Overview

• A 39-page response from Bristol City Council officers urged using they/them and terms such as “people with ovaries” in guidance on pregnancy, maternity and breastfeeding.
• The submission suggested some people may prefer the term paternity as a gender‑neutral alternative to maternity and warned against defaulting to she/her pronouns.
• Officials asked for clarity on protections for anyone who can become pregnant and requested support for trans men who wish to chestfeed.
• Women’s‑rights campaigners including leaders from Sex Matters, FiLiA and the Women’s Rights Network condemned the language as offensive and dehumanising.
• A council spokesman said policies will be reviewed after the EHRC publishes updated statutory guidance, following the April Supreme Court ruling on sex definitions.