History in the making! Watch Parliament Live at 2.30pm!

[Sunkisses]

According to @SexMattersOrg on Twitter the Govt have backed down on the MOMA (Maternity) Bill and will now use the word 'mother' not 'person' in the legislation!

Women did this! We are winning!

Tune in live here at 2.30pm to see history in the making: www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/3ca1efa2-16a5-489d-a5a0-5d929bff81f6

Re brain sex, this is very important.

I have been listening to Lisa Mosconi and her research on the brain and altzheimers.

Women's brains are structurally different. Pregnancy alters the brain structurally. Part of the reason why post partum psychosis is so difficult and unpredictable.

Hormone cycles affect it hugely, so much so that female rugby and football players are more vulnerable to brain damage than men as well as more vulnerable at certain times of the month, even on when on oral contraception.

Gina Rippon describes it well in her book, the gendered brain.

But it's all because the xx chromosomes have thousands more genes than the xy. Nothing to do with "womanly feels."

Sex matters and language matters.

@Fishdoggy

To add, Lisa's research is on why more women get Alzheimer's and a lot is pointing to the effects of cycling hormones on the brain and also around peri and menopause.

Long time ally James kirkup piece in the spectator nailing it again

www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-i-joined-the-trans-debate

@Xanthangum

I am a Liberal Democrat, and tonight.. I am weeping for my party. I mean, I knew it already. But today has crystallised how utterly out of step and wrong we are.

I resigned from the LibDems a few months ago, after pathetic replies (when they deigned to reply at all) that never answered any of my questions about prisons or sport or indeed anything. I'd only stayed as long as I did because of an amazing local LibDem who is also a good friend (and hasn't got with the gender woo). I am politically homeless, and never have I been so grateful for HoL.

Done Wendy johnson

I'm so grateful for the HOL.

Thank you to everyone who posts on the feminist boards and to those peers in the Lords defending women's rights.

Also done, Wendy. Fucking furious that the government is (deliberately) misapplying the law.

I wondered whether the Today programme on Radio 4 would find time to discuss this. Sadly they weren't able to but they did manage to squeeze in several mentions of Mr Potato Head going gender neutral.

Wendy Johnson - just in case anyone doesn't see it here, can you post this as its own thread so that more people can act on this, please?

@nauticant

I wondered whether the Today programme on Radio 4 would find time to discuss this. Sadly they weren't able to but they did manage to squeeze in several mentions of Mr Potato Head going gender neutral.

Well, you've got to prioritise the important stuff haven't you? A fictitious potato is more important than the rights in law of 50% of the population.

Just adding to the chorus of thanks, this is so positive regarding protecting our rights as natal women, so thank you thank you thank you those people who stood up and were counted!

@cheeseismydownfall

Also done, Wendy. Fucking furious that the government is (deliberately) misapplying the law.

I've done the page that Wendy linked - are there other pages? Any idea how many times should we do variations of our complaint on the same page? Daily until it changes?

Good spot Whydoyou - it feels like we’re finally making progress and alerting more people to the issues.

Seconded Embarrassingadmissions - Fishdoggy that warrants a thread.

We need to identify and complain about every instance of this to force them to correct it. The House of Lords speeches is a huge step forward but we must remember that if we don’t push hard to reverse each and every stealth change they are likely to remain.

They made those changes for a reason and it wasn’t to the benefit of women.

Maybe it could be a resource thread where we all post our examples of this incorrect language in official documents. I think we’ll be horrified at the numbers.

Done Wendy

Had to leave the board yesterday once the vote happened, so this morning has been a wonderful hour or so of catch up. Earlier in the week I had reached a real low and was about to take a break for a couple of months but now, although much, much more work to do, I feel a reviewed sense of purpose.

Wendy from Eileen. As others have suggested, it would be good to have a thread with all the gov. departments who are misinterpreting the law that we could add to.

My deeply felt thanks to the HoL for supporting women, getting change to the legislation and for bringing forward, for the record, so many issues that are affecting us. You are fabulous .

Dig in vipers

I just want to thank anyone from the HoL who is reading this thread and who stood up for women today. Let’s hope that the HoC will soon follow suit.

