A Letter to my MP
gender | politicsThe Supreme Court of the UK last week made a decision that affects the lives not only of trans people, but of lesbians and of all women in the country. The decision was made without the inclusion of the queer community, but permitted input from five different anti-trans groups. I am no lawyer, but the implications of a ruling as vague as “woman is a category that requires no further explanation” are far-reaching and highly consequential for everyone. If this goes unchallenged, we will find ourselves at the thinner end of a very thick wedge; one which ends with the removal of rights for LGBTQ+ people more broadly, and the erosion of the rights of women. The state of the world is highly precarious for trans people everywhere, and it is of paramount importance that the queer community and its allies make our voices heard, and call for immediate protection of our rights in law.
I would implore everyone in the United Kingdom, trans, cis, or anywhere else on the broad spectrum of sex and gender to contact their MP and call this out for what it is: a blatant and partisan objection to the existence of transgender people everywhere. Here’s the email I wrote to my own MP, please feel free to adapt it to your purposes.
—Dear $MP
I have not contacted you before, but as a transgender constituent of yours, I feel compelled to write to you after the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the validity of trans women as women. I have been trans my entire life, and began transitioning medically a few years ago. My fiancée, children, friends, family, colleagues, doctors, and the whole world all know me as a woman. I play the guitar as a part of an Iron Maiden tribute band, and I am perceived and addressed as a woman by members of our audiences (both in positive and less positive terms!). I am fortunately also one of a very few trans people who has never experienced any kind of transphobic abuse from members of the public, which I think speaks to the wider public attitude of inclusivity, acceptance, and tolerance which marks this country.
With all that said, I am deeply concerned that the ruling will have wide-reaching consequences on my ability to live my life to the fullest extent that I would like. I am scared that when I get married next year that it will be considered in law a marriage between a man and a woman, rather than the lesbian coupling that it truly is. I am worried that when I seek to have children with my partner (via IVF) that I will be legally known as their father. I fear that the next time I use a toilet in a public place, I will be expected to use the men’s room, far from where I belong. I know of many trans men who would not be welcome in a women’s bathroom due to their blatant and obvious identity as men, and yet the implication of this decision is that all bathrooms must be used according to the gender assigned at birth.
The ruling made by the Supreme Court was made without the inclusion of any input from the trans community, contains much that is contradictory, and also appears to deny the identities of those lesbians (such as my own partner, for example) who are in relationships with trans women. This legal ruling also relies on an “I know a woman when I see one” basis, which could have serious ramifications for any women who are gender non-conforming or who do not match up with the beauty standards of the moment. One has only to look at the online treatment of Imane Khelif during the most recent Summer Olympics to see how this attitude perpetuates toxic standards of femininity.
I would like to reiterate that trans people were excluded from consultation for this ruling, yet no fewer than five anti-trans organisations were permitted to make statements to inform the judges’ decision. It is my view (and the view of many in the trans and wider LGBTQ+ community) that this ruling amounts to nothing more or less than an ideological objection to the existence of me and the hundreds of thousands of transgender people who populate this nation.
I would be most grateful to have a meeting with you to discuss the implications of this decision, the government’s position thereon, and to hear your thoughts on the matter. Transgender people deserve to live their lives according to their truth, and this country must be one which not only tolerates, but accepts and embraces its trans community, and that offers as much support as it can to ensure that we can do more than just survive; that we can thrive.
Yours warmly,
Eibhlín O’Dwyer