Rosie Duffield, who resigned as a Labor MP on Saturday (September 28) following a fierce attack on Keir Starmer over her donations and policies, has been controversial in recent years for her comments about the trans community, and has spoken out about her views. is leading the way. against some former party members who had previously called for the whip to be removed.
The Canterbury MP has been repeatedly criticized for referring to trans women as “male bodies” and saying trans women should not have access to domestic violence shelters, women’s prisons or separate toilets.
Criticism of Mr Duffield, who was elected to represent Canterbury in 2017, came in January 2023 when senior party aide Keir Stamer slammed his alleged friendship with JK Rowling, who has also been accused of anti-trans sentiments. It was reported that there was a lot of criticism.
Far-right blog Guido Fawkes claims Labour’s executive director of communications Matthew Doyle claims Canterbury residents want her to spend more time with voters “rather than hanging out with JK Rowling”. It was reported that there was.
“There are some inaccurate comments by this MP (I wonder how he could possibly know so much about my constituency when there hasn’t been a Labor leader in it since I became an MP). “I don’t know if there are any,” Duffield said. Twitter.
As the debate over Rosie Duffield’s transgender comments continues, we explore the history of the politician’s controversial views from the beginning of her tenure as Canterbar MP.y.
What does Rosie Duffield say about transgender people?
Duffield’s first public reference to the trans community is believed to date back to a tweet in which she criticized the idea. Inclusive language should be used for cervical cancer screening tests Back in 2020.
After CNN When Duffield shared the latest guidelines on cervical cancer screening and described those who need screening as “people with a cervix,” Piers Morgan responded, “Are you talking about women? ?” and Duffield was criticized for saying, “I like it.”
“I’m ‘transphobic’ because I know only women have cervixes…?!” Duffield later tweeted.
Since this first incident, Rosie Duffield has continued to insist that trans women should not have access to same-sex spaces such as changing rooms, restrooms, and domestic violence shelters.
In 2021, she wrote a long thread on Twitter about the trans community, calling trans women “biological men in male bodies” and coming out as having “gender critical” beliefs.
She went on to state her belief that the majority of people share her opinion that transgender women should be banned.[domestic violence] Shelters, women’s prisons, single-sex wards, school toilets.” the opposite is shown to be true YouGov data for 2020.
Duffield tweeted. “My crime? Agreeing that people with male bodies shouldn’t be included on the list of murdered women, or responding to Piers Morgan’s tweets like “Are you talking about women?” “Like!” That’s when I read a health advice post about “people with cervixes.” ”
She also opposed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which would make it easier for transgender people to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) to legally recognize their gender.
Mr Duffield stood in the House of Commons on 19 January 2023 and said that reforms to Scotland’s gender laws would ensure that “everyone can legally identify as either gender”, and would include new facilities such as women’s changing rooms, domestic violence shelters and more. falsely claimed that he would be able to enter the space.
Apart from her more general comments about the transgender community, Rosie Duffield also directed her gender-critical sentiments at Eddie Izzard, who was campaigning to become a Labor MP in Sheffield last autumn.
Mr Duffield spoke at the Labor Women’s Declaration discussion group at the Labor Conference in September 2022 and is said to have told attendees that he did not believe Mr Izzard was a woman.
“I’m not going to lie. I don’t say men are women. Eddie Izzard is not a woman,” the Canterbury MP was quoted as saying.
Attendees too claimed Ms Izzard claims the stand-up comedian threatened to leave Labor if she was chosen as an all-female finalist, despite claiming she never asked candidates to endorse her. .
A few weeks later, Duffield spoke at a conference for the LGB Alliance, and reportedly said she would rather be arrested than call Izzard a woman.
What is the relationship between Rosie Duffield and JK Rowling? Like?
Following the incident in which Matthew Doyle claimed Duffield should spend less time with JK Rowling and more time with voters. harry potter The author defended the congressman.
Rowling, who has long been criticized for her views on the trans community, said: Twitter: “Rosie Duffield, a former teaching assistant, single mother and domestic abuse survivor, won a Labor seat that was thought to be unattainable.
“After Corbyn, she returned to parliament with a majority…this is how Labor will reward her.”
similarly Quote each other’s tweets Duffield, who supported each other online, is also believed to have had lunch in 2022 with JK Rowling and other so-called “gender critical” activists Joanna Cherry MP and journalist Suzanne Moore. are.
