In the run up to the Gender Recognition Act in 2003 the government estimated that there were 5,000 transsexuals in the UK, thats 10 in 100,000 adults or 0.01%
In the run up to the consultation on self ID in 2018 the government said there were up to 500,000 trans people in the UK - thats 1% of adults
The @Commonswomequ is now asking "Why is the number of people applying for GRCs so low ?"
In 2003 the 5,000 figure was based on people who had changed their details with the DVLA, passport office or HMRC, based on work by pressure group Press for Change
The 2018 government estimate is based on work by pressure GIRES to estimate the number of "gender variant" people
In 2003 the government was trying to draw a bright line between transsexualism and transvestitism
They mainly thought the GRA was targeting people who would have genital surgery to relieve extreme psychological discomfort
How many people have had such surgeries?
Best estimates suggest a few hundred are carried out in the UK each year, meaning that there are a few thousand people who have had these procedures
The vast majority of GIRES estimate are people who have not had surgery and have no intention to.
That is their right of course.
Wear what you want etc...
Everyone has equal rights
The Equality Act protects this much larger group.
But the key question that the government must give clarity on is what does this protection mean?
What are the equal rights?
Does it mean, as Stonewall tell our employers that any male who says he is trans should be allowed into women's toilets & changing rooms, hospital wards, refuges, women's prisons, women's sports etc...
Or does it just mean they shouldn't be fired or harassed?
Service providers generally dont know if an individual is part of the tiny minority with a GRC and/or surgery or larger group without (& there is nothing they could do w that info anyway)
They can be more inclusive to all by providing unisex alternative facilities.
Congratulations @David_Goodhart@jessbutcher@sumeithompson1 Lord Ribero - I hope they return EHRC to its mandate of upholding the Equality Act and protecting everyone's rights without hierarchy.
In particular: I hope they sort out the mess of guidance on single sex services
JC: You see human rights and equality as intertwined. Do you agree that it is important that we look at each of the PCs as equal and deserving of enforcement?
KF: There has never been a hierarchy of rights - the reason they have not been given hierarchy is because they are equal
.
JC: There is a heated debate in the public sphere between those w the PC of gender reassignment and those w the PC of sex in relation to single sex spaces. Is it the duty of @EHRC to approach all cases with a fair balance of interests rather than framing one over the other?
This is what you said about women being able to debate about sex and gender
This is what you said about @helenlewis being cancelled by @Ubisoft (and them saying in future they will be careful not to hire any such #difficultwomen)
This is what you said about someone, possibly JK Rowling, but you could not say her name
Helen says she believes that "trans women are women"
But she also criticises self ID and defends single sex spaces - and speaks up strongly for the need to be able to talk about this, including the freedom of speech of those who disagree with her
Helen's is a careful, moderate voice in all of this. Moderate enough to stay on the right side of @jolyonmaugham@samsmethers@fawcettsociety (... but will they stand up for her?)