Caroline ffiske was a Conservative Councillor for Eight Years. Published on 7 April 2021.

Last year, the Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss, repeatedly publicly committed to protecting women’s single sex spaces. In April 2020, talking about the Gender Recognition Act consultation she said: “there are three very important principles that I will be putting place. First of all, the protection of single-sex spaces.” Shortly afterwards, she repeated the same commitment to the Women and Equalities Committee.

It's becoming increasingly clear that she needs to follow through on this commitment. The Equality Act makes clear that women have a right to single sex spaces whenever it is a proportionate means to achieve a legitimate aim. Nevertheless, many organisations seem to feel nervous about invoking this right. Sometimes this is when they have come under pressure from just one man, who has decided to 'identify as female' and seek access to women's spaces. For some reason, time and time again, organisations feel that this one man's feelings should be prioritised over all the existing female users of a space.

The latest example of this is Bowls England. Stella Moore, a 67 year old trans-identifying male, who has 'identified' as a woman for three years has pushed Bowls England into reviewing its rules for transgender players. Apparently Moore wants access to the female-only competitions and facilities. The sport of bowls has plenty of mixed sex competitions. Transgender players can play in these and enjoy the competition and company of men and women. This is therefore not about Moore and other transgender players being able to play, and to enjoy company and the outdoors. It seems to be more about bullying women into accepting men into their spaces.

We have time to influence Bowls England in its decision-making. We should defend the rights of, in this case, usually older women to be able to mix with each other, enjoy each other's company, and play bowls with each other, in a wholly female space. We should point Bowls England to the Equality Act and the legal legitimacy of female-only spaces and opportunities. An important part of this is that older women, enjoying their bowling clubs, should also have the right to female-only toilets and changing facilities. The Telegraph indicates that this is part of the Bowls England review and that they may even be considering giving trans-identifying men access, not just to the women's competitions, but also their facilities. 

Please tell Bowls England what you think. 

There is also, increasingly a problem with how the media reports on these cases and what it reveals about what they believe it means to be female. The Daily Mail calls Moore 'she' throughout its reporting. In fact, it refers to this 67 year old as 'Miss Moore'. The BBC reports in the same manner, as does the Telegraph and other outlets. They say that Moore has 'lived as a woman for three years'.

Can't these media outlets see how insulting this is to women? And so profoundly and deeply regressive? What do these reporters, these editors, think it means to 'live as a woman'? Does it mean to get up in the morning and put on make-up and a skirt? Do they really think that that is what it is to 'live as a woman'?

A woman is not a man in a dress. A man in a dress is not a woman. I actually thought everyone who is older than a toddler knew that. Actually, I know that we all know this. So what is going on? It's shocking to see how many of us will parrot fashionable nonsense, presumably as a ticket to a quiet life.

The trouble is that it isn't just fashionable but harmless nonsense, about which we should 'be kind'. Do we really want our daughters to read this nonsense and to absorb that adults think there are certain ways to 'live as a woman'? Which seems to invoke not much more than hair, skirts, and make-up? Please. This is really regressive vacuous stuff, pumped out cheerfully by our media.

There is some real cognitive dissonance going on with gender ideology. People seem to think it is progressive. There is nothing progressive about participating in the erosion of women's single sex spaces and opportunities. There is nothing progressive about saying that there are certain ways of 'living as a woman'. There is nothing progressive about saying that a man who wants to experiment with skirts, fabrics, make-up, whatever it is he likes to do, must in some sense be a woman. This is patronising, regressive, sexist, nonsense - which is actually harmful for both sexes.

Stella Moore - you would be a ten-fold better example for young men and women, if you went down to the bowling club in your glad-rags and proudly said 'I am a man - this is what I like to wear'. You would be a ten-fold greater friend to women if you said 'I respect your right to single sex spaces'. 

I really hope Bowls England holds up women's rights to single sex spaces, sports, and opportunities. I really hope Bowls England does something properly progressive and welcomes men in skirts. 

If it does not, it will surely be evidence that Liz Truss needs to act.