New women’s minister doesn’t ‘get it’, says Labour lesbian group
The new women’s minister “doesn’t get it”, a Labour lesbian group has warned, as it raised concerns about her stance on the transgender debate.
Lesbian Labour, which claims to represent the “voices of lesbians in the Labour Party”, said it had previously tried to impress on Anneliese Dodds that “sex needs to be biologically defined” because “sexual orientation is based on biological sex”, but was not convinced by her response.
Paula Boulton, speaking on behalf of the group, said that meetings with Ms Dodds, whose appointment as minister for women and equalities sparked a row on Monday, had made her concerned that she “doesn’t get it”.
She expressed the hope that now Ms Dodds was in government, she would listen to a wider range of opinions.
It comes after JK Rowling, Martina Navratilova and other feminist campaigners attacked the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint Ms Dodds, who has previously said that there are many definitions of a woman.
Ms Boulton said: “We have met her to explain that sex needs to be biologically defined, because sexual orientation is based on biological sex.
“As the Cass Review showed, young lesbians when they are exploring their sexual orientation get treated as if they are suffering from gender dysphoria, and get sent to gender clinics. It’s like a eugenics programme against lesbians.
“Anneliese Dodds doesn’t get it.
“We hope that now that they are in government, they will accept that their engagement procedures have been wrong. If we write an email, there should be an answer. No debate is over.
“Let’s hope that now she is in post she will listen to all stakeholders on this issue, not just those signed up to Stonewall, particularly lesbians.
“The distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation needs to be understood.”
Past comments called ‘nonsensical’
In an interview on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour in 2022, Ms Dodds said there are “different definitions legally around what a woman actually is”. When asked again, she said: “I think it does depend what the context is.”
She has also pledged that Labour is “committed to modernising the Gender Recognition Act”, saying the current process was “intrusive, outdated and humiliating”.
The row comes after months of criticism of Sir Keir Starmer’s stance on gender issues. He had previously said it was “wrong” for one of his MPs to say only a woman has a cervix, and last year said 99.9 per cent of women do not have a penis. He has since changed his stance and said biological men should not be allowed to use women’s lavatories.
Following Ms Dodds’s appointment, Rowling described her past comments as “nonsensical”.
The Harry Potter author, who gave Labour £1 million in 2008, has accused it of having “abandoned” her and others campaigning for women’s rights.
Writing in The Times, she said that she would struggle to vote for Sir Keir, saying she had a “poor opinion” of his character and accusing the party of a “dismissive and often offensive” approach to women’s concerns under his leadership.
Navratilova, the nine-times Wimbledon singles champion and another prominent gender-critical campaigner, responded to the announcement by tweeting: “Dodds is just awful...”
On its website, Lesbian Labour, which is separate from LGBT+ Labour, another lobby group, describes itself as “the voice of lesbians in the Labour Party”.
It says: “We are same-sex attracted women and our sex and sexual orientation are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. We intend to assert our rights and our views, and to make our voices heard.”
Ms Dodds has been approached for comment.