Thread by @fairplaywomen

Government departments have questions to answer of the Census debacle. This was not an isolated incident caused by legal slip up by the @ONS. The unlawful guidance was advised and supported by many other public bodies /1

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On Sunday 14th March on @BBCPolitics #marr we heard Sir Ian Diamond, Head of ONS tell us "It's a very simple question. What is your sex".

But, just days before, in High Court the @ONS was telling us it wasn’t a simple question at all. /2

Sir James Eadie QC was arguing for the @ONS that sex was an “umbrella concept” and such a “difficult question” that without guidance some people would be unable to answer it. He argued there were “5 concepts of sex” and that the definition of sex wasn’t “hermetically sealed” /3

Despite this apparent complexity @ONS was arguing that the case should be thrown out by the judge because the definition of sex didn’t really matter to anyone anyway /4

So how have we got to the point where “a very simple question” that has been asked since 1801 is now considered too “difficult” for people to answer without Guidance?

It is because Stonewall, the most powerful LGBT pressure group, says it is. /5

Not content with new questions in the Census on gender identity and sexual orientation, Stonewall muscled its way in as a stakeholder for the sex question too. /6

FOI requests reveal how Stonewall was imposing #nodebate from behind the scenes

“strongly recommend careful thought is applied to how the ONS can practically ensure that, depending on who is present at the roundtable, this is not a hostile environment for trans attendees” /7

With @ONS staff dutifully obliging and offering private meetings ahead of stakeholder events to hear more of their thoughts and concerns

"I fully empathise with your words that ensuring that a hostile environment is not created" /8

The following day all 20 attendees were informed by email that they would be allocated just 3 minutes each to briefly outline their position in turn. At the roundtable there was no “discussion” or free exchange of ideas among stakeholders. /9

Stonewall is a political lobby group and it has a clear and straightforward ideological agenda that gender identity should override sex in law and policy. Lobby groups lobby. That’s what it does. /10

The real problem is that the Stonewall agenda has now become embedded deep within organisations. The ONS was not alone thinking that “What is your sex?” is problematic and needs redefining. The unlawful guidance was advised and supported by many other public bodies /11

Cabinet Office (No10) is the government department responsible for the Census. They were an ‘interested party’ and so also submitted their own summary of grounds for contesting our claim against the ONS. /12

The minister for the Cabinet office (Michael Gove) sent a QC from the Government Legal Department (GLD) to attend the hearing on his behalf. The GLD also defended the ONS in court using its top QC, First Treasury Counsel. They brought the big guns out to defend this case /13

Like @ONS both @GovernmentLegal and the @cabinetofficeuk are Stonewall Champions /14

The @EHRC supported the unlawful guidance. They said sex should be self-identified in census.

This is the public body charged with defending all nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010, including sex.

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EHRC is a Stonewall Champion /15

@NHS England supported the unlawful guidance.

You might think that if there is one place where biology matters, it is in healthcare. Think again.

NHS England is a Stonewall champion /16

These government representatives have lost sight of reality. They have lost sight of their responsibility to advocate for policy that protects all citizens equally, and to adhere to the law.

We must all expect, and demand, better /17

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