Welsh HA invents new Protected Characteristics

[Shedbuilder]

CH Cymru has issued its new action plan after lengthy consultation with various academics and specialists. They've rewritten the Protected Characteristics of the Equality Act 2010 to include the Welsh language, socio-economic issues and of course Gender. They've left out Maternity and Pregnancy, Sexual Orientation and Gender reassignment. And they're so proud of themselves!

twitter.com/yrhenwrach/status/1436258250312364033

K, I've held lengthy consultations with people I like the opinions of and have re written my own personal version of the Equality Act too. There's now fourteen protected characteristics, beginning with people who like star wars and ending with people owning red hats.

Since we're all apparently just ignoring the law of the land now and making stuff up, we all get to do it.

I'll guess though until someone sues, in which case a court will explain you may not believe in the actual written law, but unfortunately the law believes in you.

This has endless possibilities. If organisations can now invent the law (following the Stonewall example) then women can start doing so. And there are a hell of lot more women than there are woke organisations.
Where to start ?

Maybe they self identity as protected characteristics?

Diversity and inclusion is only ever about the T.
'Intersectionality' can fuck off too.

I've said it on here before, but I spend quite a lot of my working time reviewing tenancy agreements and housing association and council policies for both English and Welsh housing providers (not this one) including frequently correcting the protected characteristics where they are referenced.

I tell them when I have had to change any equality sections that they did not reflect the law so they can have a bit if a think as to why they might have got them wrong - some of these documents are old (obviously post 2010), so I've no idea where the fault lays really, whether its bad googling, poor lawyers or draftsman or those with nefarious reasons.

There are still many who don't understand the difference between gender and sex.

Interesting to note that Professor Uzo Iwobi is Specialist Policy Advisor to the Welsh Government.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzo_Iwobi

Looks like the WG's special advisor doesn't know the law.

Well, they are free to add additional characteristics they wish to protect. That's perfectly legal.

They cannot however omit, rename or rewrite the nine characteristics protected in the Equality Act 2010. They have a legal duty to include the corre t ones, and a public sector equality duty that obliges them to monitor the nine protected characteristics and to further good relations between the nine protected groups.

So they might be well advised to talk to a lawyer.

Yowzers that's bad

Add by all means.

Removing/ changing wording. Nope.

What are they thinking????

The rule of law is so last season. This autumn is all about regulatory capture, arbitrary application of the law and making stuff up. As history shows, that always works out well

....and we all thought Animal Farm was fiction. More fools us

Professor Uzo Iwobi is Specialist Policy Advisor to the Welsh Government. Looks like the WG's special advisor doesn't know the law.

She is also a solicitor and equalities practitioner, according to her Wiki profile. If she had anything to do with this nonsense, that’s really worrying.

I've been corrected by a friend on another social media site who points out that CHCymru aren't actually a housing association but exist to train housing associations.

So a company/ organisation that exists to train HAs in best practice has been advised by a Welsh Government specialist advisor and equalities specialist to rewrite the Equality Act excluding sex, pregnancy and maternity, sexual orientation — the then roll out their misinformation to all those they advise.

You couldn't make this stuff up, could you? You'd read it back to yourself and think it's too unbelievable for anyone to swallow.

I always want to know the qualifications and cvc of these 'equality specialists'. Because I strongly suspect from years of experience that their sole qualification is being a self identified member of the LGBT+, since they demonstrate not even the most basic knowledge of the other eight characteristics, and no interest either.

Anyone advising on 'equality' needs to be in a position of experience and qualification to advise on all nine. Or the agency needs to receive separate advisory services on each separate characteristic.

To be fair, they've included L, G and B within their LGBTQI+. The omissions are sex, pregnancy and maternity.
It's truly gobsmacking that all kinds of sex discrimination are now deemed acceptable by this kind of body. I imagine that pregnant young women are a substantial customer group for housing associations.

To be fair they've included L, G and B within their LGBTQI+

LGB = sexual orientation. TQI+ = gender identity. They're not the same.

I get that they're not the same. But the full list has been included. The omission is sex.

@Sunndown

To be fair, they've included L, G and B within their LGBTQI+. The omissions are sex, pregnancy and maternity. It's truly gobsmacking that all kinds of sex discrimination are now deemed acceptable by this kind of body. I imagine that pregnant young women are a substantial customer group for housing associations.

Only in a sleight of hand semantics kind of way. LGB now is as much of an identity as TQ+. They don't mean same sex attracted or sexual orientation when they use it.

See this as an example

twitter.com/Jebadoo2/status/1436704661814317059

@Sunndown

Is the sexual orientation of non-LGB people included as a protected characteristic?

So they mean same gender attracted? Not same sex attracted?
It certainly doesn't cover heterosexuality.

@Sunndown

So they mean same gender attracted? Not same sex attracted? It certainly doesn't cover heterosexuality.

Most likely. That's the Stonewall position.