Sex Is Complex

GPM # 94 Sex is complex (whether you’re XY or XX). So sang a Manitoba trio called the Welfare Starlets. This past week, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the distinction between XY and XX isn’t that complex at all. Under Britain’s 2010 Equality Act, the court declared, in a unanimous, landmark decision, the terms “woman” and “sex” refer exclusively to a biological woman and to biological sex – not to transgender women, even those with so-called Gender Recognition Certificates. The April 16 ruling delivers “clarity and confidence” to those who run hospitals, sports clubs, women’s refuges, and other spaces reserved exclusively to people with two X chromosomes, the UK government responded (without referring directly to the 23rd pair of chromosomes in the human genome). Others slammed it as a setback for transgender people. Alongside gays, lesbians, bisexuals and other non-binary folks, trans women and men are among the most marginalized and threatened members of society today. Nowhere more so than in places like Uganda, Iran, and the United States, where being trans can get you killed. For thoughts on the UK Supreme Court’s ruling, and the complex, politically fraught connection between women’s rights and transgender rights, the GPM reached out to Robert Wintemute, Canadian Professor of Human Rights Law at King’s College London, specializing in discrimination and sexual orientation law, and human rights conflicts. Wintemute’s new book, “Transgender Rights vs. Women’s Rights: From Conflicts to Coexistence,” will be published by Polity at the end of May. Donate with a $15/monthly subscription Listen to our conversation with Robert Wintemute in today’s podcast. Click on the play button above, or go here. Watch our complete conversation here: