Suella Braverman says trans women ‘have no place’ in women’s hospital wards
Suella Braverman has said she’s “incredible supportive” of health secretary Steve Barclay’s hopes to ban trans women from female hospital wards. (Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Suella Braverman has backed the health secretary’s proposal to ban trans women from female hospital wards.
Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday (3 October), the home secretary said she supported Steve Barclay’s proposal, which would see trans women treated in separate wards.
“Trans women have no place in women’s wards or, indeed, any safe space relating to biological women,” Braverman said.
“The health secretary’s absolutely right to clarify and make it clear that biological men should not have treatment in the same wards and in the same safe spaces as biological women.
“This is about protecting women’s dignity, safety and privacy and that’s why I’m incredibly supportive and welcome the announcement.”
Braverman’s use of the term “biological men” to describe transgender women comes amid rising government hostility towards the trans community, and just days after she was criticised for “deeply disturbing” comments about gay asylum seekers, which sparked protests in London.
Since 2021, NHS guidance has allowed transgender patients to be treated in single-sex wards based on the gender with which they identify.
Barclay’s reported proposals against “wokery” in the NHS, would also re-introduce the “sex-specific” language throughout the health service when referring to treatments for, and advice on, menopause, as well as cervical and ovarian cancer.
Braverman and Barclay’s comments come as the Conservative Party conference takes place in Manchester this week.
At a fringe event during the conference, gay Tory MP Elliot Colburn urged prime minister Rishi Sunak to stop “fighting” the LGBTQ+ community and “demonising” trans people if the party wants to win the next general election.
His comment follows Sunak being secretly being filmed mocking trans people, in footage shared exclusively with PinkNews in the summer.
