Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities, has a decision to make. The EHRC, a regulator mired in controversy over anti-trans views, has sent a new draft Code of Practice to our Equality Act which would lead to the exclusion of trans people from public life. Say no to Trans Exclusion, support your Trans community and urgently write to your local MP and protect our amazing, creative yet marginalised and vulnerable communities.
Their draft tried to turn our equality laws into a bathroom ban, mandating the blanket exclusion of trans people from gendered spaces and services. Even if a business or association wants to remain trans-inclusive, they’d be told they must exclude us.
The EHRC rushed through more than 50,000 responses to its consultation on this draft using AI, and have now sent their final proposals to the government. We don’t get to see their final draft until it’s been decided on behind closed doors, but media leaks and the EHRC’s own public statements make one thing clear: they haven’t changed course.
The decision now is up to this government, will they sign a trans bathroom ban in secret?
This is unworkable, dangerous, and we cannot let it happen. Your voices are making a difference; MPs are expressing their deep concern about what is being proposed. It’s decision time now, and the government needs to hear loud and clear from your political representatives: they must reject this and tell the EHRC that exclusion can’t be the only option.
Act now. Ask your MP to urge the government to scrap the bathroom ban and demand any new Code of Practice ensures providers can lawfully include trans people in their services.
Pressure is building. Every voice matters here.
Please customise this First Take template as much as you can, it really helps, and add a request for a meeting to the email if you’d be willing to discuss this face to face with your MP.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve already written to them, now is the time to really keep the pressure up. The government must send this unworkable draft code back and make sure any new guidance explains how to include trans people, and respects our human rights.