Callers' heated clash over whether women-only spaces are transphobic

21 February 2020, 10:10 | Updated: 21 February 2020, 10:15

This is the moment two callers had a heated clash over whether women-only spaces are transphobic.

Women's rights group Woman’s Place UK demanded Labour leadership candidates, who signed a pledge calling several organisations “trans-exclusionist hate groups”, to produce evidence for the allegation.

A row over a pledge card drawn up by the Labour Campaign for Trans Rights group broke out last week after Rebecca Long-Bailey, Emily Thornberry and Lisa Nandy, as well as deputy leadership candidates Angela Rayner and Dawn Butler, all expressed support for the charter.

It calls on Labour to expel “transphobic” members, and describes campaigns including Woman’s Place UK as “trans-exclusionist hate groups”.

Lucy, who is a supporter of Women's Place UK, said: "The Labour Party as it stands, these candidates, the deputy candidates as well, they need to get their act together because unless they do unless they'll stop obsessing with identity politics."

Rebecca Long-Bailey, Emily Thornberry and Lisa Nandy expressed support for the charter. Picture: PA

Matt, from York and a former Labour Party member, responded: "It's difficult for me to get involved in these debate because I'm in the LGBT community but my experience is very different to trans women and cis women."

He added: "I don't think you know, violence against women depends on what that woman is a female birth certificate."

Lucy added: "Women's Place UK have never said anything transphobic. Many trans women are part of Women's Place UK and LGBT Alliance such as Christina Harrison, Debbie Hayden, etc.

All Women's Place is doing is lobbying for the continuation of the single sex exemption that is currently in the equality that we are asking for it to continue as it is, and in some situations be expanded, and there's nothing hateful about that. There's nothing wrong about that. And there's certainly nothing transphobic about it."

Matt accused: "It's denying the identity of dentity of trans women as women."

Lucy said: "It's absolutely not denying anyone's identity. It's saying there are trans women and we fight for those rights to those trans women."

Watch the debate above.