Slightly Concerning Course Content

[FanFckingTastic]

I've had to complete a course at work around discrimination etc.

As part of the course, the topic of gender identity is discussed. The course content says 'It's important to remember that if someone is trans saying "she used to be a man" is not accurate. Trans women are women, and they've never not been a woman. Their gender identity just doesn't align with the sex they were assigned at birth'

The course asks for us to confirm our understanding of this, along with other things. Does anyone have advice? I'm conscious that I have to tread carefully but I feel very uncomfortable....

Who has provided the course?
Sounds like a load of nonsense

What would happen if you were unable to confirm your understanding?

As I understand it, your employer cannot discriminate against or penalise you for your stance on gender identity.

You don't believe people can be born in the wrong bodies, that's fine but many people do.

People cannot change sex so a man cannot miraculously turn into a women even if he believes he has been born in the wrong body.

Right out of the 1984 playbook 😆

You don't believe people can be born in the wrong bodies, that's fine but many people do.

I know that. The issue is that I'm being asked to confirm my understanding and agreement. I don't agree and I don't feel comfortable being asked to confirm this position, which is written as if it's a fact rather than an opinion.

What next? Do you have to confirm that the earth is flat and there are fairies at the bottom of the garden?

Just like many people believe in ghosts….

I'm conscious that I have to tread carefully but I feel very uncomfortable....

It's almost as if course providers and employers are continuing to act as if the Forstater and Meade rulings don't exist.

Why is that one belief being given priority over not believing, in a work-related course, especially when that belief is clearly anti-scientific and not based in fact?

@FanFckingTastic if you are feeling brave you could contact your HR about the course and this question. Reference the relevant recent court cases and explain that the required answer to this questions requires you to state as true something that you have a protected belief about. If your company buys in these courses they need to check they are suitable and match UK (E&W or Scotland etc) law, rather than US based content or activist written content.

It's important to remember that if someone is trans saying "she used to be a man" is not accurate.

I was once told on another talkboard that if it should one day be proven that gender critical feminists were right, we would have been right for the wrong reasons (and therefore still wrong).

The above is an excellent example of being right for the wrong reasons.

FanFckingTastic, are you part of a team which had to do this training, or do you have people working for you who will have to do it? If so you could approach your manager, or your HR team to point out that the training is out of date, highlight that colleagues might have views which contradict the training, and which they have a legal right to hold. Would you feel comfortable to do this with the intention of helping your organisation stay on the right side of the law and making it a comfortable & inclusive place for everyone to work?

The issue is that I'm being asked to confirm my understanding and agreement.

If they are saying you have to agree I think this is totally inappropriate, and whoever is running this course and whoever employed them to do it, need to go on a course about not just employment rights but human rights!

As other have said, there is existing legal precedent now that has made it clear that this is about conflicting "belief" systems and that employers are required to ensure that they have equal rights in the work place.

So if you do have an HR dempartment (or a manager you feel safe to talk to) go to them and rather than put yourself in the position of having to justify yourself, just say you are concerned the course contents are in breach of legal guidance and as employers that are putting themselves in a position of potential legal action.

What a load of gaslighting nonsense. Erasing everyone else’s lived experience again.

So if you worked with Fred for five years, who then transitioned to Freda, are you supposed to go back and expunge all emails, reports, meeting minutes, records of work etc of references to Fred and replace with Freda? Because otherwise if someone new joined and said - oh I see in this record that Fred did X, where is he to ask about it, how do you handle that situation if you’re not not allowed to say Fred is now Freda?

In my area that would be fraud. Records have to be accurate and contemporary and any attempt to alter them without good reason are a massive red flag to auditors.

Sorry got interrupted when typing post above and published without re-reading.

So in case it isn't clear, the "beliefs" that need to be balanced are those who think you can change sex / gender and those who believe (know) that sex is a biological fact.

Good luck and sorry this is being done to you.

You could ask for clarification. For example "I'm unclear, are you asking whether some people believe that transwomen have never not been women,. or are you asking whether I personally believe that? Many thanks"

I'm in a similar position OP, although not to the same extent, but glad you've started this thread! Seems awful they're getting you to put stuff in writing like that - sorry you're dealing with this.

The training I went to doesn't seem quite so extreme, but used the term "sex assigned at birth" which immediately raised my hackles and I raised it with my manager. I've suggested using the phrase change from birth sex to preferred gender, as per the current ehrc guidance. I'm also not happy with their equal opps questionnaire thing, as it doesn't give an option to say if you don't have a gender identity.

Does anyone know of any good training providers on this issue in the South East?

Or any good templates for equal opps surveys?

Meant to say thanks @IwantToRetire with that quote- I'm looking for some training/survey material that presents the issues as conflicting beliefs, as you point out.

I don't believe in god, many people do. Why would I have to confirm my understanding that god is real when I don't believe that?

In a rush but doesn't Sex Matters have guidance material on this?

Thank you I will look again. Not sure I could find anything specific but it was a little while ago.

I'm really concerned at how many workplaces are rolling out edi training in order to tick boxes, but that training is not accredited in any way! They probably have no idea of the content they're buying in.

Was this an online learning module? I used to work for a company who provide this kind of learning and the course is written by a staffer, in our case it was someone who would research the topic diligently and apply common sense so I don't think our version of that course would have been written like that but, the creator wasn't an expert in that field so in theory could be influenced by opinions. If you need to confirm understanding of the premise then I think that you won't be able to pass the course until you do which in many orgs would be an issue. That being said I believe in the case of my ex employer that if someone had approached us with a concern about the content of a course that it would have been taken seriously. So perhaps worth raising with the provider?

There are tw who state they used to be men. I know one who used to be married and has a son. His wife also thinks he was a man. Why are they trying to brainwash people? Creepy tactic.

I've checked the Sex Matters web site and unfortunately the page that should have the leaflet your rights at work, doesn't work!

It maybe that it has been updated and is now this one.
https://sex-matters.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GC-rights-at-work-home-print.pdf

Doesn't deal with the situation of training but does explain about employers not discriminating against those with gender critical views. Which effectively the training is.