Opposition to gender ideology ‘not transphobic’, say female MPs

Female MPs have spoken out against the silencing of women by transgender activists.

Jackie Doyle-Price MP said it is “not at all” transphobic to argue in favour of female-only spaces such as changing rooms.

This comes as more than 300 staff and contractors at The Guardian newspaper recently attacked its decision to publish an article defending single-sex spaces for women.

’Uncomfortable’

In a Commons debate Doyle-Price said: “Those of us who want to see women-only safe spaces are not guilty of hate crime against trans people – not at all.”

She highlighted the case of Karen White, a male prisoner who identified as a woman and sexually assaulted two women while in an all-female prison.

She said that the Government “must be able to devise a law that stops that happening”.

She added that she was “very uncomfortable” about young girls being pushed towards gender reassignment surgery.

No-platforming

The SNP’s Justice Spokeswoman, Joanna Cherry MP, raised the issue of no-platforming prominent feminist academics because of their allegedly transphobic views.

Cherry said that Professor Selina Todd – accused of being ‘transphobic’ for challenging the narrative that transgenderism has been prevalent throughout history – had been censored “simply for asserting women’s rights”.

She added: “If we allow bullies to triumph over free speech in one area of public discourse, we are giving them free reign to triumph over free speech in other areas of public discourse”.

Bully

Earlier this month staff at The Guardian newspaper attacked its decision to publish an article by Suzanne Moore defending single-sex spaces for women.

Following its publication, 338 of Moore’s colleagues signed a letter accusing the newspaper of a “pattern of publishing transphobic content”.

Writing in The Sunday Times, columnist Sarah Baxter said: “I had not thought it possible that journalists whose very existence depends on the freedom of the press would seek to silence and bully a fellow contributor in this way”.