Thread by @Sexnotgender_

Hi @InquiryCSA @EHRC @EHRCChair @KishwerFalkner @RJHilsenrath @trussliz @GEOgovuk

You are clearly doing important work to protect children from sexual abuse.

The Diversity monitoring section in your job application asks for the 'gender' of applicants...

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...with options:

Man
Woman
Prefer to self-describe.

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'Gender' is not a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 and is not defined in the Act.

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/…

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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.

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/…

'Gender' is not a synonym for sex.

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Asking about a personal characteristic such as 'gender' that is not a protected characteristic under the Act, may be in breach of the GDPR by processing personal - and potentially Special Category - data without a lawful basis.

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If you choose not to gather data on specific protected characteristics (such as sex), you cannot have the information required to ascertain whether or not you could be discriminating on protected characteristics in recruitment. This could be vital in an employment tribunal.

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If you choose to discriminate on characteristics (such as 'gender') that are not protected characteristics under the Act, you may inadvertently indirectly discriminate on protected grounds.

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Language and meaning of words are important and proper use & understanding of terms is vital so that the public is aware of what rights they have and what your duties are. Any confusion or inconsistency over meaning may prevent people from accessing their rights in law.

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I would reiterate that 'gender' is not a synonym for sex in law, medicine or anywhere else where definitions matter and I hope that the inquiry understands this and fully appreciates the harmful implications of conflating these two very distinct terms.

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Will you undertake to correct these errors and to review all your other policies, documents, reports, etc to ensure compliance?

Please respond.

sexnotgender.info/list

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