Equalities Minister Still Can't Say Which Toilet Trans People Are Meant To Use
Education secretary Bridget PhillipsonThe equalities minister Bridget Phillipson was unable to explain which toilets transwomen are meant to use this morning after last week’s Supreme Court ruling.The UK’s five most senior judges decided a woman – and sex in general – is defined by biology, in a major blow to the trans community.While the ruling promised to offer clarity around the differentiation between sex and gender, many highly personal questions remain – including where trans people can go to the toilet when in public.Phillipson said last June that trans women could use female toilets.But, speaking to Radio 4′s Today programme on Tuesday, she gave a much more confusing answer when asked the same question.BBC presenter Anna Foster said: “If a trans woman is out in public today and wants to use the toilet, which toilet should they use?”“That should be on the basis on biological sex, that would apply right across the board to all single-sex provision,” Phillipson replied.“The EHRC [Equality and Human Rights Commission] will be setting out additional guidance and statutory code of practice, because we need to make sure everyone has the ability to access services which are safe and appropriate and respect their privacy and dignity.”Foster pointed out that guidance is not out yet – and so repeated her question.She asked: “If you are a trans woman and you’re out in public and you need to use the toilet today, you use the men’s toilet?”The minister said it’s down to biological sex, adding: “I know many businesses, large and small, will ensure they have appropriate provision.”Phillipson said “in most cases”, businesses have moved towards unisex toilets or separate cubicles which can be used by anyone.But Foster pushed: “If that third space doesn’t exist yet, if there isn’t anything other than a male and a female toilet, and you are a trans woman and you want to use the toilet today, which door do you walk through?”“You use the service that is available based on biological sex,” she said, before insisting again that most places have a “third space”.Foster asked: “The disabled toilet?”“No, in many cases it’s just one toilet to be used by everyone,” the minister said – and then moved away from the topic.She said: “There are important questions around, for example, the use of toilets, the use of changing facilities, but there are also profound questions that I think are even more important – hospital provisions, rape crisis centres, women’s refuge.”Phillipson added the ruling had brought clarity to such facilities.Labour has tied itself up in knots over the question of gender in recent years.Party leader – and now prime minister – Keir Starmer said in 2021 that it was “not right” to say only women have a cervix.But he later U-turned, telling the BBC Question Time election debate last June that he agreed with former PM Tony Blair’s comment that “biologically, a woman is with a vagina and a man is with a penis”.Labour also dropped its promise to introduce self-identification in the summer of 2023.Related...'Trans People All Woke Up To A Bleak New World Today. How Did We Get Here?'Trans People's Rights Are Under Threat – This Is How You Can HelpLabour Minister Says Tories Should Apologise For Past Pro-Trans Women Stance
