(LifeSiteNews) – There has been a lot of debate in social conservative circles over whether the transgender movement has pushed the public too far and whether there will be a backlash. Some countries are already abandoning certain aspects of the transgender agenda, such “sex changes” and hormone treatments for minors; lawsuits by de-transitioners in several countries are likely to escalate that trend. But the best evidence I have seen thus far for the theory that the transgender movement may have peaked in the U.K., at least, is the new political position of the Labour Party.
The Labour Party is an entirely left-wing organization committed to every aspect of the sexual revolution. Thus, they were natural allies of the transgender movement when it exploded out of the gay “rights” movement into cultural dominance a decade ago. But recently, they have taken a new position on some aspects of the trans agenda. I suspect that it has a lot to do with the demise of Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon’s career, which was in part due to an angry public backlash to her championing of the Gender Recognition Reform bill, which was, among other things, putting violent male criminals in female prisons.
Shortly thereafter, Labour Party strategists appear to have begun reconsidering their own support for the trans agenda, leading to a change in party policy earlier this year under the leadership of Keir Starmer, who succeeded Jeremy Corbyn in 2020. From the Guardian:
The party shifted its stance in the summer, abandoning its support for self-identification – which would allow people to legally change gender without a medical diagnosis. It announced the move alongside support for making the process of obtaining a gender recognition certificate far simpler and less invasive, as well as continuing to ensure some single-sex services and places could only be accessed by biological women. While the issue remains a controversial one within the party, Labour Together, a group closely associated with Starmer, said a new YouGov poll of Labour members it commissioned showed broad support for the leadership’s new line.
Indeed, 62 percent of Labour Party members stated that they believe there are instances in which trans-identifying men should not be permitted access to single-sex services and spaces, with only 22 percent disagreeing. Sixty-seven precent approved of Labour’s new policy to “streamline the securing of a gender recognition certificate by removing a panel of doctors and lawyers from the process” and instead only requiring a single doctor to diagnose gender dysphoria. The new policy is an attempt by party strategists to sidestep support for self-identification, concerned that the Tories will use this as an election issue. Labour insiders indicate that they expect to be consistently challenged on the issue throughout the next election.
In fact, the director of Labour Together, Josh Simons, more or less admitted that the party was attempting to thread the needle and support as much of the trans agenda as they could get away with without losing votes. “Far from being ‘out of touch’ with Labour members, these results show that Keir Starmer speaks for [them],” he told the Guardian. “On sex and gender rights, there is little difference between the attitudes of Labour members and the attitudes of voters. Keir’s position is not just in line with voters, but members, too.”
Labour Together’s research director Christabel Cooper concurred: “The Conservatives are trying to exploit the issue of gender identity to create division. But our polling shows that Labour members are united behind the leadership’s balanced and sensible position on this issue – a position which is shared by most of the general public.”
The fact that the Labour Party is rolling back support for some aspects of the transgender agenda is a clear indication that the public backlash to many of these policies is finally trickling up to the politicians. For the Labour Party to switch positions on an issue that transgender activists are insistent on tells us more than a dozen polls or predictions could. If the transgender agenda is losing support even from their most reliable leftist allies, perhaps they really have peaked in the U.K.
