Trans people are being forced to “seek asylum abroad” over safety concerns after the Supreme Court ruling, a Labour peer has said.
Earlier this week, the court defined a woman by biological sex under the Equality Act of 2010.
Now, Lord Cashman has now told parliament that he knows transgender people “looking at seeking asylum in countries where they will not fear for their safety” following the landmark decision.
Speaking in the House of Lords, he said: “Currently, trans people in this country live in fear; they live in fear of their safety and their futures. Indeed, some friends are now looking at seeking asylum in countries where they will not fear for their safety but will receive a welcome.”
Baroness Smith of Malvern, the equalities minister, replied: “I very much hope that trans people will still believe that this is a country where they are welcomed, where their rights and their dignity are upheld. That is certainly the position in law.”
Prime minister Keir Starmer has accepted the Supreme Court’s verdict. He told ITV: “We need to move and make sure that we now ensure that all guidance is in the right place according to that judgment.”
“A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear.”
However, in March 2022, Sir Keir told the Times, that “a woman is a female adult, and in addition to that transwomen are women”.
Labour MP Nadia Whittome has warned that “discrimination, harassment and violence will rise if trans people lose access to toilets and other spaces”.
She said: “Research shows that half of trans people already fear using public toilets, so I am deeply concerned about the impact of comments by the minister [Bridget Phillipson] and the prime minister’s spokesperson that trans people should use a toilet that many of them would not feel comfortable or safe in.”
Related: Nicola Coughlan raises more than £100,000 for trans women after ruling