Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
MP branded ‘transphobe’ before fake tweet hoax
City’s Labour member caught up in online twitter storm
Accusations of transphobia have been levelled at Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield after she said “only women have a cervix”.
A row involving the city’s Labour member erupted after she liked a tweet written by loud-mouth television host Piers Morgan.
The former newspaper editor took umbrage with a CNN post that referred to “individuals with a cervix” in a reminder about the importance of smear testing.
Mr Morgan replied to the tweet, asking: “Do you mean women?”
After endorsing his view, Ms Duffield was flooded with complaints from social media users arguing that the comment undermined the status of transgender men. Responding to the criticism, the Canterbury MP wrote: “I’m a ‘transphobe’ for knowing that only women have a cervix .... ?!” However, a follower replied with a screenshot taken from the NHS website outlining how often transgender men with cervixes will be invited to the doctor’s surgery for smear tests. The parliamentarian then added: “Of course this applies to some people, they’ll know who they are and this advice is great. “But the implication that one cannot describe oneself as a woman without inviting a pile-on is beyond ridiculous now.
“Almost 52% of the UK population are women.”
The 49-year-old labelled the opposition she had received as a “tedious communist pile-on” and said it was “hardly a suitable discussion for Twitter”. Her posts sparked calls for the MP, who left her post as party whip and stepped down from the shadow front bench in May after it emerged she had broken lockdown rules, to be removed from her seat. Meanwhile, journalist Katelyn Burns wrote: “Recognising that trans men exist does not invalidate your womanhood, c’mon.” And the Labour Campaign for Trans Rights branded Ms Duffields remarks “transphobic”. The group said: “We are calling on our party to take action on this incident, and firmly
‘The implication that one cannot describe oneself as a woman without inviting a pile-on is beyond ridiculous now’
oppose the climate of transphobia which has helped to cause it.”
The Archbishop of Cantebury, Justin Welby, defended the “honest and kind” MP, saying: “She does not seek to demean others. To troll her is simply cruel and wrong.”
A fake tweet containing derogatory comments about constituents - created to look like it was written by Ms Duffield -was also shared over the weekend. The hoax prompted the MP to lock her account.