JK Rowling has described as “nonsensical” past comments made by Anneliese Dodds on gender as the Labour MP was announced as women and equalities minister.
The Harry Potter author has become known as a fierce advocate of the rights of biological women after criticising Scottish government proposals to introduce self-identification for transgender people.
Shortly after Monday’s announcement Rowling tweeted part of a transcript from an interview Dodds had done on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour in 2022.
According to the posted transcript, when asked for Labour’s definition of a woman, Dodds said there are “different definitions legally around what a woman actually is” and, when pressed again, said: “I think it does depend what the context is.”
Rowling tweeted: “And if you happen to be wondering how I have the transcript of that Woman’s Hour to hand, it was sent to me by Dodds’ office after I publicly criticised her prevarication on the programme. They seemed to think I’d find her comments less nonsensical if I saw them in print.”
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Dodds, who covered the brief in opposition, will carry on with the policy area which will sit in the Department of Education under Bridget Phillipson. The Times understands Dodds will still hold the overall control of the brief, but the prime minister’s spokesman said yesterday that for constitutional reasons it must be covered by a secretary of state.
One insider also suggested that there was a settled position on gender recognition reforms, but there was work to be done on guidance for teachers on how to deal with transgender pupils and for teaching relationships, sex and health education, therefore it made sense to put the job under the DfE’s purview.
However, a senior Labour source rejected that, pointing instead to how the party’s “mission” on breaking down the barriers to opportunity sat under Phillipson.
Phillipson was also named minister for women and equalities on Monday but the PM’s spokesman said: “Anneliese Dodds will be the minister for women and equalities and will be, as I understand it, attending cabinet. But for sort of constitutional purposes you also need someone who’s a full cabinet member having the brief as part of their role. But for all intents and purposes, Anneliese Dodds will be the lead minister.”
Draft guidance, published before the election was called, stated that England’s schools should not teach about the concept of gender identity. Asked if she would ditch the proposed ban, Phillipson said trans people’s “existence should be recognised” before saying discussion on the issue “drifts sometimes into a slightly bizarre conversation”.
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She has also previously said “statutory guidance” on single-sex spaces would be set out by a Labour government.
At Labour’s annual women’s conference last October, Dodds said that a Labour election win would mean that she would “become the UK’s first ever secretary of state for women and equalities, with a seat at the top table, dedicated to advocating for women in all their diversity in every Cabinet conversation”.
It had also been mooted that Labour could create a full equalities department, however this has not transpired.
In opposition Dodds committed to “modernising the Gender Recognition Act” and the party has committed to change the process of obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate.
Under the new process, people wanting to obtain a GRC will no longer need to prove they have lived in their affirmed gender for two years, instead waiting through a “reflection period”, and would only need the sign off of one specialist doctor. Labour will also remove the panel of doctors and lawyers who ultimately grant certificates and move to a registrar model. However, the party dropped its former policy of allowing self-identification.
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But Rowling has previously accused Labour of having “abandoned” her and others campaigning for women’s rights.
Phillipson has previously warned against “picking fights, seeking headlines” on issues around gender. During the election campaign she said she wanted to take the heat out of the row over transgender guidance for schools.
“Let’s stop this being a political football,” she told the BBC. “This is our children’s lives, their wellbeing, it’s too important to make this a culture wars issue on the front pages of newspapers.”
Last month she said: “I do believe in the importance of single-sex provision, but I also believe that trans people have the right to appropriate care as well. I don’t think it is about one or the other.”
