I complained to CQC, here's their response (I'm not impressed)

[Leafstamp]

I complained about their post-hospital stay questionnaire for children, which asked for my DC's gender. It did not ask for their sex.

I cited EA 2010 terminolgoy, the ONS case and the fact the census did not ask for children's gender and general chat about gender referring to unhelpful/harmful stereotypes.

This is what CQC have said:

The terms Gender and Sex are often used interchangeably. For example, we have the Gender Pay Gap not the Sex Pay Gap.

The Equality Act 2010 uses different descriptors to describe a protected characteristic. For example, for Race we can use ethnicity or culture etc. There is nothing in Act that says that we need to use a specific word to describe a protected characteristic.

What is most important is what actions we are taking to protect people and how we are demonstrating our public sector equality duty towards any of the protected characteristics:

- Eliminating unlawful Discrimination
- Advancing equality of opportunity
- Promoting good relations

When we use gender as a descriptor of one of the protected characteristics (as we do in the equality monitoring form), there is no evidence to show that we are excluding anyone because everyone that is covered under the term ‘Sex’ is included in the term ‘Gender’, (whereas some people may feel excluded by the use of the term Sex).

Therefore, the use of Gender is a more inclusive term and at CQC we are comfortable that we are complying with the Equality Act 2010.

I am pretty fuming about this. I'd appreciate your help in unpicking their reply and formulating a response.

How can they say people feel excluded by 'Sex'? Everyone has a sex, not everyone has a gender. FFS!

But couldn't "more inclusive" language mislead people, if they aren't actually legally covered on the wider meaning they are thinking of?

But couldn't "more inclusive" language mislead people, if they aren't actually legally covered on the wider meaning they are thinking of?

Exactly - they are hovered for sex, it by using gender they are removing the rights for, example, to choose a healthcare professional based on sex.

@persistentwoman

Neonprint Do feel free to explain what motivates the wholesale removal of women's rights, language, single sex spaces (prisons, hospitals, showers and changing rooms), and sport? And why organisations like the CQC feel empowered to change the precise language of laws relating to equality because they don't like the words used? I see misogyny (hatred or dislike of, or prejudice against women) as a major factor but am happy to consider alternative propositions.

This has nothing to do with my comment. I didn't say anything about my agreement or lack of regarding using gender instead of sex. I actually agree with Caroline Perez on thi importance of sex disaggregated data.

But this has absolutely nothing to do with my point. Which was to write of thousands of people in any organisation who do something you disagree with is just a bit embarrassing. It makes you look like you have no nuance and just as bad as the TRAs you all complain about as being extreme and having no real understanding.

Radicalisation doesn't win arguments and tbh all of the GC people here absolutely smack of Internet radicalisation just like TRAs do.

Which was to write of thousands of people in any organisation who do something you disagree with is just a bit embarrassing. It makes you look like you have no nuance and just as bad as the TRAs you all complain about as being extreme and having no real understanding.

The complaint was that the people writing the equalities policy are disregarding the concerns of women. It's the organisition which is demonstrating misogyny. That's not to say that everyone working there agrees with their misogynistic attitude. Some of them might even be posting here, frustrated that they can do nothing against the Stonewalling of the organisation they work for. I thought this was obvious, but perhaps some people need to have this spelled out to them.

Radicalisation doesn't win arguments and tbh all of the GC people here absolutely smack of Internet radicalisation just like TRAs do.

So you have just made a blanket assumption about everyone posting here after saying that we 'have no nuance' and 'no real understanding'.

Thanks for your thoughts Neonprint and I take on board your comment about appearing to write off everyone in an organisation when calling it out for misogyny.
However, I initially became aware of the dangers of trans activism via real life issues (rather than via online) and seeing this played out in real life and the harm being done to children, I make no apologies for the occasional exasperated comment.
But if you believe that the GC women on here are merely 'internet radicalised' then you really haven't been paying attention to what is happening to women in sport, schools, prisons, hospitals, charities and government.

It's not thousands of people who work for the NHS.

It's over a million. Around 1.3 million.

Its the 6th largest employer in the world at the moment. Behind the US, Chinese and Russian armies, Walmart and McDonald's.

It's also an employer that has a significant number of women working for it.

But yes by all means read a post from one poster (I missed it but see she has replied), decide everyone else on the thread agrees. And despite the fact that it's clearly about the guidance being issued.. Decide that the thrust is that every single one of those men and women is a misogynist. And say look see obviously you come across as extremists.

???!!!

The response from CQC is back:

I have noted your disagreement on this matter, but due to the nature of the issue we have nothing further to say on the position of CQC as we are satisfied that we are meeting the requirements of the Act.

I must admit, I had sent my email before all of you had made your excellent suggestions above.

I have now re-positioned my complaint along the lines of NiceGerbil's points at 23:07 on 14 May re not catering for the trans community. Let's see what they say to that!