A little while ago I wrote to my MP, Satvir Kaur, about the political and media hostility towards trans people, and the very real consequences we’re now seeing in healthcare, policing, and daily life. You can read that earlier post here if you missed it.

A few days ago I received a thoughtful, clear, and genuinely compassionate reply from Satvir. She set out the actions she has already taken, including writing to the Secretary of State and engaging with local LGBTQ+ organisations. She also offered to share the ministerial response once it arrived.

Well – it’s arrived.

Satvir’s email is below, followed by the attached letter from the Minister for Equalities, Olivia Bailey.

Thank you very much for your kind message, and for taking the time to share your experiences. As requested, I’ve attached the response I received from the Minister for Equalities. I hope the letter is helpful to you.

I’m really grateful for your offer to contribute further – your perspective as a constituent is incredibly valuable, and we may well be in touch again as this work continues. Thank you also for the care and solidarity you show in standing up for others in our community; it genuinely makes a difference.

Please don’t hesitate to get back in touch if there is ever anything you’d like to raise or discuss. I’m always here to help.

Many thanks and very best wishes, 

The ministerial response is here:

Dear Satvir,
Thank you for your email of 11 September addressed to the Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP on behalf of your constituents, regarding the implications of the Supreme Court’s judgment in the For Women Scotland case. I am replying as the Minister for Equalities and I apologise for the delay in our response.

I want to begin by acknowledging the deep concern and anxiety many people are feeling following the recent Supreme Court ruling and its potential implications for trans people.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court announced on 16 April it had determined that the terms ‘man’, ‘woman’, and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex. It ruled that a Gender Recognition Certificate does not change a person’s legal sex for the purposes of the Act.

Trans people continue to be recognised in law and should be treated with dignity and respect. That was true before the ruling, and the Supreme Court has underlined that fact. It is important to note that there remain protections in place for trans people to live free from discrimination and harassment and have their acquired gender recognised. Single-sex spaces are protected in law
and will always be protected by this Government.

We recognise that the application of the Supreme Court ruling in some settings is complex. That is why the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations is important — to provide clarity and confidence for service providers in applying the Equality Act 2010 on a day-to-day basis.

You have asked for the Code to be subject to ‘full parliamentary scrutiny once it is laid before the Government, including a full debate and a free vote.’ The Commission has revised its Code to reflect the feedback from its consultation on proposed changes following the ruling, and submitted the draft updated Code of Practice to the Government. The Government is considering the draft
updated Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Code will be laid before Parliament for a 40 day period.

Please reassure your constituents that this Government is working to increase protections for trans people and is committed to protecting trans people, ensuring that they are treated with dignity and respect. The Government is proceeding with its commitments to deliver a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices, and equalise all existing strands of hate crime to ensure that hate crime committed on the basis of sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability is treated equally seriously to that committed on the basis of race or religion. We are also reviewing health services to ensure that all trans people receive appropriate and high-quality care.

I hope this information is helpful. Please thank your constituents for writing on this important matter.

Yours sincerely,
Olivia Bailey MP
Minister for Equalities

As ministerial responses go, it’s polite, polished and full of the right-sounding words. But it also manages to sidestep nearly all of the concrete issues I raised. It acknowledges “concern and anxiety”, but avoids engaging with GP refusals, disrupted access to gender-affirming care, or the chilling effect of the Supreme Court ruling. There’s a lot of talk about dignity, respect and “protections remaining in force”, but very little acknowledgement of how those protections have been narrowed.

It’s a theatre of reassurance in sounding reassuring without committing to meaningful action. It is transparent.

Satvir, to her credit, has been consistently clear and genuinely supportive. Her language contrasts sharply with the careful political hedging in the ministerial reply. I’m grateful to her for continuing to raise these concerns – and for doing so in good faith.

I’ve written back to her, and I’ll post that reply separately.