"Female with Male Genitalia"... UK Prime Minister's Leaked Remarks Mocking Transgender People Spark Controversy

Rishi Sunak Mentions Fellow Lawmakers at '1922 Committee' Party
"Not a Specific Group but Political Opponents" Explanation

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing backlash after an audio clip surfaced in which he appears to mock transgender people.

On the 18th (local time), the UK LGBTQ+ media outlet PinkNews reported that it had exclusively obtained a video file showing Prime Minister Sunak referring to transgender people during a party of the '1922 Committee' (a council overseeing Conservative Party elections) on the 5th.

Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

The video was recorded by an attendee at the party holding a mobile phone. The footage is pointed downward, so no faces are visible, but Sunak’s voice is clearly heard, and the remarks were quite strong. He mentioned Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, saying, "You’ve probably seen Davey struggling to convince people that 'women have male genitalia.'"

He then sarcastically referred to his own policy on raising the compulsory math education age, saying, "You all know I support people studying math until 18, but (according to Davey) it has now been revealed that we also need to focus on biology."

Last month, Davey appeared on a radio show advocating for transgender rights, stating that "mature discussions based on empathy are needed" regarding discrimination against transgender people. Sunak’s remarks appear to be a joke directed at his political opponent, Davey, referencing that broadcast.

However, there are criticisms that it was inappropriate for the Prime Minister to make discriminatory remarks about transgender people in front of fellow lawmakers. About 100 prominent Conservative figures, including Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, and Johnny Mercer, Minister for Veterans, attended the party.

A video showing UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak mentioning transgender people to fellow MPs at the '1922 Committee' party on the 5th was leaked.
[Photo by PinkNews]

Following the remarks, laughter broke out in the room, but some attendees reportedly appeared noticeably uncomfortable. An anonymous Conservative MP told PinkNews, "Othering any minority is despairing," adding, "We must stop discrimination against those protected by the Equality Act and understand and support them rather than belittle or demonize them."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sunak has previously emphasized biological sex, announcing plans to revise the Equality Act’s definition of 'gender' to 'biological sex.' In January this year, he vetoed the Scottish Parliament’s 'Gender Recognition Reform Bill,' which allowed transgender people aged 16 and over to legally change their gender based solely on self-identification.

In response to the controversy, Sunak’s spokesperson explained, "The joke was aimed at Leader Davey, and the general tone of the comments was no different from previous remarks made by the Prime Minister," adding, "It was a joke targeting a political opponent, not a specific group."

On the other hand, Nancy Kelley, lawyer for Stonewall, the UK’s largest LGBTQ+ rights organization, strongly criticized, saying, "It is incredibly disappointing that the Prime Minister chose to mock transgender people in front of parliamentary colleagues. The Prime Minister should apologize for his actions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.