Urgent BH terfing- write to your MP TODAY 5th May on the Data Bill

[CriticalCondition]

I think this should have its own thread for visibility. The Data Bill is being debated this week and will introduce self ID by the back door unless an amendment is made. Sex Matters has a template letter on this to send to your MP. It will only take a few minutes but it MUST be sent today (Monday 5th) so please make this your Bank Holiday terfing.

https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/urgent-action-email-your-mp-today-on-the-data-bill/

Also asking if the minister has experience protecting single sex spaces, then how come they’ve all been eliminated?

I have no idea - and neither, I suspect, does he.

Yay, my MPs a TERF

I wasn’t expecting a response but got a proper snail mail letter. He voted in favour of the amendment and is clear Public Bodies should be collecting data based on biological sex.

Welcomed Alice Sullivans review etc. and understands the importance of sex in the NHS.

If (and that's a big question) a new law contradicts an old law, the new law takes precedence. Parliament is supreme and cannot be bound by it's predecessors.

To be complete, parliament has always been supreme and never been able to bind it's predecessors.

So trying to point to an old law as somehow preventing a new law being enacted is a losers game.

Google says the new law takes precedence but can be challenged by a judicial review, or in court. Which wouldn't be a losers game in many situations. We're getting quite good at it.

Its just annoying that a bunch of women on Mumsnet have to do the politicians job for them. They are paid well enough.

All a judicial review can do - even up to the Supreme Court - is issue a ruling. If the government of the day chooses to ignore it, then there is very little to be done.

Alternatively the government of the day could just ask parliament to pass a new law saying that whatever it was the JR/SCOTUK didn't like is now perfectly legal and they can butt out.

I reiterate that in the UK, parliament is supreme. That isn't a slogan. It is a fact of jurisprudence. It always has been supreme. In fact, since 1688 there has never been an occasion when it has not been supreme by definiton.

My MP. I didn't bother writing to him, you can probably imagine the response I'd have got. Funnily enough though none of this formed part of his campaigning before the General Election - he managed to win the seat from our previous Tory who had been in place for ages.

x.com/tomgordonLD/status/1922722718924857509

@RNApolymeraseSolidarity. I wrote to my MP who didn’t reply and who was yesterday encouraging Parliament to support our city’s local drag queen and dragettes as part of our local Pride festival next weekend. Sigh.

Well, I got a reply from my newbie mp, and it was all quite positive and supportive. Very encouraging!

I shall be keeping the email for future reference.

I got a snail mail response through the letter box today, which was a surprise. He wasn't able to vote as was out of the UK doing something else related to one of his parliamentary roles. Response was fence sitting but not terrible. Worth keeping on at him, I think.

Image separately in case we aren't allowed to picture letters from MPs (who knows??)

My conservative MP replied and is in agreement with Prof. Sullivan's review which I am pleased about. It's a shame he didn't attend the vote though.

I am chuckling at your reply. My email reply from my Tory (south east, male) MP is identical apart from the top and the tail. He was very knowledgeable a couple of years ago on this issue.

That is a different and more personalised one than I received.

My Newby labour mp has replied. Basically she completely disagrees with me and voted against the amendment, but she has written at length with her own thoughts (not a party cut and paste) and it's thoughtful. She has a be kind approach and has trans friends and thinks sex isnt binary because of DSDs. So yeah. I will reply again but I'll leave it a bit.

I might come back here for some thoughts on it when I decide to write back.

In general what do people think? Keep trying to explain it and get the points across? Or a waste of time?

She's also in favour of assisted dying which I (on balance and especially because of the specific bill) am against and I have noticed many gc's are against that, and many tra's (well lib fems) are for it, and I wonder what that's about. I think it's the be kind naivity, and the emphasis on individual choice at the expense of everything else, at play again. Are we just more pessimistic about himan nature?

Anyway enough philosophising.

I think the ‘sec is t binary because of DSDs is an easy point to demolish, and her raising of it suggests eh has swallowed some old Stonewall material without questioning it. Very much worth following up on just that for now.

Are we just more pessimistic about human nature?

No just more honest. Every GC person believes in their heart of hearts that they are right, and science (amongst other things) backs them. On the other side, I don't think the proportion of people who truly believe the words coming out of their mouths is more than 25% at the most.

And yes, of course I did pull those figures out of my arse. But still.

Are we just more pessimistic about human nature?

More realistic than pessimistic in my view. There are good and bad in all walks of life. The good, decent lawabiding people far outweigh the bad but we still know that safeguarding against harms is essential and a priority to protect the vulnerable. The far left often appear to want to relax safeguarding and deride the 'Nanny State' but the same time being super hypocritical by wanting to control people's thought process in quite bullying guilt tripping tactics.

My mp has finally replied.
A fudge as I expected. At least he did reply, I suppose.

I get annoyed when the TRAs try to press people with DSDs into their service. This is a medical condition, FFS and it's not the norm. And Trans activists haven't got DSDs and they damn well know it.

Absolutely. It's so cynical, pressing into service a tiny minority of people with whom they have nothing in common.

Adding for the record/trail: my Labour MP has finally got around to answering me, and is proud to tell me that he voted against the admendment, totally ignored all the issues raised and reasons why, and is thrilled that the bill passed.

Which is about the level of irresponsible lunacy that I fully expect from them really.

My (Labour) MP finally replied today to tell me how concerned she is about trans rights and dignity and protection for trans people. She wasn’t in parliament when the vote took place, but her support lies unequivocally with the trans community. Nothing about women’s rights or the importance of biological sex, so that’s me told!

I wonder if we have the same MP!

Mine didn't reply
She is very very full on twaw- I have never voted for her and never will