I just came out as GC at work, to the big boss and I feel a bit sick

[JustcameoutGC]

I have NCed for this. I have just outed myself as GC in work to the big boss (and some others cced in).

I was asked to sign off on something that I just couldn't and I said so, and explained why.

I literally feel sick. Like I have put a big fat GC target on my back. My org is totally woke. I wonder how many times my response has been forwarded already.

Massive own goal to the poster who complained about the OP's post and saying they'd report her to HR if it was at his/her work.

Newish here and would've called myself a feminist whilst accepting men with gender dysphoria into my definition of women but these men who make these sorts of threats are no friends of women. They just want to take take take everything we have.

Similar here.
My experience OP in the last few weeks: Local government equality and diversity statement at work, protected characteristic “gender”. I took a deep breath and emailed HR to advise about an error that needed to be amended. I pasted in the list of protected characteristics from the EQ act.
I had an acknowledgment that it would be passed on. No further communication.
Checked intranet today and it has been changed. The policy date has remained the same but it now clearly reads “sex” in the list and not gender.
No backlash, just very quietly it’s been corrected.
Keep chipping away. This is too important to ignore. It sounds as if you handled it respectfully and with your company’s best interests in place. Safeguarding first, feelings second.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe an easy starter for 10 would be to do a key word search on your employee policies e.g. staff handbook, diversity policy, equal opps policy or whatever you have where you work. I would start by looking for:

• sex
• gender
• gender identity
• gender reassignment

It's common to find that sex and gender reassignment (Protected Characteristics in the Equality Act 2010) are erroneously replaced with gender and or gender identity, which are not PCs and are not defined in law.

There are lots of threads on here where amazing mumsnetters have found nonsense in their work policies and have successfully challenged.

Good luck!

It’s happening more and more thankfully. I’ve even protested the use of pronouns in my organization, and the push to use them has (thankfully) gone away.
I point out that in our very male dominated organization drawing more attention to our sex is bad for women, and those who believe they may want to be seen in the opposite gender role might not be ready to ‘come out’. I got support from a lot of quarters, sone very surprising ones too!

“ For example, I recently was directed to an intranet page on bullying and discrimination listing all the protected characteristics and pointing to support groups etc. However, it wasn’t all, as it excluded sex. I’ve pointed it out - no reply so far, despite chasing.”

I did something similar and was pleasantly surprised that the author immediately corrected it with an apology.
The reason being that it is the law. No-one with any professional pride should risk his or her reputation by misquoting a legal definition. That’s what a sloppy amateur does.

@FeckTheMagicDragon

It’s happening more and more thankfully. I’ve even protested the use of pronouns in my organization, and the push to use them has (thankfully) gone away. I point out that in our very male dominated organization drawing more attention to our sex is bad for women, and those who believe they may want to be seen in the opposite gender role might not be ready to ‘come out’. I got support from a lot of quarters, sone very surprising ones too!

This. Many women do not want to draw attention to the fact that they are female, because of sexism.

@Tanith

“ For example, I recently was directed to an intranet page on bullying and discrimination listing all the protected characteristics and pointing to support groups etc. However, it wasn’t all, as it excluded sex. I’ve pointed it out - no reply so far, despite chasing.”

I did something similar and was pleasantly surprised that the author immediately corrected it with an apology.
The reason being that it is the law. No-one with any professional pride should risk his or her reputation by misquoting a legal definition. That’s what a sloppy amateur does.

Also, it might make people question from where they have been given the wrong information. And then why.

