We were extremely disappointed to read the recent advice from the EHRC, which would seek to remove vital human rights protections from trans people. This advice does not change the current law as it stands. Our communities remain united in opposing any attempts to strip legal protections from trans people.
ACTION: We have contacted the EHRC with our concerns and encourage our members to do the same, so that the strength of the reaction from our sector and communities is fully understood.
We have created guidance to support you in this: EHRC Letter Briefing
You can read responses to the letter from our members and communities below:
Gendered Intelligence
https://genderedintelligence.co.uk/services/publicengagement/ehrc040423
Trans Actual
https://www.transactual.org.uk/statement-ehrc-apr23
Trans Learning Partnership
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqp4Kw1oNr_/
Mermaids
It’s extremely distressing to see the UK’s equality watchdog, the EHRC, seeking to strip trans people’s rights from the Equality Act 2010. By redefining sex, they support removing the rights and protections trans people have had for over a decade 🧵 https://t.co/63MZn7hGKO
— Mermaids (@Mermaids_Gender) April 4, 2023
Trans Legal Project
1/6 We had to put our work on hold due to a bereavement some months ago. But we've remained aware of the unraveling situation in the UK. Today, after a few days of grotesque decisions by sports bodies comes the most blatant piece of anti-trans prejudice ever issued by @EHRC
— Trans Legal Project (@TransLegalProj) April 4, 2023
Speak Out Sister
There are many very concerning aspects of the EHRC letter but one is that it would appear to suggest that the state and not an individual defines sexual orientation. https://t.co/MONWR82rpA
— SpeakOutSister (@speakoutsister) April 5, 2023
Stonewall
This correspondence from the @EHRC fails to recognise that the Equality Act 2010 has successfully supported businesses and service providers to challenge discrimination for more than a decade, and offers no substantive evidence of demand for this work. https://t.co/97MBfikevy
— Stonewall (@stonewalluk) April 4, 2023
Galop
A human rights body should be ensuring that protections for all people, across characteristics, are equal and clear in order for us all to live in a fair and equitable society.
A change in the Equality Act to define sex as ‘biological sex’ would not achieve these aims. pic.twitter.com/SyVYKDGwla
— Galop (@GalopUK) April 5, 2023
Trans in the City
Trans in the City Statement 5th April 2023
EHRC and UK Government position on trans and non binary people in the UK pic.twitter.com/aJ7tOJzn6M
— Trans in the City (@TransITCUK) April 5, 2023
Intercom Trust
We are extremely disappointed and dismayed (we are being polite) with the latest advice from the EHRC, which seeks to strip Trans people’s rights from the Equality Act 2010. This advice does not change the law as it stands.
EHRC statement: https://t.co/M3W0nDh4hK pic.twitter.com/eY98C7LLuf
— Intercom Trust (@IntercomTrust) April 5, 2023