I am absoluteoy apalled at the abuse sent my way over the past 24 hours.

In getting a GRC I am now suddenly the enemy and all sorts of lies are doing the rounds and quite a few have made accusations then blocked me.

1/?

Ive started using womens spaces - no I haven't.
Ive forced myself into a woman only college place - no I haven't.
Ive stated that I am a fetishist - no I haven't.

The amount of misinformation about GRCs is staggering. LIterally dozens telling me I didnt know what a GRC is!
2/?
I know exactly what a GRC is.
The biggest misconception is that all these tens of thousands of self ID people have GRCs and that GRC gives them access to womens spaces. That is not correct. The issue is the Equality Act. No self ID person has a GRC.

3/?
There is also confusion over the fact a GRC doesnt need surgery or hormones (and yes I disagree).

A GRC may not require surgery but it does expect it. If someone hasnt had it there must he a legitimate reason as to why not. Simply not wanting it is not enough.

4/?
This provision was intended to support those who due to underlying medical conditions would not be medically fit for surgery.

The other confusion relates to the diagnosis.

A GRC requires one of the medical reports from an approved gender specialist.

5/?
This is not an affirmative diagnosis.

If the modern ideology had been able to find a way through this system they would have done! The fact so many tell you its outdated, degrading and inhuman should tell you something.

6/?
It is not a perfect system. There are plenty of things I wouldd change. And yes, there are some with GRCs that are questionable decisions but its certainly not a majority.

However its all we've to differentiate.

There have been about 5,500 issued in 15 years.

7/?
Thats what 300 a year ? When you consider a UK population of 60 million its really not a big number.

Controversial this may be but I dont consider GRC holders the primary problem. The GRC has been in place for 16 years. Before that other similar processes existed.

8/?
Yet there was seldom an issue. Why?

It was only until 2010 and the EA that a conflation between a vastly larger number of transvestites and transsexuals was introduced.

If focus is to be given to addressing one area of law it should be EA not GRA.

9/?
The danger is that by concentrating on the sub 6,000 GRC holders we dismiss the in excess of 600,000 (some say 1,000,000) non GRC "trans" people.

It is not the GRC that allows self ID access to womens spaces.

10/?
When self ID was defeated last year this was about GRA reform to allow anyone to legally change the sex on their birth certificate. It did not address the access to womens spaces as per the EA. Thats another battle.

11/11

More from Society

Two things can be true at once:
1. There is an issue with hostility some academics have faced on some issues
2. Another academic who himself uses threats of legal action to bully colleagues into silence is not a good faith champion of the free speech cause


I have kept quiet about Matthew's recent outpourings on here but as my estwhile co-author has now seen fit to portray me as an enabler of oppression I think I have a right to reply. So I will.

I consider Matthew to be a colleague and a friend, and we had a longstanding agreement not to engage in disputes on twitter. I disagree with much in the article @UOzkirimli wrote on his research in @openDemocracy but I strongly support his right to express such critical views

I therefore find it outrageous that Matthew saw fit to bully @openDemocracy with legal threats, seeking it seems to stifle criticism of his own work. Such behaviour is simply wrong, and completely inconsistent with an academic commitment to free speech.

I am not embroiling myself in the various other cases Matt lists because, unlike him, I think attention to the detail matters and I don't have time to research each of these cases in detail.
Hi @officestudents @EHRC @EHRCChair @KishwerFalkner @RJHilsenrath @trussliz @GEOgovuk

The Equality and Diversity section of your job application has 'gender' in what appears to be a list of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

However...

1/15


However, 'gender' is not a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 and is not defined in the Act.

https://t.co/qisFhCiV1u

Sex is the protected characteristic under the Act, but that is not on your list.

2/15


You then ask for the 'gender' of the applicant with options:

Male
Female.

3/15


Again, 'gender' is not a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 and is not defined in the Act.

https://t.co/qisFhCiV1u

4/15


Sex is the protected characteristic and the only two possible options for sex are 'Female' and 'Male' as defined in the Act and consistent with biology, but you don't ask for that.

https://t.co/CEJ0gkr6nF

'Gender' is not a synonym for sex.

5/15

You May Also Like