Bristol Council insists women be called ‘people with ovaries’

[IwantToRetire]

The comments were made in a 39-page response to a consultation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on updates to its guidance, following the ruling that sex in equality laws refers to biological sex.

It wrote that “not all pregnant individuals would use the pronouns ‘she/her’” so it could lead to “emotional and psychological distress” for “trans men, non-binary, gender diverse or intersex individuals”.

“We strongly advise the use of more inclusive language such as using ‘they/them’ to refer to all individuals, or include other identities to reflect the diversity of individuals who access maternity or paternity services,” officials said.

“This could include ‘people with ovaries’ or the term ‘people who use paternity services’. We also recognise that individuals may not identify with the word maternity and prefer paternity as it is gender neutral.

“Additionally, it is unclear what support will be available to trans people who chest-feed to ensure they are protected from discrimination.”
Protections based on biological sex are “too vague”, the response added, as: “It is unclear whether it refers to anyone capable of pregnancy, or only those who were assigned female at birth.”

Council officials complained that the new guidance implies that “trans women are not ‘really’ women” and risked “creating a hostile environment in public services”.

Full article at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/22/council-says-women-called-people-with-ovaries/

And at https://archive.is/TOgKA

What the holy fuck are Paternity Services? Have they changed maternity to paternity?? 😱

Paternity services? Gender neutral? In which language?

Transwomen are men; the SCJ makes clear that this is the reality in providing services and fudging this impacts other groups.

It is perfectly possible to name and provide services without requiring everyone must pretend something that is not true or real, whether or not they believe in it.

But then this is Bristol.

Anyone who thinks paternity is a gender-neutral term is beyond help.

How is paternity gender neutral?! Paternity leave is for men!

Always they are blind to the fact taking away the word woman offends more than he gender language saves from offence.

They must have got mixed up between paternal and parental. Paternity is not gender neutral.

Sanctimonious and ignorant, it's a toxic combo

Theres a few things I’d like to insist the members of Bristol Council should be called.

Is there a link to what The green party MP wrote?

There are (LOTS!) of women who have had their ovaries removed. Perhaps we could think of their feelings when describing what woman is????

Paternity is NOT gender neutral.
Men and women both have breasts, but only women can breastfeed, and men who get infants to suck their nipples should be charged.

There are enough people in this country who don’t know what a cervix is. I have met older ladies who did not know women had three holes between their legs.
‘Woman’ and ‘Mother’ are understood by people with less education, learning dis or bare bones English.
I guess Brighton is not interested in these people.

So. When I get my hysterectomy that’s looking increasingly likely, I’ll no longer be a woman?

Well thanks Bristol.

If I read “people who use paternity services” I would genuinely assume they meant fathers. It wouldn’t occur to me they meant it as a gender neutral term.

I mean, I do see that “paternity” is sometimes used in a gender neutral way - the UK Gov website references paternity leave being for someone whose partner is having a baby. That could be a lesbian couple where the woman not giving birth gets “paternity leave”. But tbh I think that’s an example of a situation where the word paternity needs to not be used, rather than where paternity needs to become gender neutral. And in their logic, paternity has become gender neutral just because paternity leave is sometimes used by women, so why is it that “maternity” mustn’t be said - why aren’t they suggesting that “maternity” is gender neutral because maternity services are sometimes used by transmen.

I refuse to be referred to as a collection of body parts. Maybe I’ll start calling men testicle owners or even better, foreskin bearers. That way we can offend the group of men who’ve been circumcised and maybe then they’ll get it 🙄
What’s their suggestion for those who’ve had bilateral oophorectomy? They clearly don’t give a shit about the feelings of women who’ve had their ovaries removed. I’m too old and menopausal for this shit.

welcome to life in Bristol 🙈

Indeed.
Hasn’t it already been established in law that ‘mother’ (referring to birth mother) is a sex specific term, regardless of ‘gender’?
I’ve forgotten what the case was, it was a few years ago.

Maybe Bristol council should concentrate on sorting out their shitty centre , the mess, and all the van dwellers on the Downs and spend less less time on obsessing about he /she/they/trans - run by the Greens too.
we moved from there in 2015 over to Bath, which certainly has its own issues , but was a breathe of fresh air after Bristol - never lived anywhere that was so dysfunctional and felt stressful (to me) . London was a piece of piss in comparison.

As far as I can tell by the article, this is a leak. ie it isn't yet published.

Although, even allowing for the Telegraph wanting to make Bristol Council look really stupid, many of the quotes fit in with what is already known about their position.

Including walking out of Council Meeting if anyone dares suggest that women are biological females!

Freddy McConnell?

Ah because all our maternity legislation around inclusive language has always been aimed at LGBTQ service users. It isn't language we have to use for everyone and personally I've never had to use it myself. When we do talk about the potential of trans people using maternity related services, it is always focused around females who identify as trans and including them. Literally had a training session on it this Summer.

The only thing that was mentioned in terms of who might be a male was the other parent/partner. And it hasn't ever been in relation to the possibility that they might want to attempt to breastfeed. Just their role as the other parent/partner in pretty much the same context that we discuss Dads' generally.

Might well have been that. (There was something else at a similar time re maternity rights of a peeress I think but I’ve forgotten which case clarified what)

How the feck is biology vague?!!!!!
If they want to use inclusive language, they need to use language that includes everyone and not just people who don't live as their sex.

So I assume that others will be “people with testes”?

WTH what a load of misogynistic nonsense

Important point, not all pregnant women have ovaries.
They're still women though.

Is Bristol now identifying as Brighton?