EHRC guidance finally here!

Getting back on track

In this week’s episode, Maya Forstater and Fiona McAnena talk about our new report, Getting back on track: Using the Equality Act to enable and protect sport for women and girls [https://sex-matters.org/posts/publications/getting-back-on-track/] – why we’ve produced it, and what’s in it. We show how UK law provides for separate sport for women and girls in several different ways, for fairness, safety and opportunity, from grassroots participation to elite competition, and why not having a female category may result in legal challenges for indirect discrimination and harassment. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sex-matters-news.org [https://www.sex-matters-news.org?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Small claims explained

In this week’s episode, Helen and Maya talk through what is colloquially known as a “small claim” for belief discrimination against a service provider. Examples of such discrimination include being refused service in a pub, barred from a gym or forced to leave an event because you are known or suspected to hold gender-critical beliefs (or to be associated with someone who does). Sex Matters has published a guide on this process, which you can read on our website [https://sex-matters.org/practical-help/take-a-small-claim-for-belief-discrimination/]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sex-matters-news.org [https://www.sex-matters-news.org?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

EHRC guidance finally here!

This week, Maya, Helen and Fiona give their initial take on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s long-awaited update to the Code of practice for services, public functions and associations, which has been published by the Minister for Women and Equalities and laid before Parliament. Read the code of practice. [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a0de69fe0994f7c13d7b411/EHRC_Code_of_Practice_for_services__public_functions_and_associations__2_.pdf] Read our first analysis of the code [https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/what-is-in-the-new-guidance/]. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sex-matters-news.org [https://www.sex-matters-news.org?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The state of free speech on campus

In this week’s episode, Maya and Helen discuss the recent legal judgments that highlight the importance of strong protections for free speech and academic freedom to people who hold gender-critical views. As Maya wrote last week inTimes Higher Education [https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/ofs-should-appeal-against-flawed-sussex-free-speech-ruling], at the heart of the High Court judgment in the judicial review brought by the University of Sussex is an Equality Act-shaped hole. The Office for Students’ investigation into its failure to protect academic freedom and free speech on campus had been sparked by thehounding of Professor Kathleen Stock [https://sex-matters.org/posts/publications/what-happened-at-sussex-university/], who had been accused of hate by activists for speaking up about misrepresentations of the Equality Act. The High Court overturned the regulator’s £585,000 fine punishing Sussex for infringing on academic freedom and freedom of speech by adopting a policy in 2018 banning so-called transphobic propaganda from its campus and pledging to discipline those committing “transphobic abuse”. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sex-matters-news.org [https://www.sex-matters-news.org?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Are City employers breaking the law on single-sex toilets?

In this week’s episode, Maya and Helen discuss our latest report, Sex-based rights in the City, which uncovered the widespread failure of the financial sector to comply with the Supreme Court ruling. Not one of 15 financial institutions contacted replied clearly stating that it provided single-sex toilets, as required by workplace regulations, and restricted access to people of that (biological) sex. Maya and Helen discuss how we got here, the experiences of those working in the sector and what can be done to bring employers into compliance. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sex-matters-news.org [https://www.sex-matters-news.org?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]