Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex

[Sidaway]

There's an active petition you can sign to this effect, if you're so inclined.

I'm not sure if we're allowed to link to it directly? Anyway, if you enter this thread's title into Google, it should come up.

18 year old DS didn't initially believe me about rapists in women's prisons. He does now. And, he is my 5th signature. Need to think who else I could ask.

Well done @ArtfullyCrumpled

Bump - shared with some more people.

Got another friend to sign. Onwards …

Bump again. We need some more high profile people to promote it.

A couple of people who I thought would certainly sign it because they're very strongly GC, have expressed concern at their names appearing on the list of signatories. I'm getting quite fed-up with this. It's a poor excuse. None of them have standout names. They could just deny it if the workplace transquisition accuses them.

There is no 'list of signatories'. The only names publicly available on these gov.U.K. petitions is the originator(s) - in this case Maya Forstater.

petition.parliament.uk/privacy

Has JKR tweeted about this petition? Can anyone with Twitter @ her about it?

It might be better if JK Rowling gives it a push after the halfway point maybe

In case posters on here were not aware of it, there is a thread on this board devoted to getting this petition signed which some may be interested in doing.

Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex

Sorry, wrong thread.

.Bump
Petition to look up with these words:

Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex

Yeah I was thinking the same about JKR and other people with massive followings giving it a push.

It must be a better strategy for the big names to hold back at this stage and let it gain momentum through grassroots person to person, parent groups, grandparents networks, sports groups.... signature by signature...

Agree we need some high profile people helping with this. It's so important, and so frustrating that people agree, but are reluctant to sign.

Sorry I mean I think it's a good strategy for big names to hold back for now (plenty time until April) and to allow this to take a grip though communities and let those conversations happen first.

Interesting, given the submission date of both -
Rejected petition
Rejected petition #2

MN please don't delete, these aren't links to petitions, but to rejection messages on the Govt petitions website

20 away from 35K!

From the wording of the rejection

It has been reported that the Government may look to amend the Equality Act to make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender, and we could accept a petition calling on the Government to commit not to making this change.
If The Government were to clarify that sex means biological sex that isn't a change. It's a fact.

Three away from 35K now!

Bump for the night owls.

Morning bump. Over 35K

Those rejection notices (the second of which claimed there were plans to remove gender reassignment as a protected characteristic from the EA) are interesting indeed. I don't think I have ever seen a proposal to remove gender reassignment as a protected characteristic from the EA - has anyone else? (I've seen plenty to repeal the GRA, but since people don't even have to have a GRC to have the PC of GR under the EA, that's a very different thing.)

I wonder whether those who proposed the rejected petition had seen such a proposal somewhere, or just didn't understand the EA well enough to see that the "sex is biological sex" petition is not doing that, or were disingenuously pretending not to understand that in order to get a petition that would attract lots of signatures? Very odd.

Hm, that's interesting!

'Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action. We understand that you are concerned about the possibility of legal rights for trans people being reduced, but the Government has not announced any plans to change the Equality Act, or remove legal protections for trans people.

It has been reported that the Government may look to amend the Equality Act to make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender, and we could accept a petition calling on the Government to commit not to making this change'

Fingers crossed, eh?

Bump

Petition to look up with these words:

Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex

Wonder if the link can be posted on the Daily Mail article about the scarf wearer, to reach more people?