Equalities Act parliamentary debate 12th June

[reverseferreting]

Email received this morning.

Parliament is going to debate the petition you signed – “Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex”.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/623243

The debate is scheduled for 12 June 2023.

Once the debate has happened, we’ll email you a video and transcript.

Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament

You’re receiving this email because you signed this petition: “Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex.

When you put it all together, the chronology is pretty interesting

Sorry being a bit slow here. You mean that it must have been set up in November 2022?

And the Sex Matters one in October 2022?

I suppose they would wouldn't they.

Suspect most members of the public wont really be clear or that interested as to what this is all about.

Sadly I think this is spot on @IwantToRetire
I've been talking to my husband about exactly this point. The reasons behind the need are so nuanced and varied that it's almost inaccessible to anyone that hasn't taken the time to digest it. Some arguments are easier to access than others e.g. sterilising confused children (puberty blockers, "time to think", cross sex hormones.. lifelong decisions made at a young age) and fairness in sport are pretty simple to grasp for anyone. But the awful experience of trans widows, the homophobia directed towards women who won't accept girldick and gay men who are told they should be trans or the risks in not protecting women's spaces seem less tangible somehow. If you're not fully immersed in it all.

By contrast, Emma Watson's "trans people are who they say they are" makes it all sound so simple. Therefore no point caring about it.

I've been wracking my brains to think how the public conscience can be helped to care.

Yep, exactly this.
I'm trying to think about how to wake my MP up so that he attends! He's Tory in a safe Tory seat. I've never felt so happy to be in such a constituency 😁

Little point contacting my MP , he's SNP and captured, though at least I would be registering my viewpoint

I've just seen the email and came to look for the original thread. I am crossing my fingers, in the hope that more people will become aware of the issues involved.

A good reminder to contact our MPs ahead of the debate, must do that.

I got an email yesterday, so wrote to my MP. I got a reply back almost instantly that he would try and make it.

The line I used was that this was an issue on which the Conservatives had a good story to tell and where they had wide public support. Some of his colleagues were making important progress.

Conservative MPs will be worried about the up coming General Election following the recent local election bloodbath. They should be interested in knowing more about an issue where the Government has a (relative to other parties) good story to tell.

Also it is worth contacting earlier rather than later. Diaries fill up.

@Needmoresleep thank you for the nudge.

I have now written and sent a response to my MP's letter (that he sent me in March, following my initial contact with him) in which I have also cited the good work of his colleagues, including Miriam Cates and Kemi Badenoch.

In my letter today, amongst other issues, I have highlighted the importance of a key phrase in the opening paragraph of the counter petition (where it is clear that the ambiguitity of the current wording means that the petition signatories believe that they can currently access single sex spaces and services based on gender identity.

Also, I have drawn his attention to the importance of the EHCP April letter to Kemi Badenoch.

I have urged him to attend the debate and state the case for why the clarity is necessary.

Fingers crossed he agrees that it is important - he has made it clear to me already that he personally values the importance of single sex spaces. Hopefully he can now appreciate that this needs to be fought for.