Yes, making sure people comply with the law is important and s4 of the Equality Act 2010 says (sex not gender)

"The following characteristics are protected characteristics—

age;

disability;

gender reassignment;

marriage and civil partnership;

pregnancy and maternity;

race;

religion or belief;

sex;

sexual orientation. "

I posted earlier but it's worth a reminder, what some people think is justified as "re-education"

www.joe.co.uk/news/lgbt-society-gulags-199146

@Xenia

Yes, making sure people comply with the law is important and s4 of the Equality Act 2010 says (sex not gender)

"The following characteristics are protected characteristics—

age;

disability;

gender reassignment;

marriage and civil partnership;

pregnancy and maternity;

race;

religion or belief;

sex;

sexual orientation. "</div></div>

Also worth noting that the protected characteristic of gender reassignment does not involve anything other than saying you intend to live your life as the opposite sex. Whatever that means. And when ever you intend to do it.

There is no criteria, other than saying it.

In fact, you don't even have to say it. Someone just has to think you've said it.

@Newbee9

Similar here. My experience OP in the last few weeks: Local government equality and diversity statement at work, protected characteristic “gender”. I took a deep breath and emailed HR to advise about an error that needed to be amended. I pasted in the list of protected characteristics from the EQ act. I had an acknowledgment that it would be passed on. No further communication. Checked intranet today and it has been changed. The policy date has remained the same but it now clearly reads “sex” in the list and not gender. No backlash, just very quietly it’s been corrected. Keep chipping away. This is too important to ignore. It sounds as if you handled it respectfully and with your company’s best interests in place. Safeguarding first, feelings second.

Well done, Newbee9. It matters.

We don't hate transgender people, we don't deny their existence, we don't want them to die. We just don't believe anyone can change their sex and we are frustrated that our language is being compelled such that any emphasis on sex instead of gender earns accusations of transphobia

When we find remains of ancient tribes, they are DNA tested
and their skeletal make - up is analysed.
Some remains will be clearly and unmistakenly identified as women, and others just as clearly identified as men.
No amount of pissing about with language or anything else is going to change that.

And don't call me a cis woman. I'm not a subset.

Oh yes Darkishblue

There's no middle ground when it comes to protecting the rights of women and protecting the bodies of children. No.

THIS.

I’m 100% with you on this, AvocadoBathroom. There are some things that cannot and should not be compromised on.

Just another adding to the chorus of thank yous, OP. Every voice of reason counts.

Proud of you. Well done. I wouldn’t dare speak out at my wokeplace.

💪🏼

@CardinalLolzy

This thread's on 'trending now' btw, so you might get a few more curious posters!

Yes indeed. I clicked on to find out what GC was. Awesome thread. Kudos to OP .

Well done OP!a place had the GALL to have a session on this during a women’s group meeting.
In a sector where women were already vastly underrepresented and driven out in huge number for daring to become pregnant among other things.
shudder

You don’t ‘come out’ as GC

Of course you do, if you're outnumbered in this ridiculousness, and have to take a stand against the insidious nature of the utter madness of it all. When it starts creeping in to official documents, every woman needs to worry. And I use the word woman in its absolute accurate meaning.
Cis woman is an insult and a kick in the teeth to women.
That's how we feel. We are fed up to the back burner of men telling us what we need to just suck up. And I just hope that every other woman feel the same as me.

"SweetPetrichor

You don’t ‘come out’ as GC. If I worked with you, I’d be reporting such behaviour for further education and disciplinary action. I reported similar behaviour relatively recently and it was handled very well. I don’t think you have anything to be proud of here and I hope any decent work place will remind you of company policy and/or professional behaviour."

I'll be honest, despite being GC, I raised my eyebrows a bit at the thread title. I wouldn't have thought that believing in the significance of biological sex would be a contentious enough position that it would need to be disclosed to a boss in a manner that could really be described as "coming out". Likely my workplace just has a very different set up and culture.

But "reporting such behaviour for further education"? Do you hear quite how sinister you sound?

If I worked with you, I’d be reporting such behaviour for further education and disciplinary action. I reported similar behaviour relatively recently and it was handled very well.

Hmm, this sounds awfully like conversion therapy.

That's a bad thing right?

Huge congrats - that took guts and its women like you who are going to make sure the right change happens.