Legislative Definition of Sex

I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving way so early on. On her point about people being scar...

When the hon. Member listens to my speech, I think she will understand the compassion with which ...

Order.

4.40 pm

Sitting suspended for Divisions in the House.

5.5 pm

On re...

The debate can now continue up to 7.55 pm.

Some of those arguing that there should be no change to the Equality Act 2010 believe that trans ...

My hon. Friend is making a good and balanced speech so far. Does she recognise that when the Equa...

I thank my hon. Friend for his contribution.

At the moment, there are more gender identitie...

Order. I remind hon. Members that they should bob if they wish to be called. Also, those who wish...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Cummins. I thank the hon. Member for Gower...

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that intersex people exist?

I am sure that the hon. Lady will deal with that in her comments and that she will be staying for...

Order. I ask Members to limit their speeches to around five minutes so that everybody can get in....

It is pleasure to serve under your chairpersonship, Mrs Cummins. I am supporting the prayer of th...

Order. Before I call Miriam Cates, I have to tell Members that will we have a time limit of five ...

When the Equality Act was passed in 2010, few doubted that Parliament’s intention was that sex sh...

Order. Can I check that this is a concluded case, please?

It is a concluded case.

The women were discriminating against him because he was male, and ...

On a point of order, Mrs Cummins. I feel it is incumbent on me to make a point of order on the fa...

That is not a point of order because it is not a matter for the Chair.

Further to that point of order, Mrs Cummins. In response to the hon. Member for Livingston (Hanna...

I thank the hon. Lady, but that is not a matter for the Chair. I call Dame Angela Eagle.

5....

It is important that we try to detoxify this debate. I do not think the last contribution did so ...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

No, I will not give way. I have only four minutes. Some Members are putting together things that ...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Cummins. I rise to speak in support of the...

The status quo is not working. People who are speaking in the debate probably feel anxious about ...

I have learned a lot from most of the speeches, especially the last one. Anyone who has missed th...

It is a pleasure to speak in this debate under your chairship, Mrs Cummins. I rise to speak in fa...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Cummins. As we have heard, the petitioners wa...

The Equality Act 2010 protects against direct and indirect discrimination, but there has always b...

I commend the hon. Lady for making a passionate and common-sense contribution to the debate. I am...

Absolutely. As a fellow lesbian, I absolutely agree with the hon. Lady; they are absolutely not a...

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir George.

I want to talk about a specifi...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will follow the example of the hon. Lady’s colleague, the hon. Member for Wallasey (Dame Angela...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No—yes, sorry.

Does the hon. Member agree that the guidance he is reading out is simply wrong in law, and that t...

That is exactly right, and it is why this clarity is needed. Here is another quote from BMA guida...

Order. The hon. Gentleman has exceeded the time limit. Can he give one line by way of a conclusio...

I have finished.

6.13 pm

In the spirit of calm and cool debate, I will say clearly my view on this matter, just as those o...

Will the hon. Member give way?

I will carry on if I may. Single-sex services can and do exclude trans women at the moment, using...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I will carry on if I may, because I am running out of time. It is important that we defend the Eq...

Will my hon. Friend give way on that point?

I will carry on if I may. We need to be very cautious: that is not to say that everyone in the de...

What about the women?

Well, there are trans and non-binary women and trans and non-binary men and trans and non-binary ...

I think many people find it extraordinary that we are having a debate on having to redefine sex i...

It is always difficult to talk about these sensitive issues. By and large, apart from some except...

Absolutely. There is a risk in this House of us talking about GCSE biology rather than actually b...

I appreciate that, and coming from a biologist that is important to note. People are complex. Tha...

I have seen it come about that we now have non-gendered areas, and I have to say that I think the...

Order. Before the hon. Gentleman resumes, there is a Division. We will suspend the sitting for 15...

Before Lloyd Russell-Moyle resumes, I should say that, because of the Divisions, the debate will ...

I want the flexibility for these things to be locally determined—proportional means for legitimat...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Gower (Tonia Antoniazzi) on her balanced approach at the start...

Would the hon. Member like to clarify his understanding of the definition in the Equality Act? As...

I want to make it perfectly clear: sex is not assigned at birth. You are born a man or you are bo...

I have an observation to make before I turn to my remarks. I have worked in clinical practice for...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir George. I congratulate the hon. Member for...

I thank the petitioners who brought the petitions forward and the hon. Member for Gower (Tonia An...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

No.

We already have a situation where people are gatekept for going to the toilet. We alrea...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir George. It is rather ironic speaking so la...

Order. It is worth reminding Members that there is some concern about sub judice. When my co-Chai...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir George. I rise to support the first petiti...

I call the SNP spokesperson.

7.16 pm

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir George. I thank the petitioners, the Petition...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I am not going to give way to my hon. and learned Friend or anyone else. I have not intervened on...

Will my hon. Friend give way on that point?

I am not going to give way.

The heat in this debate has appeared only quite recently. The p...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I am trying to continue speaking despite interruptions from behind me.

We should accept tha...

It is a pleasure to speak in the debate with you in the Chair, Sir George. I am grateful to every...

My hon. Friend is making a powerful point about the Equality Act. I agree that it has been protec...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to point out that there is huge confusion about the Government...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir George.

I am especially grateful to ...

Members will have noticed that my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgend (Dr Wallis) has not returne...

I thank my hon. Friend for making that point. I spoke to my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgend (...

Can I just be very clear that those of us who support the first petition are not seeking to defin...

Absolutely. For most people, their sex in law is the same as their biological sex. It is differen...

It is interesting to hear the words from the very top of Government. I wonder if the Minister wil...

I know that the hon. Lady campaigns passionately on those issues from her experience of working i...

I wonder if the Minister has had a chance to consider the interim advice given by the United Nati...

As we have heard, there are many views on this issue. That is why it is important that we take th...

The Minister is being very generous with interventions. Is she aware that the United Nations spec...

The hon. and learned Lady highlights the diversity of views in this space. That is why it is so i...

It is our privilege and responsibility to weigh up different groups’ rights, needs, interests and...

Before I put the Question, let me say that my co-Chair appealed to people at the start of the deb...