A prominent feminist and successful author has resigned as a patron of Humanist UK over its ‘pro-trans posturing’.
Joan Smith said she could no longer support the organisation after it opposed moves to define “sex” as biological sex in equality legislation.
Ahead of a debate in Westminster Hall on aligning the definition of sex in Equality Act 2010 with biological reality, Humanist UK dismissed the proposals as ‘discriminatory’ against trans people.
Explaining her decision to quit on the UnHerd website, Smith accused the secular humanist group of abandoning science and reason for what she called “gender woo-woo”.
Secular humanism plays an influential role in politics, education and the media today, and is explicitly anti-Christian. But it has hijacked the name and noble legacy of historic humanism. This briefing explores the roots of secular humanism in Unitarianism, showing how recently it emerged and the danger it poses.
She continued: “Take, for example, its briefing setting out why Humanists UK opposes a proposal to clarify that ‘sex’ in the 2010 Equality Act refers to biological sex.
“Yes, you did read that right: a human rights organisation is campaigning against a change in wording that would make clear that the Act means what we thought it did, until gender ideology started arguing otherwise.”
‘Do you believe that sex is assigned at birth and other gender woo-woo?’ If so, Humanists UK may be just the place for you! Former Patron, Joan Smith
Smith added that its use of the phrase “sex assigned at birth” was “straight from the trans activist playbook”.
“But it gets worse”, she continued, “Defining sex as biological sex is, according to Humanists UK, ‘intended to create a de facto blanket ban on trans people from services they had previously enjoyed without concern or complaint’.
“This is flat-out untrue, for two reasons. Trans people are welcome to use any services they like, as long as they are compatible with their biological sex.
“More to the point, rows about trans-identified males demanding to be housed in women’s prisons, single-sex hospital wards and refuges make almost daily headlines. Has the organisation missed every single one? Or does it dismiss them all as ‘transphobic’?”
Baroness Hayter, a former shadow deputy leader of the House of Lords, also resigned her membership of Humanist UK over the same issue, tweeting that the organisation has “lost the plot”.
I have resigned from HumanistsUK – with whom I have campaigned particularly about freedom of beliefs & recognition of humanism. Now they have decided the EHRC is wrong even to advise the gov to clarify the definition of sex. They have lost the plot. @Humanists_UK https://t.co/gtpIihm8c3
— Dianne Hayter (@HayteratLords) June 12, 2023
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