The House of Lords is taking up the corset of digital identity once more. Good. What’s at stake is more than convenience and efficiency. It affects women’s rights, safety, and the nature of our reality. The Data Bill promises to make our lives easier with Digital Verification Services (DVS). It’s about to go even further by allowing anyone—and I mean anybody—to digitally “prove” they’re the opposite sex, arming those who omit biological truth with an alternative. Think that's alarmist? Let's dive in.
Single-Sex Spaces Become Meaningless
The bedrock of women’s rights for a century has been the right to seek refuge in single-sex spaces. Refuges, changing rooms, prisons – these are not spaces about excluding trans people, but about creating safe spaces. If a digital ID can arbitrarily and inaccurately verify that someone is male, then these sex-based protections would be a laughable charade. That’s akin to constructing a medieval castle and leaving a digital drawbridge down. Are we truly willing to put the safety of vulnerable women at risk in exchange for…what again?
Equality Act Undermined By Digital Lies
The recent Supreme Court ruling was clear: "sex" in the Equality Act means biological sex. Not feelings, not self-identification, but biology. It is crucial that the Lords hold the line and defend this. Now allowing digital identities to trump even this legal definition effectively undermines the Equality Act. We’re not just talking about a glitch here, we’re discussing ripping up decades of hard-won progress with a few lines of code. And what about the precedent? What other protected characteristics will be digitally mutable in the morning?
Safeguarding Children, Endangered Online
Think about online safety. Our online world is a dangerous place for children, especially young girls. Predatory adults take advantage of false identities to groom and exploit. Now, picture how much easier this is going to be when they can digitally verify they’re somebody they’re not. With such an expansive reach, the potential for online sexual fraud—commonly known as “catfishing”—soars. This isn't theoretical; this is happening now. Providing these predators a government-endorsed tool to mislead is unconscionable.
Data Accuracy? Government Ignores It
The federal government says it cares about the accuracy of its data, but they don’t show it by their actions. In fact, agencies such as the DVLA and Passport Office already let the people change the recorded sex on their driving license or passport upon request. This has resulted in a hodgepodge of contradictory and confusing data. Yet the DVS system, rather than remedying these issues, exacerbates them. It’s akin to constructing a home with a base of quicksand. Why take this gamble on data integrity when the safety of women is at stake?
Online Abuse: Sex Changes On Demand
Imagine someone harassing a woman online. Now imagine that same person. With a few taps of their fingers on their mobile device, they update their digital “certificate” of sex to female. They can now hack into women-only spaces online, escalate their harassment, and even impersonate their intended victim. This is not simply a question of injuring feelings, but rather enabling focused, racist harassment. It's weaponizing digital identity against women.
Lost Demographic Data, Lost Resources
Having accurate demographic data is essential to understanding how our society is changing, distributing federal resources where they are needed most, and combatting inequality. Once sex data is rendered unreliable, we can no longer accurately track disparities in health care, education and employment. Without this information, we are unable to properly target resources to combat the unique challenges facing women and girls. It’s the equivalent of trying to find your way using a busted compass. It will disproportionately impact the availability of funding to protect women.
Your Voice Matters, Demand Accuracy
This isn’t just a wonky policy discussion — it’s the fate of women’s rights at stake. It's about ensuring that single-sex spaces remain safe, that the Equality Act is upheld, and that children are protected online. We should not continue letting the government be inclusive if they’re going to be inaccurate and unsafe. Call your representatives. Write to the Lords. Share this article. Make your voice heard. Because we must, otherwise we lose women’s rights, one misinformed click at a time. What is the price of convenience if that convenience comes at the expense of women’s rights.
