Transgender Rights: More than politics
Following Boris Johnson’s resignation as Prime Minister, several Conservative MPs have thrown their hat in the ring to have their chance at the job. The five candidates - now whittled down to just two - have faced many tough questions surrounding the economy and the Ukraine conflict. Yet one debate is fresh in the minds of the public, and one that is not typically at the fore of Conservative discussion: where does each candidate stand on transgender rights in the UK?
By: Sam Feierabend.
Credit: The Guardian.
The issue surrounding transgender rights was thrust back into public scrutiny in May 2022, when the government announced plans to ban gay conversion therapy in the UK. However, the ban would not extend to those having therapy to convert their gender identity. Effectively, this means that it is still legal to try and convert people’s choice on their gender. As a Conservative policy to do this, any potential leader now faces scrutiny on their stance for this.
Despite controversy around the conversion therapy laws, it should
not be understated that huge steps have been made for those who wish to change
their gender assigned at birth. Since 1999, laws have been in place to protect transgender
people, with this being strengthened in the 2000s to include anti-harassment
wording. In 2010, gender realignment was included for the first time in the
Equality Act as a protected characteristic. This went further in 2013, to say
that a person could legally change their gender in marriage without
requiring a divorce as part of the same-sex marriage law.
However, there is no denying that there is a long way to go for
transgender rights in the UK. This somewhat explains the pressure on Conservative
leadership candidates to explain their stance on the issue. The so-called ‘war
on woke’ that had been a theme of the Johnson-government appears to continue
under early frontrunner Rishi Sunak, whose stance has been centred around
ensuring ‘women are not eliminated by gender neutral phrasing.’ Penny Mordaunt
has historically been vocal in her support for trans rights, but has been
accused of recent hypocrisy for a Twitter thread posted from her account
stressing that; ‘while trans women may, by law, be women but they are not
biological women.’ Phrases like ‘biological women’ are considered as slurs by
trans advocates when used by gender critical activists.
Misgendering of trans people in the public sphere is harmful to their wellbeing. For a public that is evolving and learning when it comes to equality, people in positions of power getting it wrong can trickle through the population and lead to more transphobic views getting attention. The fact it is getting so much attention in a mainstream political election is good for public awareness, and is another point of scrutiny for those running.
The remaining two candiates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak appear to have pushed transgender rights out of sight in hopes to keep it out of mind. But in this political race, human rights should always be a priority. It is worth noting how the Conservative leadership candidates approach it, as it may shape a generation’s opinion of them in the future general eletction.