00:00I'm Dr. Kirsty Ken English. We are here today outside the offices of the EHRC.
00:10There's about a couple hundred of us here protesting the EHRC's interim guidance based off the Supreme Court ruling
00:17that tried to define women in terms of biological sex. We see this ruling and the EHRC guidance as extremely harmful
00:26and in violation of, well it's completely impractical as well, and violates trans people's rights to privacy
00:31and is potentially harmful for cis women in particular, particularly those who might not meet white Western beauty standards
00:39who could also be challenged in entering single sex spaces, entering bathrooms.
00:44The reason why this all matters is if you can't enter these spaces, you can't enter bathrooms in particular,
00:48you cannot go out in public. This is about a segregation of space, it's about trying to force trans people out of public spaces,
00:54trying to force us back into the closet, trying to force us not to exist, and that's why we're here today
01:01protesting the EHRC's interim guidance.
01:03Going back to the principles of the Equality Act and thinking about how do we protect people.
01:08The Equality Act should be protecting people based on if they experience discrimination based on misogyny,
01:14based on racism, based on transphobia. Defining people in terms of sex and gender birth is completely irrational based on that.
01:22If a trans woman is harassed at work for being a woman, she is being harassed because of our perceived sex.
01:29Defining it in terms of sex and gender birth is completely irrational, it's completely impractical.
01:34Policing public spaces, how on earth are you going to police bathrooms without just harassing anyone that you think might not be a woman?
01:42And just limiting how people can enter public spaces. So the main way to fix this is to listen to trans people.
01:47Scotland in particular has the opportunity to, and it has a big talk in terms of human rights and standing up for marginalised groups.
01:56Actually listening to trans people and not just in talk but actually acting upon that and coming out in defence of us is important here.
02:06So protests like this today, we will continue coming out in protests like this.
02:10We are also telling people to contact the EHRC. There's going to be a consultation.
02:15However, we're telling them to contact them now. We know of these consultations.
02:19It's often the case that they will just ignore it. They have a plan in mind.
02:22So contact them now telling them this is not okay. Contact your employer. Contact the services you can use.
02:27Tell them not to comply with this guidance. It is not statutory. It is not a requirement.
02:32And we're telling people to stand up for trans rights.
02:36I myself have been speaking to universities. I've been speaking to human rights organisations.
02:40Telling them to come and defend their trans siblings.
02:43Telling them to emphasise the impracticality of this approach and how it is completely irrational.
02:49The EHRC interim guidance has been described as scientifically illiterate.
02:54Emphasising that. It's just not workable. It's completely irrational. It's just fuelled on bigotry.
02:59We are angry. We're scared. But we're not going anywhere. We are going to continue to fight.
03:07There's people in the community, particularly trans women, who are really terrified for their safety.
03:13I know people who are considering how they might have to leave the country. That's how bad it is.
03:18The UK in particular has some of the most transphobic policies in the world.
03:23It is becoming so hostile for trans people.
03:25Older feminists recognise that the Supreme Court really is extremely harmful.
03:30Not just for trans people, but potentially all women.
03:33Defining any attempt to define womanhood means excluding and policing other women.
03:38And defining people in terms of biological sex, in terms of their bodies.
03:45It completely disregards people who are intersex. It disregards the nuances of our lives.
03:51Organisations that have us as employees, as students, as service providers, should be doing more.
03:57They should be speaking out on our behalf.
04:00And it's not just for individual speaking out, but also collective organisations emphasising that this is not workable.
04:08This is not statutory guidance. They should be pushing back against this. And this is the time to do it.
04:13If you had a message for the Scottish Government, what would it be?
04:16Do more for trans people. Do more for marginalized groups broadly.
04:20Push back against the UK Government.
04:23It should be seen as a matter of Scottish democracy as well.
04:26We just want to get on with our lives. This is not anything special we're asking for.
04:29We just want to be able to go about our business and exist.
04:33And currently we are being used to a punching bag.
04:36If you feel like, oh, why is it always about this trans stuff?
04:39We don't want to have to be protesting this.
04:41There's lots of other things in the world we want to be getting on with.
04:44But we have to because they keep coming for our human rights and they're doing it because we're an easy target.
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