Speaking to radio and television during a visit to the hospital on Wednesday, the prime minister said: “It just makes sense to me. He continued: “I also happen to believe that women should have spaces – whether they are hospitals, prisons, locker rooms or anywhere else – that are dedicated to women. The prime minister added: “This does not mean that I do not like people who want to change their gender, to go and it is vital that we give people as much love and support as possible in making these decisions.” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:38 A transgender cyclist competing as a man has been disqualified from the British National Championship. A trans cyclist was excluded from the female event It comes after transgender cyclist Emily Bridges was banned from participating in a women’s race last week after the sport’s governing body ruled she was ineligible. The 21-year-old Bridges, who was competing in the women’s race for the first time in the British Omnium National Championships, set a men’s national record of more than 25 miles in 2018 and began hormone therapy last year to lower her testosterone levels. Also this week, new guidance from the Committee on Equality and Human Rights states that trans people can be legally excluded from the services of one sex – but only if the reasons are “justified and proportionate”. The government overseer said the justification could be for reasons of privacy, decency, injury prevention or ensuring health and safety. The prime minister made it clear that his government “would have a ban on gay conversion therapy”, but added that there were “complexities and sensitivities when it comes to sexuality and gender”. Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, told broadcasters that “conversion therapy in all its forms must be banned” and that the government must “keep its promises”. Image: Prime Minister says he has pledged to ban “gay conversion therapy” PM vows to ‘ban gay conversion therapy’ In 2015, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) changed its rules allowing trans athletes to compete as women if their testosterone levels are below a certain limit – ten nanomolecules per liter for at least 12 months before the race. Testosterone is a hormone that increases muscle mass. In 2019, World Athletics reduced the maximum level to five nanomols per liter. A new ILO directive last year stated that trans women should not be forced to lower their testosterone levels to compete in sports. It replaced the guidelines from 2015 and reversed the ILO’s previous stance on trans athletes. The new framework also stipulates that no athlete should be excluded from competitions due to the perceived “unfair and disproportionate advantage” due to their gender. However, the new guidelines are not legally binding. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:36 Sajid Javid defends the government’s approach to conversion therapy, saying that specialist doctors should be involved in determining the necessary procedures. Former LGBT adviser accuses PM of ‘miserable excuses’ At the time they were issued, the governing body said it was unable to issue regulations setting eligibility criteria for each sport, instead leaving it to individual federations to make the final invitation. The IOC said it planned to co-operate with the federations “on a case-by-case basis”. The new guidelines were introduced just months after New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard made history as the first trans athlete to compete in the Olympics in the 125-year history of the Games. At the time, critics argued that her participation in the contest was unfair. Meanwhile, a former LGBT government adviser has urged leaders to stop making “passionate excuses” for not banning transgender conversion therapy. Jayne Ozanne told the PA news agency that the LGBT + community’s confidence in the government is “completely and utterly broken” by a series of upheavals last week and its reversal of its commitments to include trans people in the forthcoming law banning the practice. .
