Coalition demands end to spread of gender ideology

CHILDREN must no longer be taught they can be born in the wrong body, a coalition of politicians, campaigners and famous names demands today.

In a major campaign, more than 80 pressure groups and public figures have come together to call for an end to the spread of gender ideology across society.

They say the NHS and private doctors must never prescribe drugs to stop young people going through puberty, and schools should never allow pupils to ‘socially transition’ by letting them change names, pronouns and uniforms.

Their Declaration for Biological Reality also seeks to strengthen women’s rights by protecting single-sex spaces such as toilets and hospital wards, as well as banning transgender athletes from female sports.

And to defend freedom of speech they say no one should be reprimanded for saying humans cannot change sex, while public bodies such as the NHS and police must stop displaying ‘ideological symbols’ such as the rainbow flag.

Prominent signatories include MPs Mark Jenkinson, Nick Fletcher and Neale Hanvey, peer Baroness Fox of Buckley, Olympic athletes Sharron Davies and Mara Yamauchi, plus comedy writer Graham Linehan and pioneering headmistress Katherine Birbalsingh.

Writing in the Mail, declaration co-ordinator James Esses says: ‘All signatories are united by their desire to uphold biological reality in society. This is not about Left or Right. It is about right and wrong.’

The rallying cry comes amid bitter disputes in courts, Parliament, the public sector and on social media over the belief that self-described gender identity is more important than biological sex.

The declaration begins: ‘ Over recent years, there has been a demonstrable attack on biological reality in the United Kingdom. This has skewed public policy and discourse in favour of an ideology that has no scientific basis and which poses safeguarding risks to some of the most vulnerable groups.’

Ministers have attempted a fightback with plans to rewrite the Equality Act to make it clear that the term sex is based on biology rather than gender identity.

Last week the Labour-run Welsh government was accused of trying to introduce gender self-ID by the back door. And Scotland’s Court of Session has ruled that a transgender woman who obtains a Gender Recognition Certificate is a woman under equality law, a decision which campaigners say means biological males can be considered lesbians.