Labour must use conference to be bolder on standing up for trans rights

Trans people remain a punching back for the UK Government.

There is a lot said about trans people by commentators and politicians, with very little heard in return.

They have no representation, with the myth of a so-called ‘Trans lobby’ something entirely made up to justify spreading hateful, intolerant rhetoric.

Treated less than a minority, they have instead become a political punching bag, a chance for Conservatives or unfunny comedians to retain relevancy by appealing to a small and hateful base.Not written anything relevant in a decade? Start making legally unsound accusations on Twitter. Struggling to fix NHS England’s waiting list? Reduce mentions of trans people on a website. Lacking new policies that can improve a period of decline you are responsible for? Use your flagship speech to misgender trans people. We live in a time where a Prime Minister can fit digs at trans people in a speech, but nothing about housing. Instead of nuance, there is only incitement.

This is the state of British discourse, where people simply repeat “single-sex spaces” to loud cheers, while trans people simply ask for dignity. Make no mistake about it, this is shameful, disgraceful, and a rhetoric that has dire consequences. Anecdotally, numerous trans friends have said they need to “disassociate”, or shared their anguish at only ever being mentioned to score points, never to make their lives easier. Trans people can wait seven years for NHS initial assessment, and ministers are laughing.

Transgender hate crimes have increased by 186 per cent in the last five years, or 11 per cent in the past year in England and Wales. Looking at the language of those who govern us, is it any surprise?

What’s more, it’s all for nothing. Of course the public has concerns, but trans voices are never heard to correct them. But so many of the fears are unfounded, with evidence to prove it.

In December 2022, trans advocacy group Translucent published an investigation after sending FoI requests to 102 NHS trusts asking: “How many natal female inpatients complained that a transgender woman inpatient was being cared for in the same ward?”. The answer was zero.

So now we come to Labour conference, the party of so-called progressives, and one that likes to think of itself as on the side of the oppressed. Yet on trans issues, it has decided their plight is a sacrifice worth making, choosing ambivalence lest Sir Keir Starmer be asked for the 100th time by some gleeful pundit if a woman can have a penis.But those questions are not just questions, they are degrading searches for clicks, attempts to undermine a movement so in need of solidarity, so desperate for a voice to speak for them.

This should be Sir Keir’s stance, this should be everyone’s stance, all of those who want to live in a more equal country. You can have concerns about spaces and still want trans people to feel loved and part of society.Best of all, it would be free. At a time the party is so hesitant to make unfounded spending commitments, it costs nothing to say something nice, something inclusive, and something that could lead the way for others to follow. Labour has a chance to stand up for trans rights and Sir Keir must take it.