Two UK MPs, Rosie Duffield from the Labour party and Miriam Cates from the Conservative party, have formed an alliance to fight against trans rights. The pair, known for their anti-LGBTQ+ views, claim to be working together to ensure “women’s rights are protected at all costs”.
In a recent interview with the Daily Express, Duffield and Cates expressed concerns over a “small group of extremist activists” (trans people) who they believe are trying to “wiped out” women’s rights “by stealth”. Despite claiming that their agenda is not anti-trans, the MPs’ alliance has raised concerns among the LGBTQ+ community, especially as Duffield has a long history of making anti-trans remarks.
Duffield and Cates have urged voters to ask their councillors about their stance on the issue of trans rights in the run-up to local elections on May 4. They argue that access to “single-sex-only spaces is crucial” and that “one person’s interests do not override another’s”. However, legal experts have previously explained why barring trans people from single-sex spaces would be unlawful.
The alliance has drawn criticism on social media, with trans newsreader India Willoughby comparing the MPs to “posh TERFs” (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) like JK Rowling. Willoughby also noted that the MPs’ stance is no different from “pro-life” campaigners’ views on abortion.
Duffield has previously been criticized by her party peers for her anti-trans comments, but no action was taken against her. Despite this, she has continuously claimed to support LGBTQ+ rights. Similarly, Cates has also faced backlash for linking trans people to predators in the House of Commons and accusing LGBTQ+ charities of teaching children “dangerous and contested extreme ideologies” in schools.
Their alliance against trans rights has been compared to the reviled Section 28, which banned the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ in schools and by local authorities from 1988. Although the legislation was repealed in 2003, its implications are still felt, and teaching around LGBT+ issues still remains a taboo topic in many schools.
As the debate over trans rights in the UK continues, Duffield and Cates’ alliance has sparked concern among the LGBTQ+ community, who fear that their views will stir up further anti-trans sentiment in the country.
