LGBTQ+ organisations and activists are calling on British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to publicly apologise for mocking transgender people in a leaked video.
In a clip obtained by PinkNews, the Conservative Party politician can be heard making fun of Lib Dem leader Ed Davey for speaking in favour of trans rights.
“Over the same period of time, you might have noticed Ed Davey has been very busy,” Sunak said in response to Davey saying women can “quite clearly” have penises on LBC last month.
“Like me, you can probably see that he was trying to convince everybody that women clearly had penises.
“You’ll all know that I’m a big fan of everybody studying maths to 18, but it turns out that we need to focus on biology.”
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Up to a hundred MPs were in attendance when Sunak gave the speech, with Sir Graham Brady, Johnny Mercer and Philip Hollobone among those present, PinkNews reported.
“No minority community should be the butt of a joke”
Sunak’s comments have sparked outrage within the LGBTQ+ community and he is now being urged to apologise.
“No minority community should be the butt of a joke,” said Nancy Kelley, CEO of Stonewall. “It is incredibly disappointing that the Prime Minister chose to mock trans people in front of his parliamentary colleagues. This is a far cry from his pledge to govern with compassion and would be unacceptable in any modern workplace. The PM should apologise for his actions.”
Jayne Ozanne, who chairs the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition and resigned from the government’s LGBT advisory panel in 2021 after accusing it of creating a hostile environment for the community, said she was “really concerned to learn about this ‘joke’ by our Prime Minister”.
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“I am appalled by the way our Prime Minister has sought to use one of the most vulnerable groups in our society, who he knows suffers the highest level of hate crime, as a political football,” she told GAY TIMES.
“If anyone needs to go back to school it is him, not only to learn about the complexities of biology but also to be reminded of the importance of common decency and respect for all.”
Dr. Charlotte Proudman, a barrister who advocates for the rights of all women, tweeted: “Solidarity with the trans community at a time when the most powerful cis man in Britain mocks them, and then legislates away their rights.”
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Peter Tatchell, one of the UK’s most prominent human rights activists, called the Prime Minister’s words “borderline indecent”.
“Sunak refuses to accept that there are women based on biology and women based on gender identity – both equally valid,” he continued.
GAY TIMES has contacted the Prime Minister’s office for comment.
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