I have been listening to the speeches this morning. It was wonderful to hear so many women and men speaking up for women’s rights. The Lords’ efforts in the last few days have reminded me that there are still decent men prepared to unapologetically stand up for women. Thank you all! It does more good than you’ll ever know. Many of us work in utterly captured organisations where we are individually challenging policies that undermine women and girls, introduce gender/gender identity to equality policies and schemes and ditch sex by stealth, often at significant personal risk to our careers. This ideology is everywhere, much like coronavirus and as persistent, wily and hard to contain. I feel hopeful for the first time in years after your intervention this week. Please keep up the good work and don’t let this drop.

Thank you also to those of you who spoke in spirited defence of Rosie Duffield, a courageous woman who has been abysmally failed by her Commons colleagues. It is good to know she has friends and supporters in Parliament. I would now like to see MPs who have qualms starting to speak up. Many of us have MPs who privately admit to concerns. They need to follow the Lords’ lead and stop being so timid. We know it is frightening to speak out, but many individual women are doing so and taking risks without the protections Parliamentarians enjoy. This silence has to end.

Lord Hunt is a MNer! Oh, I love the idea of Lord Hunt and other peers being among us.

www.twitter.com/LordPhilofBrum/status/1365051629586776065

If you're reading this, thank you so much for yesterday, Lord Hunt and all the peers who stood up for women. We have been shouting into the wind about this for years and for a long time no one listened.

Yesterday felt hugely significant, a watershed moment. I can't tell you what it meant to have this actually debated in Parliament. I will remember this day till I die.

And as Baroness Barker demonstrated, the other side don't have coherent arguments (why on earth was she going on being upset about Transwomen being portrayed as a threat when the topic was MATERNITY and no one was even talking about transwomen?) but have been very successful in stifling debate on this issue - until now.

Thank you so much.

And, welcome to MN, any other Peers reading this who are new to the debate! Pull up a chair, we have and and we can talk about this topic till the cows come home! Anything you want to find out more about, to do with this debate, this is a great place to ask. So many knowledgeable women posting here.

The most important thing about this is that we now know that any future legislation in this area - whether it is inappropriate gender neutral language, or reforming the GRA to allow self identification, will have a tough time getting through the Lords unchanged. It will be debated there. No debate is over.

Any future government that wants to bring in self id, or change the equality act on this, or whatever, will have to contend with that. The cat's out the bag.

See the Equality Objectives
We will not discriminate on grounds of age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender, gender identity, marriage and civil partnerships, part-time working, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or any other factor irrelevant to a person’s work.

We obviously all object to the omission of the word ‘sex’, but also worrying if this policy is the general standard for government departments. They are throwing in a whole load of things as ‘objectives’ that aren’t enforceable in law. (Not discriminating against people with caring responsibilities sounds nice, but irrelevant if the carer can’t rely on legislation. Who decides what is relevant to work?)

Meanwhile they don’t seem to be informing employees of their actual duties and rights.

No debate is over.

Yes - the Lords can only return legislation a limited number of times, but they can throw light on issues that MPs would rather avoid and that is what we need.

What an awesome thread. So many people have worked together to help this happen, what a joy it is to see that work finally bearing fruit!

Mumsnet has been tweeted by a Lord, no less!

Happy hugs all round!

@Fishdoggy

As we are all contacting the wonderful Baronesses and Lords may I ask you draw attention to the stealth misuse of language on the Government Home Office page. (Also see the Passport Office and the Parole and pg 5 of the Legal Aid)

See the Equality Objectives
We will not discriminate on grounds of age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender, gender identity, marriage and civil partnerships, part-time working, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or any other factor irrelevant to a person’s work.
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/about/equality-and-diversity

Across the country, charities and small hobbies are using this page to use as the EDI in their constitutions. This is deliberate by civil servants, it's embedding "gender" not Sex deep into our culture. Obviously my own group listened to me and changed the wording to follow the EA2010 but others won't realise.

My MP understands my point but doesn't think the Home Office are trying to re-write the EA2010. I disagree with him, it's imperative the words are accurate and correct at the source of information.
There is a complaint form at the bottom of the page but I am finding as fast as I report, my cases get closed without response. I've told Baroness Nicholson and copied in Liz Truss. I've been advised this is a numbers game and to make a nuisance of myself until the page is corrected.

Good Mumsnetters, please can you do what you do so well? Add your voices, write to the HoL and your MP and please let's disinfect the rot of stealth misinformation.

Thank you. Wendy Johnson. (I am not afraid to be named)

Are you referring to 'Is there something wrong with this page?' button to make a complaint. In that case I don't think they'll respond as that refers to IT issues and not content. Otherwise I can't see a complaint form.

Just got a response from Lord Winston, and have come over all a flutter.