Hundreds of firms warn new guidance on single sex spaces is ‘unworkable’ and would cause ‘significant economic harm’

[IwantToRetire]

More than 650 organisations have urged Bridget Phillipson to ‘take immediate action to prevent these proposals from moving forward’

“We, the undersigned businesses and organisations, are writing to express our deep concern at proposals seeking to enforce blanket, mandatory exclusion of trans people from gendered spaces and services.

“The proposals made in the EHRC’s draft Code of Practice under the Equality Act would have serious and far-reaching consequences for UK businesses, our employees, and our customers.

“Many of us have spent years building inclusive environments where all customers and staff feel safe and welcome. These proposals would tell us to act in ways that directly contradict those commitments; undermining trust, damaging reputations, and risking the loss of valued staff and customers.”

They also express concern that the proposals would put them at “constant risk of complaints and litigation from multiple directions”, as well as forcing “business staff into the unacceptable role of ‘gender police’”.

“Such practices are not only deeply invasive, but likely impossible to implement without breaching Article 8 of The Human Rights Act, which protects rights to privacy, and risking discriminating against valued trans customers and colleagues”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/supreme-court-trans-single-sex-spaces-b2826924.html

So women's rights are less important than commercial compliance.

Why is the Practice Manager a Ltd company? I hope everyone involved has double-checked the IR35 rules

Oh, I had assumed that it was for wheelchair users too! TBH I'd not heard of ambulant toilets before.

This, in absolute spades. Yet another example of where “equality” needs not to be the most important factor (which is “women’s safety”, should that be in any doubt).

I've scanned that list and no sign of The Good Law Project
👏DO👏BETTER👏 JOLYON 👏

They say they have 2 (i assume 100% legal) they dont say where

We have both gender neutral and gender specific toilets as well as two accessible toilets.

I always think back to Monty’s suggestion to women who were uncomfortable with men in our single sex spaces…”stay at home” I believe was his advice. But now when he and his brothers are affected it’s a huge human rights issue.

Maybe it's gonna cost them thousands to change that wording from gender specific to sex specific 🤷🏻‍♀️

Indeed. I mean this trans nonsense is reportedly new, we lived without it ina time in living memory, presumably before it all kicked off people knew which toilets belong to who

Similar to them frequently saying BSCR rights aren't pie to saying it um, not at all 🤔

How about the men folk just stick the loos with the big M on the door and then there will be no issues? They are all desperate to retain single sex spaces but they want the right to use the facilties for the wrong sex.

If they already have ‘single sex toilets’ as you say, already all they need to do is take down their stupid gender neutral signs and buy new M and F signs to put up.

Hardly likely to bankrupt them.

Employing another member of staff as a chaperone might, but then do you think it’s right that women have to go and ask to go to the toilet?

Even then why roll what must be a full time max 50k job into a limited company?

May be good for the employee being off the books to split and add to their pension pot contributions via payrol and employer (themselves). The Ltd co will not reduce their personal liability if they break the law and medical type insurance is normally expensive.

But whats a benefit for the pratice?
They should not be paying over the price of a direct employee. Should retain ownership and control of of assets (softwear IP etc)
The contractor as a limited company must fall out if any NHS employee indemnity scheme so the GPs are at greater risk of being personally liable for acting on the instruction of a third party entity or allowing them to act freely with free access to data and writes policy etc. and will as any human make mistakes.

And the pratice still has the legal obligations of a safe workplace so needs to provide SSS for both sex.

Ever heard of #nodebate? The TRAs gave been very good at scuppering open conversation and debate on this topic.

also a lot of hairdressers, nail bars, yoga classes - way to go to piss off your core client base. I'd bet many of these businesses have single locking loos only - probably just one or 2.

Thanks for showing your hand that you want to do away with womens rights to spaces without men.

Utter nonsense.

and I would put money on you not actually wanting everyone to be treated equally.

Equity of opportunity is not the same as equality.

Not just a feminist but a BIG feminist. But the human rights issues affecting women are not on Louise’s radar. But Louise is very very proud of the unisex loos that no one in Spain complains about.

‘Kate’ might be very sad though at having to use single sex facilties at wedding venues.

One issue that never seems to be discussed is how people who identify as non binary or something else other than a man or a woman manage to cope.

They must be using toilets for their own sex even though this does not correspond to how they see themselves.

If it really were about a deep seated belief that using toilets which correspond to your sex is unthinkable if you identify as something other than your sex, surely the trans rights lobby would have been campaigning for additional non gendered spaces for non binary people.

When you consider that trans men usually avoid using single sex toilets for either sex, and non binary people aren't even considered in the debate, it really is all just about male people wanting to be in women's spaces, isn't it?

GPs are at greater risk of being personally liable for acting on the instruction of a third party entity or allowing them to act freely with free access to data and writes policy etc. and will as any human make mistakes.

@AnSolas I hope this was made clear to the practice, not just waved away with a "it's fine, I'll deal with the red tape for you"
Can opened, worms everywhere...

Wow that's quite a list of firms I have never heard of and plenty of Student Unions.

I would imagine they are very small and probably only have one toilet anyway, which should be unisex.

I think we can safely say this letter will be ignored.

They could try this...

BIG Feminists who don't know why women & girls need spaces away from men?

This type of "feminist" is merely a figment of mens imaginations and/or womens very misguided delusions.

I agree.

That poster says 'Big Feminist', I think of Nicola Sturgeon.

didn’t Julie Bindel once refer to them as fun feminists? The ones who think men can be women and feminism is basically a free for all club?

in a nutshell, yes