Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has launched yet another attack at the trans community by saying that people “can’t be any sex they want to be.”
He made the remarks during his closing speech at the 2023 Conservative Party conference on Wednesday (4 October) afternoon.
At one point, Sunak said that people shouldn’t be “bullied into believing people can be any sex they want to be” as he made clear his stance on trans people.
“We are going to change this country and that means, life means life. That shouldn’t be a controversial position. The vast majority of hard-working people agree with it,” he began. “We shouldn’t get bullied into believing people can be any sex they want to be. They can’t,” – Rishi Sunak
“It also shouldn’t be controversial for parents to know what their children are learning in school about relationships.
“Patients should know when hospitals are talking about men or women,” which was met with a large applause.
He went on: “We shouldn’t get bullied into believing people can be any sex they want to be. They can’t.”
“A man, is a man, and a woman, is a woman, that is just common sense,” he added, to yet more noise from Tories in attendance.
Many on social media site X (formerly known as Twitter) reacted to the comments, accusing Sunak of making “persistent attacks” and labelling him “disgraceful”. “A man, is a man, and a woman, is a woman”
One wrote in response: “Trying to distract people from his government’s corruption and incompetence by attacking some of the most vulnerable people in society. Vile.”
Needlessly stirring up hatred where it is unjustified to make a cheap political dig, before going on to claim the country is wonderful because of its tolerance. Disgraceful excuse for a PM,” another went on to add.
Sunak can go and do one. Pandering to middle class transphobes isn’t the election winner you think it is,” someone else echoed.
“The persistent attacks on not only one of the smallest but most at risk communities is vile. Absolutely disgusting party through and through including anyone who supports them,” a social media user weighed in.
It comes after Health Secretary Steve Barclay outlined plans yesterday (3 October) to ban trans women from accessing female NHS wards.
This has since been backed by other senior Tories such as Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall criticised the announcement, labelling it a “cynical attempt to look busy” instead of actually improving women’s healthcare.
Addressing party members in Manchester, Mr Barclay said: “We need a common-sense approach to sex and equality issues in the NHS – that is why today I am announcing proposals for clearer rights for patients.
“And I can today confirm that sex-specific language has now been fully restored to online health advice pages about cervical and ovarian cancer and the menopause.
“It is vital that women’s voices are heard in the NHS and the privacy, dignity and safety of all patients are protected.”
The post Rishi Sunak says people ‘can’t be any sex they want to be’ in new swipe at trans community appeared first on Attitude.
Hi, I'm a nurse so let me chime in here from direct experience.
NOPE! Unequivocally NOPE. We don't separate hospital wards based on gender (in the US). Your gender has absolutely zero fuck all not one thing to do with your general biology and medical care. Doesn't change or impact what we do in the least regarding your internal organs - heart, kidneys, lungs, all get approached the same.
What does change what we do is your weight which affects medication doses. And in very, very, very niche specific situations the anatomy of your genitals changes what we do. (Say, if you're having a problem urinating, the length of your urethra and any potential obstacles like a prostate will matter.)
But see, here's the things about that: We can't approach the genital anatomy of two different individuals who both identify as male with the exact same treatment plan. The exact things we do are hyperspecific to the particular anatomy of that individual person. So if we're dealing with a trans woman who didn't have bottom surgery and still has a vestigial penis, then it doesn't make any difference that she's trans. We need to approach the anatomy that is present in front of us, whatever shape and condition it's in regardless of the sociological characteristics of the person to whom the anatomy is attached.
I think part of the confusion in the general public with medical care is the assumption that everyone who identifies as the same gender as you has very similar anatomy to you. Let me tell y'all, I have seen more genitals than a Las Vegas prostitute, and there is more variation than I would ever have imagined. You can't go by a person's stated gender and know exactly what you're gonna get, even if that person is cis. The number of times you lift that gown on somebody and go, "What the fuck is going on here?!" that has nothing to do with a person being trans or not, y'all just have no idea lol.
All medical care is approached specifically toward you as an individual person. Your particular responses to medications (which we can't predict by the way - there's an absurd amount of educated trial and error involved) and your particular anatomy. And 90% of the time, the response to anatomical variations is just "Huh, that's unusual. Anyway, you can pee without any problems, right? Ok good idgaf ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"
The only time your sociological characteristics come into play is when I'm talking to you about your life, providing education, trying to understand your obstacles to medical care.