Keir Starmer must stop 'sitting at the fence' on transgender issues, says Rosie Duffield

Ms. Duffield also asks for more information on how the promise to protect same-sex spaces will be «maintained in real life» 39; Photo: Jeff Gilbert.

Rosie Duffield has accused Sir Keir Starmer of sitting on the sidelines of transgender issues, despite the fact that he welcomes the Labor Party's decline in gender identity.

The MP for Canterbury spoke after Anneliese Dodds, a member parliament. the Shadow Secretary for Women and Equality confirmed that the party has given up trying to follow Nicola Sturgeon's ill-fated gender identity law.

The Labor leader had previously vowed he would change the law if elected to allow transgender people to self-declare their gender without a medical diagnosis, echoing Ms Sturgeon's policy in Scotland.

Ms Duffield, who spoke about feelings «isolated» among Labor MPs due to her gender-critical views, BBC Radio 4's Today program stated: «I read the same political ads as everyone else and I wasn't involved in a single detail.» p>

“So when I see all the details, I will understand what they are proposing, but, in general, they seem to be going in the right direction, and basically just sort of agreed with me and other groups of feminist activists [and] that what we've been saying for the last few years.

«And it's good to get some clarity, but there's still a little confusion and fence sitting, so I think we need a little more clarity before before we start the next elections.”

Same-sex spaces

Praising Sir Keir's transition to self-identification, Ms Duffield added: «This is literally the main thing that the feminists on my side of the argument wanted to stop and I'm very happy that it was announced very clearly.» /p>

She went on to ask for more information on how the commitment to protect single-gender spaces, such as domestic violence shelters, would be «maintained in real life» without «intrusive» personal checks.

Writing for The Guardian on Monday, Ms Dodds, who is also chair of the Labor Party, insisted that «sex and gender are different things» and reaffirmed that a formal diagnosis from a doctor is still necessary in order for people to changed gender, continuing to accuse the SNP of a «cavalier approach» to self-identification.

Nick Robinson, host of Today, said ahead of an interview with Ms. Duffield that Ms. Dodds refused to appear to discuss the policy change.

p>

He told listeners: “In a sign of how sensitive this issue is, the Labor spokesperson for women and equality simply wrote to The Guardian about this and does not want to discuss this change with us, as far as I can tell anyone. otherwise, this morning.”

“Step back”

Helen Belcher, a transgender activist and Liberal Democrat politician who ran for Parliament, responded to Ms. Duffield, saying that Labor’s new stance “makes us feel very insecure.» .

«It's a step backwards given that Keir Starmer said in a video that they supported the transition to gender self-declaration just two years ago, but we've seen a step back for conservatives as well.

“It makes us feel very insecure. I mean, Anneliese Dodds' article in The Guardian raises more questions than it answers.»

After the fiasco at Holyrood, which hastened Ms Sturgeon's political downfall, Sir Keir called for a «reset» of transgender people. debate north of the border.

He vowed that if he was elected Prime Minister, there would be no «fallback» on women's rights, and stressed that «99 percent of women … do not have a penis