Rapist in women’s jail is direct result of gender fantasy
THEY say the best way to keep a secret is to make a speech on the floor of the House of Commons. But last week, a speech I made in Parliament unexpectedly received widespread attention across the mainstream news and social media. The reason for this was not that I had delivered some noteworthy oration, but rather because of the remarkable response that my speech evoked from another MP.
The debate was about the Government’s decision to block the Scottish Parliament’s Gender Recognition Bill, a piece of legislation that would allow anyone in Scotland to easily change the sex on their birth certificate. In my speech I supported this decision, on the grounds that the Bill would open legal loopholes that could be exploited by sexual predators.
To illustrate the dangers of allowing men to enter women’s spaces, I related a recent personal experience. I was alone in the women’s toilets at a restaurant, when a man dressed as a woman walked in and stood right behind me for some time, staring at me directly in the mirror.
As I said in my speech, I have no idea if this man meant any harm but, in that moment, my instincts as a woman kicked in – I felt frightened and fled.
Throughout my speech, opposition MPS heckled me loudly. But this was nothing compared to the response of the next speaker, Labour’s Lloyd Russell-moyle MP who, shouting, turning puce and jabbing his finger angrily towards me, said that my contribution was the “worst speech” he had ever heard and accused me of transphobia and bigotry, adding that my views were “abhorrent”. His speech quickly went viral, with millions of views on Twitter.
Whilst this angry rant was clearly unpleasant to witness, I know from the many emails I receive each week that women across the country experience far worse abuse when they raise concerns about women’s sex-based rights.
While many who argue for gender self-identification do so for reasons of compassion, there is also a hardcore of activists who
make no attempt to engage in debate, but prefer to stage intimidating protests displaying placards calling for feminists to be “decapitated” and “eaten” and even threaten to rape or murder those who disagree with their stance.
But as political leaders we must be honest with the public about the damaging consequences for society of this radical gender ideology.
Gender ideology is the idea that every individual has an innate sense of their “gender”, which is more important than their biological sex. There is no scientific evidence for any of these beliefs.
Your sex is determined at conception. It is impossible to change sex and your sex has considerable influence over characteristics such as strength. Despite being at odds with reality, gender ideology has pervaded our schools, our institutions and even our charities with alarming consequences.
This ideological capture was tragically demonstrated last week, when Scottish man Adam Graham was convicted of raping two women. During his trial he decided that he would prefer to be a woman, and from then on was referred to as “Isla”, with the pronouns “she” and “her” used in court and by journalists reporting on the case. Upon conviction, Graham was initially remanded in a women’s prison, although the backlash that followed forced Nicola Sturgeon to intervene.
I don’t need to spell out the
potential consequences of sending a male rapist to a women’s jail.
But this scandal has occurred as a direct result of intelligent, professional people swallowing the lie that a man is a woman just because he says so.
This scandal has occurred as a direct result of intelligent people swallowing the lie that a man is a woman just because he says so
ND THERE are consequences too for our children. It’s no coincidence that over the past 10 years there has been a 5,000 per cent rise in the number of girls referred to gender clinics. It is normal for teenage girls to experience discomfort with their bodies. It is not normal for adults they trust to tell them that this distress can be alleviated by changing gender.
And the detrimental impact on women’s safety and dignity will be considerable. Activists say that self ID will have no impact on women’s safety because trans people are not a risk, and of course people with a trans identity are no more or less dangerous than anyone else.
But if we shatter the social consensus that says it is unacceptable for biological men to enter women’s spaces, then predatory men – trans or not – will easily gain access to vulnerable women and girls.
Of course we should support people who are uncomfortable with their bodies. But nobody wins when politicians pretend there is “nothing to see here”, while embracing a radical ideology that puts women and girls in harm’s way.