What are you on about, anyway?
This bill is the clarification of the definition of "woman" in the Equality act of 2010 (EA 2010).It was influenced by the protests of a group called "For Women Scotland" who argued that the definition of "woman" should only refer to those assigned female at birth, not those who have chosen to transition from male to female.
Trans women that have transitioned from male to female (MTF) who had a Gender recognition certificate (GRC) were previously considered as women under the EA 2010, meaning that they were granted all the same protections as their cisgender (assigned female at birth, and continues to identify as female) counterparts. However, it was still legal to discriminate based on birth sex if it was part of "proportinate means to a legitimate aim". For example: if a majority of cisgender women in a shelter felt unsafe or uncomfortable with a trans woman being there, the shelter could legally bar the trans woman from entering.
However, now trans women are considered men under the EA 2010, regardless of whether they have a GRC or not.
The legal implications are still not fully clear, but it is now legal to bar trans women from entering and using single-sex spaces and services.
All of this also applies to trans men, however they have not been centred to the ruling not focusing on them as much.
As a result, many changes have been put into place in various organisations. For example: Police for Scotland have announced that they are now conducting searches based on biological sex, and trans women may no longer sit on public boards in places set aside for women.
Furthermore, some organisations have decided to bar trans women from entering women's bathrooms, as Barclays has announced.
a summary of arguments for the bill
It was previously very legally grey when single-sex spaces may legally discriminate against trans people, and now it is clearer. For example: discrimination based on "proportionate means to a legitimate aim" is nuanced and hard to prove.The new wording means that prosecution of those breaching the EA 2010 is easier. This helps protect women, due to worries that people assigned male at birth could pretend to be trans to access women-only spaces and harm women.
Some people also don't see trans women as their chosen gender, and do not with to share a space with those who they consider men.
a summary arguments against the bill
Each situation is nuanced, and allowing a blanket rule for all trans people to be legally excluded from single-sex spaces is unfair.Trans women are going to be put at risk by being forced into men-only spaces and are statistically more likely to be assaulted or raped than cisgender people.
Trans men who have fully transitioned (Eg: legally are, present, have the genitals of and sound like a traditional male) will be forced to use women's services, making women uncomfortable and putting the trans man at risk.
Someone can't just "pretend to be a trans person" if we base laws off of GRCs. They take effort and proof to obtain.
This may be a kick-off point for the growing anti-trans sentiment in the UK, and could imply greater changes and harms for trans rights in the future.
Without a birth certificate on-hand, being trans is very hard to prove; concerns have been raised that masculine and butch women will be accused of being trans and barred from entering women's spaces.
Okay, this is where this becomes a lot more opinionated. Please stick around until the end.
My opinion on the Bill
I believe that the original EA 2010 was too open for interpretation, and I understand the concerns surrounding it. Many places were not educated on the bill and thought that it was not legal at all to exclude trans poeple, which is untrue.However, the way this bill has reformed the EA 2010 has harmed trans rights in the UK significantly. Previously, trans people were not allowed to be barred from entering a single-sex area unless there was a legitimate reason. It was open to interpritation, however it was certain that if a trans person was making people uncomfortable, then they were legally allowed to be removed from the space; this I believe is fair.
The issue with the ruling now is that many spaces may decide to bar trans people from their same-sex areas, even if there is not a good reason. This will cause a lack of safe facilities for trans people, especially of they live in a more trans-exclusive area.
It is simply not safe to force trans individuals into spaces that are not their chosen gender, and many trans people have even had to apply for asylum in other countries due to the rampant tranphobia in the UK. This is appauling.
This bill relies on the abundance of trans-accepting organisations that will not exclude trans people from their facilities, which is unfortunately not the reality we live in.
Why you should support trans rights
I understand that you probably don't want a man being in your women's space. Honestly, nor do I.But the first step here is to recognise that trans people are genuinely their chosen gender, because gender and sex aren't the same thing. If someone is born a male, and live their entire lives repressing the fact that they feel like a woman, then this leads to catastrophic mental health challenges and potentially even suicide. How can you say this person is less of a woman than a cis woman?
Trans people wish to live their lives as their authentic selves, and not be put at risk or feel uncomfortable by being forced into spaces with the opposite gender.
Imagine if you woke up and suddenly you were the opposite sex. How uncomfortable you would feel in your own body, being expected to wear clothes and act in a way that doesn't feel like you? This is trans people's reality every day.
I understand that you may be worried that malicious people could take advantage of this and harm women. However, the issue here is not genuine trans people, but the malicious actors. Trans people are equally if not more at risk from these people as cis women are.
Transphobic celebrities like JK Rowling have huge platforms, and the rhetoric they're spreading genuinely harms the trans community. Some of the things she has said is dangerous because those who are not educated about the nuances of trans people, may feel that trans people threaten women or wish to harm them. This leads to campaigns which erase trans rights, and hate crimes that scar or even kill trans people.
Trans people aren't even a new phenomenon! People have been identifying as the opposite gender for as long as gender has been around, and historically mostly no-one had had a problem with it.
If you're still not convinced, try reading some Trans people's stories or read more about trans people here. This is a group of people who simply wish to be themselves.
