Labour Minister Refuses to Say If Trans Women Should Not Use Female-Only Spaces – Guido Fawkes

Labour Minister Refuses to Say If Trans Women Should Not Use Female-Only Spaces

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After the Supreme Court ruled that trans women are not legally women yesterday Labour MPs have been complaining about the judgement and the government has been very keen to claim that it has always been clear on the importance of biology. Ministers haven’t got the memo…

Secondary care minister Karyn Smith was asked on Times Radio if trans women should be able to use a female changing room:

“Look I think we need to make sure that in this discussion we are following both the law so that is clear for women and for service providers and you know…this varies upon what the provision of those service providers are. Large organisations, smaller organisations, many smaller organisations… Because some will have unisex provisions there might only be one bathroom, one changing room in an organisation. It’s a large complex issue so that’s why people have to be very clear on that guidance.”

Pressed on the issue Smith said “female changing rooms should be used by women… and it’s important that a trans woman or a trans man also has dignity in their use of public spaces. The use of public spaces is also a wider issue for all sorts of people who feel they don’t have access to public spaces.” Neither could Smith say which NHS ward should be used on LBC, adding instead: “Most people don’t actually go into hospital if we can remember that most people’s contact with the NHS is through primary care.“ Did she see the judgement?

Thankfully EHRC chairman Kishwer Falkner provides an actual answer this morning on the Today Programme: “It is a very readable judgement, organisations should be taking care to read it and understand that it does bring clarity… single-sex services like changing rooms must be based on biological sex… the steer from the Supreme Court is quite clear.” The EHRC is now updating its guidance following the ruling. Clearly something for Labour ministers to have a read of…