'Trans women's rights are women's rights': Angela Rayner outlines Labour's self ID stance

18 July 2022, 12:55 | Updated: 20 October 2022, 11:54

Angela Rayner on trans rights

A trans caller challenges Angela Rayner over Labour's stance on gender identity - this is her passionate response.

Rebecca, a 19 year old transgender woman, told LBC she feared for her safety under a Tory Government, especially during the leadership race: "All of [the leadership candidates] seem to try and one up each other on who can attack trans people the most.

"It's like we're being used some kind of political football. Penny Mordaunt going from saying trans women are women to saying I'd never support self ID. It feels like no matter what over the next two years at least, I'm just going to lose more rights.

"I'm terrified of checking Twitter because trans people are always trending with people hating us. The question I really want to ask is: is a Labour Government really going to be able to fix that?"

Rebecca admitted that she doesn't know whether she can trust either party due to Labour's own"transphobic" ministers, citing Rosie Duffield and Rachel Reeves.

The deputy leader of the Labour Party branded the trans debate as "nasty, devastating" and "harmful for people."

Angela Rayner takes aim at Boris Johnson over Chequers 'booze-up'

She continued: "We were the party of equal marriage, we were the party of the equalities act, we got rid of the section 28 back when that was disastrous legislation against the LGBT community. We've got to make a stand now."

"Using the trans debate at the moment and transgender women as some sort of political football to abuse and debase is absolutely appalling. I don't think a vast majority of the public are on that side either.

"i think we can look at the gender recognition act, we can look at self identification that can protect the rights of people that want to transition, but also prevents the fears out there.

"Transgender women's rights are women's rights... It is our women's movement collectively that can have the solution to that and can work with each other."

Angela denigrated "some of the leadership candidates" who are "not doing any justice to what we need to do in Britain to make it a more equal place for people, and a more nurturing place and a more loving place for people who want to get on in life."

She apologised on behalf of society that Rebecca is feeling fearful and hated: "I hope you genuinely feel it that that is not what the majority of the British public feel. There is love out there for everybody and there is a way of being able to find a consensus on this issue. I absolutely believe it."