Thread by @Sexnotgender_

Hi @WestYorkshireCA @TracyBrabin @EHRC @EHRCChair @KishwerFalkner @trussliz @GEOgovuk 

I note your new Police and Crime Plan seeks the views of women and girls.

Tell Tracy – Police and Crime Plan Consultation

yourvoice.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/police-and-cri… 1/16

You list three cross-cutting issues saying "Tracy’s Mayoral pledge of putting women and girls at the heart of this Police and Crime Plan". One of the Mayoral pledges is "To put keeping women and girls safe at the heart of her policing plan." 2/16

The "Special areas of focus" section of your survey asks, "What would you like to see the Mayor, West Yorkshire Police, and partner organisations do to help keep women and girls safe in West Yorkshire?" 3/16

In the 'Information about you' section, you ask, "Do you identify as" with options:

Female
Male
Trans-gender [sic]
Non-binary
Prefer to self-describe 4/16

Female and male are the two sexes and are not something that can be chosen as an identity and including them as options on a question about identity can only confuse, possibly resulting in misleading and erroneous information being collected. 5/16

You also don't say why you are asking this question on 'identity' or what you mean by 'Trans-gender' and 'Non-binary'. 6/16

You then ask, "Do you live in the gender you were assigned at birth?". Whatever you mean by 'gender', it doesn't seem likely that it is 'assigned at birth'. It's also not clear what you mean by living in a gender or why you are asking this. 7/16

Given your pledge of "putting women and girls at the heart of this Police and Crime Plan", it's disappointing you don't ask for the sex of participants. 8/16

I note you have a public sector equality duty to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act as well as the other duties of s.149 of the Act.

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/… 9/16

'Gender identity' and 'gender' are not protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 and are not defined in the Act.

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/… 10/16

Sex is a protected characteristic under the Act, but, as I said, you don't ask about that. Woman is defined in the Act as a female of any age.

See also: ‘Gender’ is not a protected characteristic, admits EHRC

sexnotgender.info/gender-is-not-… 11/16

'Gender' and similar terms rely on demeaning, regressive stereotypical notions of societal roles for the two sexes, concepts with which I'm sure you would not wish to be associated and concepts that, if relied upon, might compromise your PSED. 12/16

There is a protected characteristic of 'gender reassignment', but it is defined in the Act in terms different to those you use here and you don't ask about this protected characteristic either.

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/… 13/16

It is therefore difficult to understand how you can assess the views of women and girls if you don't know which responses are from those who are female. 14/16

Will you put women and girls at the heart of this Police and Crime Plan as you promised by updating this form and ensuring you know which responses are from women and girls? 15/16