Updates • Page 11
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To see updates organised by topic, go to Where sex matters. Click on a tag at the end of any update to see other updates and resources with the same tag.
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The EHRC must step up and provide clarity on single-sex services
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is consulting on its strategic plan for 2022–2025. We have made a submission in the form of a letter to the incoming head of the EHRC, Marcial Boo. Sex is one of the nine protected characteristics for which the EHRC is responsible. Fostering...
5th October 2021
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Inclusion or fairness: new guidance for sport in the UK
Sex Matters response to the Sports Council Equality Group Guidance on Transgender Inclusion. On 30th September, the Sports Council Equality Group (SCEG), which is composed of members of the five major sports councils within the United Kingdom, published new guidance for UK National Governing Bodies and Sports Governing Bodies....
30th September 2021
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Ofcom bows out of the Stonewall Champions scheme – but read the small print
Sex Matters has recently learnt that Ofcom is leaving the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme because of concerns that remaining a member “could harm perceptions of Ofcom’s impartiality”. Ofcom, the communications regulator, has been a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme since 2007, spending over £12,000 in 2019 and...
25th August 2021
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Sex and gender: belief and agnosticism after Forstater
The August 2021 edition of The Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) Briefing features a very helpful article by Akua Reindorf of Cloisters on the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) Judgment in the Forstater case. She asks “Has the EAT’s decision in Forstater brought any light to the heated debate on the...
2nd August 2021
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Book campaign update
There has been an amazing response to our campaign to put copies of Helen Joyce’s book Trans: when ideology meets reality into the hands of influential people.
29th July 2021
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Gender studies and sexualised threats
Students of Gender Studies at the London School of Economics are taught to view sexualised threats against women in public life (if dressed up in the language of “queer”) as something to applaud.
26th July 2021
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Employers: consider Stonewall risk
Should I stay or should I go? At least 40 organisations that we know of have left Stonewall including the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Justice, Ofsted and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Anglian Water Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Care Commissioning Group Cabinet Office Cancer Research UK...
7th July 2021
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Were we unkind?
We have had this email about yesterday’s post on the prisons judicial review to which we think we should respond: The first thing we want to say to the writer is “thank you”. We mean that. If one of our own supporters writes this to us, then it’s a...
4th July 2021
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The law must protect women in prison
Today the High Court handed down a shocking and disappointing judgment, that the Ministry of Justice has not broken any law in its policy of housing fully intact men who identify as women in women’s prisons, despite the judges recognising: “a statistically greater risk of sexual assault upon non-transgender...
2nd July 2021
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Fighting for the principle of collecting data on biological sex
A guest post by MurrayBlackburnMackenzie. Scottish Parliament Public Petition: Call for signatures In early June MurrayBlackburnMackenzie (MBM) lodged a petition with the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee. It calls on the Scottish government to require Police Scotland to accurately record the sex of people charged or convicted of rape...
27th June 2021
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The Reindorf Review: a wake-up call for universities
In May 2021 the University of Essex published a review by barrister Akua Reindorf concerning the “deplatforming” of two academics because of their “gender critical” views. The university apologised to the two academics and is working to remedy the deeply concerning issues raised by the review. Sex Matters has...
23rd June 2021
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Beyond the rainbow: a view from inside the civil service
Sex Matters Anonymous: A gay civil servant speaks.
18th June 2021
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The Royal Academy and Belief Discrimination
Sex Matters has written to the Royal Academy about Jess de Wahls. You can download our letter. Jess de Wahls is a textile artist. Her work tackles feminism, misogyny and fetishism. She has expressed her gender-critical views, most notably in an essay she posted in 2019, and since then...
17th June 2021
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A letter to Fawcett
The “Forstater” judgement clarifying that gender critical beliefs are protected under the Equality Act will have far reaching implications. Here we write to Fiona MacTaggart, Chair of the Fawcett Society.
