Kathleen Stock trans gender identity row: Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch ‘appalled’ at treatment of professor

Kathleen Stock, a professor of philosophy at the University of Sussex, announced last week that she will be leaving her job after “an absolutely horrible time” and “a very difficult few years”.

Ms Badenoch told the Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme, today: “I was appalled at the way that she was treated.

“In fact, I went to Sussex University and I tweeted when I saw the university statement backing her, nobody should face bullying or harassment in the workplace. That is actually another thing that the Equality Act looks at, bullying and harassment.

“I don’t think she should lose her job. I think that she has every right to hold the beliefs, which she does, I think she is probably in step with the majority of the population.

“What we in Government are trying to do is show that we do believe that trans people should be free to live their lives as they wish, but where people see a conflict, and that conflict has tended to be around single-sex spaces and the definition of gender reassignment and how gender critical feminists, as they are known, believe that those rights are in conflict, what we can do in order to provide clarity.”

Ms Badenoch insisted that while the Government does not believe in gender self-identification for trans people, there should be a process to get gender recognition certificates.

She said: “The Government position is that we will do everything we can to support trans people in particular, all LGBT people, but trans people in particular when it comes to healthcare, because they have different healthcare needs from other LGBT people.

“However, we do not think that goes as far as self ID, we do believe that there should be a process to get a gender recognition certificate, and the process does mean involving medical professionals as well.”

When told some trans activists would say the fact she did not accept the statement trans women are women, is in itself a form of violence, Ms Badenoch said: “I think it’s sad that the debate has turned into one of name-calling.

“What I would ask people to do is actually look at what the policies are, what it is we’re doing in order to protect people of all types, whether they are LGBT, of different race, racial backgrounds, the different sexes.

“We are a Government that believes in equality and fairness for all, and everything we’re doing is to make sure that we have an equal society, and we should not get to a point where having a different opinion becomes a reason to insult other people. That’s absolutely wrong.”

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