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.

Yes I had a temp job after graduation in the head office of a large U.K. construction company with a lot of public sector contracts - the department I was in did paperwork for accidents and some of them were truly horrendous.

The males in my family are or were in construction too, and they all had near misses. I’ve visited different construction sites to see my dad before, can’t remember there being any ladies toilets!

So what?

You might be happy to throw away decades of women’s hard won rights in order to appease a few pathetic whiny men, but the rest of us womenfolk demand our right to Single Sex spaces.

Well, 678 businesses is about 0.0002% of all businesses in UK, so I am sure you'll find a suitable tattoo parlour, mobile hairdresser or queer collective which you can patronise......

I seemed to have missed a bunch of pages somehow!

Anyway. What a bunch of nonentities. Could barely even scrape a handful of student unions to sign.

Ironically Malaga airport (AGP) clearly hasn’t got the memo yet @vegetarianlouise as it definitely has female and male toilets.

I wonder if this letter is actually so the firms named can go to their staff - see we tried but the meanie SC and EHRC are making us do this.

The thing is, they’re perfectly workable. Just tell men to use the men’s and women to use the women’s. It will police itself for the most part.

If it is a single unit with a sink its has always been legal

( provided that it meets the staff to toilet ratio.)

🤣 yes I was there just recently

So, vegetarianlouise, have you any answer to my question about the justification for going to all that expense for 0.2% of the population when there is existing provision for 100% of the population?

edited to add that I'm not British, so that's not why I demand segregated women-only facilities.

I think that’s probably part of it, @Harassedevictee

I am old enough to remember when women were not employed in whole industries, and individual firms/places of employment because

"We don't have the facilities": toilets, change rooms, uniforms etc etc etc

Same old woman-hating bullshit. Plus ça change

And if it did it has no valid Professional indemnity insurance as the insurance companies are clear businesses who knowingly choose to break the laws breach the contract.

As a big feminist I sadly disagree with you, I believe a unisex bathroom where everyone is treated equal, sharing a space respectful of each other women/men/trans is a sign of progress and equality not the other way round.

Do you live in cloud cuckoo land? Unfortunately there'll be little sign of respect for women in this set up. Men will be pissing all over the toilet seat and not cleaning up after themselves.

True, old airports in Spain still have men/women/disabled facilities and no plans have been made to change them. i believe The new law was created like 3 years ago so it only affects new public buildings and businesses.

Do you not think the answer is important?

You're not a feminist of any description.

Yes, Women in my family have been discussing (in a jokey way) about men pissing on the toilet lids being the biggest handicapp of the unisex bathrooms.

This. Transwomen are male, fucking deal with it.

What was the question? Sorry don't have the patience to go through 6 pages looking for it.

Hahahaha

honestly!

And the fact that men are responsible for the vast vast majority of violence, sexual abuse and voyeurism??

Or that women who have suffered sexual violence may not want men in their spaces?

or that women from certain cultures can't share intimate spaces with men?

none of that matters so long as you can be a pick me for the men?

Yep have friend working in the big companys printer they almost pushed out an annual report with big glossy photos proving breach of H&S. Friend spent a day drawing hard hats on the onsite staff

And family who work in the trades so having low numbers of women on sites would mean a womans toilet would not be usual.

How wonderful to occupy a place of such privilege that that's literally the only thing you could think of 🙄

It's very odd that someone who isn't British seems so determined to ignore direct questions but continuously post about how they are fine with men having access to women's spaces and places on
a thread about British businesses

classic meeeerail