“>She knows she will be attacked for speaking out, but she has decided to do so because she fears that protections and rights won by previous generations of feminists are in danger of being undermined. […]
The MP, who is 49, insists that she has always campaigned against prejudice in all its forms. “I’m not anti-trans; everyone has the right to express themselves and be whatever and whoever they need to be.” But she is angry about what she describes as the “erasure of women”.
TEDx London recently published its autumn schedule of lectures using the word “womxn”. The MP decided she could not ignore the trend. “Men seem to have a space or a door with the word ‘man’ on, then women have ‘women and anyone else’. Why are we encroaching on women’s spaces but not men’s?”
Does she not think that trans women are women? “Yes, obviously that’s an important thing to say — if you’ve transitioned and you’re recognised as that, that’s up to you, then fine,” she replies. “From a woman’s point of view what we are really terrified of is the erasure of women’s safe spaces, access to a female GP if you want for intimate physical examinations . . . changing rooms . . . We seem to have galloped to the point where women’s spaces are being taken away and that’s deeply terrifying.”
It's unfortunate, though perhaps understandable in the circumstances, that she's bullied into saying that trans women are women. On the contrary, it's important to say that trans women are not women. She has to be careful here though – after all she's the one who's receiving the death threats, not her interviewers – and the bald question "do you think trans women are women?" is specifically designed to dare people to cross the line and set themselves up as targets for the trans activist mob. I take her position to be that once a man has transitioned it's reasonable, and a matter of simple courtesy, to treat that person as a woman, except where it involves gaining access to women's safe spaces.
Duffield knows her comments will make her unpopular with some in her party. “I did not set out to offend anyone,” she says. “The vast majority of my colleagues are afraid to even raise it as a subject that we should be talking about. There is an argument that the Tories are making it look as though they’re more tolerant than the Labour Party, and I think if we can’t discuss it then we’re in danger of that happening.”
The suffragettes chained themselves to the railings outside Parliament to get women the vote, and it horrifies Duffield that female politicians are in her view yet again being silenced. “If I had thought when I wanted to be an MP that after all of the things that women before me went through to get into politics I would be facing the kind of misogyny that I am on a daily basis I would have thought twice,” she says.
“Anything that ramps up the hate is terrifying. I’ll probably be killed at some point.” This is — almost — a throwaway comment, which only makes it more chilling.
Misogyny is the key here. This is a perfect vehicle for some men to express their hatred of women under the guise of appearing progressive.
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