LGBTQIA+ organisations are urging allies and trans+ people to email their MPs
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY GETTY IMAGES/CANVA
On Friday, 5 September, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) handed over its final guidance about how institutions should respond to the UK Supreme Court ruling about the definition of the term “woman” in April. This ruling stated that in the Equality Act 2010, the term “woman” was defined by “biological sex”.
Following this ruling earlier this year, the EHRC had released its draft guidance as part of a public consultation. The draft guidance received over 50,000 responses, with many stating concerns about the way this guidance could block trans+ people from accessing basic amenities in public like bathrooms.
While the final guidance has not been published yet, LGBTQIA+ organisations have been quick to urge people to write to their MPs to oppose the legislation. TransActual has created an email template to send to your MP, and has included a link to easily access who to contact. Within this email template, TransActual has also included a link to the testimonies of a number of trans people who have been impacted by the UK Supreme Court ruling.
Keyne Walkers, Strategy Director for TransActual, said: “If the government cared about discrimination and violence against women, they would refuse any Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance that ends with organisations or individuals policing who goes into which bathroom, and restore equality law to a sound footing.”
Other organisations like Trans+ Solidarity Alliance have created open letters for businesses to sign to “express [their] deep concern at proposals seeking to enforce blanket, mandatory exclusion of trans people from gendered spaces and services”. Trans+ Solidarity Alliance has also provided advice about how to contact your MP here.
In June, Trans+ Solidarity Alliance organised a mass lobby to protest the EHRC’s draft guidance, with over 900 people showing up to stand up for trans rights.
The public will not be able to view the final guidance until after it has been reviewed by the government. If the government approves this guidance, they will likely begin to make the provisions statutory, which is when the public will find out about the Code of Practice. This makes it even more vital to email your MP now.
If you are a trans+ person who has struggled to cope with the overwhelmingly scary nature of this news, you are not alone. Please reach out to one of these helplines for support, advice and guidance during this unprecedented time.
Mindline Trans: 0300 330 5468
TRUK Listens: 0800 009 6640
Switchboard: 0800 0119 100
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