HEIs

[Flybee]

Presumably mine is not alone in having a transgender policy that states, amongst other Stonewall Speak, that transgender people may use any toilet of their choosing?

Presumably this policy will now have to change?

I've seen that the NHS and other public bodies will be issued with renewed guidance - will the same be done for universities?

Will they be able to get away with just making everything unisex? I could imagine them going down that route if it's open to them, rather than being seen to give in to the "anti-trans" side.

I guess they could, but would obviously need to make them all compliant (enclosed spaces with individual wash basins)... Not sure they have the cash!

a lot of the transgender and non binary policies adopted by HEIs were from a template produced by an organisation called Athena Swan (formerly called something like Educate Challenge Unit ?) - in the wake of OFSS decision on Sussex most universities have removed their copypasta policies from their websites and will need to revisit the policies now in light of Supreme Court decision …. Surely? I’m wondering how are these organisations like stonewall / Athena Swan held accountable by the organisations who relied on their advice ? Can their clients take legal action for misrepresenting the law to their clients?

Surely they'd have to undertake an equality impact assessment.

What would be the effect on Muslim, Sikh and Orthodox Jewish staff and students, for instance?

I don't think they have the cash for much at the moment (other than vice chancellors' of course)!

Good point, that would hopefully put a spanner in the works for the unisex option.

I'm glad you've posted this OP. I'm a university research employee and contemplating if I want to stick my head over the parapet on this. So far I have mostly kept quiet given the way GC women get treated by universities and only being on a fixed term contract.

I think it was already clear that universities that said transgender individuals could access opposite sex toilet and changing facilities were not acting within the HSE legislation (see the Sex Matters guidance).

This is obviously just the tip on the iceberg when it comes to gender nonsense in the university sector (although possibly an easy win?).

Is there anyone reading this who knows where the gender critical academics are gathering at the moment?

The HEI I just left in the early retirement bribery stampede is not rabid but generally nervously compliant and attempts to please everyone. It tried to solve the issue by designating some previously male / female toilets 'gender neutral' but leaving other toilets separately male / female. Traffic to the still-men's and still-women's toilets increased; men still went into the previously-men's 'gender neutral' toilets, women ditto the previously-women's.

Apart from the times a tiny, enthusiastic, autistic 'transman' (quotes because the only transition to masculinity was a name-change) would use the 'formerly-blokes-now-all-genders' bogs, at which point there'd be a brisk male exodus.

I saw a young undergrad man and woman approaching the 'gender neutral' toilets, she made to go to the previously-women's ones but he gallantly held open the door of the previously-men's for her, saying, "They're gender neutral," with a smile. Her face said everything about how stuipid this f*ckery was.

(She didn't go in).

Yes, I was tempted to email "equity and inclusion", who are responsible for the policy, to ask whether it was going to be updated.

We have a reasonably vocal small group of GC academics for academic freedom who have actually organised an upcoming gender and sex talk in conjunction with Transgender Trend.

Otherwise, the university is both captured and also, I think in the midst of a huge amount of other problems, probably likely to brush things under the carpet.