How to contact your MP about the EHRC Guidance

The EHRC's new guidance marks a dangerous step backwards for Trans+ rights in the UK. Far from protecting equality, it risks giving cover to discrimination and undermining the dignity and safety of Trans+ people in everyday life. In times like these, silence only helps those who seek to roll back our rights. That’s why it’s vital to speak out — and one of the most effective ways to do so is by contacting your MP directly.

This guide will give you the tools to make your voice heard, challenge the EHRC’s guidance, and stand up for a future where Trans+ people are treated with fairness and respect.

How to find your MP:

You can find out who your local MP is and how to contact them on the government website. Just put in your postcode, find your MP and send them an email, a letter, or a DM on socials.

Our letter template:

It can be hard to know what to say, which is why we've prepared a template to help you get started, below. Fill in the blanks, say what you feel and don't be afraid to speak your mind! Trans+ voices and the voices of our allies are more important now than ever.

Dear [Insert MPs name],

I am writing to you as your constituent [your full name, address - you need this so the parliamentarians are allowed to respond to you] to ask that you stand with the Trans+, non-binary and LGBT+ community in the country, and use your place in parliament to protect the rights of me and my community.

The EHRC has submitted the final version of its new Code of Conduct to the government, soon it will be signed off on by Secretary of State Bridget Philipson. From all we have heard about this Code and the interpretation the EHRC has taken of the Supreme Court decision in For Women Scotland, it will mark a massive step back for the rights of Trans+ and non-binary people in the UK. The Code of Practice will effectively bring about a Trans+ bathroom ban, creating a world where Trans+ people could be excluded or segregated in almost all aspects of public life.

A lot of focus has been on the access to bathrooms aspect of this Code, but it will also limit Trans+ and non-binary people's access to healthcare services, housing, any women's group - even if that group has always been Trans+ inclusive - social care services, domestic violence refuges, gyms, pools, spas. It will also redefine lesbian and gay relationships, no longer protecting a Trans+ woman and a cis woman who are in a relationship with each other under the Equality Act 2010 definition of sexual orientation. There is almost no area of life that this Code will not touch.

As a [insert identity if you wish] I am scared for my community/myself. [Maybe if you wish insert a little about how this makes you feel]

The EHRCs consultation on the initial draft guidance received over 50,000 responses, many from Trans+ and non-binary people, the organisations that work with them and the people who love them. This Code does not come into effect in isolation; the government is systematically removing the rights of Trans+ and non-binary people every day, restricting their access to healthcare, allowing far-right activists to abuse them online and in person. We are living in dangerous and uncertain times. Globally, the rights of all LGBTQ+ people are under threat. The far right and its supporters are increasingly using our existence as a way to stir up hatred, but make no mistake, they will not stop at us; they will put everyone's rights at risk. This is a time for a government to show strong leadership, speak up for the most vulnerable and not bow down to pressure from the far right and its spokespeople.

I am writing to ask that you use your position and power to do what you are elected to do: represent my voice to the government, pressure them to scrutinise this Code properly, and legislate to fix the disastrous position our equality law is in, following this Supreme Court decision and the implementation of this Code. Most importantly, to stand for what is right, protecting vulnerable communities from harm and not to allow our rights to be taken away behind locked doors.

Regards,

[Your Name]