Journalist claims she faces police investigation for misgendering trans woman

A journalist has claimed she is being investigated by police after she called a transgender woman a man.

Caroline Farrow. Picture: Twitter.

Caroline Farrow said she has been told by Surrey Police that they “want to conduct a taped interview under caution” because of posts she made on social media in September.

The comments were made after she appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain alongside Susie Green, whose daughter Jackie Green is transgender, to discuss the Girl Guides’ decision to let children who have changed their gender join.

The police’s decision to launch an investigation is an “outrage”, she tweeted on Tuesday, adding: “I can’t sleep I am so furious.”

She said: “I don’t even remember said tweets! I probably said ‘he’ or ‘son’ or something.

“All I have been told is that following an appearance on Good Morning Britain I made some tweets misgendering Susie Green’s child and that I need to attend a taped interview.

“I have pointed out to police that I am a Catholic journalist/commentator and it is my religious belief that a person cannot change sex.”

Ms Farrow added that she would “happily do jail time” for her “right to say that people cannot change sex”.

Ms Farrow said she had been “overwhelmed by the support” she had received over the incident, adding: “Thank you.”

She argued that she had done nothing wrong and the mistake was “inadvertent and Freudian” as she tries “really hard not to misgender people”.

A police spokesman said: “A thorough investigation is being carried out to establish whether any criminal offences have taken place.

“We received an allegation on October 25 2018 in relation to a number of tweets which were posted in October 2018.

“A 44-year-old woman has been asked to attend a voluntary interview in relation to the allegation as part of our ongoing investigation.

“We have been made aware that a number of allegations have since been made on Twitter and we will be making contact with the person concerned in relation to these posts.”

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said in November that forces should focus their resources on tackling violence over other types of crime.