MP Nadia Whittome, 'appalled' by Labour's stance on trans rights

Labour MP for Nottingham East, Nadia Whittome, has said she is proud of her party’s pledge to tackle violence against women and girls but is ‘appalled’ by their stance on trans rights. She hopes, however, to be able to push from within the Labour to influence change on trans rights, and move the party forward.

Labour’s stance on trans rights has become a prominent topic, not only because it seems to stand at odds with what people believe the party once stood for, but also because, as a result of many of Labour's recent actions, MPs Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn have chosen to splinter away, forming a new left-wing party. Whittome’s long-standing support for the trans community, and outspoken voice in various topics including recent welfare cuts to PIP, have caused constituents to ask whether, she too, is thinking about leaving the party.

Whittome, however, states that she hopes to instead influence change from within Labour.

“I'm appalled by my party's stance on trans rights,” she admits in an interview with The Independent.

"At the current rate the government is going, our legacy will be continuing the rollbacks of trans rights that began with the Conservatives," which she adds is a stark contrast to the previous Labour government, who "introduced the Equality Act, the Gender Recognition Act, paved the way for legalising same sex marriage, and equalised the age of consent. Whatever other criticisms I and others may have of the last Labour government, it does have a record it can be proud of on LGBT+ rights".

She continues: "I've been an activist in my community since I was 16. It was growing up under Tory austerity and suffering the impact of that, which made me angry. Then I realised that we have power as individuals when we come together."

"If we're continuing to marginalise and scapegoat trans people, especially trans women, as a threat to other women, that means we're not focusing on the real problem – men who are violent. The number of male violence offenses of stalking, harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence have grown by 37% in the past five years. Trans people, particularly trans women, are far, far more likely to be victims.

Despite all this, Whittome is still hopefully for the future and is keen to push for progress.

"I want to see the government finally delivering a trans inclusive conversion therapy ban, to improve access to fertility treatment for lesbian couples, who in most parts of the country are having to self-fund at least six cycles before they're eligible for IVF treatment on the NHS. I want us to be tackling the housing crisis, low pay and workers’ rights, because members of our community are disproportionately affected by poverty and homelessness. These are things that would improve everyone's lives."

A few years ago, she explains, "we would have been able to talk about these issues, but because the focus is [now] on firefighting, we've gone backwards. Now, we're not in the position of even getting the basics right".