Members of the lobbying group Get the Elle Out were also in attendance, calling gender-affirming medicine “a form of misogynistic medical abuse against lesbians” and “facilitating lesbian medical transition and promoting the use of harmful drugs.” and forcing unnecessary medical procedures on lesbians.” “A healthy body.”
The luncheon was held on April 10, 2022. On the same day, thousands of transgender people and their supporters gathered outside Downing Street to protest then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his plans to exclude transgender conversion therapy from potential barbaric practices. .
She has been criticized by other Labor members
Rosie Duffield’s comments about the transgender community have been condemned by members of her own party, which reportedly led to her being investigated by Labor officials over her social media activity in 2021. Two staff members reportedly resigned over their claims. That was the MP’s “blatantly transphobic” opinion.
The first of her staff to quit, a cis lesbian and reportedly the only LGBTQ+ person in Duffield’s office, was criticized in 2020 for her tweets being “offensive to the trans community.” I retired in .
In his resignation letter, the employee wrote:
“This puts me, an LGBT+ member of your team and someone who has spent most of my life campaigning for LGBT+ rights, in a very precarious position.”
He added that while he believes Duffield is “not a bad person,” her stance on transgender issues makes her position “untenable.”
Several Labor MPs have publicly defended Ms Duffield in the past, including Jess Phillips, Wes Streeting and Rachel Reeves, while several other Labor MPs have called for her whip to be removed over her comments. I’m looking for it.
After Rosie Duffield made headlines by claiming she wouldn’t ‘call Eddie Izzard a woman’, Young Workers Under 19 claims her views are ‘transphobic and offensive’ did.
“Her recent comments about Eddie Izzard are further proof of that. We therefore support LGBT workers’ calls for the Labor Party to lose its whip,” the group said.
Labor MP Nadia Whittome also spoke out about anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and called for tackling transphobia from within the party, following the government’s veto of Scotland’s gender reform.
Following the government’s unprecedented decision to block Scotland’s gender reform bill, Mr Whittome told PinkNews:
“We must provide an opportunity for all Labor members to learn about the discrimination faced by transgender people and why urgent change is needed.”
He did not name Rosie Duffield, but added: “Those who continue to make transphobic comments, regardless of their role or position within the party, should face disciplinary action.”
complaints from voters
In July 2023, Rosie Duffield’s constituents and “older feminists” called on MPs to, in their words, stop attacking transgender people.
Several residents in her constituency wrote to politicians asking them to “support all voters” and stop attacking the trans community. The incident comes just days after Ms Duffield was criticized for saying trans women who appeared on ITV’s segment on rising water bills were “not mothers”.
As a result, a group of nine self-proclaimed “older feminists” from Duffield’s Canterbury constituency wrote to her, condemning her “transphobic” views.
A letter published in the Whitstable Gazette, posted by Twitter account CanterburyWithTheT, said: “As Rosie Duffield’s feminist MP, we are saddened by the often unwarranted comments she makes about trans people, particularly trans women. I would like to strongly oppose it.”
The incident occurred in early July. Later that month, Rosie Duffield welcomed Labour’s new policy on reforming the Gender Recognition Act (GRA), which reverses its commitment to allowing transgender people to self-identify.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today program on 25 July with transgender Liberal Democrat MP Helen Belcher, she said she believed Labor was “moving in the right direction” and that there were now people with her and similar views. He said he was just agreeing with other people’s opinions. I’ve been saying this for [past] A few years.”
The MP, who has held the Canterbury seat since 2017, said: “It seems to me that Labor has come a long way. Perhaps Mr Keir is continuing his journey.”
Despite Rosie Duffield’s transgender status, the politician has continually maintained that she supports LGBTQ+ rights and has fought for gay rights throughout her career.
in 2021 twitter threadDuffield said: “I have actively fought for gay rights (and all human rights) throughout my life. This is well-known and well-documented, and anyone who knows me knows that This is a fact that anyone can attest to.
“After less than two hours of sleep, I decided to give my first parliamentary speech at Canterbury’s first Pride event.”
She added that while she rejected the idea of self-ID and the right for trans women to use same-sex-only spaces, she supported “the right of all trans people to live freely as they choose.”
“I will continue to support LGBT rights, as I have throughout my life,” she added.
pink news We contacted Rosie Duffield for comment, but she said our email was a “total waste of time”.
“Pink News is not the kind of news outlet I would send a comment to,” she said.
Source: PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news – www.thepinknews.com