The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak boldly asserted his stance on gender identity, proclaiming that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman.” The statement, characterized as “common sense,” stirred both applause from Conservative Party Conference attendees and criticism from transgender rights activists.
Sunak’s speech covered various topics, including his commitment to legislate that “sexual and sadistic” killers would face life imprisonment. He emphasized positions he deemed non-controversial, such as parents being informed about their children’s school curriculum on relationships.
During the annual Conservative Party gathering in Manchester, Sunak expressed, “And we shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be. They can’t. A man is a man and a woman is a woman — that’s just common sense.”
This isn’t the first time Sunak has entered the discourse on gender-related issues. In April, he garnered attention for agreeing with the suggestion that all women, rather than 99 percent, “haven’t got a penis.” While Sunak acknowledged the importance of compassion and understanding for those exploring their gender, he maintained the significance of biological sex to women’s rights and spaces.
Transgender news outlet PinkNews accused Sunak in June of mocking trans women, releasing a secretly recorded video from a meeting with conservative MPs. The video contained a joke where Sunak suggested that a political opponent was attempting to convince everyone that “women clearly had joysticks.” The prime minister’s spokesperson defended the comments as a joke aimed at a political opponent rather than a specific group.
Despite the ongoing debates on gender identity in British politics, surveys indicate varying public opinions. A June Ipsos survey revealed that most Britons believe transgender people face discrimination. Additionally, a 2022 More In Common survey found that 46 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that “a trans man is a man and a trans woman is a woman.”
Following Sunak’s recent speech, prominent transgender newsreader India Willoughby accused the prime minister of “putting people in danger and inciting threats to their lives.” This comes amid a backdrop of increasing reports of potential transgender hate crimes, with over 2,800 incidents reported between September 2001 and February 2022 in Greater London. The number of reported incidents has seen a significant uptick since the mid-2010s, rising from 75 in 2013 to 428 in 2021.
