Sonia Sodha’s well-balanced article did an excellent job of highlighting the dangerous trend of silencing and ostracising women with gender-critical views (“If Labour is truly the party of equality, it shouldn’t shut down the trans debate”, Comment). I agree that most people would say that women’s sex-based rights must be protected in law – alongside trans rights, not replaced by them.
I live in Scotland and am deeply concerned about the gender recognition reform bill being pushed through by the SNP government without proper consideration of women’s concerns and due diligence given to assessing its full impact in the law. Most gender-critical women understand that passion and pressure are required to effect change for the better and fully empathise with the issues facing trans people. However, it becomes dangerous when this emotional reaction overpowers the respectful and considered debate that is required to examine all aspects of any change in the law. The toxic public environment around this debate is making many women, myself and my friends included, fearful of expressing our concerns on issues that profoundly affect our lives. It’s not healthy in a so-called progressive society for any sensible dissenting argument in such a complex debate to be shouted down as “transphobic” or “fascist”. This culture of fear, abuse and repression aimed at women who dare to speak up for themselves is no more acceptable now than it was a hundred years ago. We need to encourage constructive dialogue, not stoke the flames of mutually destructive culture wars.
Name and address withheld
