Petition to repeal the Gender Recognition Act

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Not sure if this has been posted already but please consider signing:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/705403

“We believe that the GRA 2004 was created on a basis of fore-grounding the personal autonomy, personal development and security of a very small minority of UK citizens. In so doing, we think it had the effect of diminishing and displacing the Human Rights, safety, autonomy and dignity of over 50% of the UK population - namely women. We therefore think that it needs now to be repealed”

There’s been petitions before, but maybe this one will do well on the groundswell of horror at what has happened to Sandie Peggie at the hands of NHS Fife & that (insert banning worthy adjectives) man

They responded with the usual defence of gender nonsense, and the tiniest of nods to single-sex exceptions:

Government responded
This response was given on 10 March 2025

The Government has no plans to repeal the Gender Recognition Act (2004).

The UK has long championed the rights of LGBT+ people at home and abroad.This Government is proud of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) 2004 and the rights it affords to transgender people in this country. The GRA has operated for 20 years and has allowed trans people to be recognised in law. The Act enables trans people to live, work and die in their acquired gender, ensuring that trans people can live with dignity and respect.

The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is a robust piece of legislation, with appropriate checks and balances that reflect the seriousness of changing a person’s legal sex. With multiple checks, medical evidence, legal declarations and clearances, the process is extremely rigorous.

The Equality Act 2010 sets out that providers have the right to restrict use of services on the basis of sex and gender reassignment in certain circumstances where it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. This includes those with Gender Recognition Certificates. The Government is proud of the Equality Act and the rights and protections it affords women, and we will continue to support the use of its single-sex exceptions by providers.

In our manifesto, we committed to modernising gender recognition law whilst retaining the need for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. We believe this strikes theright balance. We will also uphold the Equality Act and its provisions on single-sex exceptions. This Government is steadfast in its dedication to protecting all its citizens irrespective of their sex, gender, or any other characteristic.

Cabinet Office

Yeah I woke up to that. Not the best start to the day. No acknowledgment that in reality it's not protecting women's rights to single sex spaces.

'The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is a robust piece of legislation, with appropriate checks and balances that reflect the seriousness of changing a person’s legal sex. With multiple checks, medical evidence, legal declarations and clearances, the process is extremely rigorous.'

And yet, as it goes on to state in the final paragraph, they have explicitly committed to getting rid of those checks and 'modernising'.

I've never believed there was cat in hell's chance of this government repealing the GRA but, even by their standards, that's a lazy, incoherent response that at least shows that, if it does ever come down to a parliamentary debate, they've got nothing.

Yes, just got my email about this as well. What a load of rubbish.

Shite response.

Is this the petition where Scotland in particular turned very red?

BIGLY rigorous!! So rigorous they're planning to loosen it further by removing the need for GD diagnosis.

Amazing.

Yes. 😁

Exactly. If it's a "a robust piece of legislation, with appropriate checks and balances that reflect the seriousness of changing a person’s legal sex" and if the "multiple checks, medical evidence, legal declarations" are important for this "rigorous" process, why does it need "modernising" by removing some of these checks and evidence?

They seem to think that making a rigorous process into something less rigorous somehow "strikes the right balance".

We really must remember that statement about the appropriate checks and balances so that we can quote it back at them when the time comes.

‘This Government is steadfast in its dedication to protecting all its citizens irrespective of their sex, gender, or any other characteristic.’
I like this sentence. Protecting is a good word.

'we committed to modernising gender recognition law whilst retaining the need for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria

What does 'modernising' mean, here?

Is this the petition where Scotland in particular turned very red?

The last one did as well, and they sent a very similar mealy mouthed response then too.

The colours on petition maps are interesting, but of course they only show comparative levels of interest. If there had been a well publicised incident in say Devon, you would expect Devon to go red. The actual percentages of people who signed the petition were unfortunately tiny even in Scotland, so the Government feel quite comfortable ignoring it. I doubt if anyone in the Cabinet Office is looking that closely, and wondering why Scotland has a higher level of concern about "gender recognition". Sunlight and political embarrassment are far more potent than petitions. Millions signed a petition on Brexit and were successfully ignored.

I still signed the petition!

I notice that Brighton Pavilion is a relative 'hot spot' for signatures in England.

It's interesting, that pattern, isn't it!

If you look back to discussions on here a few years ago, when a similar petition was started, there was a lot of pushback. 'Oh, you can't repeal the GRA!' was a frequent response. People were shocked at the suggestion.

It took a good long while for that petition to get to 10,000.

This one whizzed up in a matter of days or weeks, I think.

Things have changed. If nothing else, it's an interesting barometer.

Yes, polls show that public opinion has now tipped over the point where the majority don't support people being able to legally change sex/gender.

Giving them a QR code?

Its and odd phrase which could mean anything to anyone. Modernising to me means the process in terms of technology used. So rather than sending actal paper copies of names used and appointments, send electronic versions.

But that is isn't a relevant response to this petition.

I think its a phrase they hope will reassure both woman and TRA without actually saying or promising anything. But i do think it leans towards an ideological idea that anything progressive is modern and the inevitable way forward.

Everything for the best, in this best of all possible worlds.

I dont think the government will even review the GRA and EqA interactions. Any changes will be piecemeal based on safeguarding failures while still maintain the fundamental problem of allowing any man to have female id. And forcing that administrative lie on woman and children.

The only way i can see it happening is if LGB organisations use it as a bargaining chip for other policies. Probably around surrogacy.

It’s still worth signing if you haven’t already. They need to look at it again if it gets to 100,000 signatures. There isn’t one single thing that’s going to persuade the government we just have to keep pushing from every direction

Funny how they changed the definition of female and women for a predicted 5000 max of men, but when 10,000 people highlight the problems, they are ignored.

The Tories already modernised the GRA by putting the application process online.