Equality Commission Northern Ireland says organisations should update policies in line with Supreme Court decision (?)

[IwantToRetire]

Following the recent Supreme Court judgment, we advise all employers and service providers, and public bodies, to review any policies that the judgment may impact on.

As always, we encourage employers and service providers to come to us for advice relevant to their particular circumstances.

We are currently developing formal written guidance on this issue and we anticipate this will be published in June.

It is also important to remember that everyone has rights under equality law not to be harassed or discriminated in their employment, or when they are accessing many services and to be treated with respect as they go about their lives.

https://www.equalityni.org/Footer-Links/News/Employers-Service-Providers/Statement-on-Supreme-Court-Ruling

BUT

Its position confirms that laws are already in place and employers can act now. It says that it is “for each organisation to consider its own policies” and has not said employers must wait for its advice.

... they must do so lawfully and ensure they do not discriminate unlawfully against any person who has the protection of equality law.

“The guidance will be advisory guidance. It will outline advice that the Commission recommends. This will not be statutory guidance, meaning that it will not impose legal obligations on employers and service providers.”

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/supreme-court-sex-ruling-northern-ireland-not-in-state-of-limbo-as-equality-commission-says-its-advice-will-not-be-statutory-5122022

So although they say should, it is left open to organisations to wait for written guidance in June?

But seems to imply the Supreme Court ruling does have impact on NI otherwise they wouldn't be updating guidance?

Although that the guidance will only be advisory and not a legal obligation?

Although:

A TUV spokesperson said “This is welcome clarification from the Equality Commission that the situation in Northern Ireland is not in a state of limbo.

“Organisations both can and should act to update their policies in line with the judgement of the Supreme Court which gives clarity on the defence of female only spaces such as toilets and changing rooms.

“One hopes that the political parties at Stormont and ideologically driven journalists who have peddled misinformation on this topic will take note - particularly ahead of a debate in the Assembly on Monday”.

(Dont know if that mean this monday as the only debate I can see listed is about Transphobia)

Gerry Carroll beclowning himself as usual. I notice he had the amendment calling for the puberty blocker tap to be turned back on.

Thanks for updates.

At least it was not carried.

His shtick was embarrassing. My eyes rolled so hard they near fell out me ears 🙄🙄

Matthew O’Toole was excessively 'right on', in his questioning too.

If it wasn’t for Emma LP making clear statements about women’s rights and our sex-based needs, the whole debate would have been 'but what about the poor mens?'

Was this the day of the debate?

https://gcn.ie/trans-government-northern-ireland-ruling/

Yes. It was the event in Parliament Buildings that was referred to in the plenary debate, questioning the Rainbow Project’s toilet rules, while imposed mixed sex, single gender facilities on the building for the duration of the event.

Thanks - there are so many threads and suspect I cant really keep up with them properly.

Presumably there wasn't a Women's (Sex) Based Rights delegation that met NI Goverment representatives.

There had been a delegation a few weeks/months ago (sorry, my grasp on time is flaky these days) that met one of the Committees and was treated like shit by several of the Committee members on predictable lines. I think there was a thread at the time but I share your 🤯 trying to keep up.

Again thanks for the information.

And what a surprise to hear that women weren't respected by politicians.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5276131-stormont-politicians-clash-with-gender-critical-group-over-language-on-single-sex-spaces

Watching Stormont is a mind blowing experience these days. For decades after the Good Friday Agreement was signed, the MLAs in all the other parties spent vast amounts of time pointing out how sexist, smug and unpleasant the DUP and UUP were towards female MLAs who tried to speak in debates. And, in the early days of Stormont, male DUP and UUP MLAs were revoltingly smug & sexist towards female MLAs. Monica McWilliams in particular suffered through some extremely juvenile and insulting behaviour from men like Jeffrey Donaldson.

But now things are almost the reverse and we have DUP and UUP MLAs sticking up for women’s rights, spaces and services and the smug sexism is coming from the sanctimonious MLAs in all the other parties 🤷‍♀️

I keep thinking of a meeting years ago - I think it was the Mary Ann McCracken Society at the West Belfast Festival, can't remember who the speaker was but she was reaching the climax of her talk and saying how republican women weren't going settle for making the tea any more.

At that point Gerry Adams wandered in, and no sooner had he sat down than a woman was giving him a cup of tea.

God knows I used to explode at the old-fashioned sexists in the unionist parties, but maybe they've reached a point where they know overt sexism won't fly any more, but they retain a kind of chivalry.

While the politicos who always patted themselves on the back about not being sexist are now patting themselves on the back for prioritising the men with womany feels.

The old jokes are the best jokes:

Ladies and gentlemen. We have now landed at Belfast Aldergrove Airport. Please turn your watches back two hundred years.

What about the impact of the Windsor Framework?

I hope I’m not going to come across as being a smart-arse but I’m honestly just so cynical these days when it comes to politics in N Ireland.

As far as I can see from listening to NI politicians talking AT each other, the impact of the Windsor Framework is that nobody can agree on what the impact of the Windsor Framework actually is or what it should be.

So….business as usual really 😩

Just thought it might be of interest to note, I had another look at the HSC NI EDI training today, and it seems to have been tweaked a bit. It still says you shouldn't ask intrusive questions about surgery etc or make assumptions about sexual orientation (fair enough), and that you shouldn't tell new staff that a particular person trans (generally unnecessary, since so few people pass), but it no longer says anything about not challenging a trans person on their choice of sex-based services such as toilets and changing rooms. So it appears the SC judgment has filtered through at least on some level.

Thanks for that info @NImumconfused This is small beginnings from which positive big changes will hopefully grow 👍

Now we need the Trusts to actually produce a policy that covers single sex services for patients - utterly unbelievable that none of them have one!

Sorry just tacking this on hear, although not totally relevant, but related. (May have been posted before elsewhere.)

Political parties defunct for over 15 years were consulted on council trans guidance - but two Stormont parties weren't
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/political-parties-defunct-for-over-15-years-were-consulted-on-council-trans-guidance-but-two-stormont-parties-werent-5142708

I call shenanigans!!! People in NI are more than usually aware of the political parties that exist here so I refuse to believe that LGSC (people who work in local govt) believed genuinely that certain political parties still existed and had to be consulted 🙄 Also, much as I dislike certain politicians, if all political parties are supposed to be consulted then they should ALL be consulted.

You could be right. However, while I don’t disagree about political awareness, I do think it’s possible for someone working at a relatively junior level at the LGSC to have found a (very) out of date list of parties to consult and applied it on autopilot with no thought as to its currency. I once encountered someone applying a 1972-appropriate consultation list more than 30 years after the old NI Parliament was prorogued. Cock up is surprisingly common, even when conspiracy seems more plausible.

It's a long time since I was handed a section 75 list to do a mailout, but from memory, it never got weeded, just added to.

Wow, I’m horrified by that info 🤦‍♀️ Having always maintained accurate records and mailing lists I’m unable to understand management allowing that kind of shambolic behaviour 🤯 I know inertia can be a thing in bureaucracies but….[speechless]

I found this article confusing, but think it is positive?

Local council enforcing single sex facilities policy - as it puts controversial 'transgender policy' on hold
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/local-council-enforcing-single-sex-facilities-policy-as-it-puts-controversial-transgender-policy-on-hold-5150460

Sorry - tagging this on here again, as an outsider am not sure what or who is linked, but more of the same .... ?