Parliamentary staff urged to police pronouns and ‘identify transphobia’

[IwantToRetire]

The UK Parliament authorities have drawn up gender-identity guidance for hundreds of civil servants working in administrative roles in the House of Commons and Lords, which has been circulated internally for the last three years.
One section of the 15-page guide warns that staff should “learn to identify what transphobic behaviour looks like and understand that these must be met with an attitude of zero-tolerance”.
It lists examples including “another colleague refusing to use a trans person’s preferred pronouns or names”, adding that this “should be dealt with in an appropriate manner”.

The pamphlet, obtained by The Telegraph, has been criticised by campaigners and a senior MP as “concerning” and “compelled belief”.

The guidance also says that staff who keep Parliament running behind the scenes can “use the facilities that match your gender identity or that most closely align with it”, with both single-sex and gender-neutral facilities available.

It goes on: “It is your choice and we will support you to access the toilets, showers and changing rooms that feel right for you at that time. It may be that you access both male and female facilities, which we support.”

This is despite single-sex spaces being protected by the Equality Act 2010. The guide states several that gender reassignment is a protected characteristic under this law, but fails to mention that sex is protected too.

Parliamentary staff are also urged to ensure that “trans experiences are celebrated” and that “trans colleagues feel comfortable bringing their authentic self to work”.

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Original article is in the Telegraph but reproduced by yahoo Parliamentary staff urged to police pronouns and ‘identify transphobia’ (yahoo.com)

It may be that you access both male and female facilities, which we support.

This should really be 'it may be that you want to turn all facilities mixed sex'.

This part always gets me. One side gets to do whatever the hell they want, but the other side who wants single-sex spaces, does not. The hypocrisy is off the charts.

No prizes for guessing which sex the people are who want to access toilets, showers and changing rooms of their choice and are supported to do so.

The problem here is that the document does not seem to have been updated to take account of the Forstater Judgement.

I do think an important part of the judgement is that it states that it does not mean that people can 'misgender colleagues with impunity' and that employers are liable for ensuring that transgender employers are protected from workplace harassment, the same as every other employee.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60c1cce1d3bf7f4bd9814e39/Maya_Forstater_v_CGD_Europe_and_others_UKEAT0105_20_JOJ.pdf

There's a nuance here that differentiates between incredibly broad definitions of transphobia and treating another colleague in an unfair way in the workplace.

The other part of the document that needs revising is the unrealistic advice about using lavatories which doesn't take account of the fact that the Houses of Parliament is a nightmare place in terms of accessible design and plumbing. There are hardly any women's lavatories and it doesn't have enough lavatories for people with disabilities either. To me, this makes it unfair to suggest that people can choose whichever loo they want. By contrast, I was at a conference a few weeks ago and noticed that the building had separate loos on every floor for people with disabilities, men, women and non binary/transgender/agenda people.

Junior staff wouldn't get away with making racism or anti-semitism or islamophobia or homophobia or transphobia "normal". The employer is failing it its duty of care to employees if management allow it to take place - and if in the Civil Service then also failing in its Public Sector Equality Duty.

Bullying and harassment makes the workplace "unhealthy and unsafe" (in health and safety regs terms) for the people targeted and unpleasant and stressful for bystanders too.

The Law
Although there is no one specific law that outlaws workplace bullying, that does not mean that employers do not have a legal duty to prevent it. All employers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees. That includes protection from bullying and harassment at work. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations also require employers to assess the nature and the scale of workplace risks to health and safety, ensure there are proper control measures in place, and take action to remove or avoid these risks wherever possible as far is as reasonably practical.

The Health and Safety Executive also states that “there should be systems in place to deal with interpersonal conflicts such as bullying and harassment”.

See more:

https://www.tuc.org.uk/resource/bullying-work

The union Health & Safety Rep might be a better port of call than a regular workplace rep or Diversity Rep if management allows this to continue. H&S Reps also have far more statutory power than other union reps.

Of course, management needs to know that it is happening.

ACAS info for managers

Handling a bullying, harassment or discrimination complaint at work
https://www.acas.org.uk/handling-a-bullying-harassment-discrimination-complaint

Discrimination and the Equality Act 2010
https://www.acas.org.uk/discrimination-and-the-law

What an employer can do to prevent discrimination
> Public sector equality duty
The public sector equality duty (PSED) is a legal duty for anyone who works in the public sector or does work on behalf of the public sector. Under the duty, you must consider how you could:

stop discrimination, harassment and victimisation for employees, customers and other users of your services

help support equality and equal opportunities in the day-to-day running of your organisation

help make good relations by tackling prejudice and promoting understanding on all protected characteristics
https://www.acas.org.uk/what-an-employer-can-do-to-prevent-discrimination

The cheek of these people! Bullying, discriminating and then "monitoring" their victims. They think they are above the law but they are not.

The Civil Service has a duty of care to its GC employees too and must not bully them eg by producing a document that denies their freedom of belief. Forstater states you must not use ‘misgendering’ to harass others, it does not say you cannot misgendering or that misgendering by itself constitutes harassment. Equally insisting someone does so is forced speech and harassment.

That should have read “Equally insisting someone uses missexed pronouns is forced speech and harassment.

Shelefttheweb - yes, that was the point I was making. Apologies if that was not clear.

when I worked there what I noticed was the most woke vocal people got their way all the time most normal people just rolled their eyes got on with their work but situations like sanpro in mens loos or an incentive to ask everyone who we interviewed if they identified as black became the norm any person who questioned it was reprimanded

Scottish Parliament: hold my beer

Officials referred to trans rapist Isla Bryson using female pronouns

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/883ec0ba-f281-11ed-99c7-9412839daee7?shareToken=e64cd699e8cdace6ba87111520970846

^It will be much more difficult in an instance where the people creating and implementing the questionable policies will remain in place and can't be compelled to change their personal views.
^

They should not be compelled to change personal views. They should be compelled not to allow personal views to override the Equality Act 2010 when drafting policies.

Agreed. No need for the Thought Police. They just need to change their conduct.

If it is against their "religious" beliefs to comply with the reasonable instructions of management then they need to find another job. It wouldn't be tolerated if they were Christians and referred to all non-Christians as "heathens" or Muslim and referred to non-Muslims as "infidels".

Just because their "religion" has "pet-names and pronouns" based on trans identity rather than sex they are not entitled to bring their divisive, religious practices into the workplace. It's one step away from referring to colleagues as "cis", "biological women", "menstruators", "prostate-havers", etc.

So they are trying to stifle opinion in the Mother of Parliaments, to impose a system that only trans people want' just as they did in Scotland. Of course Labour and the Lib Dems will support this undemocratic imposition.
Have the Tories got the guts to take trans activists on? Surely they will not tolerate being spied on and reported by the house staff?

Fuckers!

we will support you to access the toilets, showers and changing rooms... It may be that you access both male and female facilities...

Do the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 apply in Parliament? Because they require single sex or single occupant loos in workplaces.