Doncaster MP slammed for 'bizarre' trans remarks after comparing single sex spaces to building sites

Don Valley Conservative MP Nick Fletcher, who has regularly spoken out against the transgender community, once describing trans as a ‘phase’ has again come under fire for the remarks during a debate in Parliament about proposed changes to the Equality Act.

During a heated Westminster discussion over altering the category of ‘sex’ to mean ‘biological sex’ in the 2010 Act, Mr Fletcher’s comments were described as ‘bizarre’ by LGBTQ+ website PinkNews.

In his speech, the MP stated a hypothetical trans man would wake up at the age of 25 and find he had “no friends” for being trans, as well as make the discovery that the hormones he chose to take to aid his transition would help him grow a beard.

Addressing the debate, Mr Fletcher said: “We are in a position where some biological males believe that they have a right to enter single-sex spaces – female changing rooms.

"I suspect that when many think of that they think of a grown man – a trans woman – entering a grown woman’s space.

"That to me is obviously wrong, but my real concern is what happens when a six-year-old girl is in that changing room -somebody’s daughter, somebody’s granddaughter, somebody’s niece. It just is not right.

“I worked in construction most of my life.

"Health and safety has taken a real turn for the better over the last 30 years.

”We now report near misses – where an accident could have happened, but luckily did not.

"A tripping hazard may have been seen, or an oil spill.

"We do that to learn, and to prevent accidents from taking place.

"We put items only in designated areas, and prevent the spill or have spill kits on hand.

"That does not mean that everyone was going to trip or slip, but some might have. We learn from near misses and prevent accidents. I think we would all agree that that is wise.

“While our construction sites are getting safer, our single-sex spaces are not.

"Let us do what we need to do to clarify the Equality Act and ensure that no biological male can enter that six-year-old girl’s changing room.

"To me, that would be excellent legislation, and a must—a near miss reported to stop tragedy happening.

"That does not mean every biological male going into a female changing room is a danger, like not everyone was going to trip or slip, but some might be, so we should say no and prevent the possibility of something bad happening.

“We can also use the analogy of a near miss when it comes to women’s sport. If we do not make this change right now, we could quite easily end up with no women’s sport.

"Many young girls will see what is happening – biological males winning in female sports, or perhaps a woman or girl being injured – and think, “What’s the point in trying?”

“If we can stop the use of new gender pronouns in schools, we will stop many issues for our young people later in life, too. I am glad that we have been able to discuss this near miss today. I hope we can learn from it and prevent the tragedies that could follow if we do not.

"Let me assure all those who think it is unfair that I believe we need to help and support those with gender dysphoria and treat them with respect, too.

"But we need to do so while respecting other rights, and I feel that I have to stand up for the six-year-old girl in the changing room confronted with a 50-year-old male who is going through a tough time.

"I am standing up for the nine-year-old who wants to stand in first place at the Olympics but thinks, “What’s the point?” when a biological man will be there in her place.

“I am standing up for the 12-year-old allowed to use pronouns at school who is being sold a story that she can be something that she never can.

"I am thinking of her after her transition, when she wakes up one morning when she is 25 and realises that she can no longer have children.

"She is growing facial hair, her health is generally poor, her bone density is down, her voice has broken, she has no real friends, and she has probably fallen out with mum, who is now broken for letting her take those puberty blockers and hormone replacement tablets.

"I am thinking of that girl sold a lie by the influencers who have now moved on to another ideology to make them money.

"No, in this place, we have to make the hard decisions to protect the vulnerable.”