The Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has claimed that questioning the decision made by the Supreme Court in regards to their recent ruling on sex and gender under the Equality Act is 'absolutely unacceptable'.
Speaking to Parliament's Human Rights Joint Committee, Mahmood has condemned criticism of the ruling. She said 'I think it’s disappointing since then that some individuals have sought to question the validity of the Supreme Court or cast aspersions, which is absolutely unacceptable.
'I think they’ve done their job and I think they’ve sought to do it in a way that recognises that we’re talking about a balance of rights, but sought to give confidence to a minority community that they still have protections.' She went on to say that she believes the ruling 'provided legal clarity'.
This is not the first time that Mahmood has spoken out on topics that directly impact trans and queer people, and has been criticised in the past for taking positions against LGBTQ+ rights. In 2019 she came under fire for complaining about relationship and sex education and it's age appropriateness. She was criticised for this, as she only complained about LGBTQ+ relationships being taught, implying that primary school children learning about some families having two dads was somehow not acceptable, yet finding no issue with children of that age learning about heterosexual families.
She has also been vocally in support of 'gender critical' people (anti-trans activists and bigots), claiming that they have faced harsh treatment when they've been held accountable for holding awful views. Mahmood said that she agreed with 'gender critical' people on their stance of biological sex, and that she supported comments made by known transphobe JK Rowling.
It would appear that Shabana Mahmood is no stranger to skirting controversy around the queer community, and with having spoken out in defence of transphobes in the past she would seem to likely share many of their views on trans women, and the larger trans community. As such, it's no surprise that she has come out in defence of the Supreme Court ruling.
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| 'Gender critical's' celebrating the loss of trans rights. |
Now for some language that will probably be a little offensive, so I apologise for that in advance, but fuck Shabana Mahmood, and anyone else who claims that we should be unable to question this disgusting ruling. It is frankly offensive and insulting to suggest that people rightfully questioning the law, especially one that is being used to enforce segregation and strip a vulnerable minority group of rights, protections, and safety. I believe that it's unacceptable to not question that.
Two week after the Supreme Courts ruling that women under the Equality Act is defined as 'biological women', they have yet to clarify what this actually means. What is a biological woman? What is the necessary condition required for being a woman? Is it chromosomes, and if so what about all of the various chromosomal configurations that fall outside of this supposed binary the court has claimed exist? If it's the ability to produce eggs and have children, what about infertile women? If it's genitals, what about people with intersex conditions that don't have clear, defined genitals that fall into one of two rigid boxes? Of course we have to question this ruling Shabana, it makes no fucking sense! There is no clarity whatsoever, and the Supreme Court's response of 'well common sense' means absolutely nothing, differs from person to person, and is completely unenforceable.
This ruling has to be questioned because it's impractical. Organisations are falling over themselves to be the most exclusionary ones around, introducing policies that ban trans people from all single sex spaces. But how will that be enforced? Are we going to have to show ID to use public bathrooms and changing rooms? Will there be someone there to test chromosomes? Are we going to have to undergo genital inspections before being let through the door? Again, none of this has been explained, so of course it needs to be questioned. But then also anyone with an ounce of real sense knows that it's only ever going to be enforced by bigots who are going to judge based on appearance, and that we're going to see a huge uptick in people being harassed for not looking 'woman enough' to be in certain spaces; something that will affect trans and cis women equally.
All of this is ignoring the fact that the UK Supreme Court doesn't create the law, it simply interprets the law, and that the government has parliamentary supremacy, which means that we could simply create a new law that makes things fair and clear, rather than listening to this ridiculous decision that's already started to ruin lives and makes no sense.
Question this law. Question most laws. If people didn't question the fairness, validity, and worthiness of laws there would still be countless injustices happening in the world that were at one time fully legal and acceptable that we've now agreed are terrible things. The ill treatment of trans people is of course unjustifiable. It's a reactionary hate movement based on recycled prejudices and open hate that is actively making the world worse. Not only should it be questioned, it should be openly opposed at every turn.
As i recall, the Suffragettes questioned existing laws.
ReplyDeleteThey didMost fights for positive change have needed people to question existing laws. Abolition of slavery, women gaining the vote, workers rights, desegregation, marriage equality, disability rights, the list goes on. Transphobes will one day be seen as cruel and backwards as those who opposed such rights.
DeleteOf course, this is the first opportunity for the transgender community to have an authentic voice in their own lives. If only they were invited earlier.
ReplyDeleteIt's absolutely appalling that trans people have been constantly excluded from discussions on our rights.
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