Biological sex is 'fundamentally important', says PM
The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has affirmed the importance of biological sex in a move that some see as putting distance between him and the Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer.
Speaking to Conservative Party activists and supporters at special Conservative Home event, the PM was asked where he stood on the issue of transgender.
Sir Keir was criticised after saying 99% of women 'of course haven't got a penis', suggesting in his view that 1% do.
Sunak said he had a 'slightly different point of view' from Sir Keir. When asked if he believed 100% of women do not have a penis, the PM said: "Yes of course".
He went on to say that as a "general operating principle for me, biological sex is vitally, fundamentally important to these questions - we can't forget that - and that's why we need to make sure, particularly when it comes to women's health, women's sports or indeed women's spaces, that we are protecting those rights and those spaces."
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has advised the government to amend the Equality Act and change the wording to protect 'biological sex' rather than 'sex'.
Commenting, CARE's James Mildred said:
"It is a stark reminder of where we are culturally that we the leaders of the two largest UK political parties are answering questions on the genitalia of biological women. Two things are vitally important in this debate. Firstly, we need to remember that gender dysphoria, thought present in a vanishingly small number of cases, is a really awful distressful experience and we must be compassionate in response. However, to truly love our neighbour in that instance involves also affirming that biological sex is immutable."
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Biological sex is 'fundamentally important', says PM