Picture: Chatham House. Via Wikimedia Commons
Dear Sir Keir,
As you are aware, the EHRC recently published advice given to the Equalities Minister, Kemi Badenoch, regarding what the consequences would be for defining ‘sex’ in equalities legislation as ‘biological sex’. This is a measure Kemi Badenoch, who has a history of opposing rights for LGBT+ people, seeks to enact, supposedly with the goal of ‘protecting women’s rights’.
In truth, the effect of this would be to give private companies and public institutions alike free rein to discriminate against transgender people, and effectively exclude transgender people from public life, as well as protection from harm. The examples the EHRC provide are stark reminders of that: they suggest that women’s book clubs and associations would be free to exclude transgender women, that transgender men could be placed in women’s hospital wards, that sports would be free to discriminate, and gyms could choose to close their changing rooms to transgender people. The EHRC, bizarrely, suggests these would be ‘advantages’ to this reform.
Transgender people are considerably more likely to be diagnosed with neurodivergent conditions than cisgender people, and neurodivergent people are considerably more likely to be transgender than non-neurodivergent people. There are close ties between the community we serve and the community whose rights and protections are likely to be removed; we stand in solidarity with the transgender community over this.
Sir Keir, you indicated to the Times this week that you “welcomed” the EHRC’s comments and the proposed review of whether ‘sex’ should be redefined as ‘biological sex’. Last week, you also indicated to the Times that schools should be obliged to tell parents about their children’s gender presentation, despite the risks of abuse and discrimination that would pose to transgender and gender nonconforming children.
We are concerned, not only immediately for our neurodivergent transgender communities, but also for the precedent this sets. It suggests that the Labour leadership is willing to sacrifice the basic human rights of unpopular marginalised minorities to gain a perceived electoral advantage. We do not believe that pandering to bigotry is a viable electoral strategy.
We call on you, Sir Keir, to retract your comments to the Times regarding Kemi Badenoch’s reactionary plan to strip transgender people of their rights, and to affirm that:
– transgender women are women
– transgender men are men
– nonbinary people should have their genders legally recognised.
We are hopeful that you are willing to listen to communities such as ours.
Yours,
Neurodivergent Labour
Very nicely worded letter.
Thank you.