Tory ministers have been repeatedly attacked for stalling reforms for transgender people at a glitzy bash for the LGBT community.
Labour’s Women and Equalities Secretary Dawn Butler unleashed a sweary attack on ministers for saying people should “bear with them” a year after a consultation closed.
She told Tory ministers worried about opposition “what the f***?” and “who gives a s***?” adding: “Just amend the Act already”
Commons Speaker John Bercow also took a thinly-veiled swipe at Women and Equalities Minister Liz Truss for the “lamentable” progress.
And even Ms Truss’s predecessor, Penny Mordaunt, urged the new equalities chief to act – suggesting she may “need to be brave”.
The speeches at the PinkNews Awards in Westminster came after a row over reforms for transgender people being “kicked into the long grass”.
Theresa May said in 2017 being transgender is “not an illness” and proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act, including giving people more power to change their legal gender.
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Currently trans people must prove they have lived in their gender for two years and have a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
In July, Tory ministers said they were hoping to publish plans within weeks, before MPs left for their summer break.
But there is still no firm timescale to put any changes into practice. Equalities Minister Liz Truss is understood to want to consider the next steps carefully before taking any action – almost a year after a consultation closed.
Last night, fellow equalities minister Baroness Williams said the reforms were more “complex” and “contentious” than she first thought, telling attendees: “Bear with us”.
But Labour’s Dawn Butler said: “She said it’s contentious. What the f***?
“Being left handed was contentious once upon a time. Being a working woman was contentious once upon a time. Being gay was contentious once upon a time.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“Who gives a s***? Just amend the Act already. The act is out of date – we all agree.
“108,000 people contributed to the consultation – just amend the god damn Act!”
Commons Speaker John Bercow took a thinly veiled swipe at Ms Truss by “saluting” her predecessor, who he said “was always crystal clear and unequivocal in her support for trans rights”.
He added pointedly: “It is lamentable that progress is not what people expected it to be. But she [Ms Mordaunt] took the lead and others must now follow.”
And Penny Mordaunt – who was sacked from Boris Johnson’s Cabinet in the summer reshuffle – had carefully-chosen words for her successor in her own speech.
Ms Mordaunt said: “I would say if you feel after you’ve listened, if you feel after following the evidence, if you feel after empathising that to do the right thing you need to be brave, if you are brave – what you will discover is there was no need to be.”
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It came at a glitzy ceremony which featured another sweary rant by Doctor Who chief Russell T Davies at Boris Johnson and Donald Trump .
The TV legend said the US was “an empire of bile and hypocrisy and white bigotry run by a great big gargantuan orange space hopper.
“And frankly like some sort of continental echo we’ve spawned our own blond b****** here.
“You might have gathered I’m never going to vote Conservative. There are good conservative ministers – people like Nick Gibb the schools minister. It’s supposed to be a good party.
“It’s supposed to stand for honour and hard work and self responsibility – it’s the party of our mums and dads for god’s sake.
“It is supposed to be a force for good.
“What the f*** is happening to them?
(Image: Tom Nicholson/BAFTA/REX)
“It was said by PinkNews that when Amber Rudd left the cabinet that meant more than 50% of the cabinet were against gay marriage.
“That’s the world we’re living in now. It stinks. And we must do everything to fight it.”
Taking aim at the event’s sponsors he added: “While I’ve got the microphone, pay your f****** taxes Amazon! Come on!
“It’s all very well talking about having an LGBT inclusive workforce – not if you don’t let them p***!”
Baroness Williams urged patience with the Gender Recognition Act reforms, which have angered some religious and women’s groups.
She said: What I thought and I’m sure Penny would agree with me here would be quite a simple process actually turned out to be quite a complex one.
“Not only was it complex it was actually quite contentious.
“And I wondered at one stage in fact rather than reform were we actually going to go backwards with this.
“So all I can say is bear with us, I would rather get this right in slower time than get it wrong and rush it. But I remain committed to reform of the GRA.”
