‘Genderbread person’ teaches Whitehall staff
CIVIL servants are being given presentations on sex and gender identity – using a ‘genderbread person’ picture.
The gingerbread man-style graphic, described as ‘unscientific nonsense’, has featured in workshops for Government staff run by a trans and intersex group.
The genderbread person is designed to illustrate the contested belief that biological sex sits on a spectrum. on it, anatomical sex is described as ‘male-ness’ or ‘female-ness’. Gender identity is described as ‘woman-ness’ or ‘man-ness’.
The group showing the graphic – a:gender – describes itself as ‘the network supporting all trans and intersex staff across Government’. It has expanded from the Home office to become a cross-Government membership network.
It says it wants officials to go beyond equality legislation and use ‘appropriate language/names/ pronouns’ and ‘challenge inappropriate language or behaviours’.
The genderbread person was shown in a video call for around 180 civil servants in February. The graphic has been displayed in other major Government departments in diversity meetings.
Public bodies have also reportedly partnered with Global Butterflies, a trans lobby group, which has used the genderbread image.
Bev Jackson, the director of the charity LGB Alliance, told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘It’s extraordinary that the civil service continues to forge relationships with lobby groups masquerading as training providers to promote aggressively ideological and unscientific nonsense.
‘These lobby groups claim to be diversity and equality experts, but often misrepresent equalities law to undermine women’s rights and those of LGB people.’
Global Butterflies was founded in 2015 by rachel reese, a trans woman. Its website lists among its clients Strategic Command, UK Parliament, British Transport Police and NHS Health education
england. A Global Butterflies spokesman said it worked with ‘many inclusive organisations in all sectors of the UK, both private and public sector bodies’.
The House of Commons said it paid for a session with Global Butterflies last year as part of Transgender Awareness Day but had no continual relationship. The Ministry of Defence said it paid no money but held a panel discussion with Global Butterflies in 2019.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urged ministries to pull out of LGBT+ charity Stonewall’s diversity scheme this year as she believed it did not provide value for money.