In a Westminster Hall Debate today, Jonathan Gullis MP took part in a discussion on the Equality Act. There is currently confusion about how the Equality Act 2010 operates in relation to sex. Mr Gullis made clear that amending the Act to ensure references to ‘sex’ means ‘biological sex’ would settle these questions. Crucially, the amendments that Mr Gullis put forward would not infringe upon the rights of the transgender community.
Mr Gullis supports that idea that an amendment to the Equality Act 2010 would make it clear that sex (male/female, man/woman) as referenced in the Act refers to biological sex and is not modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC). The brief clarifies that ‘gender reassignment’ (the process of transitioning from one gender to the other), is an entirely separate issue.
Ultimately, clarifying what exactly is meant by sex in the Equality Act (2010) will make it simpler to provide single sex services and accommodation, such as separate sex bays in hospital wards, changing rooms and women's refuges. Mr Gullis dealt with a great of correspondence from constituents on the importance of single-sex spaces in hospital settings and understands the considerable strength of feeling in Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke. Importantly, this will provide greater clarity for schools so that they can maintain single-sex facilities and protect children’s rights.
This debate comes after the polarising debate in Scotland were the Scottish government introduced plans that would allow a system of self-declaration for obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC). However, these proposed law changes were struck down by the Government under Section 35 of the Scotland Act as it threatened to undermine women-only facilities and leave them vulnerable to predatory male offenders.
This report comes in light of a recent Policy Exchange Report that found 60 per cent of schools are not maintaining single-sex sports, 19 per cent of schools are not maintaining single-sex changing rooms and 28 per cent are not maintaining single-sex toilets. Mr Gullis argued that such provisions at school are essential for the privacy, dignity and safety of pupils so that they are not exposed to such radical ideas.
Commenting, Jonathan Gullis MP said:
“This debate is undeniably crucial in that it will ensure that now more than ever, close attention is finally paid to the potentially dire impacts of unregulated and often incessant gender identity beliefs. This is especially important for our children who have been left vulnerable to ideologically charged loopholes, which have come to undermine our responsibility to adequately safeguard them and their interests. We must not allow the blinkered and in some cases extreme identity-based beliefs of this group harm our children.”