Green Party leadership hopefuls accused of echoing anti-trans rhetoric
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Green Party leadership candidates Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns are facing mounting criticism from LGBTQ+ activists and party members after making comments that many see as legitimising anti-trans rhetoric under the guise of “balance” and “evidence-based policy.”
In their joint response to the LGBTQ+ Greens’ leadership pledges, Ramsay and Chowns stated that while they support the right to gender self-determination, they also believe “the law does need to allow for some circumstances where services may need to be provided on a biological-sex basis, such as domestic violence refuges, prisons and some sports”.
The use of the term “biological sex” - a phrase frequently weaponised by anti-trans campaigners - has alarmed many within the Green Party’s LGBTQ+ wing. Critics argue that invoking “biological sex” in this context undermines the dignity and rights of trans people, particularly trans women, by suggesting their identities are conditional or less valid in certain spaces.
The LGBTQ+ Greens scored Ramsay and Chowns zero points for their answer, stating: “You don’t get to pick and choose when people can be allowed their rights. ‘Biological sex’ has long been something transphobes have used to dismiss our rights to be treated with dignity, often in our lowest points”.
Ramsay further fuelled controversy during a BBC Radio 4 interview when he refused to say whether he believes trans women are women. “The important thing here is not to get hung up in divisions, in definitions,” he said, sidestepping the question entirely. He also defended the right of Green Party members to hold and express anti-trans views.
This equivocation stands in stark contrast to former co-leader Carla Denyer, who has consistently affirmed trans rights and called on the government to protect trans people’s dignity and privacy. The apparent divergence in tone has reignited internal tensions within the party, which has long struggled with factional disputes over trans inclusion.
Trans journalist India Willoughby and sociologist Natacha Kennedy were among those who condemned Ramsay’s remarks, with Kennedy calling for “urgent new leadership” to steer the party back toward a clear and unapologetic commitment to trans equality.
