A non-binary Green Party councillor for Newham in London recently stormed out of a council meeting after being repeatedly misgendered by Labour council chairperson Winston Vaughan. Danny Keeling uses they/them pronouns and was addressing Labour’s budget plans when the incident occurred. Vaughan initially referred to Keeling as “he,” and though he apologized and attempted to correct his language, council finance lead Zulfiqar Ali also misgendered Keeling, prompting the councillor to leave the meeting entirely.
Keeling has reported that they have been consistently misgendered during meetings for “weeks and weeks,” and that several councillors “never use the correct pronouns whatsoever.”
This incident occurred just a month after the council passed a trans rights motion meant to show support for the trans community. During that meeting, Keeling had addressed the council, saying that “enough is enough” and that the council was “institutionally transphobic.”
According to Keeling, the council and its Labour party have stated that they are “committed” to undergoing training in relation to trans matters. However, Keeling has expressed skepticism about these statements, noting that the council has made similar claims in the past without following through on them.
Following the incident, Keeling posted on Twitter, emphasizing the importance of respect and safety for trans individuals in the workplace and in political settings.