On Tuesday, Liz Truss released details of the public consultation relating to the GRA.
By not proposing significant change, the government has laid the foundations for self-ID. Many trans-exclusionary feminist groups rejoiced at the government’s proposals – but this is going to be very short-lived.
Because nothing has changed – except the cost will drop, and like many government services, the procedure will go online.
Big deal.
The “improvement” in trans healthcare was very cleverly “spun” into the formal announcement, but these GIC’s were actually announced some time back which is why they will be up and ready to go in the next year or so.
The Equality Act will remain intact (no win here for either side, which is cool) – ensuring single-sex space options are available as required by the relating operators. The principal conditions to be able to apply for a GRA will stay too – but that is a grave mistake by the government.
Put simply – the government did not listen to the majority.
Yes – they certainly listened to the deafening GC voices – but what they failed to do was remember the rule of democracy and that will be their undoing.
We will be now seen as victims.
Self-ID was, of course, contentious and whilst there was no valid reason why it should have been, the fact is some women were genuinely frightened of it.
They were scared of “bearded ladies” (so am I) and being attacked (so am I – by transphobes AND cis men) – and because of the fear, bona fide trans women became collateral damage in the GRA debate.
But we need to be honest here. Whilst the government may well have listened to the GC regarding self-ID – they did not listen to us. So just two stats.
(1) 78% wanted the Real Life Experience test to go.
(2) 84.9% wanted the “spousal permission” requirement to go.
In regards to all our main concerns, they did nothing.
Nothing that is… except build the foundation for self-ID.
Because by not acting on the points above (and others points I dont mention), there has not been “reform.”
And if I were a GC, I would start to worry.
Because for sure there are some Conservative and many opposition MP’s not happy about no reform at all, and they will try and put that to the test in this parliament. There is a cross-party group of MP’s that are very unhappy about what the government have done here.
And even if this group dont get there way in this governments lifetime, I genuinely dont see another Conservative government being elected in 2024 anyway.
The votes in the “red wall” were only borrowed.
Given the Brexit debacle, the inept effort concerning COVID and what is likely to be a crushed economy by 2024 – the Tories are going to get hit hard.
Very hard.
And along will come a Labour government selling themselves as the centre-left. The public actually likes the centre-left – do you remember Tony Blair? He was around for thirteen years!
Memory’s of Jeremy Corbyn and his shambolic Brexit strategy will be long gone in the memory – but while I am no Kier Starmer fan, he will be trusted by the public, for that I am sure. He is already taking out the extreme left of the party one by one.
Kier is a centrist.
Labour will win the next election and with it will come self-ID – an internal Labour policy that has been in existence for donkey years. There will be no public consultation; it will go straight through because the need to change the GRA by then will be at bursting point.
By not reforming the GRA now, the Tories have left open the need for change. If the government has actioned a reform in 2020, the argument for reform in a few years would have been eroded – now it is “on the back burner” for perhaps months or years – but on the back burner for sure.
And if it gets as far as 2024 the call will be “GRA reformGRA Reform Gender Recognition Reform Bill - Scotland https://www.gov.scot/news/gender-recognition-reform-bill/ Published 03 March 2022 09:34
Part of Equality and rights
Simplifying how trans people apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate.
See Also https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/mermaids-manifesto-for-gra-reform/ https://www.stonewall.org.uk/what-does-uk-government-announcement-gender-recognition-act-mean
now”. It has not been updated for twenty years will be the cry. And it will be done – straight away.
So if I were a GC, I would start to look at the long term and take out some “insurance.”
Moot that the Real Life Experience Test and Spousal Consent requirement should go – that this was not proper reform. Because it wasn’t.
That way, the GC can ensure procedures stay medical, and the likely hood of self-ID will at least get diminished, if not eradicated – for who is expected to reform a law that was only sanctioned a few years earlier?
This works for bona fide trans folk very well who have had or are planning hormones & surgery.
We will not be screaming for GRA reform in 2024 – we dont mind being medicalised. We want hormones & surgery, and that can only come from a medicalised procedure.
The GC will not do this of course – because they enjoy the war – because we are trans.
