Multiple UK Labour groups & members have called upon Kier Starmer to remove the whip from Rosie Duffield MP. This following her repeated support of anti-trans rhetoric and campaigns.

It is no secret that UK Labour has a transphobia problem. Trans people have talked about it extensively – including in the mainstream press. So far the party has been largely silent on the issue.

A few members saw suspensions a few years ago for anti-trans behaviour. Behaviour which included one transphobe taking creepshots of a trans woman at the Labour Christmas party to post on social media. Jess Phillips was never held accountable for helping to spread a transphobic conspiracy theory blaming us for the murder of a cisgender woman. Rachel Reeves also said some crap things about trans women and there are multiple Labour councillors who use their social media to promote anti-trans narratives.

Though in recently focus has turned to calls to remove the whip from Rosie Duffield MP. Who has in my opinion been brazenly anti-trans with little to no pushback from within the party at all. The accusations that she is transphobic began when she posted “only women have a cervix” – deliberate phrasing meant to erase transgender men.

Since then Rosie Duffield MP has ‘gone full gender critical’; referring to trans women as “male-bodied people”, boozing it up with JK Rowling and other transphobes, threatening to leave the party a couple of times, setting up a unit to “stop gender ideology compromising women’s rights”, speaking at the LGB Alliance conference, and recently telling the media she would rather be arrested than call Eddie Izzard, a Labour candidate, by her pronouns.

The pushback on this obviously bigoted trajectory from inside the party has been lackluster so far. Emily Thornberry had a crack at it and other Labour MPs have shown support for trans rights and even specifically GRA reform. Starmer even weighed in with his usual background wall stylings by saying that it’s “not right” to say only women have a cervix, whilst ignoring calls to remove the whip from Rosie Duffield.

LGBT+ Labour groups have raised the issue a number of times previously to no success. However it appears this time it’s more co-ordinated with multiple Labour groups and members all calling on the party to remove the whip from Rosie Duffield. Such as; Labour Students, LGBT+ Labour, Young Labour Under 19s, University of Leicester Labour Society, and Labour members & representatives such as; George Aylett, Halima Khan, Tom Canham, George Whitton Towl, and Oliver Probert-Hill.

A general election could be right around the corner with the Conservative party the most unstable we have ever witnessed and the country on its 3rd Prime Minister this year. The Labour Party should look strong by comparison but it doesn’t. It looks weak because its allowing this party in-fighting to go on and not taking decisive action. As a leader Starmer needs to decide; is his party transphobic or is his party going to remove the whip from Rosie Duffield?

I personally don’t feel comfortable voting for a party who won’t tell me to my face where they stand on my humanity and my human rights. They have lost me as a supporter until they pick a lane; I hope that those calling to remove the whip from Rosie Duffield join me when the party inevitably continues its inaction on transphobia.

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