Politicians can not be expected people to meet people halfway on their human rights.

This weekend a social media clip lasting a few minutes became viral shared from BBC News with former political editor for the organisation which has been faced with allegations transphobia because of broadcasting gender critical views and being critical of and separating from Stonewall an LGBTQIA+ rights organisation host of the podcast ‘Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking’ a spotlight in-depth interview with British MPs. Interviewing Wes Streeting current labour shadow health Secretary Robinson questioned the politician who served as head of education at Stonewall once named in Pink News as influential politician from the LGBTQ community a proud and open gay man when he was president of the national union of students was asked what could’ve been seen to many as a trivial question on the culture wars that inform mainstream media political energy of debate that lead to the term of use ‘trans debate’. Robinson inquired “Do you really think the way to win an argument for trans equality is to try and shut [J.K. Rowling] down?” To which he replied “there’s got to be a lot more empathy and understanding on both sides of the ‘trans debate’. Now is a hot buzz word that is being used to be trivialise the rights of a minority and marginalised community that continually being oppressed.

It’s painful to watch this ‘plastic progressivism’ he, Streeting, in the interview expressed with wide eyes that he sympathised with woman’s rights movements who are concerned with changes of language of such examples of ‘pregnant mother’ to ‘pregnant parent’ or ‘pregnant person’ claiming that nuance is needed to win ‘hearts and minds’ believing that ‘you cant shut JK Rowling down’ for uses of transphobic language and for being transphobic. The interviewer Robinson looked stunned and with some surprise that the former head of education for Stonewall made such remarks that legitimises the words of JK Rowling over the rights of transphobia trying to claim that it is too binary and we need a reconciliatory approach but if you have others, harming others with their actions and words, how do you reconcile and expect people to meet themselves half way when those words erases their identity. CEO of PinkNews Benjamin Cohen stated with disappointment on twitter that ‘Despite what @wesstreeting says here, no one is seriously suggesting to “erase” the words “mother” or “breastfeeding” rather that there should be additional words used for people where these words wouldn’t be appropriate, ie a Trans Dad who just gave birth. Disappointing.’ Dragging language that transphobic people are concerned that are at threat of change and erasure could’ve effectively communicated that language is to include trans people but not banish the word ‘mother’ this is misleading and harmful to trans people and halts the social progression of trans peoples rights. For a non-binary person or trans man who is referred to a term that erases their identity wishes for a individual choice of language like choice of pronouns. It’s about autonomy and Streeting failed to communicate it. No one is asking cisgendered people to change their language

I am non-binary and trying to become increasingly more active and involved in the community learning and engaging with my peers online it’s how I found out what non-binary means and who I am. It’s still not as easy or accessible to openly and visibly identify as non-binary and trans in public theres still a lot of stigma surrounding non-binary and trans people, people trying to erase our identities. Our numbers maybe growing but the vitriol of trolling that our communities face is growing as the first trans news broadcaster allegedly a world first India Willoughby who claims that she has lost work within the industry for being openly trans and feel excluded from the industry as gender critical and transphobic broadcasters and journalists dominate she has withdrawn from working further on GB News and Talk Radio for platforming such discriminatory hate anguished as people who are said to have been held accountable for transphobic hate claim to have been ‘cancelled’ received media platforming and media interviews on majority of mainstream media outlets like Talk Radio, LBC, ITV, BBC. Some expressing ‘gender critical’ views claim to under radical feminism, that is trans exclusionary. That is a faux feminism, its ‘plastic progressivism’ a myth that is regressive keeping us in the past feminism must be intersectional. You can’t have feminism if its transphobic, queerphobic, ageist, ableist or racist. That’s why it must be intersectional.

What Wes Streeting and Labour under Keir Starmer’s leadership it’s agonising how it fails to have real support for the minorities who need it the most what the viral video in question fails at and many labour parties policies is it has nothing to say, it’s like it doesn’t have polices, a vertebrate minorities who supported the Labour Party, its socialist left wing supporters are losing patience to support the party. Losing groups of people in the party is an issue that the Labour Party are taking people fore-granted and how poll bounces if don’t have a thing to say or able to pick a side wont win over ‘hearts and minds’. Getting the Conservative party out may not mean anything if all it is doing is preserving the status quo. Streeting and Starmer appear like rabbit in the headlights and are no real opposition.

We are fighting for our spaces and we the LGBTQIA+ are fighting for our freedoms our rights. The last labour government failed to show labour as a socially progressive party didn’t introduce same sex marriage, it didn’t ban conversion therapy, didn’t introduce, sex education for same sex relationships, didn’t introduce self identity and ability for non-binary people to identify as we please. They don’t look like they are siding with us now! With Starmer excluded and expelled his predecessor of the position of leader Jeremy Corbyn as a member of the parliamentary party for antisemitic anti-Jewish remarks with rumours he could launch his own socialist party having transphobic trans exclusionary figures like Rosie Duffield in the party is hypocrisy and shows Starmer reluctant to act on transphobia when it has been reported by members of the party and trans organisations of her transphobic comments and remarks she has made on many occasions and doubled down on.

Streeting mentioned empathising with both sides but why worse I empathise with an ignorant bigot who doesn’t respect my and other non-binary and trans rights. It makes Labour socially conservative. It’s hard sympathise for those who are hurting you.

