The impact of the BBC being a Stonewall Diversity Champion on people who do not identify as transgender

S White made this Freedom of Information request to British Broadcasting Corporation This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear British Broadcasting Corporation,

I note that your organisation is a Stonewall Diversity Champion. It is your organisation’s policy that if someone’s gender identity is not the same as their biological sex that person may use the toilets, showers and changing rooms in your buildings that match their gender identity?
How is your organisation making it clear to all staff and visitors that your gender identity policy makes all your toilets, showers and changing rooms open to both sexes regardless of the signs on the door?
Was an equality impact assessment carried out on your gender identity policy, particularly in relation to the impact on those with other relevant protected characteristics, especially those of sex and religion and belief?
Was a health and safety assessment carried out on the impact of prioritising gender identity over biological sex, particularly in relation to the hazard of allowing men into the toilets, showers and changing rooms designated for women?
What organisations were consulted in the development of your gender identity policy?
Were any women’s groups consulted?
Were the unions or staff representatives consulted?
Were any organisations concerned with the protection of free speech consulted?
Were any organisations concerned with freedom of and from religion and belief consulted?
Were the police consulted?
What legal advice have you taken about your liability should a crime of indecent exposure, voyeurism, covert filming, sexual assault or rape arise having been facilitated by your policy of mixed-sex toilets, showers and changing rooms?
If your gender identity policy requires people to obey their colleagues’ requests to be addressed by a pronoun that is biologically inappropriate and to act as though that person has changed sex, what legal advice have you taken and from whom about the legality of that requirement?
Does your policy state that the denial/refusal to accept someone’s gender identity is unacceptable?
Does it state that such denial/refusal will be subject to disciplinary action?
If so what legal advice have you taken on how such a policy tallies with the undertaking given by Lord Filkin during the passage of the Gender Recognition Act: “The noble Baroness also asked whether people who refuse to call a gender-changed man by the changed gender would be open to action. No, they would not, unless they had information about the person's gender history in an official capacity and they disclosed it otherwise than is allowed for by Clause 21.” [Hansard, Lords 29/1/04 col. 411]

Yours faithfully,

S White

FOI Enquiries, British Broadcasting Corporation

Dear S White

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, as detailed in your email below. Your request was received on 31 July 2020.  We will deal with your request as promptly as possible, and at the latest within 20 working days. If you have any queries about your request, please contact us at the address below.

The reference number for your request is RFI20201106.

Kind regards,

Information Rights

BBC Freedom of Information
BC2 A4, Broadcast Centre
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TP

www.bbc.co.uk/foi
Email: [BBC request email]

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FOI Enquiries, British Broadcasting Corporation

2 Attachments

Dear S White,

 

Please find attached our response to your request for information
reference RFI20201106.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Rights, BBC Legal

BC2A4 | Broadcast Centre | 201 Wood Lane | London | W12 7TP

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