Telegraph: Civil service trying to 'erase women' with gender neutral language in new laws, ministers warn

[ResisterRex]

This may be archived somewhere but here's a flavour of it:

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/05/21/civil-service-trying-erase-women-gender-neutral-language-new/

"Ministers have accused civil servants of erasing women from new laws, as Downing Street prepares a crackdown on the spread of "militant wokery" in Whitehall.

This week, the Government is expected to announce that it is rewriting guidance on drafting legislation to make clear that gender-neutral language should not replace terms such as "woman" and "mother".

The move follows a cross-party revolt over a government bill last year that referred to pregnant "people" rather than "mothers"."

And

"The Cabinet Office is expected to announce that ministers have rewritten Whitehall-wide guidance on drafting legislation to make clear that terms such as women must not be "cancelled" by officials.

A Government source said: “We want to see tolerance and respect for everyone, but women should not be erased or cancelled from public discourse – including Parliament’s own laws.

“Whilst the government supports the desire to avoid stereotypes on positions of authority, gender neutral language such as ‘pregnant people’ undermines women and their experiences.

"Ministers are determined to push back on the spread of militant wokery which insults and degrades women.”

Ministers are understood to agree with the approach of the Labour Government in 2007 which decided to stop the use of male pronouns in contexts where legislation was intended to refer to both men and women. But they are concerned about the use of "gender neutral" terms in place of nouns such as "woman" and "mother"."

Stonewall elements:

"Stonewall's advice to employers includes using "gender neutral language" in order to be inclusive towards trans staff. A series of government departments have now quit the equality charity’s “diversity champions” programme, which includes guidance on gender-neutral spaces and the use of pronouns, following controversy about its value for money and the extent of its influence on Whitehall.

But Stonewall has insisted that the scheme simply "provides guidance and support on making HR policies inclusive for LGBTQ+ employees", adding: "It has no bearing on the drafting of legislation, which is the responsibility of the relevant government department. To suggest otherwise is to fundamentally misunderstand the legislative process.""

Stonewall can fuck off. That's all the energy I can give Stonewall tonight.

And as for the Government: well, they're supposed to have been in charge since 2010. They can fuck off too.

"Ministers are determined to push back on the spread of militant wokery which insults and degrades women.”

Excellent. I await the announcements of the govt. walking back austerity measures and announcing increased support for families to assist with the shock to living standards of energy price increases, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on food prices etc.

A few measures like that plus widely accessible and affordable childcare would do a lot to reduce some of the harms that disproportionately fall on women and degrade us and our living standards.

When Stonewall talk about LGBTQ+, the only letters they give a flying fuck about are the TQ+.

I think the women's movement in this country has been wise never to align itself with one party or another (look at the Stateside shitshow unfolding). I accept the points made that the Tories could have - should have - done more and never let it get to this. I agree.

But IF there's positive change then that would be a good thing and I'd be welcoming it.

But IF there's positive change then that would be a good thing and I'd be welcoming it.

You're quite right, Rufus. I've had a rough hour or so of listening to some very frightened neighbours who are genuinely fearful of what will happen to them in the next few months and that's uppermost in my mind.

I will, again, quote this by Jean Hatchet from 2018 and the protests against the Manchester Standing for Women (?) meeting.

Woman last night : “really it’s a shame you all have to waste your time on the trans issue when there’s so much to do in feminism”

No. There isn’t. All the rest depends on this. If men can say they are women and women have to believe them - they killed feminism. It’s over.

When men take the word “woman” from women and use it for themselves it is the most aggressive collective act of male violence against women and girls you will see in your lifetime.

These men know .... oh yes they know... that if we can’t define “woman” ... we can’t name our oppressors “male”. We can’t fight them. We can’t overthrow them.

Let this pass and it’s over women. The whole game is up.

Fight now. For feminism and for your lives as women.

twitter.com/JeanHatchet/status/1046022461945524225

It gives me chills because it captures the fight we're in so perfectly. We have to pay attention to language. We won't be able to talk about the poverty experienced by women and children because we won't have the word woman and will have no way to discuss our experiences and needs that arise from our oppression as a sex class.

Sorry, @ResisterRex - I don't know why your name came out as Rufus in my reply, the above was in response to you.

That's nice and clear. I especially like this:
Whilst the government supports the desire to avoid stereotypes on positions of authority, gender neutral language such as ‘pregnant people’ undermines women and their experiences.

The civil service have been leading so much of this (just look at the education situation and the role of the DfE) and it's long overdue for them to have their activist wings clipped and to be directed to stop erasing women.

Yup. So much of this has not really been enacted at the ministerial level at all, it's coming from within the civil service or arm's length organizations. This is the action we hoped that the statements by BJ and others a few weeks ago were signalling.

Not to worry, Embarrassing.

It's on the front page of the Telegraph: www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-61538941

Quite. The government are just engaging in meaningless culture wars and throwing around the word 'woke' to detract from the fact the Tories have done and continue to do a huge amount of harm to women.

This week, the Government is expected to announce that it is rewriting guidance on drafting legislation to make clear that gender-neutral language should not replace terms such as "woman" and "mother".

Good. I don’t find it meaninglessness or a ‘culture war’.

Erasing us in language annoyed me the most <understatement>, each time that is reversed then good.

Reducing this to a "culture war" is the next attempt to minimise what's happened and is happening to women and children.
This is the the destroyal of fundamental biology and facts - that women as a sex class no longer exist, that people can "change sex" and most disgraceful of all - that children taught to believe pubertal angst is cured with drugs, surgery and that long term infertility and loss of sexual function don't matter. Yet this is reduced to a mere "culture war".

Women didn't ask for this and our attention should not be pettily aimed at those starting to correct this, but aimed at eft wing politicians and all those in power who are fuelling and implementing these toxic and dangerous beliefs on a sceptical and unwilling population.

I think the women's movement in this country has been wise never to align itself with one party or another (look at the Stateside shitshow unfolding).

I agree (and how refreshing to see the correct meaning of the word
‘align’ for a change 😉). As far as I’m concerned, no party has a god given right to our allegiance or our votes.

And I very much welcome this news. Language matters and erasing the word ‘woman’ from legislation was taking us one step nearer to erasing us as a legal entity. If it wasn’t significant, Stonewall wouldn’t be kicking off.

Gosh, I was awfully testy last night when I first responded, wasn't I?

Must have been the Vimto.