And it's worth fighting for.

@helenargh

Helen Gould. Sensitivity consultant, EDI trainer, writer. Likes monsters. Non-binary (any/all pronouns). Works with Rusty Quill; all views are my own. "can certainly write in a straight line" - Grant Howitt

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And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Jun 3

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cannot be relied upon to reflect a person's birth sex (i.e. trans people have often changed their passports/birth certificates etc. to reflect their new gender).

The code then states that a provider can still exclude a person if they think they're lying about their birth sex. This means anyone who doesn't look "feminine" or "masculine" enough for a random stranger will be affected by this code, which I suspect will result in service providers being taken to court for discrimination.

3. The draft code directly contradicts other parts of UK law, such as the Equality Act 2010, which states that a person should not be treated unfairly based on gender reassignment. Currently, the draft code would force trans people into toilets and changing rooms of a different gender to their own, which would expose them to potential hate crimes. There are some statistics here: https://www.stophateuk.org/about-hate-crime/transgender-hate/

It also contradicts the Gender Recognition Act 2004, which legally recognises trans people as their chosen gender. So we have a situation where trans people are, in legal terms, defined as a different gender depending on context. For example: if a trans woman were to get married, she would be defined as a woman for her ceremony, but defined as a man if she wanted to use the toilet at her own wedding. This is surely ridiculous.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you will sign the EDM. I can provide more statistics and information if that would be beneficial.

Best regards,

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Jun 3

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Dear Mr Francois,

I hope you're well. I am a relatively new constituent (I moved here at the end of October) so I am not sure what your position may be on the topic I'm about to discuss, but it is my hope that you will do what you can to help me and my community.

I will try to keep this email as short as possible despite the complicated topic, as I know you must be very busy. My main ask is that you sign the following early day motion: https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/65938

If you would like more details about why I am asking for this, I suspect it will be most useful if I refer to the practical reasons, rather than the emotional ones (i.e. that I and my community are in distress). So:

1. To paraphrase Alejandra Caraballo from Harvard Law School: every path offered by this code leads to potential legal liability. If a provider offers mixed-sex facilities only, they could be sued for discrimination against women (13.133). Having single-sex facilities that are inclusive of trans people would also be unlawful (13.130). If you exclude trans people in a way that cannot be defended as a proportionate means to a legitimate business aim, it becomes gender reassignment discrimination (13.149). There is no safe route.

2. Providers are told to determine a person's biological sex by appearance alone, which is highly subjective (many trans people are indistinguishable from someone who is not trans) and so may open them up to legal liability. A person who is challenged about using single-sex spaces cannot actually prove whether they are trans or not, because the code admits that legal documents cannot be relied upon to reflect a person's birth sex (i.e. trans people have often changed their passports/birth certificates etc. to reflect their new gender).

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Apr 14

It's really starting to look like a book 😭

A screenshot of a Microsoft Word document. It displays the first eight pages of Helen Gould's current project, Sharp Edges. It includes a copyright page, title page, dedication, and contents page, which is very exciting.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Dec 25

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Jul 4

Relatedly, this cartoon just came across my Tumblr dashboard. This is basically how I feel about my output, except I have very rarely seen such a drastic increase in my profits (and even then, the occasional windfall never lasts long!).

This is a Matt Groening cartoon with two panels. One is titled "failure" and the other is titled "success". In both panels, a rabbit at a desk looks anxiously out at us, with no change in expression. The only change is the graph in the background indicating loss vs profits.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Jun 17

That is indeed one of them XD

A full-length picture of Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal Lecter hangs on a light purple wall. Hannibal looks down pensively with his hands in the pockets of his dark purple suit, the suggestion of a halo behind his head. Further behind him is an ominous shadowy humanoid with antlers.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· May 30

I have already bought way more than I should have 😅 Ooh and it's worth visiting Monte Cook 👀

A picture of The Magnus Archives Role-playing Game, with its award placed on top.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· May 10

Always happy to oblige

A black and white cat lounges on a purple floral bedspread, legs akimbo.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· May 1

I got that haircut

A picture of Helen, a brown-skinned person with very short black curly hair and a black vest.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Apr 25

A picture of a man in a blue shirt pouring olive oil from a comically enormous bottle onto a salad. The man is labelled "me", the olive oil is labelled "the problem is capitalism", and the salad is labelled "every opportunity I get".

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Jan 14

I made a Decision and I think I like it 😊

A brown skinned person looks into the camera at an angle. They are wearing hexagonal glasses and a purple t-shirt, and are sporting very recently cut black afro-textured hair. They had previously had very long dreadlocks.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Dec 27

A picture of Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3, a beautiful red-skinned tiefling with black and red hair and a broken horn. A Tumblr text post from user thatadult is superimposed on the picture of Karlach, which reads "you can be positive and break a bottle over someone's head though. multiplicity of identity."

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Dec 19

Another influx of followers! Welcome! If you don't already know me, quick primer - I am: - British & mixed race - Queer and non-binary - A DEI consultant/trainer & sensitivity reader - A writer Expect posts about TTRPGs, social justice, and my cat. Here is cat:

A black and white cat lounges on a black blanket. The blanket covers most of a brown-skinned person with big gold glasses. The cat holds the person's hand as if to say "this is mine now". The cat is correct.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Nov 26

The unrepentant expression of a cat who farted in my face this morning.

A black and white cat with big green eyes sits on the edge of a bed, looking directly at the person taking the picture.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Nov 14

Some days I look at my cat and think "you're so smol, so tiny, such a little sweetheart 🥹" On other days, she uses my head as a stepping stone to her cat tree.

A picture angled from above to show a black and white cat lounging on a cat tree. On a pink sofa directly next to the cat tree, Helen (a brown skinned person with large purple glasses and dark hair) is lying down, looking wryly at the camera.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Nov 13

saw this yesterday and immediately imagined The Archivist surrounded by kindly grannies

A sign pointing left directs people to the Archivist and D Day Embroidery.

And it's worth fighting for.@helenargh· Nov 8

Also here is Leah, a very sleepy girl.