EHRC has now sent its new guidance to ministers

[Charabanc]

Here we go...

ETA it's not "guidance" any more, it's the new Code

Equality law regulator submits updated code of practice to Minister for Women and Equalities

Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:

“Over the past two years the EHRC has undertaken a major project to update the entire statutory code of practice, which was published in 2011, to reflect over ten years of new legislation. Following the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers in April, some additional sections required further revision.

“We have now submitted an updated draft of the code to the Minister for Women and Equalities. The government is responsible for laying it before Parliament. Once Parliament has considered its content, I look forward to the EHRC publishing this guidance, fulfilling our statutory role to provide clear information that protects everyone's rights under the Equality Act 2010.

“We have been clear that service providers, associations and public functions should not wait for the code of practice to be published to make any changes needed to comply with the law. As duty-bearers they must assure themselves of their legal responsibilities in their own specific circumstances and seek independent legal advice where necessary.”

Following ministerial approval, the UK Government must lay the draft code before Parliament for 40 days before it can be brought into force.

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/equality-law-regulator-submits-updated-code-practice-minister-women-and-equalities

My thoughts exactly. However, one hell of a lot has happened in politics since then, this is low on everyones radar, maybe it slipped under.

My understanding is it should be here, but doesn’t appear to be:

https://statutoryinstruments.parliament.uk/?page=1

Though maybe not a statutory instrument?

The guidance is for the assistance of SMEs who don't have in-house lawyers. Even if the guidance never gets published, or it's published and some people ignore it, the law remains the law as it has been since the Act came into force. As Baroness Falkner explained in interviews, duty-bearers must follow the law now.

The guidance is for everyone, including lawyers. Baroness Kishwar already told companies to get specialist legal advice if they need to.

I think there are a few MPs waiting keenly for it, on both sides of the argument.

Anybody can use the guidance. It's intended for the duty-bearers who don't have or can't afford lawyers or their own legal advice.

Very true. However so very very many people have been saying they won't and are waiting for this so....

Oh, they are when it comes to putting signs up.

Anything not single sex should be called ‘unisex’ or ‘mixed sex’. We should not be promoting a harmful belief system through the use of ‘gender neutral’ signs.

Again, that is not women's fault.

I am not blaming women. However it does feel like one part of society is being made to give way to another.

What’s the solution?

Yes, single sex spaces are by default gender neutral as they are for males of any gender identity or females of any gender identity. Mixed sex is not a banned descriptor, it's just clear and highlights what the TRAs don't want people to realise.

BTW, I looked it up. The EHRC statutory instrument has not been approved by Bridget Phillipson yet, but once it is it will be laid before parliament and will be available to read here:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/new/uksi

The law is the law. Stonewall etc had misinterpreted it and wrongly told trans people they could use whatever service they liked. The matter went to court and the situation has been clarified. So no one is being made to give way.

Pretty big, important info. Wonder why it’s been delayed so long.

It's only been a week and I imagine the document is very long. I assume she has a team reading it, who will then advise her.

Does anyone know how long it usually takes for a Minister to approve an SI?

Not forgetting she is the lead candidate to by Deputy Leader and will be out and about canvasing.

Actual vote isn't until October.

I wonder if she does become Deputy Leader whether she will give up being Minister for Women.

No reason why she should, if Starmer doesn't move her. Rayner was Housing, Communities and Local Govt Minister.

Although Phillipson is also Education Minister, so one of those jobs might go to someone else.

Deputy Leader is a non-job though, like Deputy Prime Minister.

This was supposed to be a nod through, they don’t read full laws let alone these things

But there is so much riding on this SI, and it's had such a huge amount of attention. She's got to make sure it's all done properly.

But women were being made to give way in favour of men. We were being asked to give up what little we had carved out for women and cede it back to men. That’s not acceptable.

That's not how politics works, even if it should

I agree. I personally don’t care which spaces these men use as long as they stay out of the women’s. My interest in them ends there. I’m not advocating for them to take over disabled spaces. But I’m exercising my right to say I don’t want them in female spaces. Beyond that, they’ll have to figure it out and other people are free to object to them annexing other spaces.

Yes. That's what's so fucking obvious about Genderism and the TA wars. I can't believe they wang on about cishereronormative yet don't see it.

Who sits untouched while everyone argues over who gets to be a "woman" or in "women's" spaces or unisex spaces?

Men. Not the exciting ones with identity but the boring invisible ones that society bends itself around all the time. Invisible not because they are ignored but because they are the default, the ones who are just way things are. The ones with the power of patriarchy. Mankind, the Man on the Street, Everyman. The ones who embody "normal" and in doing so push out everyone who isn't them - women, disabled people, trans people - to fight over who gets to have boundaries and a name and a voice within the cultural and social space that's left and who just gets to be a feature of passing interest spread around different types of people.