Angela Rayner says it is ‘unacceptable’ to ask a trans woman if they have a penis
Angela Rayner says it is ‘unacceptable’ to ask a trans woman if they have a penis as she warns that gender row will ‘damage people’
Rayner struck a conciliatory tone after Keir Starmer struggled with questions Said women-only spaces should be protected and those transitioning supportedBut it wouldn’t be ‘reasonable’ to ask trans woman if she still had male genitalia
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Angela Rayner warned today that the ongoing culture war over gender rights is causing ‘damage’ to young people – and it is unacceptable to ask a trans woman if they had a penis.
The Labour deputy leader struck a conciliatory tone as she said that women-only spaces should be protected at the same time as people changing gender should be supported.
It came after her boss, party leader Sir Keir Starmer, yesterday refused to say if a woman can have a penis during a debate about trans rights.
Sir Keir, appearing LBC radio for his regular phone-in, was asked about trans athletes and the success of Lia Thomas, a trans woman who won the 500-yard freestyle title at the women’s NCAA championships.
But asked similar questions by Sky News today, Ms Rayner said: ‘When we debase it to whether or not… what genitalia you’ve got, I think all that does is damage people and it doesn’t help us go forward on some of the real issues that people are facing.
‘I think we should be protecting women’s spaces – of course we should – and we should be supporting people who are going through transition.’
She said there will be circumstances where it is reasonable to ask a trans man if they are pregnant, but added: ‘It wouldn’t be a reasonable question for me to say ”Have you got a penis or not?” because that’s not acceptable.
She said the issue is not about ‘men coming into women-only spaces’, it is about ‘supporting people in their lives’.
The Labour deputy leader struck a conciliatory tone as she said that women-only spaces should be protected at the same time as people changing gender should be supported.
Starmer was also asked about trans athletes and the success of Lia Thomas (pictured), a trans woman who won the 500-yard freestyle title at the women’s NCAA championships
Ms Thomas’s victory has sparked a debate around male-to-female trans athletes taking part in competitive sport, with critics claiming they may have an advantage over other participants.
But Starmer said it is for ‘sporting bodies to decide for themselves’ who can and cannot be included in events.
Asked if a woman can have a penis, Starmer told LBC yesterday: ‘I’m not… I don’t think we can conduct this debate with… I don’t think that discussing this issue in this way helps anyone in the long run.’
Labour has found itself in difficulty over trans issues. Harry Potter author JK Rowling – who has been vocal on her views on transgender people and biological sex – said earlier this month that the Labour leader could “no longer be counted on to defend women’s rights”.
Labour frontbenchers Yvette Cooper and Anneliese Dodds both struggled to answer questions on the issue this month.
