a senior Labour The MP said she was “shocked” to learn that her colleague Rosie Duffield felt unable to attend the party’s annual convention, as her views on trans women made her feel unwanted.
Duffield, who received threats and was branded transphobic after liking a tweet that said women were people with cervicitis, has confirmed she will not attend the convention due to the controversy generated by her remarks.
Shadow Treasury minister, Pat McFadden, told Sky News on Sunday that he was surprised that Duffield was unable to attend the conference, adding that the party would not allow people to debate difficult issues without resorting to abuse. . Gotta find a way.
Duffield, the MP for Canterbury, has a record of expressing gender critical views. She used an interview with the Sunday Times to say that the line about her stance – which has seen her face sharply criticized and abused online by trans activists – left her “tired” and “intimidated” at times. Had given.
But she said she “primarily made the decision”. [not to attend conference] Not because I really thought I was going to be attacked, but because I didn’t want to be the center of attention. “
Sadiq Khan, Labour The mayor of London said he thought someone with a similar stance to Duffield would be welcome to the Labor convention.
In an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr, he said: “It is unacceptable that anyone feels unsafe at a Labor Party convention, be it Rosie Duffield, whether it is a journalist or anyone else. We need to have this conversation in a civilized way. Need to do with. Ability to do.”
Khan, who, like McFadden, did not support Duffield’s views on trans women, continued: “One in four trans teens tries to kill themselves. They are one of the most vulnerable members of our society and it really is. It is important that we approach this debate in a calm, calm, respectful manner.”
In a separate interview, Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, defended the party’s decision to ban one member from standing as a parliamentary candidate, saying that women should be women.
Refusing to comment on the particular case, Dewey said: “The point is we’re really clear [on] is that a trans woman is a woman and a trans man is a man. This is the issue we are fighting over. We believe that trans rights are human rights.”