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# Lesbian baroness speaks in support of trans inclusive maternity bill
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/lesbian-baroness-speaks-out-in-support-of-trans-inclusive-maternity-bill/
- Published: 2021-03-01T09:09:51.000Z
- Updated: 2021-03-01T08:25:38.000Z
- Description: Elizabeth Jean Barker, gave a speech to the UK House of Lords in support of the new trans-inclusive maternity bill.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: News, Politics, Baroness Barker, L with the T, Lesbian, LGBTQ, Trans Rights, Transgender, UK News

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/baronessbarker-600-400.png)

Baroness Barker

Out lesbian baroness, **Elizabeth Jean Barker**, recently gave a speech to the **UK** House of Lords where she spoke in support of the new maternity bill, which is under fire from anti-trans politicians due to its use of gender netural language. Barker said the rhetoric used by anti-trans groups is not based on facts: *“The classic campaign identifies a minority group, preferably one about which the majority population knows little, ascribes to them characteristics and motivations which make them a threat, repeats those assertions, preferably with the backing of a neutral body of experts, over and over until they become received wisdom.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/trans-rights-uk-600-400.jpg)

She continued: *“It’s what happened to migrant communities in the UK in the 1970s, and in the 1980s it was lesbians and gay men. Today, it’s the turn of trans people. They \[far-right anti-trans groups and politicians\] support campaign groups and individual academics to produce those documents which look like research, but under closer inspection, they’re just the same dodgy dossiers as in the past…I stress again: the evidence behind it is not there.”* Despite Barker’s statement of support for trans people, [*Metro*](https://metro.co.uk/2021/02/26/government-agrees-to-call-pregnant-women-mothers-in-new-maternity-bill-14149590/?ref=scenemag.co.uk) reported that the government has altered the maternity bill to change the word ‘people’ to ‘mothers’, as ‘gender-critical’ politicians such as **Lady Noakes** said the gender neutral language ‘erased women’.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/trans-healthcare-lgbt-1.jpg)

Discussions around gender neutral maternity language have been seen in the media recently, following the **Brighton NHS Trust** becoming the first in the country to implement [trans-inclusive language](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/brighton-nhs-introduces-trans-inclusive-terms/) regulations for its maternity services. In accordance with new regulations, the **Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust** will now use gender-neutral language such as ‘chestfeeding’ and ‘birthing parent’ in its internal communications and meetings. The Brighton and Sussex Maternity group said: *“At BSUH we are proud to care for trans and non-binary people as birthing parents and co-parents, and to celebrate and affirm their journeys to parenthood.”*