Jo Maugham barrister with 342.2K followers a socially active barrister who ‘fights the power’ Director of Good Law Project a charitable organisation that uses the power of law and legal institutions to create a better world defending, defining and changing the law to uphold democracy and protect the environment a university professor at Durham school of laws complied a twitter thread on the BBC News interview with Streeting chatting to Nick Robinson ‘balancing conflicting forces, rather than choosing between them, is not change but continuity’ the language that labour is using the philosophy its working with is apolitical that seeks to ride the status quo describing the now continuity party of labour that isn’t a party of an alternative of progressive greener grass and sunlit uplands but a gloomy cloud. Responding to Maugham’s thread that claimed the ‘rather depressing interview’ Streeting replied ‘What’s depressing is that you have formed an opinion based on a single clip and not the full interview. The clip was about how we win hearts and minds for trans equality. I am clear where I stand: Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Mr Streeting said: “I see myself aspart of an LGBT community.”I will always stand up for trans rights and for a community that doesn’t have representation in Parliament, is at the worst end of all the statistics on things like mental ill health, physical abuse, sexual abuse.”I will always stand by them and speak up for them.” Having watched this interview the statement felt performant I’ve and alarmingly undermining the intelligence of the trans and non-binary community to be able to interpret and be able to be critical of such words with not at face value. The comments under this are very split and depict how split on the branded ‘trans debate’ and ‘culture war’ which as human rights it is not’. One defended Streeting’s approach disagreeing with Jo as ‘adult, bipartisan one’ which I Intervened to highlight that trans rights and intersectional feminism recognition is matter of principle not of partisan or ‘bipartisan’ politics as this seems politics of focus groups. I found the greatest issue with Streeting was that he didn’t listen he is a gay man but is cis gendered he isn’t trans and non-binary and cant speak on behalf of those communities one tweeter encourages him to ‘*listen*’ that’s what he needs to do, we all got a lot to learn claiming ‘trans people who are hurt by your comments, and hurt by the Labour Party’s inaction, inability and refusal to stand up for them and their rights.’ Indeed they are. Another disagreeing with Jo that an ‘I don’t understand all of the trans debate’ but that shows the issue and the fundamental problem with people who respond and engage in the entertainment show of debate the media drums up. I questioned ‘Is peoples rights morally just to see as a debate would you want to debate all sides on whether if ‘gay is a sin?’ we need to learn through education, education doesn’t come from debate you wouldn’t debate with the maths teacher how to do long division or with your English teacher on how to do use apostrophes, the teacher wouldn’t want to be met half way and compromise on your theory and theirs as a society when an oppressed or marginalised person speaks we must listen, not talk over, not assume we are right, not that that they misread us the problem isn’t trans people.

The quip from Streeting put responsibility and blame on trans people and their allies of ‘well you misread’ ‘ well you didn’t hear the whole interview’. A good politician takes responsibility for the words they are communicating and this may leave those of us who gave streeting an opportunity disappointed. I wanted Streeting to have the room to prove himself he could’ve come out as strong politician that had principle but this was careerism for ones gain trampling over a community. I compiled a lengthy thread for someone on the matter who applauded Wes’s stance of ‘opening up the conversation, not easy in a world that encourages us to take sides’ I see where the response come from many occasions I find twitter doesn’t have the nuance and people can be quick to jump with emotive stances on issues you’d may think they have such a strong stance on such a topic. However can you sit on the fence on a individuals human rights and own individual expression denying their expressions, language and autonomy seems illiberal. They still by this point seemed confused couldn’t get head around how that people on two different side of the fences with strong and ardent views that seem like they wont flinch from ever come to the same binary thinking. I’d never expect such unity of thought it would naïve everyone will at-least disagree with anything its impossible to get universal consensus tempting to try if you are a pragmatist who wants to heal the divides in a polarised society doing that you won’t achieve what you want. You cant make a point or speak as a politician and be apolitical at the same time on all policy matters a clear view is needed that’s what everyone involve wants it’s a burden you must have a clear argument to defend and defend no matter what you try disappointing and appeasing people in equal proportions of two sides never works in practice. Labour aren’t ready to offend transphobes which if you are to be in reality a defender of trans rights in practice you mustn’t cower from got to be able to see moral duty to act with principle, it’s the mature and decent thing to do. You cant read minds and try to play cautious forever you’ll get caught out.

This article written in response to a podcast interview from the BBC on trivial questioning on transphobia that undermined our community just as ‘Trans Activism UK’ a collective campaigning organisation raising awareness of injustices facing the trans and non-binary community here in the United Kingdom conducted through public demonstrations.

The Protest held outside the BBC’s London headquarters where the broadcasters main newsroom and radio stations broadcast from only appeared to have been covered on TikTok by Openly a LGBTQIA+ media outlet as non-binary journalist and broadcaster Shivani broadcaster talked to and recorded fellow non-binary and trans people there in protest of why they turned out on a cold and rainy Saturday in January with placards for a peaceful protest

The group conducted and staged a protest outside BBC’s headquarters in London of Wogan and New Broadcasting house to show solidarity and protest against the BBC labelled ‘British Bigotry Corporation’ for platforming hate that is a breach of impartiality and promoting bigoted queer-phobic agenda. As an autistic person I found the BBC being institutionally ableist and feel that it is our community that predominantly is queer, trans and non-binary and that influenced my gender and sexuality but also my passion on the cause to stand up against injustice. I’m immensely proud of those who are protesting speaking up and choosing the right side and sticking up to those who are being bullied I’ll keep on doing my bit having the alternative party that supposed to be a progressive party in waiting for government as regressive and the institutions of the stations of the state at odds against us but as communities we defy and grow strong. It’s the only way how. Use your voice make a difference.