Challenging D&I at work

[BuffysBigSister]

We received a link to our company's first global Diversity & Inclusion survey. I work in an industry with a very poor gender pay gap (and getting worse probably rather than better). There was no question on sex. I was asked if my gender identity was male, female or other (or prefer not to answer). I was kind of expecting this.
I emailed to ask how the language had been decided on as it was incorrect and I didn't feel I could answer the question honestly. I mentioned protected characteristics, Equality Act.....
The response was underwhelming. Apparently they consulted a wide variety of groups on language and took external legal advice. I have asked if they can share the names of the groups they consulted.
I am surprised how anxious I am feeling about this and I feel fairly secure in my job. I keep asking myself if I am just making a fuss and should just go along with it - its not a compulsory survey but I want to share my opinions. Just wondering how other people felt about "outing" themselves at work as a terfy trouble maker. (the person who runs the survey is very much a fan of queer ideology so will have pegged me as a terf)

They may have taken external legal advice but that obviously didn't make it clear that you can't change the wording of the equality act. You can add additional characteristics if you think those are relevant, but otherwise you should be looking at a persons sex and separately their gender reassignment status. "Gender identity" is neither of those.

I'd push to find out where the legal advice came from, if they'll own up to it. I bet it's from a lobbying group rather than legal experts.

Feeling your pain. I joined a gender equality group at work thinking it was for women but it’s gender ideology and there is also an lgbt group!

I tried to challenge the national charity I volunteered for about this but was met with a brick wall and repetition that they were ‘here for everyone’ despite me saying categorically that they were not because I wasn’t being represented as someone who identifies with their sex and rejects gender stereotypes.
So fucked off I’m on the verge of resigning and it won’t have any impact because the central charity employ ex-Stonewall people in their EDI department.

I am waiting to see if they'll tell me who they consulted with. I can't think why that would be top secret. I also joined our "gender network" and its full of "male allies" telling us how great they are at supporting women. I have already said to our female CEO that I think the whole concept of allyship is bull because it allows mainly white men to talk over women. Business as usual. Just so tired of the whole thing, wondering if its worth challenging. But there's also a core of white hot rage that means I am going to pick away at this for as long as it takes.

Well done OP. I've had similar at my NHS workplace - they use self ID 'sex' rather than bio sex for the purposes of equality impact monitoring 🙄
Told them this risks legal challenge re sex discrimination- they can't prove it doesn't happen I they don't correct the data! How do senior bods not understand this? It's very simple....

Doh, that should read 'if they don't collect the data'

Maybe 'correct the data' would actually make more sense though!

Buffy, What are they going to use the data for? You could come at is (as cruncher suggests) by pointing out if they can’t disaggregate by sex there’s a stack of analysis they just won’t be able to do. Including (ironically enough) whether there is anything which specifically impacts trans people - unless that was a separate question? Poor data doesn’t help anyone!

They have not specifically said what they will use the data for. I get the feeling this is more of a tick box exercise so they can produce some nice graphics for the company website. We have lost a fair few senior females over the last months and I want to challenge them on how they are going to reverse this trend. There is a free text part in the survey so maybe I can skip the "gender identity" question and then go straight to the free text box and make my point

I have felt I needed to have of my (regular) name changes again just to post this:

I have been low-level terfing at work for quite some time!

Things happen, stuff changes, and I find myself being a direct report of our national I&D lead (not in that function of his but another one; we're also both executives, him obviously outranking me a little, hence the "boss" situation - and, yes, "he/his/him": heterosexual white male - also, tentative assessment one month in: boss I may actually like!).

[Not at all] fun fact: as a woman - actually: as the one and only woman on his core leadership team - everyone else being more male, just as white, and also older than myself - I am now more not less apprehensive about speaking up.

New boss, for the record, seems lovely. It's not his fault. It's me, feeling I have less space to "terf out" opposite "also the I&D lead" than I did opposite previous boss, whom I'd tell frankly to his face "mate, stop complaining about the quota! I am the only woman on your leadership team, and you know precisely how much more work I put in - if I could afford to not do my job as much as [X], I'd be delighted to discuss the quota. I can't, though - so there!"

I've worked in the same sector for over 25 years and it feels like there was 5 minutes when women were finally being listened to. And then all this gender identity ideology came in and shut us up. My company has only cared about D&I since the intro of gender pay gap reporting. But now D&I doesn't really seem to care about sex equality, or think that's an issue. Out last D&I presentation was on how women & LGBTQI can be allies and help each other. No-one considers that sometimes our interests might be in conflict.

Well, they have disclosed who they consulted with but the Head of D&I has offered a call to discuss the process.

A call?
So not recorded like in an email then?
Hmmmm

Yes, exactly my thoughts. Maybe the "wide variety of groups consulted" wasn't such a wide variety but they don't want to put that in writing

They always want a call rather than an email don't they? And I'd put money on their side of the call being recorded with a list of questions designed to out you as a Terf!
We're in this mess precisely because of secret discussions, lack of transparency and lies unable to be challenged.

Our Head of D&I (she/her) will already have flagged me as a terf for asking the question. It's a reasonable question politely asked, happy to talk to her about it. At this stage I just want these folk to know they won't have it all their own way, there will be challenge - and it will be informed challenge

When I say "informed challenge" I mean informed by all the intelligent debate I have seen on here over the last few years

I feel the same. Women were finally getting somewhere, then everything we fought for was taken away from us. Where I work EDI is 90% focused on “supporting” T and NB people, how to be an ally, etc.

Same here, might even be the same one. Our women's network changed to gender equality. So we have numerous networks for all sorts of letters, but none for women

Is it worth making a recording of the conversation, Buffy?

I'm sure you already know the work on data that has been done by Alice sullivan and others. But in case you haven't seen it this will be useful.

https://twitter.com/SexMattersOrg/status/1442780028295696385

At least one org has withdrawn guidence which recommended not collecting sex data. I don't know if they've replaced it.

https://twitter.com/ProfAliceS/status/1480172894437183488

I've got my call with the head of D&I on Monday. Will spend the weekend prepping

Good luck Buffy we are all with you!

You can always follow up the call with a 'helpful' email to summarise the main points. You could couch that in terms of 'checking my understanding' if that's more comfortable.

Not to derail but hopefully to encourage:

I have just had moderate success with getting my workplace to rescue sex and gender separately (although I bet sex is still self ID)

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4737603-possibly-just-outed-myself-as-gc-at-work?page=4

Oh ffs record not rescue!

I’ve just had an email from our parent network telling us they will be doing Pride in the next newsletter including how we can support our kids and ‘learn together’. I’ve written back suggesting they include Transgender Trend in the interests of balance and not just one side of the debate. I’m work friends with the co-chair (she/her) so will be interesting to see how she reacts.

Generally avoid the topic as much as possible in work and am wfh next week on a day I’d usually be in the office to avoid it the Pride coffee and cupcakes event.

Am supportive of LGB but it’s all about the T now.