'That's not acceptable': Angela Rayner 'shuts down' Kay Burley after being asked about gender identity on Sky News

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has said it is ‘not acceptable’ to ask trans women about their genitalia during an appearance on Sky News. On Tuesday morning (March 29), Sky News presenter Kay Burley asked the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne about gender identity while commenting on the Government’s current ‘partygate’ fiasco.

The question came after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was asked on Monday during a phone-in on radio station LBC if a woman could have a penis. In response, Sir Starmer said: “I don’t think that discussing this issue in this way helps anyone in the long run.”

Asked the same question this morning, Ms Rayner told Sky News: “This really upsets me because I think about a young person who’s struggling at the moment, who’s struggling with their identity.

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“When we’re having a social media (discussion) or a debate around what genitalia someone’s got, I think it really debases the serious issues that people face in their lives. I think we should be taking it off social media and taking it away from commentators.”

The Tameside MP added that while there will be some circumstances where it might be reasonable to ask a trans man if they are pregnant, she said: 'It wouldn't be a reasonable question for me to say 'Have you got a penis or not?' because that's not acceptable."

Ms Rayner insisted that there were protections in place for vulnerable women, and that it was also essential to support those struggling with their identity. She added: “When we debase it to what genitalia you’ve got, I think all that does is damage people. It doesn’t help us go forward on some of the real issues that people are