How would the new Equality Act serve biological women, transgender women, and children in the U.K.? Should the conservatives change it? Here’s more on the possibilities.
Biological Women to Be Given Safe Spaces
In an interview with Kay Burley of Sky News, Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch was seen having tremendous clashing of opinions. Badenoch expressed her views on how women should be allowed to maintain single-sex spaces.
The Equalities Act Revised
Badenoch said that part of the Equalities Act would need clear rewriting. In this newer version, it should have a clause that prohibits transgender women from occupying single-sex spaces.
Women Only Spaces
Biological women must be allowed to have safe spaces within “women only” facilities. These can include women-only hospital wards, women’s prison cells, lavatories, rape crisis centres, and from completing in women’s sports.
Equalities Act to Be Clear
Badenoch also said in her interview that the Equalities Act must protect biological women and not just those who have had gender reconstruction surgery.
Trans Women VS GRC
The Act will specify certain aspects that affect trans women who have had gender reassignment surgery and those with the Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). The two groups are not the same and should not be treated the same.
Legal Problems at Present
Without the Equalities Act being revised in sections to help women, there will always be problems. The minister said that there are legal complications faced if someone tries to prevent a person who “identifies as women” from entering a “women only” space.
Discrimination and More
Organisations and owners of properties featuring communal spaces could be charged with discrimination if they tried to intervene by “blocking” someone who identifies as a woman.
Men Exploiting the Law
Badenoch expressed her concern that men identifying as trans are exploiting the law and using this “loophole” as a way into women-only spaces. In her interview with Burley, she said that “putting on a different set of clothes does not make you transgender.”
Put a Stop to Unfair Sports
Another point the Equalities Act would address is stopping unfair women’s sports practices. In this case, the Act will not allow trans women to compete with biological women.
There Is a Clear Disadvantage – Women’s Sports
When biological women compete against trans women, the disadvantage is so clear. The minister said of women’s sports “what we are trying to stop is the scenario where we see very obvious unfair advantages, people who have gone through male puberty towering over fragile, and in some cases, much, much smaller women.”
The Problems Mounting
The minister mentioned in an interview with BBC Radio 4 that rapists are put into women’s prisons just because they self-identify as trans or a woman. In doing so, it exposes vulnerable women to potential harm.
Doing as You Please
There’s no problem with people living the way they want. However, if a rape crisis centre decides to allow biological men with a GRC access to the facility and other women seeking refuge, this could also pose problems.
Refuse and Face Legal Charges
The Equality minister also made an example that if the rape crisis centre refused GRC holder entry to the facility, they have the right to sue the centre.
Differentiate the Difference
The GRC can open the door so that those now recognised as a woman can go into women-only spaces. Badenoch insisted that paperwork was not the problem, that the problem was impracticality.
Not Always Female
The law at present allows persons who “occasionally” identify as women to be in women-only wards at the NHS. These individuals self-identify as trans and have never seen a doctor or had reassignment surgery.
Safety in the Equality Act
The change to the Equality Act is important not only for the safety of biological women and children but also to rule out any criminals exploiting the system.
Transphobia Fears
Institutions like public hospitals and, women’s prisons, women’s locker rooms allow impracticality for fear of being called “a transphobe” or not being inclusive.
Biological Sex – Not Redefined
Badenoch said “… If we form a government after election, we Willclarify that sex in the law means biological sex and not new, redefined meanings of the word.”
Sunak Backs Badenoch
Rishi Sunak, Conservative Party leader, has supported Badenoch in her statements about the safety of women and children. Sunak has reiterated that women’s and girls’ safety is important. The government should not allow the confusion of gender and sex identification to linger on.
Trans Rights
The Equality Minister said that trans persons with a GRC will still be treated fairly according to the law on acquired gender. However, the law of the GRC does not overlap with the Equality Act regarding biological women.
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