Skip to main content

The Times- Equality and Human Rights Commission had ‘heavy-handed’ influence on gender questions

Equality and Human Rights Commission had ‘heavy-handed’ influence on gender questions

In 2022 for the first time respondents can self-identify their sex instead of declaring what is on their birth certificate.
In 2022 for the first time respondents can self-identify their sex instead of declaring what is on their birth certificate.
BULAT SILVIA/GETTY IMAGES
Jeremy Watson
The Times

A human rights body has been accused of “heavy-handed” influence on guidance that will allow transgender people to self-identify in the collection of data by public bodies from next year.

The “What is your sex?” question in forms will for the first time tell respondents that they can self-identify their sex instead of declaring what is on their birth certificate.

Policy analysts claim a document trail shows that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), a statutory UK body, put “extreme external pressure” on civil servants in Scotland to alter their initial proposals during a consultation period.

Roger Halliday, the Scottish government’s chief statistician, who produces guidance for public bodies, had suggested a main question based on biological sex at birth with an added section to allow people of lived gender, non-binary lived gender, trans status and non-binary trans status to self-identify.

Analysts Murray Blackburn Mackenzie (MBM) said documents released through freedom of information legislation reveal the EHRC trying to influence the guidance.

A letter from EHRC officials last year to Halliday said: “The commission has serious concerns about the guidance in its current form. The promotion of gathering data relating to biological sex is not something that we can support and we would not be able to endorse it.” The final guidelines, issued in September, say: “If you are transgender the answer you give can be different from what is on your birth certificate.”

A report by MBM said EHRC Scotland seemed to have a role in influencing the guidance in its formative stages, with staff appearing “to tie the chief statistician’s hands by refusing to support any version that was seen to promote the collection of data on biological sex”. It said this was an extraordinarily heavy-handed wielding of the commission’s authority.

“While the final published guidance did not fully preclude collecting data on sex registered at birth, nor did it promote it . . . clearly taking its lead from the EHRC intervention,” the report said. The definition in the guidance was “radically” changed in the final weeks of a two-year process, it added.

Kath Murray, an Edinburgh University academic who is part of the MBM collective, said: “If this guidance stands, it will mark the point at which Scotland officially became a nation unable to say what most of the data collected by its public sector marked as ‘sex’ is actually recording.” Alice Sullivan, professor of sociology at University College London, added: “The fact that EHRC Scotland has dissuaded Scotland’s chief statistician from supporting data collection on sex is extraordinary.”

A spokesman for EHRC said it supported the collection of accurate data on both sex and gender “as this will help the Scottish government and other organisations to make good decisions about their services and to comply with equality law. Asking questions about legal sex, sex registered at birth, gender identity and trans status are all lawful as long as the questions are proportionate and appropriate for data collection purposes and do not discriminate against or breach the human rights of respondents.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seven sex attacks in women’s jails by transgender convicts The Times 11.05.20

Seven sex attacks in women’s jails by transgender convicts The Times 11.05.20 Transgender prisoners are five times more likely to carry out sex attacks on inmates at women’s jails than other prisoners are, official figures show. Male prisoners who were transferred to women’s jails during gender reassignment and women inmates who are transitioning committed seven of the 124 sex attacks recorded between 2010 and 2018. They occurred at HMP Low Newton in Co Durham, Foston Hall in Derbyshire, Peterborough, Bronzefield in Middlesex and New Hall, West Yorkshire. Karen White, a child abuser who dressed as a woman but was still legally a man, was jailed for life in 2018 for sexually assaulting two prisoners at HMP New Hall and the rape of a woman while he was outside jail. Lord Keen of Elie, the Ministry of Justice spokesman in the Lords, told Labour’s Baroness McDonagh, in a written answer that there had been five attacks. The Ministry of Justice later updated the response to include White...
Read more

The Times - worry over trans reform widespread, survey shows

Image
  U friday april 16 2021 Worry over trans reform widespread, survey shows 60% of respondents to a Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times said trans women should not be allowed to compete in women’s sporting events GETTY IMAGES John Boothman Sunday April 11 2021, 12.01am, The Sunday Times Share Save Proposals for gender reforms in Scotland are causing widespread concern amid calls for more open public debate on the issue. A Panelbase poll for The Sunday Times found that 54 per cent of those surveyed were opposed to trans women using female changing rooms in venues such as swimming pools and sports centres, when “don’t knows” were excluded. On the question of trans women having access to lavatories in cinemas, theatres and pubs, 54 per cent expressed support. Sixty per cent said that trans women should not be allowed to compete in women’s sporting events, while 27 per cent thought they should. A further 14 per cent thought they should be allowed but with exceptions for sports such as ru...
Read more

The Telegraph- Oxfam training guide blames 'privileged white women' over root causes of sexual violence

  “Oxfam training guide blames ‘privileged white women’ over root causes of sexual violence Plus: Feminist writer Julie Bindel ponders 'if a war is being declared against feminism' By Hayley Dixon, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ; Melanie Newman and Julie Bindel An Oxfam staff training document says “privileged white women” are supporting the root causes of sexual violence by wanting "bad men" imprisoned. In the wake of sex scandals that have rocked the charity, Oxfam has produced guidance which states that: “Mainstream feminism centres on privileged white women and demands that ‘bad men’ be fired or imprisoned” Accompanied by a cartoon of a crying white woman, it adds that this “legitimises criminal punishment, harming black and other marginalised people”. It advises staff to read a controversial book which concludes: “Mainstream feminism is supporting, not undoing, the root causes of sexual violence.” Oxfam said that the training was voluntary, and the views are not presente...
Read more