Keir Starmer on Gender Ideology

Keir Starmer’s position on what is commonly termed Gender Ideology has seen a marked evolution, culminating in his welcoming of a Supreme Court ruling that defined 'woman' in the Equality Act as a biological woman. He stated this provided “real clarity” and was a “welcome step forward” following the judgment. This stance followed earlier evasiveness on defining a woman, including previously refusing to directly answer if women can have penises before settling on the position that 99.9 per cent of women do not have one. He has also stated he is opposed to “gender ideology” being taught in schools, favoring instead age-appropriate guidance on transgender issues.

This shift has been perceived by some as a pivot toward common sense, particularly after he agreed with a former Prime Minister's definition that a woman is biologically defined by having a vagina. However, this is contrasted with past statements where he pledged to introduce self-declaration for legal sex change and insisted that “transwomen are women” was the law. His party has plans to reform the Gender Recognition Certificate process to simplify it, though maintaining the need for a specialist medical diagnosis, while also affirming the protection of single-sex spaces based on biological sex.