Equality Act - what next?

[ArabellaScott]

The petition to look at this seems sadly to have virtually ground to a halt:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard/4722618-petition-to-update-the-equality-act-thread-2

Government have responded with a dismissive:

'providers are already able to restrict the use of spaces/services on the basis of sex and/or gender reassignment where justified. Further clarification is not necessary.'

What next?

We know that providers, while technically able to exclude males, just do not and will not. Nobody seems to agree on or understand the law fully. Legal experts get in huge tangles arguing about it.

The current situation means women are excluded from many women's spaces, there is no provision for single sex services apart from Beira's Place in Scotland, there are still males in women's prisons, and in hospitals.

What do we do if the government and EHRC won't listen? Whatever the law says, this situation is untenable.

Where can I get more info? I want to join on my lunch break.

@EndlessTea I just posted your excellent bullet points on the Update Equality the Equality Act - thread 2

It probably won’t be seen by anyone who hasn’t got it on their ‘I’m on’ feed though.
As you may know that thread has somehow been blocked from Active unless they’ve sorted it out.

@ScrollingLeaves they hadn't when I did my last update of both threads not that many minutes ago as it still wasn't there

Thank you Boiled. I have emailed Mumsnet now having heard no further yet either from Lily, who said on Site Stuff yesterday they’d look into it, or ‘report thread’ ‘other reason’ I had also done yesterday morning who hadn’t replied.

Thank you.

The numbers are looking a little healthier today.

Please remind me the name of the poster who made this brilliant sticker/poster? I thought a new version made wider for Facebook was on this thread but can’t find it.

@NotBasically I’ve DMd you.

I dont know where you are, but it’s fairly easy to organise if you can get a few like-minded friends together.

@oldwomanwhoruns

The petition thread is nearly full, so getting it on active might be academic but it won't be for the next one.

85,891 signatures

Thank you 😊

Thank you EndlessTea
Can you think of a fresh, inviting title for the next one to go with your bullet points and @oldwomanwhoruns ’s image?

Most people have no idea what the EA is.

Should we have sex matters campaign links on the first post?

Should we have the Parliamentary committees 23 Jan and 10 Feb with experts giving oral evidence saying ‘Sex’ is defined but needs clarity; and saying GRCs mean discrimination cases can be brought against sex based provisions?

When the new thread is up may suggest that the link to actually sign is added with every post so no one has to scroll to look for it?

Titles? I was thinking of a previous Sex Matters blog. And surely the intention of the GRA cannot have been to abolish sex based rights.

• Did the government abolish sex-based rights? Win them back!

• Did a legal case abolish sex-based rights? Win them back!

Is it illegal to exclude men where women are naked?

The current law isn’t clear.

That is really very good, EndlessTea!
Let’s start a thread with that title later today. On Petitions? Or FWR but with what link ( because if it links to the Pop parliament site Mumsnet will object)?

A problem is that Suella Braverman said last summer that the exceptions do allow single-sex changing rooms ; the Government response to the first 10,000 says they are allowed too ( and that’s then first thing anyone getting to the petitions will see)!

But that is all theoretical people rightly fear litigation. Lawyers on those House of Commons panels agreed there needs to be more clarity over sex being biological.

The problem is single is sex open to challenge by GRCs, and clashes with protections for Gender Reasignment , especially after Stonewall lobbying. that has had a chilling effect on the provision

….. so do we go into all that on the first page? Or leave it?

Cross out : Pop parliament site
I meant the Parliamentary petition site.

86,000!

As the other thread had reached its limit

So 86000 and it went that quick that by the time i clicked on the map it was at 86001!

86000

Well done! It was at 86,004 a few seconds ago. There's another petition worth looking at about sex offenders being removed from the register. It must be brand new, got less than 2,000 signatures.

*@@EndlessTea · Today 11:18
“Is it illegal to exclude men where women are naked?”

“The current law isn’t clear.”

Do you think we should have two threads:

• One thread, with this title, on FWR, looking for discussion about the current law not being clear ……..

with a link to the mumsnet petition site
where there would be “Update the Equality Act no 3”?

This might be safer than only relying on the invisible Petition site.

What do people think? Would mumsnet just move the “Is it illegal……” one on to “Petitions” too?

Link to the sex offenders register petition.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard/4755818-paedophiles-can-come-off-the-sex-offenders-register

@ScrollingLeaves personally I would go for two threads. It's essentially what we've got at the moment, with this thread and the petition thread.

I think it would be good to have one alluringly titled debate thread backed up by/ referencing a linked Petition thread.
I'm not a veteran here so others may know better.

hooray!

fewer than 14k signatures needed! We can do it!

Okay, here is the new thread on the Petition’s Board. “Petition to Update the Equality Act/thread 3”

Very important: Any link to it posted on another board would need the link to this petition thread via mumsnet.
⬇️
www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard/4758082-petition-to-update-the-equality-act-thread-3?latest=1

I have put links in the OP related the confusing details on it about why there is need for clarity in law.
Please would anyone posting there (latest numbers etc) include the link to sign the petition on the Parliament site so that anyone going straight to sign on the latest post can find it without scrolling back.

Now we need a new FWR thread. Some of us had thought of @EndlessTea title and OP and @oldwomanwhoruns ’s image.
(Do we need that rapist in leggings and blond wig too?) :

Is it illegal to exclude men where women are naked?

The current law isn’t clear.

• Currently there is confusion in the Equality Act over whether providers of sports, hospitals, changing rooms, shared hostels and over-night sleeper trains, are allowed to keep men out of women’s provision

• This means many services for women are scared to protect women from male predators, because they are worried they will be breaking the law

• right now, women and girls have no guarantee that ‘single sex’ means truly single sex

• Women and girls have already been sexually assaulted and raped in single sex hospital wards, prisons and toilets by men

By the way the new “Update the Equality Act/thread 3 “ did turn up on “Active”.
🎉🥳

We need to keep checking the glitch doesn’t return to the new thread though.