280323-EAPMinutes-V01
Cairngorms National Park Authority Ùghdarras Pàirc Nàiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh
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EAP Meeting Held virtually on 28 March 2023 Present: Anita Howard Becca Mayo Fiona McLean (Chair) Heather Earnshaw Kate Christie Katherine Willing Kevin Hutchens Lilliana Corrieri Lina Payne Linda Bamford Vanessa Altweck
Apologies: Peter Kennedy
Item one: Welcome • Fiona welcomed the group to the meeting.
Item two: Recap and actions from previous meeting on 28 February 2023 • There was a brief discussion on some of the points raised in the previous months discussion • for those who had not been present at the meeting. • The minutes from the previous meeting were agreed. • The action log was reviewed.
Item three: Broad discussion on equalities and communications. Brenna Jessie, Digital Content Manager • This item was not discussed at the meeting, it was agreed that it will be discussed at a future meeting.
Item four: Draft transgender policy. Kate Christie, Head of Organisational Development • Kate gave the background and overview of the policy. The panel were asked to consider the policy — is anything missing, is the language and tone appropriate, are there any specific considerations for the accompanying EQIA. • Language — The panel suggested that the title of the policy should include Equality and Inclusion. The panel suggested the wording in the ‘managers responsibility’ section referring
Cairngorms National Park Authority Ùghdarras Pàirc Nàiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh
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• to informing colleagues was not clear and should be revisited. The panel suggested the policy should state employees are responsible for reading and understanding the policy, under the employee responsibility section. The panel also suggested the policy should include a more intersectional approach. The panel felt the use of the wording ‘single sex toilets’ was ambiguous and should be changed. • Gender critical beliefs — The panel suggested under ‘scope’ there should be a segment on how the policy interacts with gender critical beliefs and to what extent there is legal protection. There was a discussion as to whether the policy should include a statement explaining that gender critical beliefs may not be acceptable in the workplace due to the distress it can cause. It was agreed that some of this relates to the organisations bullying and harassment policies and to keep it as open point of discussion. • Involvement of other groups — Following the discussion on gender critical beliefs, some members of the panel felt there may be benefit in consulting other groups such as Church of Scotland or the Muslim Council of Scotland. Other members of the panel questioned this as felt that trans voices should be prioritised in this policy. The members of the panel felt this would only be of benefit if an intersectional approach was taken, such as approaching faith groups with an LGBTQIA intersection. • Employee and manager responsibility — The panel suggested this section should be reviewed so it is clear as to what employees’ responsibilities are. The panel explained that allyship is not a legal responsibility, whereas employees having dignity at work is and the policy does not currently make a clear enough distinction. • Monitoring and reporting — The panel suggested broadening the wording of the monitoring and reporting section to help future proof the policy. • Appendix 1 — The panel firstly suggested reviewing some of the definitions used. Following further discussion, the panel agreed that the definition used should stay but there should be a note of the source of the definition. The panel suggested discussing the policy with the Scottish Trans Alliance who may be able to help with definitions of terminology. • Missing content — The panel felt the policy would benefit from a statement including that due to increased social acceptance there is an increase in the number of people living openly trans. The panel felt the policy should include that all medical treatment and time off for appointments is provided for individuals. The panel suggested including that where possible, when an individual requests a change in name and/or pronouns where this change can be made immediately it should be, with the remaining changes being made when appropriate. The panel felt it should be included that the exclusion of trans colleagues can go beyond social scenarios and can be in a work setting such as meetings. The panel felt the policy lacked information on how it links with volunteers and members of the public. • Addressing negative comments — The panel felt it was important to address any potential negative comments by including a statement at the beginning of the policy as to why the
Cairngorms National Park Authority Ùghdarras Pàirc Nàiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh
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policy is necessary. It was suggested by the panel that the launch of the hate crime charter may be helpful for addressing negative comments.
- Item five: Any other business • The panel discussed the survey for presenters. It was agreed to add a question which asks the presenter how helpful they found the meeting on a scale of 1 – 5. It was agreed to uncapitalize “external” when referring to the Equality Advisory Panel. It was agreed that further clarification was needed on the questions do you feel you provided enough information before the meeting and where you already aware of the panel? • The panel discussed promotion of the group. It had been agreed that the panel would be in the cairn magazine and panel members were asked to email if they wanted to contribute. • The panel discussed the link to the Cairngorms Nature Festival. It was agreed the appropriate officer would be informed.
End of meeting
Next meeting 25 April 2023