Nandy backs legal ‘sex swaps’ for 13-year-olds

Children as young as 13 should be allowed to choose their legal sex, a member of Labour’s Shadow Cabinet has said.

In an interview with Times Radio, Lisa Nandy MP said she thought it was now time to remove safeguards that prevent under 18s from ‘changing sex’ by self-identification.

Prior to Nandy’s controversial remarks, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that he did not consider 16-year-olds mature enough to ‘self-certify’.

Rhetoric

Speaking of a ‘transitioning’ teenager in her constituency, Nandy said: “I’ve got someone who’s been going through this process since the age of 13 – is now 19 – and has only just been able to access treatment. We’ve got to get rid of the bureaucracy, get rid of the hurdles.”

When asked whether 13-year-olds should be allowed to legally change their sex, the Shadow Minister for Levelling Up said, “I think they deserve to be taken seriously”.

Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman recently said that she believed legislators should even be exploring the possibility of allowing eight-year-olds to ‘sex swap’.

Blocked

Scottish Government plans to allow 16-year-olds to change their legal sex by self-declaration without a medical diagnosis have been blocked by Westminster.

Exercising powers under the Scotland Act 1998, Scotland Secretary Alister Jack made an order last week prohibiting Holyrood from submitting its gender self-ID Bill for Royal Assent.

Jack announced: “After thorough and careful consideration of all the relevant advice and the policy implications, I am concerned that this legislation would have an adverse impact on the operation of Great Britain-wide equalities legislation.”