A British politician has drawn criticism for suggesting that babies are born without any specific biological gender.
The comments were made by Labour Party member Dawn Butler during a discussion on ITV’s Good Morning Britain how. Butler was discussing the Labour Party’s progressive view on gender ideology after a group associated with the left-wing opposition party proposed a controversial pledge to protect trans rights.
Good Morning Britain Host Richard Madely accused the Labour Party of stifling free speech after two Labour Party candidates hoping to become the next party leader backed a trans group’s call to expel anyone in the party who questions their interpretation of transgender ideology.
The trans advocacy group’s 12-point pledge includes the proviso that members must “support the expulsion from the Labour Party of those who express bigoted, transphobic views.”
Point four of the pledge emphasizes this point, stating that pledgers must also “accept that trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary people are non-binary.”
“If you’re saying that a trans woman isn’t a woman, then there are issues around that,” Butler explained on GMB in response to the pledge, according to the Christian Institute. “What we can’t have is transphobia, we can’t have people who are transphobic.”
But when presenter Richard Madely suggested that babies are assigned a biological gender at birth, Butler interjected with a bizarre remark.
“When a child is born, they are identified and observed in a particular sex aren’t they?” Madely asked. Butler responded: “A child is born without sex, a child is formed without sex in the beginning.”
Many horrified viewers responded to the remarks on social media. “A child is born without sex? Did she seriously say this?” one person asked. “I see plenty of science denial in my work but this is a whole new level. Who does it help to deny basic biology?”
Another added: “This is not mere flat-earthery. This is dangerous anti-science nonsense. It is hard to believe that people are saying such things in 2020.”
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Antony Jones/Stringer
Will Maule is a British journalist who has spent the past several years working as a digital news editor. Since earning a degree in international relations and politics, Will has developed a particular interest in covering ethical issues, human rights and global religious persecution. Will’s work has been featured in various outlets including The Spectator, Faithwire, CBN News, Spiked, The Federalist and Christian Headlines. Follow him on Twitter at @WillAMaule.
