Write to your MP: the government must stand up for women’s rights

Six months ago the Supreme Court confirmed that “sex” in the Equality Act means biological sex. It said that this meaning is the only one that protects women’s rights.

But even though the law is now clear, many organisations are afraid of the angry backlash from transactivists and are hiding behind the excuse of waiting for guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. 

And now it is reported that the government is delaying the publication of the guidance by demanding a “regulatory impact assessment”. These assessments are meant to consider the effects of proposed new legislation or policies – not whether or not to publish guidance about an existing law. The law is the law. 

But as long as the government drags its feet on revoking the old statutory guidance and providing new guidance, it leaves businesses and frontline staff vulnerable to pressure, confusion and bad advice. 

What’s more, many service providers think that if a man presents a passport that says “female”, this is an official government designation. It isn’t, and the government is at risk of making the problem even worse by replicating the mistake across forms of digital identity, letting people prove they are the opposite sex with an app on their phones.

The result is that many organisations are still refusing to be clear about single-sex spaces. There are still trans-identifying men in women’s spaces and services, and playing in women’s sports. This is neither right nor fair. 

The government must take three decisive steps to end the confusion and excuses.

1. ACT urgently to revoke the old code of practice for service providers. Stop delaying and support Parliament in agreeing a new version.
2. COMMIT to fixing the problem of inaccurate sex records, and their use in new forms of digital identity. 
3. TELL the civil service to follow the law across the government’s own operations and buildings.

Please TAKE ACTION NOW by writing to your MP calling on them to publicly support the full implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision; press the government to solve the data problem and write to the Minister for Women and Equalities on your behalf calling on her to revoke the old guidance immediately.

You can use our template below. It only takes a couple of minutes. Add your own words to make it personal and powerful.

MPs have been hearing a lot from the angry transactivist minority. It is crucial that they hear from the common-sense majority.

First, find out who your MP is if you don’t know their name.

This campaign has now finished. Thank you to the thousands of people who wrote to their MPs.