During an interview with trans journalist and writer Izzy Dine, published online on Tuesday (21 October), the women and equalities minister was asked what bathroom she thought Dine and other trans women should currently be using.
In September, Phillipson, who is currently running the Labour deputy leadership candidacy, was handed the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) code of practice on single-sex services, which could result in a bathroom ban for trans people.
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Asked what bathroom trans women should currently be using, Phillipson appeared unable to give a clear answer, instead simply restating the ruling, the full impact of which remains unclear: “As Minister for Women and Equalities, I set out the policies responding to the Supreme Court judgement. The Supreme Court were clear that, uh, for the purposes of the Equality Act, sex is biological sex.“What’s now happening is the Equality and Human Rights Commission have, uh, have consulted on a code of practice to me as the minister. I’ll then be going through that line by line to make sure we get that right. It’s a 300-page document so it will take some time.”
Dine then pointed to interim guidance from the EHRC, which included a clause banning trans women from men’s toilets as well as women’s. The guidance has since been repealed.
I was in a big multi-user unisex bathroom type of situation for the first time in my life the other day, in a shopping centre. I thought nothing of it until a couple members of the opposite sex walked in while I was there, and decades of training made me think for a moment that someone was in the wrong place. That feeling must be why it’s such a big political issue. Took me at least ten seconds to get over it.
Woah ten seconds what the hell. Gotta pass actual laws to prevent that
That’s quite possible. When you consider other things that has people clutching their pearls, it kind of all boils down to “someone made me feel something strongly, and I wasn’t prepared for it.” As someone who profoundly dislikes being jump-scared, I kind of get it, but that doesn’t justify a cruel or violent response. That’s the part I’m having a hard time figuring out.
Normal people get startled once maybe twice by a new thing, then adapt to it. Transphobes make their fear their entire personality.
For Halloween, people should dress up as trans women and beat up conservatives getting boners to make them even more afraid and confused. Let’s really cement that transphobia.
Yeah, the first couple times I felt confused/surprised, but these bathrooms are so much better - the ones I’ve been in have had the most excellent stalls.