Boris Johnson has voiced support for excluding transgender athletes from participating in women’s competitions as his government puts pressure on sports authorities to impose bans.
The prime minister said he supported a ban by Fina’s swimming authority on transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty to compete in women’s competitions.
Culture Secretary Nadine Doris will meet with leaders of other sports organizations on Tuesday to make it “crystal clear” that she wants them to follow suit.
Asked about Fina’s ban, Mr Johnson said: “I have not studied it in detail, but I see no reason to oppose it.
After summarizing his policy, he added: “This follows from what has been said before.”
Mr Johnson was also asked if a woman could be born with a penis, amid a debate in some circles about anatomy and gender.
“Not without being a man, this is my view of it,” the prime minister replied.
Speaking to reporters traveling with him during his visit to Rwanda, he was asked if he thought there was a difference between being a woman and a trans woman.
After stopping to think, he said, “Yes.”
He added: “Look, it is very, very important as a society to be as understanding as possible of everyone else. I have always advocated this.
“As you begin to move from issues of sexuality to issues of gender, you begin to raise specific issues.
“I think I talked about three worries I’ve had in the past. They are related to the age at which you can (become) Gilik competent for transition, the issue of safe spaces for women and the difficulties you have in sports competitions.
“These are all very difficult problems and you have to be very, very sensitive.”
As you begin to move from issues of sexuality to issues of gender, you begin to raise specific issues
Boris Johnson
The LGBT charity Stonewall criticized the line of questioning, suggesting that the prime minister would hail it as a “distraction” from the political turmoil.
Associate Campaign Director Sasha Misra said: “The real question that needs to be on the lips of the nation is this: at a time when we live through many national crises, why do journalists waste valuable time interviewing by asking leading questions to the Prime Minister about a small, vulnerable minority?
“We know that the majority of the public feels supportive and compassionate towards the trans people who are their family, friends and neighbors.
“All that is achieved through this kind of media coverage is that trans people feel less secure in their daily lives and the public has less opportunity to hear from the government about the urgent political issues of the day.
“The prime minister can welcome the distraction, but he should not be deceived into thinking that the points for talks against trans-transgenes will win votes.
Some interpret the Conservatives’ move to intensify the debate over trans rights as a way to widen the division on the subject in the Labor Party.
Labor leader Sir Keira Starmer has in the past refused to give a definitive answer to the question of the penis.
Instead, he said, “I don’t think discussing this issue in this way helps anyone in the long run.”
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