really need to have a pinned post so these we can move on from positions already established)

Quote:

It is also important that we protect single-sex spaces in line with the Equality Act 2010. The law is clear that service providers are able to restrict access to single-sex spaces on the basis of biological sex.

hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-09-24/debates/9A57DC36-172D-40CF-98D6-502F1B9A78F0/GenderRecognitionActConsultation

Rosa: When women speak out we're told we're transphobic, rather than recognising that we have our own needs and concerns.

YOU DON'T JUST GET TO INFORM SOMEONE OF A CHANGE TO A CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT, YOU HAVE TO AGREE THAT CHANGE FIRST!!

Absolutely.

Lots of good points here, so I'm having trouble picking out the best ones to mention. Definitely worth watching the video back later - I'm not sure where the transcript gets published, Hansard?

Oh thank god. The women have entered the discussion.

The GC women are really going to town on Stonewall and pointing out how women have been silenced. Given that the previous speakers were all 'it's a moral panic, there's nothing to see here' they're really emphasising the point about why, if self-ID is so reasonable, it cannot be discussed and why women are hounded and attacked for wanting to talk about it.

Rosa saying we don't have any clarity on the sex based exemptions in the Equality Act and when they are proportionate. Blaming the Government and Judges for failing to address the gaps in legislation.

Rosa has a great knack of making really quite dry subject matter really interesting.

Alice Sullivan now mentioning the rights conflict thrown up in the Scottish legislation currently being discussed.

Who is the person asking the questions at the moment?

Kathleen I think, pointed out EHRC is a stonewall champion.

Rosa: Difficult to get a map to say with an organisation does know the law (on single sex exemptions) or whether they're afraid to say they know the law.
Kathleen: need proper data on what service users think in these circumstances. Need to put their experiences front and centre.