The feelings of trans people are more important than talking about protecting women and children. That’s the message coming from prominent voices within the UK Ministry of Justice and HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS).
Last week, thousands of MoJ employees were emailed a guide as part of Transgender Awareness Week, explaining to them how to be better trans allies and how to recognise ‘transphobic-coded language’. The glossary contained 35 everyday phrases that supposedly have covert transphobic meanings. The leaked guide condescendingly suggests that staff ‘educate’ people they hear using these phrases ‘about the reasons why their use can be deemed offensive or upsetting’. The document goes on to clarify that, although ‘passing uses of these phrases might not be considered misconduct, the importance of challenging their use cannot be overstated’.
The list of offending phrases is as varied as it is bizarre. The term ‘same-sex attracted’ features, because it dares to suggest that ‘attraction is solely based on genitalia’. The notorious ‘adult human female’ – the dictionary definition of woman that has become a rallying cry for gender-critical feminists – is also flagged, because it ‘manipulates people into supporting bigotry’.
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