Birth coach ‘hounded out’ of Doula UK after saying only women have babies
A BIRTH coach has been ‘ostracised’ by her professional organisation after transgender activists branded as offensive a Facebook post in which she said that only women can have babies.
Lynsey McCarthy-Calvert, 45, was forced to stand down as spokesperson for Doula UK and has since resigned altogether from t he national organisation for birth coaches. Her exit comes after transgender rights activists triggered an investigation in which Doula UK concluded her message breached its equality and diversity guidelines.
They did not expel the motherof- four, who has been a doula – who provide continuous support during pregnancy – for six years, but threatened to suspend her unless she deleted the post.
Mrs McCarthy-Calvert did so, but resigned believing Doula UK had ‘acquiesced’ to demands from a small number of activists and failed to stand up for women’s rights.
‘ I am angry and sad,’ she said last night. ‘I was effectively ostracised for saying I am a woman and so are my clients.
‘I have been very disappointed by Doula UK’s response. The leadership are paralysed by not wanting to upset transgender rights activists. They have fallen over thems e l ves t o a c qui e s c e to t hei r demands.’ The controversy comes after a series of recent victories for transgender activists.
Flora margarine stopped advertising on Mumsnet after the website was accused of being transphobic for hosting a wide range of views on transgender issues. And the makers of Always sanitary towels removed the female ‘Venus’ symbol from packaging after complaints from trans men.
The Doula UK row started after Cancer Research UK dropped the word ‘women’ from its smear test campaign, instead saying screening was ‘ relevant for everyone aged 25-64 with a cervix’.
In response, Mrs McCarthyCalvert posted a photograph on Facebook of a negligee-clad woman somersaulting underwater, with the wording: ‘I am not a “cervix owner” I am not a “menstruator” I am not a “feeling”. I am not defined by wearing a dress and lipstick. I am a woman: an adult human female.’
Beneath it she wrote: ‘ Women birth all the people, make up half the population, but less than a third of the seats in the House of Commons are occupied by us.’
She claimed women were accused of transphobia more than men, arguing men were not ‘subjected to cries of bigotry and transphobia when they say they don’t want to have sex with a woman with a
‘They’ve aquiesced to activists’ demands’
penis’. Most trans-women have not had their male genitalia removed.
A Facebook follower accused her of using ‘absolutely disgusting language’, adding: ‘Also, you seem to be forgetting that not only women birth children.’
Days l ater, around 20 t rans activists wrote a letter of complaint claiming Mrs McCarthy-Calvert had ‘clearly’ breeched Doula UK policies stating that members ‘shouldn’t post anything that our colleagues, clients and affiliates would find offensive’.
They alleged that the post contained several ‘trans exclusionary comments’ i ncluding t he description of a woman as an ‘adult human female’.
Doula UK immediately withdrew Mrs McCarthy-Calvert as spokesperson and, after a four- month investigation, its board of directors concluded in March the post ‘does breach Doula UK’s guidelines’.
Last night, Doula UK denied it had ‘acquiesced’ to activists or that Mrs McCarthy-Calvert had been ‘in some way driven out of the organisation’.
A s pokesperson a dded: ‘ We are proud to say that we seek to listen to the lived experience of marginalised groups and make changes – including changes to the language we use – if we believe it is necessary to make the Doula UK community more welcoming and supportive.’