Labour MP Seeks Party Position Clarity Over Transgender Issues Amid Online Threats

The Canterbury MP, Duffield believes that biological females should be protected in spaces such as domestic violence refuges and prisons, with access barred to biological males.

Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who is vocal about the role self-identification plays when it comes to women's rights, will not be attending the upcoming Labour party conference in Brighton due to threats she received in the wake of her statements.

Duffield has regularly posted on social media, expressing her views on transgender issues.

Earlier this month, she said that while she fully supports the rights of all trans people, she refuses to accept "self-ID as a passport for male-bodied biological men to enter protected spaces for biological women".

"That includes DV (domestic violence) refuges, women's prisons, single-sex wards and school toilets. I believe the majority of people also support this view. The mostly male aggression and verbal abuse about this has resulted in changes to my personal safety and security arrangements.." she elaborated.

That is misogyny. Some angry strangers, none of whom have ever met me, have decided what I believe and that it is 'transphobic', which seems to others piling on to be the worst of all possible crimes. My sins? To agree that male-bodied people should not be included in lists...

— Rosie Duffield MP 💙 (@RosieDuffield1) September 10, 2021

Duffield has since received threats online, which she said reached "pretty horrible" levels of "vitriol".

Addressing the issue of Labour's stance on transgender rights, Duffield called on Keir Starmer, the party leader, to clarify the party's position.

Speaking in a recent interview, she said it was "necessary" to speak about the issue.

"Lots of women have been asking to meet with Keir Starmer in groups or one-to-one about this issue and obviously he is incredibly busy, but it would be good to just clarify what our position is as a party and just to discuss how we go forward with this issue. He's always positive about trying to organise a meeting, it just hasn't happened yet. I think it is really necessary that we actually talk about this."

Duffield's ordeal has triggered further reactions on social media.

What a disgrace that chair of the women’s parliamentary Labour Party Rosie Duffield can’t attend Labour conference because of threats to her safety. Left misogyny in action. I’m surprised not to see more male Labour MPs speaking out in solidarity.

— Sonia Sodha (@soniasodha) September 19, 2021

Whatever your argument if it requires normal people to believe that women like Rosie Duffield and J K Rowling are evil then it will lose because saying that looks mad.

— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) September 19, 2021

Rosie Duffield is perfectly entitled to her view that trans people should have the protections they have had for years, enshrined in the Equality Act, taken from them. But the fact she does so while a member of a supposedly progressive party is an embarrassment to Keir Starmer. https://t.co/CZLxOidgeV

— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) September 20, 2021

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said it was "unacceptable" for Duffield felt unsafe, and called for "civilised" conversation.

Our response to today's Sunday Times frontpage ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/huWmYl1seq

— LGBT+ Labour (@LGBTLabour) September 19, 2021

The Archbishop of Canterbury also took to Twitter to comment on the threats received by Duffield.

"Absolutely everybody has the right to be safe from abuse, threat or harm. That includes Rosie Duffield AND the transgender community. It’s about time we looked for our shared humanity in our dealings with others, rather than the division. #disagreewell"