Petition at 70,000. We write to the Minister again.

Our petition now has over 70,000 signatures, and those who have signed it will know that the Chair of the Petitions Committee has written to the Government calling for an initial response by Wednesday 18th January.

We have also written to the Minister, Kemi Badenoch, asking for a response. We set out the amendment we are seeking, and the reason for it.

Clarifying the law so it is clear that “sex” and “gender reassignment” are separate protected characteristics, and that the terms sex, male, female, man and woman in the Equality Act relate to biological sex, would resolve uncertainty for women, transgender people, employers, schools and service-providers.

It would make it much easier to provide clear guidance and written policies that everyone can understand. And it will work with (not against) the grain of the Equality Act as enacted, clearing up many anomalies and difficulties of interpretation that arise if the GRA is taken to modify a person’s sex for the purposes of the Equality Act. 

The amendment itself would simply say:

In this Act, references to female persons and women: (a) also refer to a person who was born female and has acquired the male sex under the GRA 2004 (b) do not refer to a person who was born male and has acquired the female sex under that Act. In this Act, references to male persons and men:  (a) also refer to a person who was born male and has acquired the female sex under the GRA 2004 (b) do not refer to a person who was born female and has acquired the male sex under that Act.