EHRC – don’t waste your time on the so-called “tension” between rights related to sex and gender.
The Equalities & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are currently undertaking a consultation into their proposed Strategic Plan for 2025 – 2028. Whilst there are many aspects of the proposed Strategic Plan that we welcome there is one area where we fear it proposes a misguided and unnecessary focus on what the EHRC describes as the “contestation” or “tension” of rights between groups as it relates to sex and gender.
We believe this is a response to a manufactured conflict stoked by “gender critical” organisations and individuals who seek to present the rights of transgender people as somehow being in opposition to the rights of cisgender individuals. This topic is often framed as a conflict between the rights of “biological” women and trans women and despite endless articles and opinion pieces there is almost no evidence of any conflict or harm in reality.
The language in the proposed Strategic Plan is not that direct but it is hard to interpret it any other way. We reject the notion that rights of transgender people are in any way in opposition to or a threat to the rights of cisgender people and therefore to have this as a focus area would be setting strategy free of evidence of actual harm and a waste of the EHRC’s limited resources.
The draft Strategic Plan includes this proposed focus area under their 3rd theme: Justice and the Balance of Rights and they describe it as “Legal clarity around issues where there may be tension between the rights of two or more groups, for example, in relation to sex and gender or matters of religion or belief”.
It is the proposed focus on sex and gender that gives us cause for concern and we encourage all people who share a similar concern to complete the consultation by 3rd October and let the EHRC know very clearly that we do not want them wasting their valuable time and resources on what we believe is a manufactured issue that seeks to dehumanise and exclude trans people without any actual evidence of harm caused.
The consultation is open until 5pm on 3rd October 2024 and you can find the survey and more details here: Our Strategic Plan consultation: 2025 – 2028 | EHRC (equalityhumanrights.com)