Thread by @MForstater

It is ten years, this week, since the Equality Act got royal assent .

At its heart are 9 protected characteristics and 4 prohibited acts (direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation)

10 years old and still there is ambiguity about what one of the protected characteristics -- sex -- means.

And about whether single and separate sex service can be clearly single sex.

As the @Commonswomequ report said 'different people use the term in different ways'

The government is committed to producing new guidance to clarify.

If @GEOgovuk goes back to the law it will find that what is in the current official guidance is not supported.

This guidance from @EHRC is the opposite of what the Equality Act says (what is a 'gender role'?)

Some people (such as Prof @AlexSharpe64) argue that s 7 of the Act gives a right to people who so much as intend to undergo a process of 'gender transition' (not necessarily involving any medical treatment) to use services shared with members of the opposite sex.

Sharpe says is "the letter and spirit" of section 7 for male people to be able to self ID into spaces where women and girls expect bodily privacy, and more generally into the category of women. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…

This is what section 7 says.

Nothing at all here says that someone has the right to access single sex services of the opposite sex, or that other people must pretend they do not recognise sex.

As for the spirit of the law?

Case law supports the need for clear, predictable rules as a legitimate aim. supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uks…

As most people understand it is inappropriate to expect people to undress in front of strangers, colleagues and classmates of the opposite sex

One day we will go back to our public spaces, our workplaces, our schools and universities and we will need to have clear, unambiguous rules about this to protect everyone's rights against discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

Happy Birthday Equality Act