16th June 2021
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We are worthy of respect in a democratic society
Today, after two years of legal battles, Sex Matters co-founder Maya Forstater achieved a landmark legal ruling that looks set to change the direction of the sex and gender debates in the UK, and provide legal protection for gender-critical people against discrimination and harassment. Mr Justice Choudhury overturned an...
10th June 2021
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Truth and reconciliation
How should the public sector leave the Stonewall Champions Scheme?
6th June 2021
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Oxford’s submission to Stonewall
We are pleased to announce that Michael Biggs, Associate Professor of Sociology at St Cross College, Oxford University, is joining the Sex Matters Board of Directors. Professor Biggs has written this post, as well as a letter to Professor Louise Richardson, Vice Chancellor of the University of Oxford, calling...
6th June 2021
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Time to #LeaveStonewall
This is the letter we have sent to the CEOs of the 850 organisations that are members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Scheme. Re: Leaving the Stonewall Diversity Champions Scheme We are writing to call on you to withdraw from the scheme, both for the sake of your own...
29th May 2021
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Response to mySociety
mySociety, the organisation that runs the “What Do They Know” freedom of information platform has written a post following complaints about our #dontsubmittoStonewall FOI project with Legal Feminist. Their post and our response is below. Dear mySociety #DontSubmitToStonewall FOIA campaign We are the two groups involved in this campaign:...
26th May 2021
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EHRC Chairwoman writes to Sex Matters: we have left Stonewall
This week we received welcome news in a letter from Baroness Kishwer Falkner. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is no longer part of the controversial Stonewall Diversity Champions Scheme. She said that the Commission seeks to ensure that all staff enjoy “acceptance without exception”. We responded welcoming this...
23rd May 2021
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Are single-sex services legal?
Does the judgment in AEA v EHRC (where permission for a judicial review of the EHRC Statutory Code of Practice was refused) mean that the legality of single-sex services has changed? The answer is no. The Equality Act still allows single-sex services in a range of common everyday and specialist...
19th May 2021
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Sex Matters influences toilets policy
As reported in The Telegraph today the Government in England is going to amend building regulations and planning guidance to ensure separate sex toilet facilities are installed in new buildings or those being developed. This is good news. Sex Matters was amongst the many gender critical organisations and individuals...
16th May 2021
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Our response to British Cycling
British Cycling is the national governing body for recreational and competitive cycle sports in Great Britain. In March 2021, they announced a new policy to address the participation of transgender and non-binary athletes in cycling events, and opened it for consultation. Their policy is that in order to provide...
14th May 2021
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Guidance for Schools
Sex Matters and Transgender Trend have developed new guidance for schools.
8th May 2021
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Open Letter to the Equality and Human Rights Commission
A letter to Kishwer, Baroness Falkner of Margravine, Caroline Waters OBE, and the Commissioners of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
7th May 2021
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Is Gender Recognition an “access all areas” pass?
The Gender Recognition Act 2004 was passed with little public scrutiny or consideration for women’s rights. A critical question concerns the provision in Section 9 that a gender recognition certificate changes a person’s sex for all purposes. Is this an “access all areas“ pass? When the Act was passing...
14th April 2021
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The Yogyakarta Principles: women’s rights were not considered
Julie Bindel and Melanie Newman talked to Professor Robert Wintemute in The Critic.
9th April 2021
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Watching the watchdogs
The job of the Women and Equalities Select Committee (WESC) is to hold Government to account on equality law and policy, particularly the Equality Act 2010. It also scrutinises the equalities watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The Committee has received over 2,000 submissions in its current inquiry...
6th April 2021
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The Gender Wars, Academic Freedom and Education
Guest blog post by Professors Alice Sullivan and Judith Suissa
25th March 2021
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Sex, gender and medical data: a way forward
Susan Bewley, Margaret McCartney, Catherine Meads and Amy Rogers published an article in the British Medical Journal calling for clarity about sex and gender in medical records and data.
This "rapid response" from Sex Matters co-founder Maya Forstater was published online by the BMJ.23rd March 2021
